I didn’t explode! I think. I might’ve exploded but regenerated naturally. But there’s no bloodstains on my robe, so I probably didn’t. Mm, and now I’ve finished the first part of the Secret Phoenix Rebirth Technique! With this, I can directly burn things inside of my sea of consciousness! Like those pesky voices. Let’s see them plot to take over my body now! Ah? “Where am I?”

“We’re at the Death God’s Tomb, Boss,” Mrs. Feathers said. I was sitting on her back with the barkeep, Treasure Finder, Treasure Finder’s friend, Treasure Finder’s friend’s bald friend, and … Durandal! Is he finally done sulking? He looks … exactly the same as usual. Which is good because he’s hot! “Boss, are you listening?”

“Nope! Let me take care of some things first.” Mm, right, even before talking to Durandal, I have to get rid of these two voices, maybe three. They’ll definitely interrupt me when I converse with Durandal, and I can’t afford to be distracted. I don’t think Durandal would care if I was, but I don’t want to be! Alright, I’ll channel my newfound technique now. …But these voices are awfully quiet. It’s suspicious. Maybe they left? Nah, the tablet’s still stuck to my face through that purple spike.

Wait. Let’s make a deal.

Oh? The second I channeled my flame-infused qi towards my womb where my sea of consciousness is, the lying Slaughter God’s voice reacted. I don’t make deals with liars! This voice has been bothering me for so long, and it’s not murder if I kill something that’s already dead. There’s only one thing to do: burn!

W-w-wait! Ilya and Vera will disappear if you incinerate me! Don’t you want to know Durandal’s secrets? Don’t you want Ilya to continue accompanying you!? S-stop the flames!

Hmm…. Will Ilya and Vera really disappear? I don’t think they will. Aren’t they item spirits inside of the crown? If this voice was really connected to Ilya and Vera, then it wouldn’t have needed to use such a roundabout way to get me to destroy the other two tombs, right? The voice would’ve made the deal with me directly instead of making Vera do it. Right. At most, the voice is only related to Ilya and Vera, but definitely not what keeps them alive!

You’re wrong! After my death, I put a portion of my will into my crown! I’m the one controlling Ilya and Vera; without me, they’d revert back into statues!

You can’t fool me, not after I absorbed your tomb and turned it into brainpower! Secret Phoenix Rebirth Technique, go!

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Slaughter God, do something! I can’t hold the flames back much longer!

Hmph, the new voice is resisting, but I’m not going to lose! I’ll teach it to ignore me, hmph. Surprisingly, this is a lot like cooking. When I close my eyes, I can see my sea of consciousness by concentrating on my womb. It’s a lot like a pot of soup but bigger. And inside the pot, there’s these two worms: one’s red, and one’s gray. It’s hard to see the red one since the whole soup is red, but the gray one is an easy target! When I circulate the Secret Phoenix Rebirth Technique, it’s like adding flames to the bottom of the pot, and I can boil the soup around the worms. Mm, but what happens when all the soup turns into steam? Does my consciousness disappear? Do I … die?

Yes! You’ll die! Cease this technique at once, little girl!

Mm, looks like I’ll have to continue, at least, until this gray worm boils to death. Oh, the soup’s steam is condensing into little clouds above the pot. Maybe it’ll rain down once I boil some more? There was something about boiling and refining impurities in the technique…, could it have been talking about this? I like this! It’s just like cooking, and cooking calms me down. It’s not as pleasurable as absorbing heart devil wormies, but it’s still relaxing. Yep, this is just what I needed. I’ve been so stressed recently with Ilya deciding to abandon me and Durandal giving me the cold shoulder. If it weren’t for Mrs. Feathers and the barkeep, I’d probably be even more stressed. Mrs. Feathers is good company. And the barkeep gives me drinks!

Wait! I promise not to scheme against you! I won’t takeover your body! I’ll even cooperate and help you get used to my armor! Little girl, stop the flames! Please.

La, la, la, I can’t hear you.

Please!

Is someone saying something? It must’ve been my imagination. Or it must’ve been a voice that I’m not able to hear since it ignored me before. Mhm. Either way, it’s not important. I have to cook, err, cultivate diligently to become an immortal. Mhm, mhm. I’m such a hard worker.

I can help you become an immortal.

Oh! I found the red worm. It’s sticking its head out of the soup.

Didn’t you come to my tomb to become an immortal in the first place? Your heart of slaughter is attracted to the slaughter will within my crown. With your attainments and a little bit of help from me, you’ll become an immortal in no time at all.

I don’t want someone who’s failed to become an immortal to help me become an immortal. That makes no sense at all. Why would I ask a loser how to win? Ah! I forgot. I’m supposed to be ignoring these voices. Hah…, but sometimes they’re just so dumb that I have to correct them.

Please, spare me, little girl. I really can’t hold out much longer.

Mm, okay.

…Really?

Nope!

…

How does it feel? Your tomb did the same exact thing to me, crushing my hopes like that, so obviously, I have to do the same to you.

Can’t you be the bigger person?

Mm, I’m pretty short compared to some people, so it’s hard sometimes…. Especially Ilya! It’s not fair how she suddenly grew so much in one day!

That’s not what I meant by bigger person….