"...Then don't regret it!"
Seeing that Petelgeuse refused to leave his body no matter what, Natsuki Subaru's face twisted viciously as he abruptly raised an arm.
A scarlet system interface appeared before his eyes.
Natsuki Subaru swiped hard to the right, instantly raising the pain parameter to an utterly inconceivable level.
"Oh?"
But soon, a twisted smile appeared on the right half of his face again. "What is this thing? A strange square panel... Is this your Authority?"
"..."
Natsuki Subaru ignored Petelgeuse. Instead, he slowly reached toward the back of his neck and, while activating black flames, gripped his vertebrae and yanked outward with all his strength. "Cang! qi! Ascends! the! Steps!!!"
In almost an instant.
Indescribable, extreme agony swept through his entire body.
The pain of his body being scorched; the pain of flesh, bones, and nerves being torn apart all at once. At that moment, Natsuki Subaru seemed to be subjecting himself to the cruelest torture imaginable, enduring ultimate pain hundreds of times beyond what an ordinary person could bear. For that instant, it hurt so much he nearly wanted to kill himself on reflex.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
He was in so much pain that tears and snot nearly streamed down his face, his body twitching as it curled into a ball. "Get... get out of me..."
"Pain! It hurts so much!"
Unfortunately, Natsuki Subaru suddenly became excited while drooling. "Ah, my brain is trembling. Is this the deepest form of love?!"
"You..."
But the next second, Natsuki Subaru's expression twisted in pain again. "Petelgeuse, you... you are completely and utterly insane!!!"
"This is madness born of love!"
Petelgeuse, who had taken over Natsuki Subaru's body, was extraordinarily agitated, crazily scratching at his scalp. "Hahaha! I'm about to become... I'm about to truly receive the Witch's favor!"
"No! Don't