Chapter 245

Chapter 233: Hypnosis

As an apprentice, Vania successfully withstood the frontal assault of White Chalk, much of which was due to the sigil she used before the battle.

This sigil was not her usual bl**d-Eating Sigil but the Frenzied Banquet Sigil! It was one of only two such sigils collected by Dorothy from Buck Manor and Field Villa!

The Frenzied Banquet Sigil is an upgraded version of the bl**d-Eating Sigil, consuming “Cup” to greatly enhance physical abilities, similar to the bl**d-Eating Sigil but with greater consumption and enhancement levels. The bl**d-Eating Sigil consumes 1 point of “Cup” to strengthen a normal person to the level of a Thirster, while the Frenzied Banquet Sigil consumes 5 points of “Cup,” temporarily boosting a normal person’s body beyond the Black Tier “Cup.”

Through reading the “Adventure Log of the Voodoo Forest” and the “Wolf Sacrifice,” Vania accumulated nearly 10 points of “Cup.” She had already used 1 point against Thistle, and now she used another 5 points against Claudius, surpassing the strength of a typical Black Tier “Cup,” overpowering Claudius’s auxiliary “Cup.”

Not done yet, Dorothy had previously imprinted a Puppet Mark on Vania, connecting one of her Spiritual Threads to Vania. Instead of manipulating Vania directly, Dorothy used this thread to transfer buffs.

In the background, Dorothy used a Light Body Sigil obtained from Moisans, consuming 1 point of “Shadow” to boost her speed, then transferred this buff to Vania via the Spiritual Thread.

For a moment, Vania possessed both the power of a Black Tier “Cup” and the speed of an Apprentice Tier “Shadow,” along with her own superior swordsmanship and Mind’s Eye, allowing her to match the severely injured White Tier in combat.

With all these buffs, Vania gained the capital to face Claudius head-on. However, as a vampire, Claudius had another trait: the “Shadow” enchantment that could corrode armor and blades!

Claudius’s claws, infused with “Shadow,” continuously eroded Vania’s steel sword. Finally, after continuous clashes, the originally sturdy blade shattered into fragments.

However, having fought Thistle before, Vania anticipated this, stepping back when the blade broke. She unveiled a fan-shaped object behind her, revealing new steel swords she had bought from the city, the best quality available. These swords, along with numerous oil bottles and gas canisters, cost around 70 pounds, a significant expense for Dorothy.

Drawing a new sword from behind, Vania continued fighting Claudius. Seeing her broken sword, Claudius was pleased and prepared to finish her off, but seeing her prepare so many new swords, he grew angry and decided to use another method.

After a brief exchange, Vania’s sword shattered again. As she switched swords, Claudius pulled out a sigil, inhaled deeply, and sprayed thick purple-red poison gas at her. Instantly, Vania was enveloped in the toxic fog.

‘Success.’

Watching Vania engulfed by the gas, Claudius smiled. This sigil-triggered poison, made from his spirituality, could render someone immobile with just one breath. With Vania completely inside the fog, she was surely doomed.

But Claudius’s joy was short-lived as Vania burst out of the fog, charging swiftly towards him. Her agile movements showed no signs of being affected by the toxins. Having taken the antidote beforehand, she ignored Claudius’s poison attack.

“What…”

Claudius was shocked, but his actions were swift, dodging Vania’s fierce thrust and sustaining a wound to his right arm.

‘Why can these nuns ignore my poison?’

Pondering this, Vania attacked again, continuing her pursuit. Claudius focused on defending.

‘If poison doesn’t work, what about…’

Claudius clenched his hand, and a circular pendant fell into his palm from his sleeve.

As Vania’s sword shattered once more, Claudius held out the pendant, swinging it gently. When Vania drew her new sword and charged, she noticed Claudius’s eyes glowing.

“You’re very sleepy…”

Claudius whispered, and Vania suddenly stopped her attack, standing still with a blank expression, staring at Claudius holding the swinging pendant. Her body swayed, her eyes heavy, as if ready to collapse.

At this moment, Claudius implemented Battlefield Hypnosis on Vania. Although her body and speed were greatly enhanced, her mind remained at the Apprentice level, unable to resist the mental influence of the White Tier.

“Abandon all defenses, drop your sword, do not attack me.”

Under Claudius’s hypnosis, Vania released her grip, and her steel sword clattered to the ground. Seeing this, Claudius smiled.

‘It was easier than expected, I should have used this earlier…’

Thinking this, Claudius rushed towards Vania, needing to disable her limbs first to capture her alive.

Just as Claudius approached, Vania’s dazed expression suddenly changed to cold determination. She dodged Claudius’s claw strike and, before he could react, drew a new sword from behind, stabbing at him.

Vania’s actions caught Claudius off guard, and he was struck in the chest, filled with shock.

Wasn’t she hypnotized?

This was Claudius’s biggest doubt, and indeed, Vania was hypnotized, but Dorothy wasn’t.

When Vania was under hypnosis, Dorothy immediately activated the Spiritual Thread connected to her, bypassing Vania’s confused state, and took control of her body, making her counterattack Claudius as a living puppet.

“Sorry, puppets don’t need rest or sleep, Mr. Vampire.” Hidden in the shadows, Dorothy murmured.