Chapter 25: The Seven Desires
The Mind Blade didn't trigger its immunity effect, indicating that this ability didn't count as a forced mental control ability. Through practical combat exploration, Su Xiao discovered that most of what the Mind Blade could resist were strong mental control abilities, such as forced charm, mental dizziness, and the like.
The influence he was currently under was, at most, a kind of misdirection that amplified emotions. The reason it could affect Su Xiao's judgment was because several emotions were being amplified simultaneously.
If it were just a single emotion being amplified, with Su Xiao's willpower, he could completely suppress that emotion. For example, when he saw that female student earlier, although the thought in his mind was to pin her down and rub her face on the ground, he didn't actually act on it. Instead, he relied on his willpower to restrain his own desires.
Having identified the problem, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. The strength of this emotion-affecting ability lay in its concealment. Once discovered, its threat level was greatly reduced.
As for how to break it, Su Xiao had already noticed the symbols on his arm. Combined with the characteristics of his own abilities, breaking it wasn't difficult. He converted 100 mana points into Cyan Steel Shadow Energy and converged this energy into his right arm.
The Cyan Steel Shadow Energy was suddenly released. This release was different from before. Previously, it would cling to the surface of his body. This time, it was directly ejected outward.
The Cyan Steel Shadow Energy swept over the seven symbols. Su Xiao closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. Once in meditation, he could once again perceive the existence of those symbols.
Su Xiao discovered that the seven symbols on his arm were gradually detaching from his skin, converging in the air to form three words: A Welcome Gift.
The seven symbols completely disappeared. Su Xiao opened his eyes. After resolving the source of the emotional interference, he gradually calmed down. Previously, his emotions had been constantly disturbed by an unknown ability, causing his thoughts to be somewhat chaotic.
[Prompt: You have been affected by the Scythe of Seven Desires. Triggered emotions: Wrath, Pride, Gluttony, Lust. The Scythe of Seven Desires deals damage equal to 40% of your maximum health. Damage for a single emotion is 5% of maximum health. Each triggered emotion doubles the damage effect: 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%. The maximum limit is 50%.]
[Six or more emotions of the Scythe effect were not triggered. Your health is above 30%. The final effect of the Scythe of Seven Desires has not been triggered.]
[Because the Hunter did not trigger the final effect of the Scythe of Seven Desires, the caster of the Scythe of Seven Desires will suffer a backlash. Maximum health permanently -10%. Intelligence attribute permanently -3.]
[Warning: This is an exclusive ability of an Anomalous Violator. As the Anomalous Violator is more than one kilometer away from the Hunter, their location cannot be locked.]
...
Blood dripped from the corner of Su Xiao's mouth. He understood what had happened. It was the target of his hunt mission, that Anomalous Violator, attacking him.
The other party had used this ability called the 'Scythe of Seven Desires' on Su Xiao at some unknown time. The casting range of this ability was over one kilometer, and it didn't require very precise coordinates. It might only need a photo or code name of Su Xiao to cast.
Such a long casting range, coupled with extremely strong concealment and its effect on emotions, was undoubtedly a very powerful ability. It was no exaggeration to say it could kill without a trace. Once completely influenced by emotions like Pride, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, and Greed, within this dangerous derivative world, even if one didn't die from the final effect of the Scythe of Seven Desires, they might be killed by other plot characters.
Fortunately, Su Xiao's willpower was firm enough. Otherwise, he might have undergone a drastic personality change due to this ability. It wouldn't have been as simple as using water torture on an enemy or killing someone rashly; going berserk was a possibility.
While this ability was powerful, it also had significant side effects. Once this ability was forcibly shaken off, the caster of the Scythe of Seven Desires would suffer a backlash: maximum health permanently -10% and Intelligence attribute -3. These two penalties were enough to give that Violator a hard time.
Su Xiao wiped the blood from his mouth. Before even meeting, that Anomalous Violator had given him a 'surprise.'
From the known intelligence, the other party already knew of Su Xiao's existence. Or rather, the other party might have been hunted by Hunters many times and was experienced in this, even having killed Hunters in retaliation.
This was not impossible. Although the relationship between Hunters and Violators was hostile, both sides had diverse abilities. There was no absolute mutual restraint. Who lived and who died depended on strength. This showed how dangerous the role of a Hunter was.
Before Su Xiao could go looking for the other party, they had already 'come knocking' on their own. This reminded Su Xiao of a Violator he had once fought, the Red Jester.
This Anomalous Violator was the same as the Red Jester. They understood Hunters, would start looking for the Hunter upon entering a derivative world, and would find a way to eliminate them.
"Almost got ambushed."
With his emotions no longer affected, Su Xiao felt a wave of relief. It was no exaggeration to say his ears were clear and his eyes were bright. The feeling of amplified emotions was like an invisible hand tugging at his feelings. All emotions mixed together, thoughts in his brain became a tangled mess, making calm thinking impossible.
He hadn't noticed this feeling before. Now that the Scythe of Seven Desires was lifted, the sense of relief was very obvious. It was as if he had been 'carrying a burden' all along. Initially, the 'burden' was so light it was imperceptible. As his emotions fluctuated, the 'burden' gradually increased in weight. Now, he had forcibly torn the 'burden' away.
Su Xiao had no time to deal with that Violator for now. The other party was hiding in the shadows, making it very difficult to find them. Even with Alastair's help, using the Windowless Building's surveillance network to find them was unlikely. Moreover, Alastair wouldn't help.
Fortunately, after this initial 'exchange,' that Anomalous Violator would most likely not appear again in the near future. Furthermore, Su Xiao was now on guard against the other party's abilities, making it unlikely he would fall for them again.
This Violator was extremely difficult to deal with. Before they had even met, they had already exchanged one round.
"Bubu, if I act abnormally again, bite me immediately."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Bubu Wang tilted his head, as if asking, "Bite the head?"
"Bite the leg!"
Bubu Wang's dog face showed a look of embarrassment, indicating he understood.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from the door. Bubu Wang jumped off the bed, wagging his fluffy tail to open the door.
The door opened, and a blond, spiky-haired youth wearing sunglasses walked into the room. The youth wore a floral shirt, unbuttoned, revealing his chest and abdominal muscles. Paired with the gold chain around his neck and his shorts, it made one wonder if he had just returned from a beach vacation.
"Yo, heard you were looking for me?"
The newcomer was named Motoharu Tsuchimikado. A multiple spy, although his combat strength wasn't particularly strong, no one in Academy City would dare touch him. His identity was simply too special.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. You're lucky. If we had met an hour earlier, the outcome might have been different."
Su Xiao's words puzzled Motoharu Tsuchimikado, but the truth was indeed so. If Su Xiao had met Motoharu Tsuchimikado while his emotions were being affected, what he would have done was unclear even to himself. Under the influence of his emotions, Su Xiao might have hung Motoharu Tsuchimikado up and whipped him until he revealed clues about the Final Spiritual Codex.