Darth Kars jerked the lightsaber out, making the demon stumble with a hole in her stomach.

With a thud, she fell on her knees, her head barely reaching his calves.

Darth Kars’ bloody eyes were fuming at her mere sight.

Never.

Never had he felt so humiliated by a lower-floor Contestant.

He could remember every second of his life in the Primordial Tower, in the Multiverse, journeying, killing, and surviving.

Yet, despite those perfectly recalled memories at his disposal, he couldn’t remember one time that he had been fooled so...

"That was perfect," Darth Kars praised. "You almost succeeded."

The demon looked over her shoulder.

Blood was dripping down her chin, foaming in her mouth.

He could sense the years on her. For a 3rd Set Contestant, she was quite old and unnaturally strong. Often, that was a good sign of extraordinary talent, as there was only one way to reach such potential in the Primordial Tower without actually running out of Life Halt.

Tournament of Worth!

It wouldn’t surprise Darth Kars if the Five-Crowned Prince had recruited her after seeing her performance in the Tournament.

And who would reject Red’s proposal, especially after he had won the Tournament?

It was just...

"We both are Chaos’ Contestants," Darth Kars said, lifting the lightsaber in his hand higher. "If not for age, you should have given respect to the gap in our strength. What’s the use of all that beauty and intelligence... if you are going to die because of one stupid act?"

The demon’s purple eyes glowed darker under the bloody hue of his lightsaber.

He could see the defiance in her eyes even now.

Were all the White Serpent Pirates like this one?

Did they all carry this defiance, even while facing death?

Something stirred in Darth Kars’ mind.

There was a distinct buzz — a disturbance in the Force!

He stayed his hand and let his lightsaber wash the girl in its light.

"Come with me," Darth Kars proposed, admitting potential where it was due. "Leave the White Serpent Pirates and become my student. You have all that it takes to be a great Sith. Also, you must have realized that staying by the Five-Crowned Prince’s side does not guarantee a ticket to the 4th Set... or higher. He himself might never reach those heights. With me... I will make sure to rear you until you are capable of killing even Red. Decide."

The demon’s eyes stirred.

There was the tiniest hesitation in those defiant eyes.

Others might not have been astute enough to catch onto that hesitation.

But he? He was Darth Kars. He could read emotions off a face at a glance.

A dying demon, with a hole in her stomach, and the dictator of her fate standing above her like a god, had no chance of hiding even the tiniest flicker of emotions from him anyway.

So, Darth Kars didn’t wait for an answer.

Perhaps that was the clue the Force had let him catch?

This girl was worthy enough for him to bend her to his will.

Also, unlike others who had failed against the Five-Crowned Prince, snatching a member of his crew would be a great emotional victory in the long run.

As a Sith, Darth Kars could, and would, capitalize on such an emotional blow.

Yes.

Yes.

This girl would not only be a great student, but she would also serve a greater purpose.

And so, as the demon took a deep breath, struggling against her impending death, Darth Kars acted on his instincts and... invaded her mind.

...

The demon’s mindscape was impressive.

It was the size of a full city, with men and creatures living in it.

Houses. Shops. Stray Pokemon. Elves riding pet Pokemon, Kaijus, Hippogriffs, and Magical Creatures of different kinds.

They were on land and in the sky, with boats streaming up and down a river that ran through the city.

And everything, from people to creatures, to stones and rivers, and to other inanimate things, was made of paper.

They were like atoms.

Each carrying memories, thoughts, and intentions, hidden under a seal.

Darth Kars, becoming a squirrel-headed snake, marveled at the mindscape.

This was not something he had expected from an 8th Floor Contestant. It was even more of an impossibility than seeing her possessing a Tailed Beast-related Multiversal Interdependency and two B- Grade Pokemon. All that on top of her near-Elite Ability related to Origami.

Still, those powers could be explained by lucky coincidences.

Most of those who managed to reach the 4th Set had their own such coincidences that dictated their paths in the Primordial Tower.

He was not any different.

But a mindscape of this level, of this scale, and of this nature...

Even on the 12th Floor, only a few dozen Contestants might come close to the complexity of this mindscape, belonging to a 3rd Set Contestant.

So... he was right.

The Force had guided him true once again.

Forget about accepting her as a student to deal an emotional blow to Red.

First, he must get her mindscape and make it his own.

Fortunately, if it had been anyone else in his place, they might have had issues even knowing where to begin unraveling the mysteries of this mindscape to corrupt the demon’s mind in his favor.

Darth Kars?

With his Super Intelligence, all he needed was one loose thread to rip the entire mindscape from its seams.

All mindscapes had their own weak points, Darth Kars knew, being an expert on that.

Based on his experience, and because of the demon’s weak mental barriers as she approached death, he had already found the weak point of her mindscape.

The city was built on a hill.

At the top of the hill, there was an ancient-looking temple.

Despite its ordinariness, the temple seemed to glow — with a yellowish hue.

If the demon still had a strong mind, perhaps her mindscape wouldn’t have revealed such an obvious weakness.

Now, the yellow-hued, stony temple became a beacon for Darth Kars, politely handing over the mindscape’s weak point to him, it seemed.

So, taking advantage of it, the squirrel-headed snake slithered its way up the hill...

... a Yellow Crystal eying it from the sky, bobbing up and down!

****************

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