"I must say you got a thing for making women scream."
Gulistan stated while the echo of the Ant Goddess' scream lingered.
"What can I say, maybe it's the work of several lives."
Konrad replied with a radiant smile.
"Or perhaps it just runs in the family."
Gulistan shrugged. Meanwhile, Hejin still vainly struggled against the wall. And having no need for him anymore, Konrad snapped his fingers, releasing a silent force that put Hejin's soul to sleep. Unconscious, he dropped onto the ground. And Gulistan, whose eyes had never left Konrad, was startled to see herself unable to comprehend his cultivation base.
With her Demigod cultivation level and eyesight, what trickery could he possibly use to deceive her? Either his current cultivation went beyond the True God level or…he had no cultivation whatsoever!
But how could that be?
"I indeed have no cultivation. Cultivation is so overrated by the way. You'd be surprised by the things you can do without it."
Konrad replied to Gulistan's unspoken questions, and if until now she still managed to maintain a calm exterior, once those words resounded, her eyes widened in disbelief!
"You can…"
"Read your mind, yes."
Konrad cut, finishing the sentence on Gulistan's tongue. The confirmation of the quasi-certitude forced her to cant her head to the side, before eying Konrad from head to toe.
"You've grown exponentially since we last met."
Gulistan stated with her eyebrows arched up. Although she'd expected Konrad's strength to rise exponentially during those ten years, never did she expect it to reach a level that put her at his complete mercy.
But now, she was forced to admit that all her estimations missed the mark, and he could effortlessly suppress her. Hejin's fate was a clear enough example. Although Gulistan's strength stood several steps above his, to say nothing of her, even their father didn't dare boast the ability to knock him out with a finger snap.
Such horrifying might had already reached True God Altitude!
Naturally, Gulistan didn't believe Konrad's claim of "no cultivation." Rather, she reckoned he added a new secret to his inexhaustible bag of tricks. Still, in the current moment, it mattered not.
"Why are you here?"
Indeed, that was the critical issue. Although they behaved in a comically insincere manner, Gulistan and Konrad knew very well, that between the two of them, not a hint of affection existed. Worse, grievances now stood in the way. The visit of a mighty Konrad clearly presaged no good for Gulistan.
And as her inquiry echoed, the playfulness within Konrad's gaze vanished, replaced by a cold, chilling gaze.
"You know. How could you not? Since we met, I knew you and I could never have a decent relationship. Among all the options at your disposal, you chose and prepared for me a woman with a Decadent Physique, the goal you pursued by doing so, you know better than me.
It doesn't take any mind-reading to figure out."
Konrad began with his icy-blue eyes locked on Gulistan, who withstood his gaze without flinching.
"But frankly such a clumsy trick is excusable. At worst, I would have taken you down a peg in due time. But not content of using that move, you used Eysan's death to push Bayiz to target my women. My women. But not just anyone. You specifically targeted Yvonne and Else.
What those two mean to me, you clearly know. And that is why you chose them among all others. You wanted to push me into despair and force me to grovel to you for the trivial hope of recovering them, thenceforth controlling me."
Konrad observed while stepping toward Gulistan.
"A pity that your gains within the Tower transcended all I could imagine. With one trivial month of time, your cultivation base, foundation, and bloodline all experienced outrageous changes. And your battle-power rose to surpass even the combination of Bayiz and Erhardt. Moreover, you gained the Tower as an artifact. I must say you never cease to amaze."
Gulistan admitted, clearly unwilling to waste time in concealing the obvious.
Hearing this, Konrad nodded in approval.
"Straightforward, I like. However, I still can't understand one thing. Your life is bound to mine. If I fail to become the Ancient Crystal World God, either you or your house will follow me to the grave. Logically speaking, you wanting to control me might stem from self-preservation. But we both know the mighty Talroth doesn't want me to reach that level so that I can run errands for you.
Your past actions are no different from attempting to confront him and thwart his plans…whatever they might be. Which, unless you never plan to step into the Infernal Realm, is pure lunacy."
Konrad analyzed while stopping right before Gulistan with his eyes peering into hers, and their noses almost brushing. And though Gulistan's face remained impassible, he could feel the tiny fluctuations within her heart.
"This brings me to my last query. Why? What drives you to make such a move? Wild, unrestrained ambition? No, I see something else. Anger, resentment, and even hatred. Yes, I can finally see it.
Every time you glance at me, behind all the façade, those emotions linger. They're not aimed at me, but at what you see in me, in my features. Talroth. You resent and loathe him. Interesting, very interesting.
I wonder why."
As Konrad spoke, he vanished, leaving only the chorus of his voice to resound within the room. Then, he reappeared at Gulistan's left, right, back, front, and multiplied until as far as her eyes could see, he stood.
In that instant, Gulistan realized her mind was under attack. However, even her soul power couldn't break the illusion.
"Don't bother. Even Higher Laws have a hierarchy. The most destructive Higher Law is the Law of War. The most intricate is the Law of Nether. And I wield it. Within the Three Realms, my comprehension and control of souls are only inferior to Urzul and those scarce Balam Gods that achieved Nether Wielding.
That plus my own dreadful soul makes you unable to contend with me."
Konrad explained, in an inexpressive tone while peering into Gulistan's soul.
"Don't you dare!"
Gulistan snarled when she realized all her struggled useless.
"Oh, I dare. Let's see what you have to hide."
