Pain Immunity: Worried the Villains Aren’t Twisted Enough

Chapter 266: Memetic Contamination, The Snake Swallowing the Elephant!

[Life]: ......

"You... what are you doing?"

"Huh?! What am I doing?!"

The voice remained the same as before, but now carried a trace of panic. At first, it hadn't realized what the person before it was doing, finding it strange how suddenly they started changing faces. But when it noticed the shifting aura emanating from the other party, it was utterly dumbfounded.

In truth, just as Lu Ce had speculated earlier, this entity before him that lacked any divine bearing wasn't the true form of [Life] either. It was somewhat similar to the previous slime creature, only more peculiar in nature.

When [Life] saw Lu Ce suddenly erupt with power belonging to [Life], it was completely at a loss.

"What does this mean? Who are you? Speak!"

The pink mask had twisted beyond recognition, distorting Lu Ce's face along with it until they were indistinguishable, covered in a faint green fluorescence. Though not yet overloaded, Lu Ce's current mental chaos had reached levels comparable to his previous overload state.

"Heh heh... Life... Higher God..."

His distorted body was pierced by various twisted tubes, coupled with a face no longer human in appearance. At this moment, Lu Ce resembled some mutated eldritch deity from the Cthulhu mythos, muttering incomprehensible words.[Life]: ......

The voice fell silent, now profoundly agreeing with the man's earlier statement - it should have ended him sooner. After several seconds of silence, it reached a decision - this definitely wasn't an ally!

Instantly, the thousands of thin tubes connected to Lu Ce's body violently retracted, activating simultaneously with such speed they created sharp whistling sounds through the air! Its intent was to drain all the connected tubes and instantly kill Lu Ce!

Snap!

The sound of taut ropes snapping rang out as all of Lu Ce's tubes stretched tight, yet none detached from his body, remaining firmly connected! Lu Ce's body was lifted by the numerous tubes, suspended mid-air like an insect caught in a massive spider's web.

"Heh heh..."

Lu Ce continued his meaningless laughter, the mask on his face constantly contorting and changing, now barely retaining any pink coloration.

"What?!"

The voice representing Life was horrified - these extensive blood vessels couldn't be removed anymore?! While it still maintained full control of this space, portions of its authority seemed to have been appropriated by the person before it.

"Heh heh heh..."

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Life grew genuinely anxious, this situation completely unforeseen. Was this lower Chosen's selection really this bizarre? What was with the aura emanating from him?

The fluorescent green amorphous face began to waver - for the first time in this prison, it experienced the sensation of doubt. Then it witnessed a sight that shook it to its core.

The man who had been acting insane suddenly regained some mobility, trembling as he weakly raised his right hand. In that hand was a delicate, small hourglass!

The sand in the upper bulb was nearly depleted, representing the imminent end of Lu Ce's life. But now, defying all logic, the sand had stopped flowing. Moreover, the sand below was flowing backwards, returning to the upper bulb!

Time reversal! Life feedback!

"Heh heh..."

"Does it... feel this good?"

Amidst the mad laughter came a coherent sentence. If Lu Ce had to describe his current sensation, it would be pure bliss. His entire body bathed in warm, radiant light, with powerful energy and vitality coursing through every limb, nourishing his being. This comfort resembled the restorative rewards from perfect game completions.

The tubes connected throughout his body functioned like pumps, supplying him with energy - an incomparable comfort. Though mentally chaotic, he felt his life essence ascending, as if he'd become the ruler of this domain.

The idea to transform into a god using the mask hadn't been a conscious decision, but an instinctive act while wearing the Jealousy Mask. Only then did he truly understand the Jealousy Mask's full potential when fully activated.

In truth, he'd never fully adapted to the Jealousy Mask, just like the Lust Mask, because he'd never truly immersed himself in the emotion of "jealousy." That malice emanating from the soul's depths, that resentment seeing others in superior positions, that ruthless desire to supplant them at any cost - he'd never genuinely experienced it.

Until now.

His greatest trump card, that Chosen of Agony.

Had become a Lower God?

While you're a Higher God?!

His mind was flooded with game notifications and warnings:

[Sequence Weapon A-007, Sin Mask, undergoing contamination.]

[Sequence Weapon experiencing memetic contamination, mutating.]

[Warning! Detection of non-cognate divine energy intrusion, Sequence Weapon being distorted!]

The alerts kept sounding, but Lu Ce ignored them, basking in the moment. Raising his head to look at the hazy figure in the air, he spoke with a laugh:

"Heh heh heh, you... why are you impersonating me?!"

"Who are you? You may call me Life..."

[Life]: ?

The fluorescent green silhouette in the air shivered in a remarkably human manner. Though its face was indistinct, its shock was palpable.

"You... do you realize what you're doing?"

"You think you can become me with this face-changing trick? Do you know what happens when a snake tries to swallow an elephant?"

"What are you talking about?" Lu Ce seemed genuinely puzzled. "Aren't you the one impersonating me?"

As he spoke, the green fluorescence began spreading across his body, his energy and aura growing wildly!

"You'll explode from the inside!"

"What downside would that have for you?" Lu Ce retorted.

The two similar auras faced off mid-air for dozens of seconds, while the goblins below grew restless, looking back and forth.

"Then die!"

Suddenly, Life erupted with fury, its voice filled with unprecedented rage and hatred.

"I'll remember you!"

The fluorescent green explosion instantly dissipated, and simultaneously, the thousands of tubes attached to Lu Ce detached all at once. The mask's transformations halted as Lu Ce vomited a mouthful of blood - green blood.

Dazed, Lu Ce collapsed to the ground. On the walls, all the heads simultaneously drooped, exhaling their final breaths.