When the Possession Mask's spiritual form had been the size of a child, Luo Shu could at least pummel it—though it was more for show than actual effect.
But now that the mask's spirit had grown to colossal size, even if it stood still and let him hit it, what difference would it make?
At the moment, he was clinging to one of its faces, his entire body smaller than a single mask. His hands desperately gripped the edges, leaving him no room to even throw a punch.
The Possession Mask's spirit stood up and violently shook its head, trying to fling Luo Shu off.
He slid downward, nearly losing his grip—until his foot caught on a protrusion, barely stabilizing him.
"Waaah! It hurts! Stop! Let go…!" Sorrow wailed.
Only then did Luo Shu realize—he was hanging onto Sorrow's mask.
His fingers dug into Sorrow's eye sockets, his feet braced against Sorrow's lips, while he straddled the bridge of its nose.
This position was surprisingly stable. No matter how much the spirit thrashed, he wouldn't fall.
Anger was furious. "Quit whining! Bite him! Bite him to death!"
Sorrow sobbed. "No… that's disgusting…"
Seeing that words were useless, Anger snapped. "Fine! I'll do it myself!"
The Possession Mask's massive fist slammed toward its own face.
"Holy shit—self-harm?!"
Anger lived up to its name—a total madman.
Luo Shu stared at the fist the size of a person hurtling toward him.
If it landed, Sorrow would just feel pain—but Luo Shu's consciousness might scatter entirely.
Even though a sliver of his awareness still guarded his own mind, it wouldn't withstand another mental assault.
"I need a shield…"
Then it hit him.
The Anomaly Compendium!
That thing had been hiding in his mental space all along—how could he forget?
With a thought, the Anomaly Compendium materialized behind him, expanding to the size of a door.
BANG!
The Possession Mask's fist smashed into the book—but its spiritual power was too immense. The force partially penetrated, continuing toward Luo Shu.
"OWWWW!" Sorrow shrieked.
Its nose had taken the full brunt of the impact.
The excruciating pain sent Sorrow into hysterics, bawling like a child.
Now Luo Shu understood.
Sorrow was the weak link.
Without mercy, he dug his fingers deeper into Sorrow's eye sockets and kicked its nose and lips repeatedly.
"STOP! IT HURTS! I SURRENDER!" Sorrow begged.
Luo Shu's eyes gleamed.
He flipped open the Anomaly Compendium to Page 15—the Possession Mask's entry—and thrust it in front of Sorrow.
"Say it to the book! Say you surrender!"
Blinded by tears, Sorrow didn't even register what it was looking at.
"I surrender! Please, no more!"
Anger exploded. "TRAITOR! COWARD! USELESS TRASH!"
Joy scoffed. "I don't accept this! What can you do about it? Bite me!"
Mirth, meanwhile, found it hilarious. "Hahaha! You actually gave up! Priceless!"
In that instant, the Compendium's text shifted:
[STATUS: MENTALLY DOMINATED]
You have defeated one of this anomaly's personalities, but the others remain defiant. Full control is impossible—however, you may freely activate its abilities. To claim complete ownership, you must subdue all remaining personalities.
Good enough.
Luo Shu had no interest in a deranged, chatterbox minion anyway.
In this battle of wills, he had gained the upper hand—albeit through some underhanded tactics.
But so what?
He wasn't some brainless brute.
Victory was victory—no need to be picky about the method.
Only one problem remained…
He was stuck.
Perched on Sorrow's nose, dozens of meters above the "ground" of the mask's mental realm…
Would jumping down kill him?
He had no idea.
The spiritual world was a strange place—this was his first time wreaking havoc inside it.
Before he could ponder further, the Possession Mask wasn't done resisting.
As the Compendium stated, Luo Shu had only beaten the weakest personality.
The others hadn't conceded.
Especially Anger—now in a full-blown rampage.
It swung another fist at Luo Shu.
And once again…
Sorrow suffered.
"STOP HITTING ME! TALK IT OUT! IT HURTS! WAAAH!"
"SHUT UP, WORTHLESS SCUM! I'LL POUND YOU INTO OBLIVION!"
Mirth giggled. "Haha! 'Your sister' is also our sister! Hilarious!"
Joy sighed. "Violence solves nothing. Just move the damn book."
Surprisingly, Joy was the most rational of the four.
Hearing this, Luo Shu tensed.
He stomped on Sorrow's nose again.
"Stop him, or I'll keep beating you!"
"NO MORE! I'LL HELP!"
Sorrow—now a full-blown turncoat—wrestled with Anger for control.
The Possession Mask's arms flailed wildly, neither personality able to dominate.
Mirth clapped. "Fun! Let me join!"
Now the spirit spun and jerked like a marionette, limbs flapping absurdly.
Anger was livid. "I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"
Then Joy spoke coldly.
"Enough. All of you—cease."
Suddenly, the four masks merged.
The faces of Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Mirth dissolved, replaced by a single, featureless white mask.
The true personality.
Sealed for years in Site-19's Sublevel-5, the original Possession Mask had gone insane, splitting into four fragments—while its core consciousness lay dormant.
Now, with its alters in chaos, the original had awakened.
Game over.
With a swift motion, it grabbed the Anomaly Compendium—
And hurled it into the void.