Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP Chapter 326 : Out of Control

The instant Jax yielded to the dark mana's embrace, enveloping his core, a profound numbness seized his entire being. The searing agony that had previously concentrated in his gut erupted, flooding every fiber of his existence as each vein ignited simultaneously in a symphony of torment. He was denied even the release of a scream; the violent metamorphosis wracking his body usurped all conscious control. Even his fundamental human emotions were violently excised, leaving a void of suffocating coldness and a rage amplified to such monstrous proportions that it transcended mere anger, becoming a force akin to a tempest. Clarice observed him through her impassive gaze, drawing her sword anew. "Excellent. You are finally revealing your true nature. Endeavor not to bore me this time." She surged towards him, utterly disregarding his terrifying metamorphosis, paying no heed to the oppressive aura emanating from his form, the encroaching dark splotches on his skin, or his eyes, which had become as black as a demon's. She advanced with her technique, Phantom Mirror Bloom, but the skill proved futile as Jax was not even looking in her direction. The attempt to disorient or disappear was as pointless as concealing oneself from someone who had ceased to perceive the world through sight. Recognizing this futility, she resolved to conclude the confrontation swiftly. Launching herself skyward, she aimed to utilize the downward momentum for a decisive blow intended to sever his head, regardless of his body's resilience. However, she never reached the ground, as she could no longer feel it beneath her. Clarice found herself suspended in mid-air, ensnared by razor-sharp black threads that relentlessly constricted her legs from every angle. Jax finally stirred, fueled by his potent fury. A simple clenching of his fist caused the remaining phantom mirrors surrounding her to detonate, as the threads pierced through them like javelins, dissolving her exquisite technique into a flurry of falling petals. "That sickening scent of flowers gives me a damn headache," Jax declared, his voice laced with palpable irritation as he gazed upward at the suspended Sword Saint. He released her, and she plummeted to the earth. Jax promptly placed his foot upon her mangled leg. "That's quite enough aerial acrobatics for one day." Clarice managed to articulate through the agonizing pain coursing through her. "What manner of devil are you?" Eschewing his usual arrogant smirk, he responded flatly, "I believed your interrogation involved dismantling me first." He then turned away, as if she had ceased to exist in his awareness. "You were never factored into my plans, yet you insisted on being a nuisance. Were I not in such a hurry, I would have made you suffer for obstructing my path. Consider yourself fortunate that I am merely ending your existence." A thread coiled around her neck, poised to deliver the final blow. Yet, Clarice retaliated first. She severed the deadly threads, forcing herself onto her knees before lunging at Jax's exposed back with the totality of her remaining strength. "Die, you monster!" Before her blade could reach his spine, she was once again viciously ensnared by his dark threads, her wrists bound immovably. She struggled with all her might, shattering the restraints, but before she could land a killing blow, Jax was already facing her. He effortlessly plucked the sword from her grasp as if taking a toy from a child, turned her own weapon upon her chest, and with a sudden, brutal thrust, impaled her. As the blade sank deep, multiple sharp, dark threads erupted from within her, piercing her skin like deadly needles. The magic surged violently, instantly annihilating every vital organ, while the spikes shredded her throat, preventing even a final gasp through the excruciating agony. Jax began to turn away from the ravaged corpse, then halted as a realization struck him. A warrior of her caliber was far too valuable to be left to decay. He had been seeking a potent summon to fill his last vacant slot. With a cold, calculating gaze, he raised his hand and extracted her soul directly from her body. [Back to present] Archmage Loid was drenched in blood, his arms gone, trembling like a wounded penguin – after all, a wizard rendered handless was as effective as a blind marksman. He surveyed his utter defeat and pleaded for his life with whatever semblance of dignity a disarmed man could muster. "Please spare me! I swear I will not breathe a word to the Emperor, and I absolutely will not reveal this betrayal! So please, just let me live!"

Jax silenced the pathetic plea with a voice as cold as the grave he had just dug. "Just stop it. Your whining is giving me a splitting headache. Get out of my sight right now, or I’ll expel you myself."

The terrified archmage immediately spun around and began an awkward waddle away, struggling to maintain balance without arms for support, resembling the world’s most pitiful flightless bird.

Jax completely disregarded the pitiable spectacle and turned his dead eyes toward Delphine. "Where is the dragon child?"

Delphine gazed at the terrifying Jaxx before her, unsure of what had transpired, but she silently raised her hand and gestured toward Tempris, confined in a corner cell.

Jax shifted his gaze in that direction and began, "I entrusted you with precisely one task, and you..."

His voice abruptly ceased. The instant his eyes fell upon Tempris, unconscious and crammed into a suffocating cage with absolutely no space to breathe, something primal fractured within him. Every last shred of his composure was consumed by a terrifying torrent of pure fury that overwhelmed his mind.

Meanwhile, the armless Loid had nearly reached the exit, genuinely beginning to believe he had survived this ordeal. That fleeting glimmer of hope was instantly extinguished when Jax bypassed physical space entirely, materializing directly in the doorway before him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jax seized the fleeing archmage by the scalp, yanking his head back until they were face-to-face, and whispered with deadly venom, "Who confined the child in there?"

Loid offered no utterance in response. However, it wasn't a fear of death that silenced him, as Jax had just ordered him to remain quiet moments prior.

He remained mute because he was the one who had imprisoned the child, and the man currently gripping his skull radiated a fury that made confession seem a far graver option than death itself.

The heavens mercifully answered his unspoken prayers. Jax had been gripping Loid’s hair with such monstrous intensity that upon blinking, he realized he was now holding a severed head in his hand. His newfound physical strength had inadvertently popped it clean off his shoulders, akin to uncorking a bottle.

Jax clicked his tongue in sheer exasperation and casually tossed the bleeding head onto the floor. "I shall locate whoever imprisoned her, even if they seek refuge in the deepest pits of hell."

He advanced toward Tempris, and neither Evangeline nor Delphine uttered a sound to the figure passing them, exuding an authority and a mana so potent it made both women feel nauseous where they stood.

Evangeline, in particular, now truly comprehended her father’s words regarding Jax’s true capabilities, and for the first time in her life, she was genuinely gripped by fear.

Jax reached the cage. The high-tier magic seal had already shattered the moment Loid perished, allowing him to effortlessly dismantle the remaining physical bars with his bare hands.

He reached inside and retrieved Tempris, but he held her awkwardly by the waist with a single hand, dangling her as if he’d read only one chapter of a childcare manual and overlooked the section on proper holding techniques.

She slowly opened her tear-filled eyes, and the first sight that greeted her was Jax standing right there, holding her. Without a moment’s delay, she launched herself at him from the air, enveloping him in a tight embrace and pressing her small face into his neck.

"I knew you would come," she murmured, her voice still trembling from the cold and the darkness. "It was so frigid and bleak in there, but I knew you wouldn’t abandon me."

Those words resonated deeply within Jax, heavy yet in a profoundly positive manner, as if an immense burden had been lifted from his soul rather than added to it.

He looked down and only then noticed that his skin had been covered in dark, disease-like blemishes the entire time. Yet, under Tempris’s touch, they were rapidly vanishing, like shadows recoiling from an unbearable light.

His pitch-black eyes regained their normal hue, and his human emotions surged back into their rightful place as complete control over his own being finally returned to him. The very first action he took with this regained control was to wrap both his arms around Tempris and embrace her properly.

"You no longer need to be afraid," he promised softly against the top of her head. "I am so sorry it took me this long to find you."

[A/N: Two more Chapters are dropping today.]