Chapter 6: The Tilted-Head Glance
[Warning! Warning! Punishment imminent: Forced Cuteness Activation—Cat Tears!]
[Warning! Host’s mindset unadjusted, punishment countdown: 5…4…]
The system’s prompt flickered relentlessly in Cynthia’s mind. She discarded the shattered slave rune clutched in her hand.
“Get lost!”
Gritting her teeth, anger blazed within Cynthia’s heart. She tried to marshal the remaining strength in her body to resist the force attempting to twist her will, but her meager power was like an ant trying to shake a mighty tree—not even stirring the system an inch.
[3…2…]
A helpless, involuntary whimper squeezed itself from Cynthia’s throat.
Her eyes widened in horror as she felt her tear ducts betray her, moisture welling uncontrollably. She fought desperately to keep her face composed, to maintain the dignity and wrath of the Abyssal Overlord, yet the coercive force softened her expression against her will.
[1… Punishment executing!]
A sudden surge of overwhelming power swept through Cynthia’s body.
She felt her facial muscles forcibly reshaped; her tightly pressed lips were pried open just enough to form a sorrowful curve.
Her once blazing red eyes, filled with murderous fury, were instantly overlaid with a glistening sheen. Two tears were squeezed out from her eyes, clinging to her delicate cheeks, trembling but not yet falling.
“Ugh… d-damn… damn system!”
Cynthia’s voice was thick with a nasal whimper and forced sobbing, sounding more like a spoiled complaint than a curse.
Her cat ears drooped limply atop her head, complementing those tear-filled, wide eyes and the pitiful expression—a nuclear-level weapon of cuteness.
“Ahhh, the little one’s crying!!!”
“My heart’s breaking! Who bullied our little one?!”
“Don’t cry, little one! Mommy’s here to hug you!”
“That pitiful little face… ah, I’m dead!”
“Don’t be sad, little one!”
“Where’s Asathos?! To arms! To arms! Our little one’s crying from injustice!”
At the moment Cynthia was forced into this pitiful weeping,
Boom!
A muffled roar echoed from the entrance of the catacombs; stones rained down.
Through the swirling dust, Asathos’s towering figure strode purposefully toward Cynthia.
“My queen, your humble servant is late, a thousand deaths are deserved!”
---
Asathos knelt on one knee before Cynthia, clad in the battle armor he reserved for war.
Chaos churned within Cynthia’s heart.
She stared at Asathos, aching to unleash her fury on him, to demand why after her death some Abyssals had fallen into slavery.
Yet the forced cuteness effect rendered her unable to wear any fierce expression; she could only maintain that tearful, pitiful visage. The tear on her cheek finally succumbed, sliding down her smooth skin.
The tear fell to the ground within Asathos’s lowered gaze.
He suddenly lifted his head, his golden vertical pupils reflecting the tear-streaked, aggrieved face of his queen.
Time seemed to freeze.
Asathos was furious!
Why did his queen shed tears?
Who had dared to hurt his queen?
A tidal wave of murderous intent swept through the catacombs as Asathos’s fierce eyes slowly scanned every corner and shadow, hunting for the hidden enemy.
A low, guttural roar rumbled from his throat; cracks began to form in his armor—a sign the Abyssal was revealing his true form, ready to rampage.
“Holy hell! Asathos is going berserk!”
“That look… I’m weak in the knees just watching through the screen…”
“Did he misunderstand something?”
“Oh no, oh no, Asathos thinks our little one was brutally bullied!”
“Explain yourself, little one!!”
Cynthia knew Asathos must be mistaken. She wanted to speak, to command him to calm down, but the forced cuteness effect still held sway. The moment she opened her mouth, only a tearful, soft, nasal whimper escaped: “A-Asathos… it’s not like that…”
To Asathos, this only confirmed his queen’s great trauma, leaving her struggling to speak clearly.
“Roar—”
A deafening roar shook the entire catacomb, shattering countless stalactites. Wild Abyssal power swirled fiercely around Asathos.
“Whoever you are, wherever you hide,” Asathos’s words carried an unyielding will to destroy, “dare to make my queen weep, dare to profane the Abyssal Overlord, I, Asathos, will never forgive you even in death!”
Cynthia, her face streaked with tears and forced sorrow, could only scream in her heart: Damn this system! Asathos, you idiot, stop! It’s not what you think…
“Stream ended.”
“Teleportation activating, countdown: 10…9…8…”
The solemn voice of the oracle became the backdrop to this chaotic scene.
Cynthia looked at Asathos, poised to plow through the catacombs and perhaps even the outside world to avenge her, then glanced at her humiliating cat tear expression and the incessant cuteness alert flashing in her mind. Never had she felt so powerless.
---
After a dizzying whirl, the white light of teleportation had yet to fade when Cynthia stumbled.
She steadied herself against the cold wall, panting harshly, rage roiling in her chest but forcibly suppressed by the cat tear effect, leaving a sweet ache in her throat.
Her eyes, reddened further by anger, fixed on the void as if willing to pierce through space to tear that damned system apart.
“Sys—tem!” Cynthia spat through clenched teeth, each syllable dripping with poisonous hatred.
[Beep! Host emotional volatility detected, risk of triggering punishment again! Please take a deep breath and silently recite: The world is so wonderful, yet I am so irritable, this is not good, not good~ (｡ŏ﹏ŏ)]
[Cuteness power fluctuation warning: current cuteness power -10. Please adjust mindset promptly and return to the path of cuteness!]
“Shut up! Return to the path? My path is to obliterate you completely!”
Having said that, Cynthia punched the wall. Her thoughts turned to Asathos, who had yet to return.
“Asathos, that idiot!”
Cynthia was both anxious and angry.
There was no doubt about Asathos’s strength, but she feared he might encounter danger. After all, some Abyssals had already been enslaved. If Asathos were to be schemed against…
She forced herself to calm down. Anger solved nothing and only gave that damned system leverage to inflict more torment, like the forced cat tear effect.
She needed power. She needed to understand the current situation. She needed to regain control.
Taking a deep breath, Cynthia’s voice chilled, laced with suffocating calm:
“System,”
“I need power. Tell me how to restore my strength. Or how to gain immunity from your forced cuteness commands.”
She had to grasp the system’s rules, find its weakness. The humiliating tears must never fall a second time.
[Beep! Has the host finally realized the importance of the path of cuteness? (◕ᴗ◕✿)]
[Kind reminder: Cuteness is justice, cuteness is power. Please follow the rules of cuteness; any violation will trigger punishment~]
[The only way to restore power/gain immunity: Increase cuteness power!]
[Cute Overlord Training Task 2: Within one hour, successfully perform a standard tilted-head “killer” look at guardian Asathos (angle ≥ 30°, gaze must contain at least 70% pure innocent curiosity)]
[Task reward: Cuteness power +50, Star Magic Wand x1. Failure penalty: Forced experience of “cat’s paws blossoming” (uncontrolled limb mimicry of kneading motion for 10 minutes)]
“Tilted… tilted-head killer look?” Cynthia’s mouth twitched uncontrollably; the humiliation she had just suppressed surged anew.
[Countdown started: 59:59… 59:58…]