203. Escaped
"What does this have to do with the Cosmic Juggernaut Inverted Horizons?" Vill-V asked, feeling puzzled.
"This has to do with Mitra."
The reason Mitra is so powerful on a spiritual level, even surpassing the Herrscher of Sentience, who possesses the authority of consciousness, is due to a terrifying characteristic and uniqueness.
In countless parallel worlds, there is only one Mitra.
And that unique Mitra is bound to Aponia by the threads of fate.
This is why Aponia possessed a special ability from birth, making it impossible for anyone to refuse her requests.
And that uniqueness has been transferred to Aponia through the MANTIS Warrior Surgery.
Her spirit transcends the constraints of the world, allowing her to travel between parallel worlds and, through the MANTIS Warrior Surgery, descend into Aponia in different worlds.
And she, following the contract, has come here to find Ling's soul.
"You mean you made a contract with Ling in another parallel world?" Vill-V seemed to understand.
"Yes…Actually, I can't actively control the power of this contract, but an unexpected situation caused it to be signed." Aponia's cheeks flushed slightly.
"You and Ling weren't lovers in another world, were you?" Vill-V looked constipated.
She hadn't even succeeded yet, how come a lover from another world suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
Seeing Aponia's shy expression, Vill-V knew with a grain of salt that signing a contract couldn't be so simple.
"…Yes." Aponia hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Vill-V's grip on Ling's hand tightened instantly, as if afraid Ling would really leave with Aponia.
"Can I ask why you came to find me in a parallel world?" Ling seized on the key point in Aponia's words.
"Because Ling is also unique," Aponia said seriously.
"Unique…" Ling raised an eyebrow; the meaning of that word was a bit too broad.
But according to Aponia's description, he seems to possess abilities similar to Aponia's.
However, Aponia doesn't seem inclined to explain.
"So why did you come to me?" Ling pressed.
"To...save you." Aponia's words carried a hint of hesitation, as if even she herself wasn't certain of her purpose.
"Then you might be a little too late, because I died at birth, and my consciousness has resided in Vill-V's body for decades." Ling shrugged.
"I see..." Aponia nodded. No wonder she couldn't find Ling no matter what she did; she never expected him to be inside Vill-V's body this time.
"Perhaps I can separate the two of you."
Aponia's words clearly reached their ears.
...
"What's wrong? You look unhappy." Ling gently embraced the sulking Vill-V.
Vill-V puffed out her cheeks, turning her head away from Ling.
"It's just a suggestion from Aponia; the choice is still ours, isn't it?"
"Besides, she's not entirely sure either; we don't even know when we can separate." Ling comforted her.
"You're already thinking about what will happen after we separate! You just don't like me!" Vill-V cried, covering her face.
"What's all this nonsense?" Ling was exasperated.
Although he knew Vill-V was faking it, he still couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.
When Vill-V learned that others could see Ling's existence, the emotion that surfaced in her heart wasn't happiness, but fear.
She was afraid that Ling would leave her, and that she would no longer be the only one in Ling's world.
But she knew that this thought was too selfish.
Ling's freedom was restricted by Vill-V's presence. He should have had a broader stage, a spiritual world that belonged solely to Ling.
Instead of depending on Vill-V for survival.
But she didn't want to lose Ling, not even for a moment.
So she used her most skillful trick—playing the victim—no matter how despicable, no matter how much it would disgust Ling, she was determined to keep Ling by her side.
Ling, of course, understood Vill-V's thoughts perfectly well.
So, without hesitation, he chose Vill-V over freedom.
Anyway, he had been here since he became conscious, so there was no need for him to leave.
Just as Vill-V thought, Vill-V was already his whole world.
"You…you really won't abandon me for that Aponia?" Vill-V sobbed softly.
"No matter what, it's not for her. We're not related." Ling corrected her.
"She's your lover!" Vill-V grabbed Ling's clothes at the chest.
"That's just her side of the story. Do you believe it?" Ling retorted.
"I don't believe it!" Vill-V shook her head decisively.
"That settles it then." Ling clapped her hands; the problem was solved.
"But she's so beautiful...so gentle...and has such a great figure...and she likes you..."
Vill-V said in a sweet, cloying voice.
"None of them is as good as my younger sister."
"I am the older sister." Vill-V rolled her eyes, but she finally got the answer she wanted.
"But my love for Ling will never be less than hers!" Vill-V suddenly hugged Ling's neck and kissed the corner of his lips.
Does the spirit feel pain? Vill-V, for the first time, wanted to test this question.
...
Vill-V's top-secret meeting.
"..." All the Vill-Vs' eyes turned to one of them.
Even the 'Transcendent' Vill-V was present at this meeting, which showed the seriousness of the situation.
'The Id': "You...all of you, say something...why are you looking at me like that..."
This feeling of being stared at like a sex offender made the 'Id' extremely uncomfortable.
'Expert': "How does it feel? Does it hurt?"
'Lecturer': "Hey! That's a bit too direct! Besides, isn't this an interrogation? How did it turn into a sensory sharing session?"
'Mystic Scholar': "This is utterly absurd! Die a minute, die a minute!"
'Conductor': "I'm not protecting you this time. You're on your own."
'Transcendent': "I think we should burn her alive."
The group of Vill-Vs looked at 'Transcendent'. Although it was a bit extreme, it strangely felt like a good suggestion.
'Id' shrank back in fear, but then, remembering that it was Vill-V's 'body,' its courage suddenly grew.
'The Id': "So what if I did it? I'm the boss, what I say goes! Don't think I don't know what you're up to."
"Expert, deliberately prolonging weapon manufacturing time so Ling can spend more time with you."
"Mystic scholar, isn't the drug you're researching a bit improper?"
"Lecturer, how dare you say that! You're the one secretly treating Ling like an older brother!"
"Conductor, you... never mind."
"Transcendent, you're the worst! Look at what your area has been transformed into! Ling on the walls, Ling on the ceiling, even the bedsheets are covered in Ling! You've completely ruined Vill-V's image!"
The Id's barrage of words left other Vill-V speechless.
The Conductor, on the other hand, didn't have much of a scandal. After all, she was only responsible for coordination and hadn't shown any excessive behavior towards Ling.
Sometimes, the Conductor was more like a mature Id, hiding her emotions and thoughts very well.
"Wait, isn't someone missing?" The conductor suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Where's the Great Magician?"
...