The Little Wolf's Yearning (Continued)

That power is real!

I can be sure of that.

Since his own power hasn't changed, yet he still can't defeat Maria... there's probably only one possibility.

"My patience isn't particularly good, and your time is limited."

Maria slowly walked up to Rob and looked down at him.

The chilling killing intent engulfed Rob like seawater, and the terrifyingly low pressure made it hard for him to breathe.

"I told you, you can at least die in your original form..."

Maria added on.

But Rob seemed somewhat bewildered.

"What exactly are you...?"

He asked the question, seeking answers to the deepest, most incomprehensible questions in his heart.

His senses told him that Maria was just a human being.

But this was clearly just my own illusion. Maria was definitely not a person; she must be a member of those great beings!

Only in this way can we explain why Maria, as a human, has not changed at all over the years, and why she is still so powerful!

"... Sometimes I really can't understand your logic."

Maria spoke in a cold voice.

At her feet, tiny white flowers stubbornly grew from the ground and gradually spread towards Rob.

As the flowers spread, the scenery before Rob's eyes gradually changed.

Like a vast illusion, the illusory scenery gradually replaced reality, and Rob felt his body being pulled into another dimension...

This is... Maria's Hunting Ground!

"Either you tell me, or I'll get it myself."

As Hunter, hunting beasts has been a constant part of Maria's life so far.

Hunting beasts is always her top priority; everything else has to take a backseat.

Nothing... can stop her from hunting!

The Hunting Ground were Maria's final preparations.

Rob comes forward to explain, that's fine. But if he's unwilling to talk, Maria wouldn't mind killing him a few more times to forcibly extract his memories.

At most, it just means I have to spend a little more time now that there are no Doll.

"... I see... is that so?"

Seeing Maria display such abilities, Rob clearly realized that this was definitely not some kind of Originium Arts.

Clearly, my guess was absolutely correct.

Maria... is definitely not human!

She, like herself, was a follower of those things... or even an existence from a higher realm.

If that's the case...

Rob closed his eyes, his expression gradually turning somber.

Seeing how unworthy the other party was, Maria didn't waste any more words.

Instead, he turned around and decisively activated his ability!

Tiny white flowers spread rapidly like a virus, engulfing the surrounding reality in the blink of an eye.

Beneath the surging power, it seemed as if countless evil spirits were lurking, howling and trying to drag Rob's soul into it.

But...

"Um?"

Maria, upon entering the area, frowned as she looked at Rob's flickering figure before her.

She closed her eyes and felt it carefully.

But he discovered that the other person's soul was tightly bound inside his body...

For ordinary people, they can only connect with each other through their bodies and physical instincts, but in front of Rob, who has obtained that extraordinary power, his soul is tightly bound to his body.

Maria had been in a similar state before... that was when she was being toyed with by the Outer Gods of Yharnam.

Thinking about this, Maria became even more certain that there were some higher beings in Siracusa, which further strengthened her determination to hunt them down.

Without further ado, Maria decisively raised her hand.

The surging moonlight shot out from her arm and seized Rob's figure.

The power within Rob seemed to sense the anomaly and began to struggle fiercely.

When it struggled, it was like a monster exerting its strength, and several times it almost broke free from Maria's comfort.

But...

"Snort!"

With a cold snort, Maria gradually clenched her fists.

An even more terrifying shockwave swept out, causing the surrounding flowers to twitch and sway violently!

As she exerted her power, the connections on Rob's body became increasingly thin and ethereal...

Clearly, compared to Maria herself, anything tainted by the power of Great Ones is far inferior.

As she truly made her move, Rob's figure became clearer and clearer in this area...

"Forehead..."

As Maria focused intently on applying pressure, a black arm suddenly pierced her chest...

Crimson blood gushed out without warning, and the stinging pain was almost immediately transmitted to her mind!

I... am I injured?

But... how could that be?!

Without hesitation, Maria instantly withdrew her domain, flew away, and only after creating distance did she look behind her.

Behind her, dozens of people had gathered, seemingly out of nowhere.

They look different, are of different genders, and are of different ages.

But what they all had in common was that the liveliness in their eyes had vanished; all that remained was a terrifying uniformity.

As Maria reclaimed her territory, their gazes all turned to Maria.

"..."

Maria clutched her bleeding chest with one hand, her face silent as she looked at the strange humans before her.

After a brief standoff, she spoke with disgust.

What are you?

After Maria asked the question, the group, which seemed to be controlled by some force, also stirred.

However, the other party didn't seem to be good at controlling so many bodies at once, and everyone's words were all jumbled up.

Several people even screamed, and several others laughed and cried.

This feeling is like someone trying to uniformly activate the nerves of different toys, only to accidentally touch some unexpected parts...

Of course, this is just a metaphor; the human body is far more complex than a toy.

But after a while of strange movements, the other person finally managed to adapt to their new body.

"You... have crossed the line... of your own kind..."

The somber voices echoed repeatedly from different people, instantly triggering many unpleasant memories for Maria.

But this also made her realize what she was facing.

"Mind control... no, you directly controlled their bodies?"

Those in Great Ones of power possess a wide variety of abilities, but they are not the omniscient and omnipotent beings that ordinary people imagine.

As far as Maria knew, there were still weapons that could harm them in the ordinary world, and there were things they couldn't control.

At this moment, what the other party is showing is a relatively basic form of manipulation: using powerful force and will to forcibly erase the intelligence of other beings, and then taking control of them.

This ability is considered relatively low-level among those in Great Ones, and it's not particularly troublesome.

As long as the target's true form can be found, even if it's an ordinary person, there's a certain chance of killing them...

As long as... the other party's true form can be found.

"Waaah--"

Unable to hold back any longer, Maria suddenly knelt on one knee and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The large hole in his chest wasn't repaired immediately, and the bright red muscle was slowly twitching.

The other party, however, looked puzzled upon seeing this.

Dozens of people silently turned their heads without changing their expressions, creating a chilling scene.

"Not understand."

"Same kind... why?"

"To restrict oneself... how ridiculous."

The ancient Great Beast uttered its own words, unable to comprehend Maria's existence.

He clearly sensed that Maria was one of his own kind, yet she had compressed everything about herself into a ridiculous creature.

If that's the case, then so be it.

But her actions gradually began to resemble those of these creatures.

It's like someone inexplicably undergoing surgery, trying to turn themselves into a dog, a rabbit...

What's even more terrifying is that she doesn't just believe it outwardly, she even believes it internally.

What's this?

Are you crazy?

Completely... incomprehensible.

"..."

Maria didn't speak, but simply clutched her chest, lowered her head, and remained silent.

She appears to be seriously injured.

Instead of taking advantage of this moment to launch a sneak attack on Maria, the other party calmly lowered his head and continued speaking.

"You, my kind, have crossed the line."

"Last time, an attack; this time, again... You broke the agreement..."

The other person spoke intermittently, and although their words were becoming clearer, it would still take some time to organize them into a coherent sentence.

But Maria asked again.

"You... made a promise?"

"You... have made up your mind, and you should."

The other party wore a strange expression; He still didn't know Maria's true identity.

Bound to a human body might make her weaker, but it also prevents other Great Ones from determining her true identity.

In His memory, there were a few creatures on the snow-capped mountain who were very interested in these creatures, but they didn't seem like beings capable of transforming themselves into living beings.

"How many people have made such an agreement?"

Maria asked again.

"All."