Chapter 1678 The Coliseum in the Void <TOC> Chapter 1680 The Significance of the House of Hearts
Translator: SumTLMan
As moments ticked away, Angel kept a close watch on the fluctuations of the House of Hearts.
Although he couldn’t probe into the specific situation inside the House of Hearts, through the fluctuations of the illusionary magic, he could roughly surmise what was transpiring within.
At first, the fluctuations surged rapidly. Upon reaching a particular peak, they began a gradual descent but didn’t plummet back to their initial state, instead exhibiting continuous ebbs and flows.
Based on Angel’s speculations, if Sharu truly confronted his inner demons or perhaps a persistent obsessive influence, they should be in the midst of battle, with neither side gaining the upper hand, resulting in a deadlock.
Roughly five minutes later, the illusionary magic’s fluctuations finally started to decline, plummeting like a sheer cliff. If depicted on a coordinate axis, it would be a direct vertical drop at a certain point, with the horizontal coordinate unchanged, and the vertical coordinate returning to zero.
Witnessing this scene, Angel shifted his gaze to Sharu.
The House of Hearts rested on the table while Sharu lay sprawled atop it, enveloped in the energy emanating from the House of Hearts.
As the fluctuations of the illusionary magic faded to zero, the energy swathing Sharu gradually receded. When the energy vanished entirely, Sharu abruptly opened his eyes.
He jolted upright as if he had endured a nightmare, clutching his chest and taking deep, labored breaths.
It took a while before Sharu’s breathing steadied.
“Am I not dead? Where am I?” Sharu turned, surveying his surroundings, eventually resting his gaze on Angel and Freud in the near distance.
“Don’t worry, you’re not dead,” Freud’s focus was now squarely on Sharu. “It seems you’ve experienced a nightmare. Would you be interested in discussing it with us?”
While it appeared Freud was seeking Sharu’s opinion, his gaze bore into Sharu intently, seemingly with an underlying threat.
Sharu was still in a state of shock, his gaze darting around uncontrollably. When his eyes landed on a particular object, his pupils contracted momentarily.
It was a miniature wooden cabin, placed right before him.
The house appeared like a child’s plaything, yet its design… was identical to a wooden cabin he had seen before! Furthermore, Sharu could faintly detect the scent of flowers emanating from this miniaturized house.
This hint of floral fragrance gradually dissipated Sharu’s panic, and rationality began to resurface.
Freud’s inquiry, coupled with the wooden cabin in front of him, made Sharu realize that his previous experience was not merely a simple nightmare. If it had been just a dream, this house couldn’t have possibly transitioned from the realm of dreams to reality.
This meant that the wooden cabin he saw, the long corridor, the three doors, and the terrifying creatures he encountered were not coincidental; were they orchestrated by some external force?
Sharu knew that both Angel and Freud possessed extraordinary powers, so it was plausible they could manifest such happenings.
However, Sharu couldn’t fathom: why would they do such a thing?
As doubt clouded Sharu’s mind, Freud inquired once more, “Recounting nightmares can often lessen their intimidation. Are you certain you don’t wish to share?”
This time, Freud’s eyes had narrowed into slits, with a dangerous glint flashing intermittently. Sharu felt that if he remained silent any longer, his nightmare might very well become his reality.
“I went on a peculiar journey,” Sharu began hesitantly, his gaze settling on the miniature house on the table. “I saw this house, and upon entering it, I found myself in a long corridor with three doors.”
“Three doors? Seems you have quite a few obsessions,” Freud remarked with a chuckle.
Obsessions? Sharu latched onto this word. His eyes sparkled briefly as he pointed at the wooden cabin on the table, asking, “Master Tyson, what exactly is this wooden cabin?”
Freud did not reply. Instead, he turned to Angel for guidance. After observing a subtle nod from Angel, Freud, after some contemplation, remarked, “The significance of the cabin isn’t of paramount concern, but it indeed played a role in catalyzing your journey.”
“However,” he continued, “I believe ‘trial’ would be a more apt description than ‘journey’.”
Sharu queried, “Trial?”
Freud nodded in affirmation, “Yes, it’s a treasure designed to train demon hunters in confronting their inner demons.”
Sharu wasn’t quite clear on the term ‘demon hunter.’ But from the literal meaning, it might pertain to someone who hunts demons.
Could the demon he refers to be the menacing creature Sharu battled earlier?
“My answers have reached their conclusion. Now it’s your turn,” Freud intoned. “I hope you can recount every minute detail of your experience within the trial. After all, you once had the potential to become a demon hunter. Your experience could provide valuable data for the Demon Hunter Team.”
He had a chance to become a demon hunter? And what is this Demon Hunter Team? Sharu caught these hints but decided not to delve deeper immediately, storing them silently in the recesses of his heart.
“If I can be of assistance to Young Master Tisen, it would be my honor,” Sharu paused briefly before adding, “However, I have a small query. Will I ever have the opportunity to undergo the trial again?”
Freud, with a raised eyebrow, questioned, “Why? Do you wish to experience the trial again?” From Sharu’s previous demeanor, it was evident he had endured a harrowing ordeal, and yet, he seemed to desire another round.
After a moment of hesitation, Sharu affirmed, “Yes, but not right now.”
At this juncture, Angel interjected, “If you can provide a compelling reason, I might make an exception just for you.”
Sharu looked at Angel resolutely, “I will.”
For the remainder of their time together, Sharu narrated his experiences within the House of Hearts. Initially, he avoided discussing the significance of the three doors to him and jumped directly to his entrance through the third door, where he faced off against the terrifying creature.
“With a head resembling a worm and ears bearing butterfly wings. This isn’t…” Freud hesitated for a moment before uttering the name hastily coined by Angel, “Serpent-Tail Worm?”
Angel nodded in affirmation, “Indeed, it’s a Serpent-Tail Worm.”
“But that’s peculiar,” Freud expressed his bewilderment, “As a Sinful Monster, it was clearly expelled from his body, so why does it still appear? Could there be remnants?” He continued, “Moreover, if it’s indeed the Serpent-Tail Worm, then it seems this experiment has been in vain.”
A Sinful Monster isn’t exactly an Obsession Demon, nor is it a fixation. From a broader perspective, it leans more towards being a fixation, which directly contrasts with Angel’s intent to experiment with Obsession Demons.
Angel elaborated, “While the Serpent-Tail Worm is a Sinful Monster, the one Sharu previously encountered might not necessarily be a true Sinful Monster.”
Freud questioned, “What do you imply, my lord?”
“Just because it has the appearance of a Sinful Monster doesn’t mean it truly is one. Perhaps, his inner demon is the Sinful Monster,” Angel responded. Even though he merely suggested it as a “possibility”, his tone carried unwavering conviction.
The Serpent-Tail Worm within Sharu was something Angel personally expelled. Thus, Angel was wholly convinced that there was no Sinful Monster present within Sharu.
Given there’s no Sinful Monster, why would the House of Hearts project one? There’s only one plausible explanation: the Sinful Monster is, in fact, Sharu’s inner demon.
After pondering for a bit, Freud remarked, “It seems that way. Knight Sabel also encountered the Sharp-Toothed Sunflower in the House of Hearts. Although the Sharp-Toothed Sunflower appeared menacing, it didn’t initiate any attack on Knight Sabel.”
Sharu’s experience was different. Within the House of Hearts, he didn’t exhibit any aggressive behavior towards the Serpent-Tail Worm, yet the worm attacked him spontaneously.
This signifies that the Serpent-Tail Worm isn’t a Sinful Monster with a leaning towards being a fixation.
It’s inherently an Inner Demon!
Chapter 1678 The Coliseum in the Void <TOC> Chapter 1680 The Significance of the House of Hearts