"You promised you'd let me go if I cooperated!" Lust snarled through gritted teeth, having just betrayed his teammates. With a slight shift of his eyes, he could see Sparkle's small foot pressing against his face, even the five adorable toes adorned with red nail polish.
As previously mentioned, for a normal person—or rather, for a select few who weren't entirely normal—this might be considered a reward. But for Lust, a misogynistic gay man, it was the ultimate punishment.
"Of course. I keep my word," Sparkle said coldly, making no move to lift her foot. "Provided the information you gave me is accurate."
"It's true! Everything I said is true!" Lust's voice grew frantic.
"Is that so? But... I don't believe you~" In the Illusionary Realm, Sparkle gradually increased the pressure of her foot until Lust felt his skull was about to crack. Waves of indescribable pain surged through him, forcing him to struggle against her.
The familiar tactic resurfaced: the floor split open, transforming into a gaping maw that swallowed them both whole. But in the next instant... everything reset to its original state.
Sparkle's voice echoed, "As I said, I ask, you answer. The sooner we finish this, the better for both of us."
"Ahhhhh!" Lust screamed meaninglessly.
Then, he experienced the same cycle over and over again. Whether he continued his attacks, immediately begged for mercy, betrayed his comrades, or pleaded with Sparkle to stop her ability, the outcome remained unchanged.
After Lust begged for mercy, no matter what information he revealed, Sparkle's response was always, "I don't believe you." Then everything would reset once more.
Through these endless repetitions, Lust realized something crucial: the Sparkle in this Illusionary Realm seemed to lack genuine consciousness. No matter what he said, she refused to believe him, forcing the cycle to begin anew. This was hardly the behavior of someone genuinely seeking information, was it?
Yet, this realization only deepened his despair. If the Sparkle in this Illusionary Realm was a mere construct, preventing him from even communicating with the real Sparkle, how could he ever escape this damned loop?
Again and again, time after time, the relentless cycle pushed Lust's mental state to the brink of collapse.
Unbeknownst to Lust, each Sparkle he encountered was real. Unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, she repeatedly tested him. Her caution proved justified; the initial information Lust had provided was indeed false.
By the second, third, and fourth pleas for mercy, Lust's information had changed from his first attempt. However, these subsequent versions remained consistent, strongly suggesting their veracity.
By the fifth, sixth, and seventh cycles, Lust's responses had devolved into incoherent ramblings, his claims riddled with logical inconsistencies. It was through these flawed iterations that Lust finally convinced himself that the Sparkle within the Illusionary Realm was a "fake."
Finally, after roughly thirty to forty cycles—Lust had long lost count of the endless repetitions—he genuinely shattered the Illusionary Realm.
Yet, as the illusion dissolved, Sparkle simultaneously conjured a clone. The clone stomped onto Lust's face, reshaping the real world's scenery to match the starting point of their recurring nightmare within the Illusionary Realm.
The moment Sparkle returned to reality, she witnessed Lust use his ability to swiftly end his own life.
In truth, Lust had taken his own life multiple times during the final cycles of the Illusionary Realm. Unbeknownst to him, this time, his suicide would be permanent.
This could hardly be called a battle. From beginning to end, Sparkle had only created the Illusionary Realm, using none of her other abilities. Yet she had obtained the information she sought and manipulated her enemy into killing himself.
"Mmm~" Sparkle stretched languidly. Creating illusions so flawless they defied detection might be challenging, but this simple, endlessly looping Illusionary Realm had posed no strain whatsoever.
Cloaking herself in invisibility, Sparkle skipped out of the room with carefree abandon.
Outside, the cultists continued their rituals, oblivious to their leader's suicide. Only time would tell when they discovered their boss had taken his own life.
-
Meanwhile, Elysia, having just arrived at the White Tower, immediately sought out Baldy Burke and presented him with five detailed addresses, including Lust's.
"These are the locations of the other five high-ranking members of The Eldritch Concord," Elysia stated.
Baldy Burke stared blankly, utterly dumbfounded. "Ah... ah???"
This seemed almost absurd. Only yesterday, thanks to the efforts of veteran soldiers, the White Tower had barely managed to peel back a layer of mystery surrounding the cult organization. The vast quantities of confiscated materials were still under investigation, their purpose yet to be deciphered.
How, in such a short time, could they possibly know the home addresses of the other five cult leaders? What's more, the information was so precise, it even included house numbers!
"Th-this..." Burke stammered, "Lady Elysia, where did you obtain this intelligence? Is it truly reliable?"
The question was perfectly reasonable, but it left Elysia at a loss for words. She couldn't exactly admit she'd gotten it from her "good friend," Sparkle.
While not impossible, such an explanation would inevitably lead to further questions: How did she meet Sparkle? And was Sparkle trustworthy?
Most people only knew Sparkle from the viral video that had recently taken the internet by storm, and from the Deputy Director of the Sakura Nation's mention of "Sparkle." Few even knew what she looked like or whether she was male or female.
As Elysia was trying to figure out how to explain, Baldy Burke, who had asked his question less than three seconds earlier, suddenly adopted a thoughtful expression. He nodded and said, "I understand. I'll dispatch personnel immediately."
Now it was Elysia's turn to look bewildered. "Wait, what do you understand? I haven't even explained anything yet!"
In truth, Elysia had underestimated her current authority within the White Tower. She didn't need to justify her actions or orders; she simply issued them, and others would carry them out without question.
Burke's initial question had been a knee-jerk reaction born of shock. He quickly realized that how Lady Elysia had obtained this intelligence was irrelevant.
What mattered was swiftly moving to dismantle The Eldritch Concord's five strongholds.