Silas attempted deep hypnosis once again, trying to reach the deepest layers of Sophia's memories, but it failed just as before.
In the end, he had no choice but to give up and resume the operation he had interrupted, sealing away Sophia's memories of the ship before sending her back to Vasak's island.
"Come out!"
Once Sophia was gone, he barked at the empty air.
Ma'am M's graceful figure appeared at once, the same gentle, mysterious smile still on her face.
"You..."
Slap!
Silas moved like lightning. Before she could finish, his hand had already closed around her throat. His grip tightened little by little, making the bones in her neck creak as they neared the breaking point.
"What the hell is going on?"
His voice was ice-cold.
According to Sophia, Ivanova Einhorn, a member of the Vasak royal family, looked exactly like that cursed Ma'am M.
There was no chance it was a coincidence.
There had to be some connection between them. And the fact that Sophia's memories of her had been blurred only confirmed that someone from the Spectator Pathway was working behind the scenes.
Damn it. Damn it!
Why was that lunatic still hanging around? Why was she still somewhere out there in this world?
The rage in Silas's chest burned straight through him. His grip tightened again until, with a sharp crack, M's neck snapped completely and her head slumped to one side.
Her brilliant red hair brushed against Silas's arm, carrying a warm, sweet scent as it spilled down like a crimson waterfall.
"I don't know anything either."
She spoke in a voice both beautiful and unsettling, her head still hanging at the broken angle.
"Don't forget, I'm only a personality split off from you. I'm not..."
Why does it feel like you're lying?
Silas gave her no chance to keep talking. A clear, pure light flickered deep within his eyes.
Boom!
Golden light erupted from them and scorched her delicate skin.
The attack was designed to purge corruption and strike directly at the source of the spirit. Even M couldn't suppress a low cry of pain beneath its glow.
Silas did not stop there.
Still gripping her throat, he left the captain's cabin and leaped onto the black three-masted sailing ship alongside the Doe.
The Black King's ship spirit rejected other passengers with extreme hostility. Aside from Silas, Luna was the only one allowed aboard. Because of that, Silas had been forced to keep his main crew on the Doe.
"Antia!"
He roared the moment his boots hit the deck.
The black-haired angel in the black dress emerged from the deck with Luna cradled in her arms.
"Can you see this thing? Use your power and find out what she really is!"
Silas had no time to explain. He went straight to the point.
"Huh?"
Antia did not fully understand what was happening, but she still raised a hand and pressed it against M's nearly transparent body.
Almost instantly, a force radiating from the angel's essence spread outward.
"!"
The instant she touched M, however briefly, she recoiled violently, as though she had been stabbed by a needle.
"There's a strange sound inside her, like the ocean tide."
Antia frowned.
"It feels dangerous. I'm afraid to touch her again."
Damn it...
Silas lowered his head and stared directly into M's eyes. Despite her injuries, she still wore that gentle smile.
"I already told you. You and I are the same. That tide protects me too."
You think I can't do anything to you?
"Antia, amplify my ability!"
Silas shouted again.
At the same time, he activated the Spectator Pathway power carried by the tide, seized control of M's consciousness, and forced his way through the barrier surrounding her mind and spirit.
A soft hand pressed against his back.
His ability instantly doubled, rising far beyond what any Sequence 4 should have been capable of. With that added power, he forced his way into M's spiritual world.
"Mm..."
The light in M's golden eyes quickly faded. Her lips parted slightly as quiet murmurs escaped her. For the first time, her consciousness was completely exposed, allowing Silas to search it however he pleased.
Yet in the end, Silas withdrew with a grim expression.
He had found nothing.
Every memory inside M's spiritual world matched exactly what she had told him.
She was a second personality forcibly created from a fragment of Silas's own psyche, separated from him and given form. She had no connection whatsoever to the real Ma'am M.
"You believe me now, don't you?"
She looked at him.
"There's nothing connecting me to the real Ma'am M. We just happen to look alike. Your subconscious is the one that gave me this appearance."
"Shut up."
Silas's voice was cold. He shaped his hand like a blade and drove it straight through her heart.
"Go away. I don't want to see you right now."
The warmth of M's blood lingered on his arm for a moment before disappearing along with her fading body.
Silas stood silently on the deck, surrounded by a cold, desolate air.
"Meow."
Luna let out a soft cry, squirmed free of Antia's arms, and leaped onto his shoulder. She nudged his cheek with her damp nose.
"Are you all right?"
The ship spirit voiced her concern as well. She did not know why Silas had suddenly reacted so violently or why he had gone silent afterward, but she could sense the darkness hanging over him.
Silas gathered Luna into his arms.
"I just learned that one of my enemies might still be alive somewhere in this world."
As he stroked the black cat's soft fur, his emotions gradually settled. He spoke in a flat voice.
"Do you know where she is? Do you need my help?"
Antia asked immediately.
Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Silas thought her figure looked slightly transparent for a moment.
"It's fine."
Silas had completely calmed down.
"I have plenty of enemies. I'll deal with them one at a time. I can't let her derail my plans."
This so-called Ivanova Einhorn truly had the face of the real Ma'am M, so there had to be some connection between them.
Even so, Silas could not allow her to interfere with his plans.
He had originally intended to return to Loen, wipe out the Aurora Order first, and kill Ince Zangwill along the way. Only after that would he travel to Vasak and search for her. There was still time.
After all, a member of the royal family would be far too noticeable to hide easily. Finding her would be much simpler than tracking down cultists and fugitives lurking in the shadows.
Even so, he needed to move faster.
"Anderson!"
After returning to the Doe, Silas called for his first mate.
"I'm leaving immediately. The fleet is yours to handle."
"Huh? Captain, isn't this a little sudden? Shouldn't you say something to everyone and calm them down first? There are also quite a few people who want to become Beyonders..."
"That's fine. I'll leave all of that to you. If anything serious happens, contact me."
Silas cut him off.
"You need to keep improving too. I'll feel a lot better once you reach Sequence 4."
Without waiting for Anderson to respond, Silas flew back to the Black King. A moment later, both he and the ship disappeared into the spirit world.