With her increasing experience in using soul avatars and manipulating SP, Violet was no longer the same as before, easily dragged into strange illusions or memory echoes by any random entity.

 

In the past, she would have had to rely on brute force to break through, or else remain trapped within. But now, she was much more capable of handling such situations.

 

Her consciousness split into two parts. While her main body continued to observe and respond to the external environment, the other part, formed by SP, quietly delved into the depths of the grey-clad swordsman’s mind.

 

The deepest part of a being’s mind is a world as strange and fantastical as a dream, constructed from their thoughts and desires.

 

According to the long-term research and investigations of the Holy Academy on the study of souls, the scenery of a mental world typically reflects a complete worldview—a microcosm of a sentient being’s life, imprinted with the most significant aspects of their memories, much like how a general is tied to the battlefield, a woodsman to the forest, or a scholar to their books.

 

And the Mr. Dead Soul’s mental world…

 

Was a graveyard of swords.

 

A cemetery filled with countless treasured swords.

 

“Swish.”

 

In the mental world, Violet’s figure took shape.

 

However, she didn’t rush to take action. Instead, she glanced down at her attire and let out a somewhat helpless smile.

 

The iconic black hair and white robe made the girl realize that she had reverted to her true form.

 

It was always like this. Whenever Violet created her own incarnation, no matter how much her main body was disguised, it wouldn’t affect the appearance of the avatar.

 

Even Semi-Divine artifacts like the 【Dominion of the Fox Mask】, which could alter the results of 【Information Detection】, seemed to have no impact.

 

If it weren’t for the fact that soul avatars can’t be observed through conventional means, this could really be a hassle.

 

But fortunately, the mental world is only akin to a creature’s subconscious, like a dream. Even if Violet were to stir things up here, it shouldn’t leave any memory in the person involved.

 

Alright, let’s see what’s going on here.

 

The sky in this mental world was gloomy, with no sun or moon, and visibility was only about halfway. The priestess began to walk around the graveyard of broken swords, wandering among the tombs where countless damaged swords were stuck into the ground. However, she didn’t find anything that could be considered out of the ordinary.

 

Naturally, her gaze then turned to the center of the graveyard, where a massive grey sword, standing dozens of meters tall, was half-buried in the ground. For some reason, it was tightly bound by iron chains extending from several towering stone pillars that reached into the clouds.

 

“This seems pretty complicated… Why is there only a sword in this guy’s mental world? Back in Demon Suppression City, he didn’t come across as someone who was obsessed with swords to this extent…”

 

Muttering in confusion, Violet approached the sealed giant sword and prepared to touch it…

 

But.

 

“Please stop!”

 

A familiar, clear voice suddenly rang out near Violet’s ear, surprising her!

 

“?”

 

She turned around, and her expression became a bit complicated.

 

Nearby, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was a young girl about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a standard ceremonial dress of the Human United Kingdom.

 

She had long, sky-blue hair, and though her face was youthful, certain aspects of her development didn’t match her childlike appearance.

 

The girl hurriedly ran over and grabbed the priestess’s hand.

 

“You can’t touch that cursed sword! It’s already been corrupted by evil forces. If you touch it carelessly, you could be contaminated by that power!”

 

“…?”

 

Facing the blue-haired girl’s urgent and seemingly heartfelt warning, Violet could only twitch the corners of her mouth a few times before finally muttering a name.

 

“Menna?”

 

“Huh?”

 

The blue-haired girl was just about to continue speaking when she was startled by the word that suddenly escaped the black-haired girl’s lips. She looked puzzled.

 

“Huh? How did you know my name is Menna, Miss? Have we met before?”

 

Seeing that the girl actually nodded in acknowledgment, Violet’s expression became even more peculiar. After opening and closing her mouth several times, she finally managed a rather ambiguous response, nodding reluctantly.

 

“Sort of…”

 

Wow, this is something else.

 

The image appearing in this kind of deep mental world is, apart from thoughts like Violet’s that come from the outside, only possible as a virtual consciousness constructed by the owner of this mental world. In other words, the grey-clad swordsman outside.

 

Such virtual consciousness generally has two sources: the person’s own manifestation within their mental world or something that has left a deep impression on them in their daily life. Objects or people they think about constantly, often resembling lovers, close friends, or parents.

 

This semi-grown girl appearing now, unless the swordsman has some strange cross-dressing fetish, is naturally not the swordsman’s own consciousness.

 

Plus, her appearance and the déjà vu-like tone she uses are at least seven or eight parts similar, if not more…

 

Damn it, this guy really has some ulterior motives towards little Menna!

What a despicable lolicon!

Where’s the police!?

Now there’s evidence to catch him!

This is serious! You’re done for, kid!

 

Though Violet was mentally cursing up a storm, her many thoughts naturally couldn’t be heard by the girl in front of her, whose appearance, demeanor, behavior, including her outfit and name, were clearly inspired by the “Menna”.

 

Seeing that Violet merely twitched her mouth and remained silent, “Menna” tilted her head in confusion and then quickly displayed a look of alarm.

 

“Are you okay? Why do you look so strange? Wait! Could it be… I’m too late, and you’ve already touched the contaminated sealed sword?! Yikes! What do we do, what do we do?!”

 

Well, it seems there are some differences from the real person.

 

The real Menna would never show such childish behavior. Although she might look like a child on the surface, her mental stability, due to her 【Revelation】, surpasses not only her peers but most adults as well.

 

In other words, this “Menna” is just an image created from the swordsman’s subconscious, incorporating elements that fit his preferences.

 

There’s no need for a detailed explanation when dealing with a virtual consciousness that exists only in a mental world. Though inspired by Menna, the person in front of Violet is still an extension of the swordsman’s thoughts.

 

If she made things too clear and made the other party realize that everything here isn’t real, there could be risks of collapse or distortion in this mental world.

 

Therefore, Violet simply shook her head calmly.

 

“It’s fine, Menna… Right, I actually came here specifically to deal with the evil force sealed in this sword… Um, I’m a priestess, you know, working with holy light, so there’s no need to worry. Just step aside and leave everything to me.”

 

However, such a simple explanation wasn’t easily accepted.

 

“Eh? No, no! Although I don’t know who you are, that evil force is too terrifying! Everyone put in their utmost effort and made countless sacrifices just to temporarily seal it in the main sword of the graveyard. If an outsider touches it recklessly…”

 

Seeing the “Menna” in front of her looking deeply skeptical, Violet found it amusing but chose not to force the issue. Instead, she turned around and glanced at the giant sword surrounded by stone pillars and tightly bound by iron chains.

 

“Well then, even if I don’t touch it, can you keep this evil force sealed in the sword forever?”

 

“Uh, that…”

 

“Menna” suddenly fell silent.

 

From the anxious expression almost written on her face, Violet could easily read the little girl’s thoughts.

 

It’s absolutely impossible.