"Thump, thump..."
In Luther's hand, the grayish-white Manipulator beyonder characteristic pulsed like a heart.
Because of this sea's peculiar suppression of the Spectator Pathway, it did not dare spread its negative effects at all. It was utterly docile, like an obedient puppy.
Awe, hatred, fear... Luther seemed to sense similar emotional fluctuations from the characteristic.
Beyonder characteristics have emotions too?
No, this should be the lingering psyche of its former owner, Gluttony, whom I killed... Emotions are a good thing, though. They should let me use it more smoothly...
With that thought, Luther tried pouring his spirituality into it.
The heart trembled as it accepted him.
"Thump! Thump!"
Soon, its heartbeat grew louder and louder, as though sending invisible ripples across the sea.
A golden light lit up Luther's eyes, and he vaguely sensed that he could now use Mind Reading, Hypnosis, and a whole range of other Spectator Pathway abilities.
It's only this easy because we're out at sea. In the real world, it would definitely resist... Holding the "heart," he walked over to the avatar. The shattered afterimage and the intact M looked almost identical, making for a rather eerie sight.
He looked straight into the other's golden eyes and activated Manipulation.
Whoosh!
Luther's mental body immediately sank into the Sea of Collective Subconscious and swiftly ascended the avatar's mind island. Unlike a normal human's, its island was pale and hollow, utterly lifeless. Even the figure floating at its highest point was nothing more than a flat, blurry silhouette.
It is artificial, after all.
With that thought, he manipulated the other's subconscious and retrieved all of the avatar's memories.
Scene after scene rapidly emerged.
"Tch."
Luther clicked his tongue at the images. He had already discovered that this shadowy avatar held only about a day's worth of memories,