Ysoria's face was of a dawning understanding. "To think the Sculptor of Mind's manipulation is so extensive," she said. "Even I wasn't aware of being affected by it. The reports the Holy Church received only mentioned that he had brainwashed all the powerful figures within the Empire and its army to do his bidding, but to think it has affected the entirety of it..."
Beside her, Princess Tina sat huddled on the floor, now fully dressed in an identical Saint's robe to Ysoria's. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, gloomily muttering to herself. "To think I did all of those obscene actions. It's unbefitting of a princess. I can't get married now..."
Ysoria gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Cheer up, Tina. With the Hero here, I'm sure we can defeat the Sculptor of Mind and return the Empire back to normal."
Tina's despondent mood lifted slightly, replaced by a flicker of rage. A flame of vengeance burned in her eyes as she looked at Ysoria. "That's right. We need to put an end to all of this. I'll personally torture that fat bastard to death."
She rose to her feet, her posture straightening with the resolve of a true royal. Dressed as she was, with golden hair catching the light, she looked almost identical to Ysoria. "I know a hidden passageway to the castle. We can sneak in and assassinate him, then lift his hold on the Empire once and for all."
"Alright," Kaito said with a shrug. "I planned to go through the front door, but your plan works too."
Tina slightly averted her gaze, a blush of embarrassment rising on her cheeks. She quickly regained her composure and nodded. "In the Empire's conquests, the Sculptor has brainwashed many powerful people. The Youngest Archmage in History and The Sword Saint's Descendant are the most fearsome. I'm unsure of how strong you are, Hero, but confronting such foes may be a challenging endeavor."
"Don't worry, Tina," Ysoria said, a confident smile on her face. "He's the strongest Hero."
"I hope you're right..." Tina replied, her gaze lingering on Kaito.
_____
In the dimly lit passage, Kaito crouched low, his voice a barely audible whisper. "Agent Durandal and Agent Shikabanehime, do you read?"
A voice, crisp and clear in his mind, responded instantly. 'Affirmative, Agent Kaito. The route is clear.'
Another, softer voice followed. 'Wait, Master. Ah... Agent Master? A maid is approaching.'
Behind him, Tina leaned closer to Ysoria. "What is the Hero doing?" she whispered, her voice laced with confusion.
"I don't know," Ysoria whispered back. "But I think the Hero is communicating with his Holy Swords."
He gave a sharp gesture for them to follow, before they pushed a hidden panel, which swung open to reveal the back of a large wooden wardrobe. They slipped through and emerged into a lavishly decorated bedroom.
Kaito silently closed the panel behind them. "If the description of his appearance matches what you provided. Then the Sculptor is on the floor above us."
"I can't forget his disgusting appearance. He's likely in my father's bedroom."
Suddenly, a girl with long blue hair and an absurdly large wizard hat appeared with a flash of light. She didn't hesitate and immediately casting a bolt of lightning at them. However, Kaito was faster. He raised summoned Durandal and effortlessly blocked the spell, the lightning fizzling out harmlessly.
"That's Nysera, the Youngest Archmage in History," Ysoria call out. "Be careful, Hero."
Kaito didn't waste a moment. He swung Durandal at Nysera, the indestructible blade shattering several of her magical barriers. She teleported away instantly, but the brief flash of light wasn't enough to escape Kaito. He had already predicted her destination and stood ready. Shikabanehime was already in motion. It smashed through Nysera's remaining defenses and slammed her harmlessly against a wall.
Kaito's next attack passed right through her body as if she'd turned ethereal and floated away from the wall. He frowned slightly but continued his assault, his attacks with Shikabanehime passing through her body again and again.
Nysera retaliated by casting multiple orbs of lightning at him. Kaito moved Durandal to intercept them, but a wave of thick, sticky sensation washed over him. It felt like moving through molasses. A familiar sensation he'd encountered back in London. The cloud of sparks erupted in Kaito's face as he failed to intercept the attacks.
"Hero!" Ysoria cried out, readying a healing spell.
Kaito wasn't meaningfully damaged, but he was stuck in slow motion. Even so, he continued his relentless assault with Shikabanehime. Eventually, his sword adapted, its attacks finally landing a solid, physical blow on the ethereal mage. The blade ran through Nysera's stomach, but her expression remained blank, not even a grimace of pain.
Giving her no chance to escape, Kaito grabbed her petite throat and lightly strangled her into unconsciousness and channeled his blessing to break the hypnosis. He pulled Shikabanehime from her body, released his grasp, and let her drop to the floor.
'Kaito, the Sculptor is escaping,' Durandal's voice echoed in his mind.
Kaito turned to Tina and Ysoria. "Looks after her. I'll go after the Sculptor."
He dashed upstairs, guided by Durandal, and found an obsessed man at the end of a long corridor. Kaito instantly closed his eyes to avoid looking at the hypnosis artifact.
He moved to behead the Sculptor, but his katana was intercepted by another blade. Despite his lack of vision, he knew it was another katana that he had clashed with. He quickly overpowered it, knocking the attacker away. Another attack from the unknown assailant was swung his way, but Kaito countered it with Durandal. The attacker's katana shattered upon Durandal's indestructibility. The force of the impact sent the attacker crashing into a wall. Using this opportunity, Kaito beheaded the Sculptor with Shikabanehime.
'It's safe to open your eyes now, Master,' Shikabanehime said.
Kaito opened his eyes and confirmed the Sculptor was dead. In the man's hand was a strange brick-shaped device. Kaito instantly recognized it: a smartphone.
He cautiously picked up the phone. It had a pink screen with numerous menus and a text message that read: "User deceased confirm... New user confirms... Transferring ownership... Welcome to the Hypnosis App, Kaito Tanaka..."
Kaito was baffled. It was really the famous Hypnosis App. He scrolled through the menus and found a button that read: "Release all hypnosis." He tapped it, and a confirmation message popped up on the screen.
Then, a groan sounded near him.
"Umm, where am I? Ah! What happened to my katana!?"