The Curse Has Been Lifted by Me

A system prompt echoed in Lynne's mind. He instantly composed himself. He observed the Blood-clad Evil Spirit in front of him who seemed disoriented. It was evident that his words had penetrated her defenses. As long as he pinpointed the weak spot, he could completely dissolve her hostility towards him.

Lynne's mind raced. Finally, his gaze settled on her cracked face, which continuously emitted tentacles and barbs. An idea sparked within Lynne.

Indeed! This was certainly a breakthrough! To a spirit that always yearned for beautiful things, the best method to break through her defenses was to liberate her from her current grotesque appearance! Regardless! Such an excellent opportunity! He had to seize the moment and give it his best shot!

Lynne snapped back to reality, adjusting his monocle, and gently proposed: "Madam, I believe you must also detest your current appearance. If you're willing, I might be able to help you truly resemble a human."

The room buzzed. The moment these words left his lips, it was as if they exploded like thunder in the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's mind. Almost reflexively, she lifted her head, looking at Lynne with astonishment.

For a moment, her gaze seemed frozen. However, she quickly reverted to her cold, mocking demeanor, scoffing: "You think you can? Don't jest. Just because you solidified my daughter's form doesn't mean you know your stuff. It's simply because my daughter is still in her juvenile stage, and the curse within her hasn't fully manifested. I bet you've never even encountered a truly evil spirit in its purest form."

Suddenly,

Crack, crack, crack—

Accompanied by the continuous contortion of bones and flesh, her body began to crack and expand. That graceful form started sprouting numerous decaying hands, squeezing out thick, foul-smelling rotting flesh.

Right in front of Lynne, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit swelled and twisted into an indescribable monster. Numerous faces emerged on her body. Each one brimming with malevolence. It looked like countless human bodies had been thrown into a meat grinder and forcibly stitched together into a horrifying amalgamation.

Simultaneously, countless raspy, malicious whispers reached Lynne's ears.

"This! This is my true form! Now! Do you still feel so confident?!"

Drip...drip...

Stinky viscous liquid dropped onto the floor. The elongated neck, twisting like a serpent, held up the woman's head, malevolently and mockingly circling in front of Lynne.

"Waaah—Waaah—" The little creature in Lynne's arms started crying out of fear.

[Sanity -10]

[Sanity -10]

Lynne, staring blankly at the monstrous apparition before him, was momentarily speechless.

The Blood-clad Evil Spirit sneered menacingly: "Curses, agony, resentment. These turned me into what I am now! Do you truly believe your little scalpel can undo it?!"

Her mocking and cold voice echoed ominously in Lynne's ears.

[Crisis Level 80%]

[Crisis Level 99%]

[Warning! Warning! Crisis Level towards you is nearing 100%]

Yet at that moment, Lynne rapidly regained his composure, showing no signs of panic. And he quickly seized on the crucial word from her recent rant.

[Curse]!

If this was indeed the cause of her current state...

"I have a way."

Lynne declared calmly.

The Blood-clad Evil Spirit's expression momentarily faltered.

Lynne, locking eyes with her, reached out, touching her serpentine, writhing neck. Almost instantaneously, he activated his curse diagnosis ability.

[Ding! Initiating curse diagnosis…]

[Ding! Curse diagnosis complete!]

[Evil Spirit Curse: Formed from the myriad resentments of beings after death. The more resentment and souls the target consumes, the more intense the curse, and the more distorted the target's form becomes. It's an extremely advanced curse.]

Almost simultaneously hearing the diagnosis, Lynne suddenly raised his head, declaring, "Activate temporary curse removal ability!"

[Ding! Temporary curse removal ability applied to [Demon-hunting Revolvers]. Would you like to switch targets?]

"Yes!"

Buzz—

Almost in that split second, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. For she saw Lynne's hand, which was in contact with her neck, emitting a boundless light. That light, gentle as threads, swiftly permeated her body. She immediately felt the curse inside her slowly peeling away under the influence of this radiance.

"This… What…"

She looked horrified, her face a mask of shock. Under her gaze, countless distorted black threads screamed, slowly being extracted from her body by the luminescence. Her pupils dilated dramatically. It felt as if she was being drained. She sensed the detachment of the curse, felt the anguish and distortion departing bit by bit.

"Ah—"

With a pain-filled howl, she arched her neck towards the sky. In the next moment, her shattered and distorted form slowly dissolved in the light, revealing a fair and slender body amid the blood and flesh strewn around.

[Ding! Curse extraction successful. Temporary curse removal ability is cooling down. Current cooldown time: 12 hours.]

[Ding! Curse removal experience +1]

[Ding! Curse removal experience +1]

Splash—

The luminescence gradually faded, and a dark, grotesque rune emerged on the palm of Lynne's hand. It was the Evil Spirit Curse he had just purged and collected.

As the glow dissipated, and his vision cleared, Lynne's gaze immediately rested upon the pristine figure lying amidst the putrid blood stains on the floor. Her long curly hair cascaded like a waterfall over her body, a breathtaking sight.

"The curse has temporarily been removed," Lynne stated with a steady, gentle smile.

On the floor, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit lay there, dazed. Slowly, painstakingly, she sat up, her eyes reflecting her slender hands. She turned her gaze to her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, her mind went blank.

"This... it can't be..."

She murmured, reaching up with trembling hands to touch her face. Because she could feel it. This was her body, not the fleshy façade she had conjured before. This was her true self. Inside, she felt an emptiness, as if the curse that had tormented her for centuries had never existed.

Gone...

"What did you... what did you do to me?" she whispered as if she were living in a dream.

Lynne, smiling and holding the child, responded, "As I told you, I've purged the Evil Spirit Curse from within you. Do you still believe I'm deceiving you, ma'am?"

Lynne looked quite smug. The Blood-clad Evil Spirit stared at her reflection. The flawless body in front of her made her feel as if she had just awoken from a terrible nightmare.

"You... you really..."

She finally rose, disbelief evident in her hollow gaze. The curse of the evil spirit that had bound her for centuries... had so effortlessly been eradicated... in the hands of this young human.