"Meow! Meow meow meow meow!"
Short blades swung out creating afterimages. Nekomata's movements were full of ghostly charm, her body as agile and her actions as swift as a true cat.
Although she couldn't kill in a single hit due to the influence of the Filth Shield, dealing with some of the weaker Ethereals was still relatively easy.
"Meow is exhausted to death."
...It was not easy.
Are you kidding? She had been busy running around the Dead End Hollow all during the day, and then narrowly escaped the pursuit of the Dead End Butcher afterward. Where would she have that much stamina left now?
Aside from clearing out some small fry, she really couldn't be of any help.
"Thinking about it this way, that guy Geno really is monster-level."
He had also run around all day; Geno was not only injured but had even taken a rocket hit directly to the face. Yet, he was still alive and kicking, even slaughtering enemies in all directions.
That stamina was simply monster-level.
Thinking of this, Nekomata turned her head, searching for Geno's position within the swarm of Ethereals. However, what she saw was an astonishing scene.
"Meow?! Geno!? And, the Dullahan..."
Although Ethereals were divided into many types, every single Ethereal actually had subtle differences. And that Dullahan—Nekomata remembered—was precisely the one Miguel had turned into.
"What are they doing?"
She saw that Geno had originally intended to rush in front of the Dullahan, but was blocked by other Ethereals.
Helpless, Geno found a new path. Since he couldn't stop the Dullahan's absorption, he would conduct absorption himself. By forcibly seizing the Dullahan's share, wouldn't that also stop its evolution?
"I, am also an Ethereal after all!"
With one sweep of his sword, he knocked away a Filth-corrupted Goblin blocking the way. Immediately after, Ether crystals and sharp claws grew from his body, and he instantly transformed back into the appearance of an Ethereal.
Then, mimicking the Dullahan's movements, he autonomously began to draw in the Ether energy from the air and the Filth from the bodies of other Ethereals.
Usually, the Ethereals Geno killed would dissipate, and that dissipating Ether energy would be absorbed by him instinctively; he had never actively acquired it.
Now was his first time actively attempting to absorb the power of other Ethereals. This sensation made his body feel extremely full, a swelling feeling that was quite comfortable.
However, aside from the Ether, he also absorbed countless amounts of Filth energy. This power was not pure Ether; it was mixed with chaotic aura and energy.
This thing called Filth was actually a special kind of Corrosive substance.
During the era of the Old Capital, it was distributed in large quantities within various Hollows. However, after the fall of the Old Capital, this substance only existed inside the Lemnian Hollow.
So, it was excusable that the new generation, like Twiggy and the Wise-Belle siblings, didn't know much about Filth.
However, the most special power of this substance was that it possessed the ability to manipulate memories. There were once investigators who, because they were trapped in illusions within the Filth and unwilling to wake up, ultimately couldn't leave the Filth and transformed into Ethereals.
But Geno didn't know these things. When he began to boldly absorb the power of the Filth, many scenes he had never seen before appeared in the depths of his consciousness.
"Mom, when is Dad coming back?"
"Be good, darling. Wait for the New Year, and Dad will be back."
What the little darling didn't know was that her father had already died a month ago in the accident of the Old Capital's fall.
Good daughter, forgive Dad.
"Son, Mom made dumplings for you. Dumplings for the departure, noodles for the return."
"I know, Mom. When I come back, you have to cook me a big pot of hand-rolled noodles. That's my favorite."
The old mother did not know that her son would die six months later from a stray bullet of the rebel army. Even when the blood on his body had drained dry, he was still thinking of her.
Your son is unfilial; I can't care for you in your old age.
"Brother, next time we meet, we two must drink a couple of cups."
"No problem. When the time comes, we won't go home until we're drunk."
The man did not know that his brother was discovered by bandits during an undercover mission a year later. When the Public Security officers arrived, only a corpse remained—head cut off, flesh turned inside out all over his body, already beginning to rot.
The most devastating part was that his head had been thrown into a toilet, left to be soaked beyond recognition by filthy things.
Brother, in the next life, let's drink together again.
"Urgh, it hurts! My head! My head is going to split!"
All kinds of memories flooded into Geno's head. he only felt his head swell several sizes larger; the massive amount of information was something he couldn't process at all.
These were the memories experienced by the cultists of the Congregation during their lives. Basically, every single one of them had many unbearable pasts.
Parents, friends, brothers—everyone had pain they could not forget.
And the Congregation gave them the solace they wanted.
The painful memories flashed through Geno's mind one by one, but soon, a change occurred.
"Darling, Dad is back."
"Mom, I want to eat the noodles you made."
"Brother, I came back to find you for a drink."
Those painful, sad memories that people were unwilling to recall were covered by another power and tampered with.
Family members were able to meet, children and grandchildren were still present, brothers exchanged cups.
The emergence of these memories allowed Geno, who had just been wrapped in pain, to receive a shred of relief.
And the scenes were still constantly shifting. What appeared next were no longer others' memories, but Geno's own.
"It'll be fine once you get into college; you'll be relaxed then."
Didn't they say it would be relaxing after getting into college?
"Overtime today. I'll give everyone a holiday and a raise later."
My wages during the internship period didn't even go up...
"No money, no car, no house—get lost, you stinking loser."
...
"These are... my memories?"
Geno's consciousness began to blur. The scenery around him started to gradually disappear, replaced by another picture.
"Yo~ Our family's college student is back."
"Oh my, my son is successful; he even knows to buy gifts for Mom."
"Honey, we will be happy for a lifetime."
Beautiful illusions were presented in Geno's mind, so beautiful that they made one want to sink into them right there, to drown in this illusory world woven from sugar and honey.
*'Do you feel happy?'
"Let us invite the bride and groom to enter."
'Do you feel happy?'
"Oh my, this young man is really fortunate to marry such a beautiful wife."
'Do you feel happy?'
"Yeah, I heard he's even a senior executive at some big group, with an annual salary of over a million!"
'Do you feel happy!'*
"Eh!?"
Geno snapped his eyes open. Appearing before him was not some chaotic battlefield or a swarm of Ethereals, but a sacred cathedral.
Looking at the crowd present clapping one after another, congratulating the newlyweds, Geno lowered his head subconsciously. He saw himself wearing a suit, his arm being held by a slender arm.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
____
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