The next second, the four men raised their weapons—
And began slaughtering one another.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire erupted in rapid succession. Blades flashed in the afternoon light. Blood sprayed across the courtyard in arterial arcs, painting the blue vine crimson.
High above, suspended on the clouds like a god overlooking mortals, Elric held Custard Bun securely in one arm. His other hand was raised slightly, fingers relaxed, thin invisible threads extending downward from his fingertips like the strings of a cosmic puppeteer.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth as he watched the carnage unfold below.
That was right.
What forced them to massacre each other—what stripped away their free will and turned them into murderous puppets—was none other than his Parasitic Thread ability.
Elric finally understood why Doflamingo used to smile so strangely when controlling people in the stories he'd read. Back then, watching anime and reading manga, he hadn't truly understood that expression. It had seemed theatrical, exaggerated.
Now?
Now he understood completely.
He enjoyed it.
Controlling life and death with a single thought—watching people struggle helplessly against invisible strings—feeling their desperate attempts to resist crumble against his absolute control—
It felt intoxicating. Addictive, even.
The power was overwhelming in its totality.
"So this... this is your method?!" Custard stared down in complete disbelief, her voice barely a whisper.
Those awakened people below—the same violent criminals who had ambushed her, beaten her nearly to death, and stolen everything she owned—
Were now nothing more than dolls, cutting each other apart without the slightest resistance or awareness. Their bodies moved with mechanical precision, executing their companions with ruthless efficiency.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
This man... just how strong is he?
At this moment, watching the casual massacre orchestrated with barely a thought, Custard made a silent but absolute decision.
No matter what happened, no matter what was required of her, she would cling tightly to this thigh.
Because survival next to this man was guaranteed. And in the apocalypse, that was worth any price.
Below, desperate screams echoed through the blood-soaked courtyard.
"What's happening?! Someone tell me!"
"My body won't—I can't control—"
"No! No! Stop—!"
Five agonizing minutes passed.
When the slaughter finally stopped, when the last puppet collapsed with strings cut, only one person remained standing alive among the corpses.
The scar-faced middle-aged man.
The very same man who had been planning to raid the Star God Sanctuary—who had been fantasizing about taking Natasha by force, about claiming her as his prize.
He stood trembling among the corpses of his companions, knees shaking so badly he could barely remain upright. His eyes were vacant, unfocused, his mind teetering on the edge of complete collapse.
Everyone... everyone was dead.
His entire crew. People he'd known for years. People he'd survived with, killed with, conquered with.
Yet he hadn't even seen an enemy. Hadn't heard a threat. Hadn't been given a chance to fight or flee.
Was this a supernatural ability?
But no—even among awakened people, there shouldn't be this kind of overwhelming gap in power. This was something else entirely. Something beyond the rules.
Just then—
"Whoosh."
Two figures appeared directly in front of him, materializing from thin air.
A man and a woman.
The woman was strikingly beautiful—and painfully, horrifyingly familiar. The same girl from the viral videos. The one they'd driven from her home.
The man was tall and handsome, his posture relaxed, his gaze cold and utterly emotionless. Like looking at insects.
Elric studied him calmly for a moment, then spoke a single sentence.
"You were in the military?"
That was the only reason Elric had deliberately spared this particular man from the massacre. The rifle he carried—the grenades hanging from his belt—those weren't scavenged toys or lucky finds. They were military-grade equipment, properly maintained.
"Yes—yes, I was..." The man nodded rapidly, desperately, trying to appear cooperative.
At the same time, he felt the invisible restraint on his body suddenly loosen. His muscles responded to his commands again.
Now!
His hand twitched toward the pistol holstered at his waist—
"Crackle!"
Blue-white lightning pierced straight through his chest before his fingers even touched the grip.
His eyes widened in shock and confusion.
He collapsed backward, dead before his body hit the blood-soaked ground.
Elric didn't move from his position.
He simply stood there silently, eyes slightly unfocused, for two full minutes while his gaze fruit processed the information.
Then his eyes flickered with understanding.
A faint, knowing smile appeared.
"So that's how it is."
"You weren't actually military... your home just happened to be located near a base."
That was right.
Elric had already finished reading the dead man's memories thoroughly. After upgrading the Staring Fruit to Level 3, his memory-reading ability had become far stronger and more refined.
Now, with a sustained glance at someone's eyes, he could extract surface memories—recent thoughts, plans, significant events. The process took time and concentration, which was why he'd killed the man only after confirming everything useful.
"In the early days of the apocalypse, the military did conduct clearing operations against supernatural creatures..." Elric mused aloud, processing what he'd learned.
"But now? No news at all. No organized presence. No rescue operations."
The implications were troubling, but Elric didn't dwell on them.
What mattered was right in front of him.
The vine.
Seven ability fruits hung from its twisted branches—blue, glowing faintly, pulsing with visible supernatural energy. After the violent battle in the courtyard, feeding on the ambient death and chaos, they were already close to full maturity.
Elric waited patiently, watching them ripen.
Thirty minutes later, the fruits reached perfect maturity, their glow intensifying.
Without hesitation, Elric activated his Mirror World ability and stored all seven fruits safely inside the dimensional pocket. They vanished from the vine with barely a shimmer.
Then he looked at the vine itself thoughtfully, considering options.
"A plant that grows ability fruits every single day..."
"Destroying it would be an absolute waste."
The logical solution was clear: transplant it to the air base where it would be completely secure under constant guard. But moving a living supernatural plant wasn't something he could handle alone without risking damage.
One name immediately surfaced in his mind.
Elizabeth.
Through the Mirror World's communication function, Elric contacted her directly in the laboratory.
When she arrived twenty minutes later via transport and saw the vine with her own eyes, her expression transformed. Her eyes lit up instantly with barely contained excitement—the look of a researcher discovering a priceless specimen.
Another sustainable ability plant. A living treasure.
After careful examination, Elizabeth confirmed what Elric hoped to hear: the vine could absolutely be transferred safely. But the process would require careful preparation and execution.
It would take two full days.
Elric nodded, relieved but unsurprised.
He immediately ordered Natasha to personally guard the area during the entire transplantation process. No risks could be taken—this vine represented too much long-term value to lose.
Then, holding Custard securely once more, he activated his Empty Path ability and returned to the air base, threads pulling them through the sky.
There is 70 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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