The portrait gave rise to a desire to retreat.
An instinctive fear drove it away from Astr.
"Do you want to escape? This is not good."
Astr's tone was soft and gentle, as if nothing could make him speak harshly.
However, as he was speaking, he also waved his arm, and suddenly, a circle of flames ignited around the edge of the bedroom.
The orange fire burned brightly, illuminating "Anna's" trembling body.
'Is this human crazy? If he does this, he will also suffer backlash!' These were thoughts of Portrait Creature.
Astr didn't give it time to react, and the erosion level increased with time, causing his adrenaline to surge as well.
The heart beats as if it is going to explode, the blood vessels are twitchy, and dopamine secretion is abnormal.
"Ha!" Astr shouted softly and stepped forward. Only the portrait was reflected in his shrinking pupils.
"Hoo——!"
A strong wind blew, and the sharp sword wrapped in flames slashed across the mottled oil painting.
{You're on the lookout for death! Noooo___} "Anna" was frightened and angry. She waved her sharp claws with all her strength, slashing at her astride like a crazy dog pouncing towards its prey.
"Crack!" Astr seemed to be unable to dodge and was scratched in the back of his body at once, and drops of blood splashed into the air.
'Great! Bingo!' "Anna" was overjoyed.
'This human must be tired! Well, how could he become an experienced swordsman in one day?'
As soon as this thought came to mind, a flash of silver light penetrated into her field of vision.
"Tear!" There was a sound of tearing silk, accompanied by burning black smoke.
{Ah, ah, ah!} The portrait screamed in pain; her chest was almost split in half, and the originally white skirt turned black.
Under the orange flames, it met Astr's icy-blue eyes, and it couldn't help but feel palpitating.
'Just now, this human being didn't completely dodge, just because he had to adjust the angle of the next blow! I would rather get hurt myself than give my opponent a fatal blow! This guy is absolutely crazy!'
{Kill you ah ah ah!!!! } Under fear, the portrait went completely crazy, screaming and waving its claws wildly.
A silver light flashed again, and orange flames flew towards her again.
Astr's attacks were as sharp as the wind and rain and as precise as a machine.
Although several blood stains gradually appeared on his body, the portrait also couldn't resist them at all.
'I can't even hit, so how will I manage to damage him. ' These were thoughts of a portrait Creature.
It even wondered whether this human being possessed a magic object that could predict the future.
Otherwise, how could he hide so accurately every time? He is not a mercenary who has experienced hundreds of battles!
"Crack!" With a sound like cracking silk, Astr nailed the portrait to the ground with a sword.
"Huh...huh..." He panted heavily, sweat washed away, his pupils were covered with blood, his now icy blue eyes looked like blood red, and his brain was also throbbing due to erosion.
But Astr had never felt so energetic before, and now that he was asked to run a thousand meters without rest, he would do it.
[Erosion degree: 58%] It's just a little bit left before reaching Crazy Level.
{Human beings, I give up... So why don't we stop this? We both will be safe. } "Anna" kept begging for mercy; her voice was pitiful.
Suddenly, the blackened and ugly portrait in Astr's eyes transformed into the appearance of his mother.
Pale and thin face; emerald green eyes; smooth and long black hair.
"Astr..." His mother called him softly, coughed twice in pain, and raised her slender arms as if she wanted to touch his cheek. "Astr. My son..."
Even though he knew this was false, Astr couldn't help but tremble twice.
'But these are not my emotions; there is something wrong.'
As long as he pulls out the sword from her mother, he can rush into his mother's warm embrace.
"Crack!"
"Ahhh!" While screaming, Astr smiled like crazy and pressed the blade down again. With the orange flames, the beautiful face of Anna was burned again.
{It hurts, it hurts! Astr, my son! What are you doing?} "Anna" kept wailing, her tone gradually changing from miserable to resentful.
Astr said it without any emotion.
"You are not my mother. Why are you pretending? And there is so much drama you are doing."
{..I would actually fall into the hands of a weak human being like you... Who are you... Why is your soul as chaotic and terrifying as the Nightmare Lord?}
The portrait's green eyes, flowing downward, stared at Astr unwillingly and resentfully, giving up resistance.
[Successfully defeated the "Anna" portrait Creature mission!]
[Rewards obtained: 30 experience points, Nightmare School skill × 1]
[Learned skill "Soul Thread"]
[Soul Thread (Level 1): Grasp the essence of another being, turning flesh and blood into silk threads. Affix the silk thread to any living creature. Once the link is established, autonomous control ensues without resistance. Limited to one connection, success is contingent upon the disparity in levels and health values.]
'Oh, it's quite a good skill.'
'The challenge posed by a single portrait surpassed the multitude of monsters I had vanquished in the game, or maybe it was real life; that's why it felt'
'But I got a new skill; it is good.' Astr curled his eyes happily.
This smile, coupled with the blood and paint splattered on his body, looked weird and scary. Like the murderer revealed at the end of the movie.
{What are you waiting for?} The portrait couldn't help but speak and sneer,
{Do you want to torture me? Haha, even if I die or jump from here, I will not succumb to you...}
Astr looked towards the portrait playfully. "Oh, really. That's a pity. I originally wanted to keep you alive and let you do things for me."
{Think! You think too much! } The portrait creature gritted its teeth and smiled inwardly.
'A mere human being actually wants to control me, a high-level nightmare creature. Hehe, you think you are the Nightmare Lord! Even if your soul looks like a nightmare, but you aren't a nightmare, Lord.'
'When I have enough energy, I will take advantage of this arrogant human being to let down his guard and tear him apart with one claw! Jie Jie Jie!'
Just as the portrait creature was thinking, a thin white line extended from Astr's fingertips and floated towards the portrait creature.
At this moment, the portrait creature suddenly had an ominous premonition.
In an almost otherworldly manner, the white line traversed towards the mottled and charred body of the portrait creature, establishing a direct connection with the core soul, and it wasn't even able to react.
[Connection successful]
[Control over "Canvasbane" successful]
'Wait...what is this...?'
The Canvasbane grabbed the ethereal white line in horror, watched the palm pass through the white line, then angrily raised its head and stared at Astr, shouting in fear.
{What is this? Why do I feel the power of the law? Human, what have you done to me?}
It pounced towards Astr, but suddenly it felt an irresistible, terrifying force pressing down on it like a mountain.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The hard picture frame, which had resisted the power of Astr's nightmare power before, now fell apart in an instant, with its parts flying everywhere.
"Bang." A foot stepped heavily on Canvasbane's raised head, pressing it to the floor.
"You raise your head too high, little cutie."
Astr held the soul threads in one hand and the shining silver sword in the other.
He lowered his head and looked down at the distorted face of the portrait with a smile.