Reversing the Flow

"Is this your choice?"

Angela looked at Mina. Her lips were not stained with Angela's blood; instead, she kissed Angela's uninjured fingers, which showed her intention.

"Is this your decision?"

"This is my decision, Miss Angela."

Mina raised her head again, while Angela smiled slightly. Then, she flipped her finger, and the blood that should have been dripping downwards suddenly stopped. Instead, it flew upwards again in the opposite direction, as if attracted by something, returning to Angela's body. Then, the wound healed rapidly, as if it had never been there.

"Have you finally decided to give up? To give up your freedom?"

"... What I gave up was not freedom."

Mina shook her head, then stood up. She looked at Fina with a slightly complicated expression, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"It is a shackle."

At this point, Mina let out a long sigh, as if something that had been troubling her had finally vanished. Angela didn't say much about Mina's reaction. She observed Mina with a serious expression rarely seen on her face, then smiled slightly. She turned her gaze to Fina beside her and extended her finger again.

"Would you like to try some?"

"..."

Fina quickly shook her head; no matter what, she dared not defy Angela.

It seems the problem between you has been resolved.

After Angela and Mina's standoff, Li Lin, realizing he wasn't involved, went to check on the unconscious Mind Flayer. It had to be said, the guy was truly pitiful. Even in the Prime Material Plane, Mind Flayer were among the strongest, especially this one, which was already an adult. If it unleashed its mental power, even Li Lin Mind Flayer have to take it seriously. However, having made the fatal mistake of underestimating its opponent, it was struck Angela. Now, the unfortunate creature's internal organs were practically shattered, like pots and pans thrown to the ground in a fit of anger by a disgruntled woman; it was close to death. And it was precisely because of this that Li Lin triumphantly obtained the information he wanted through its thoughts.

"I already have the results on my end."

"How are you, Master?"

Upon hearing Li Lin's words, Angela's face lit up, and she reverted to her original innocent and lively self. She casually tossed the sword back to Mina, and then skipped and hopped over to Li Lin's side.

Just as Nia suspected, one of my seven weapons is indeed here.

Li Lin answered Angela's question with absolute certainty.

In the Mind Flayer's memories, he did indeed find information about the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. These Mind Flayer came here from the Astral Plane, seemingly as refugees. Although Li Lin didn't know what had happened in the Astral Plane that forced these ferocious mind hunters to leave what was practically Heaven for them and come to the relatively oppressive Prime Material Plane Astral Plane, these Mind Flayer clearly loved the dark environment underground. They settled here and inevitably clashed with the Dark Elf who had also entered the area.

The Dark Elves' supposedly superior magical resistance was utterly insignificant in the face of mental power. Several times, these Mind Flayer nearly achieved a decisive victory, but ultimately a mysterious figure intervened in their war, causing the octopus-headed creatures to fail and their plan to take over the Dark Elf and force them into slavery to be abandoned.

I really don't know whether it's better for Dark Elf to become a slave to Mind Flayer or a follower of the Spider Goddess.

Of course, this did not stop the Mind Flayer's ambitions. They continued to plunder other creatures of the underworld, using them as slaves, just like the Dark Elf. But unlike the Dark Elf, these creatures did not only use them as slaves—they also used them as food.

As for the mysterious woman, all Li Lin knew was that hundreds of years ago she single-handedly stormed the Mind Flayer's city, killing several Mind Flayer elders and even damaging the Elder Brain, which is why the Mind Flayer has not yet recovered its strength. Ultimately, the mysterious woman was Mind Flayer. The specific details of how she was defeated are unknown.

Although Li Lin could obtain more detailed information through deeper Elder Brain, he didn't want to risk encountering a bunch of octopus heads in this godforsaken place, so Li Lin cautiously kept his stance to himself for the time being.

"Mind Flayer are very difficult to deal with; their mental power is extremely strong."

Li Lin glanced at the pitiful creature lying unconscious on the ground, drawing ever closer to death.

"Even I'm not confident I can completely wipe them out. They're not creatures from this plane, so it's hard to find their weaknesses."

"You don't plan to ask for their help?"

Angela asked with some surprise and curiosity, noticing that Li Lin had only mentioned "eliminate" rather than "utilize" in his speech.

Mind Flayer are not allies.

Li Lin patiently explained to Angela.

"They consider themselves the noblest race in this multiverse, and all other races are nothing more than their slaves and food. Judging from this guy's current thoughts, their policy doesn't seem to have changed."

Why does this sound like someone else's idea?

Mina and Fina exchanged a strange look, wisely refraining from voicing their questions.

"If that's the case, then it really won't work."

Angela frowned as well.

"Everything in this world belongs to my master. Those who dare to try and take what belongs to my master have no right to live."

"..."

Mina and Fina exchanged another glance, but ultimately said nothing.

Some things won't change even if you say them out loud.

"However, these Mind Flayer are indeed something that needs to be dealt with, otherwise the lives of the Dark Elf and Duergar will also be threatened."

Li Lin wasn't trying to be a good Samaritan out of concern for the world; from the perspective of his allies, neither the Duergar nor the Dark Elf had a concrete way to deal with the Mind Flayer. These octopus-headed creatures lurking in the shadows were clearly still plotting a comeback. Although he didn't know when they planned to launch their operation, it was a significant factor for the alliance— Li Lin didn't want to return to find his men, whom he was supposed to command, turned into brainless idiots.

Therefore, these extremely dangerous Mind Flayer must be eliminated.

But it's not easy to do.

The leader of the Mind Flayer is a powerful being called the Elder Brain, which, in appearance, is merely a brain. However, it controls the entire Mind Flayer tribe, receiving, analyzing, and filtering their intelligence, calling for their support, and relaying their messages. Simply put, the entire Mind Flayer tribe is like a local area network, with each Mind Flayer being a host, and the Elder Brain being the ultimate server. Unless the Elder Brain is destroyed, there is no way to completely eliminate the Mind Flayer.

"Then, Master, please leave it to me. I will take care of luring these octopus heads, and you just need to focus on dealing with that damn brain."

After listening to Li Lin's story, Angela spoke up triumphantly.

"You?"

Li Lin frowned, and the Eternal Library in his arms clearly didn't approve of Angela's suggestion either.

"Is this alright, Miss Angela?"

Nia's voice was filled with worry.

"The Elder Brain's mental power is immense; even you might not be able to..."

"Don't underestimate Vampire Species, okay, Nia -neechan?"

Before Nia could finish speaking, Angela interrupted her with a light laugh.

"I am, after all, a member of the royal bloodline. It is utterly disrespectful for a mere brain and an octopus to even attempt to harm me. Master, please proceed with your actions with peace of mind. I will handle this matter."

"..."

Li Lin paused for a moment. He was well aware of the immense mental power the Elder Brain possessed. Back when he was still an arcane Arcane Mage, Li Lin had, by chance, traveled to the Astral Plane and inadvertently witnessed a war between Mind Flayer and other Astral Plane inhabitants. The Elder Brain's immense mental power at that time had left a very deep impression on him. As for Angela's mental power, that was still uncertain. What if something were to happen...?

"It's up to you."

Then he nodded in agreement.

"Hoo hoo hoo. Understood, Master."

After obtaining Li Lin's consent, Angela chuckled softly, then snapped her fingers. Immediately, the few drops of blood that had fallen to the ground and were already tainted by dust began to flow slowly forward. They slid across the earth and stones like some soft creature, eventually "flowing" to the unconscious Mind Flayer and beginning to climb upwards.

This bizarre scene was truly unforgettable. A few drops of foul blood slowly and steadily "flowed" upwards down the Mind Flayer's body, then changed direction, "falling" into its mouth. Soon, the terrifying body began to tremble. The Mind Flayer's originally pale and somewhat transparent body began to change color, a dark, somber red replacing its original hue. Several tentacles near the Mind Flayer's mouth suddenly began to twitch erratically. It let out painful hissing, and its previously closed eyes opened again, darting around aimlessly. The somber red gradually eroded and altered the Mind Flayer's body. Its struggles grew increasingly fierce. Its grotesque body, large in head and small in body, thrashed about like a fish out of water, while Angela, amidst its agonizing screams, revealed an increasingly excited and joyful expression.

Finally, the Mind Flayer arched its body and frantically struck the stone wall with its bare hands. Psychic power radiated in all directions with inaudible screams, even cracking the hard stone wall. But in the next instant, it suddenly fell silent, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but an illusion.

Then, the Mind Flayer silently stood up, its entire body now a dark red. Moreover, there was not a trace of life in its eyes.

It is dead.