\"I can save you. You don't have to die. Cooperate with me and I can bring you back to life.\"
RAGE.
Zeigra's spirituality mindlessly lashed out at Ves! Even as Zeigra's spirituality fell apart, it still recognized one of the antagonists that contributed to its death!
Knowing that Ves didn't have the time to persuade Zeigra's spirituality gently, he decided to take a firmer approach.
\"We won. You lost. Your body may have died, but your spirit still lives on, for now. How long can you last, though? Surrender to me. As long as you allow me to bring you away, I promise I will craft a new container for you to come back to life, both in spirit and in body!\"
Trying to articulate his intentions through a non-verbal exchange seemed difficult, but Ves adeptly conveyed his meaning to the intelligent spiritual entity.
While Zeigra was still a beast all considered, its spirituality wouldn't have grown so formidable if it was stupid!
Unfortunately, even if Zeigra was capable of higher-level thinking, it was still a huge cat! Its grief, hatred and animosity towards his killers vastly exceeded his other considerations!
Though Ves detected that Zeigra still possessed the will to live, his desire to deny his killers as many prizes as possible compelled him to remain stubborn to the end!
\"Do you really want to die?! Do you really want to depart from this existence without leaving behind a legacy in the form of offspring?\"
Ves appealed to the huge cat's baser instincts. He continued to coax the spiritual presence with offers of salvation and a chance to live a new life!
Still, Ves knew he faced a very tough customer. Zeigra's spirituality stubbornly maintained his unyielding stance, seemingly determined to deny Ves to the very end!
Time passed. The corrosive spiritual winds continually assaulted the weakened and fading spiritual presence. More and more spiritual debris separated from the greater whole and got carried away to parts unknown.
Most of the debris would eventually break down. One or two pieces might survive as hardy fragments, but even they might fall apart after enduring decades or centuries of continued battering.
The weak had no place in the imaginary realm!
Even though Ves occasionally wanted to capture the increasing amount of debris that separated from Zeigra's spirituality, he resisted the temptation.
Instead, he persisted in coaxing Zeigra's spirituality to give in to his demands.
\"Does it feel good for you to die? I bet it doesn't! Save yourself the agony of death and open yourself up to me. Now that our battle has ended, I am no longer your opponent. I'm your savior! Accept my help and your life will no longer be forfeit!\"
Though Zeigra kept up his resistance, it became increasingly harder to do so as its spirituality accelerated its degradation.
His spirit was really dying!
The closer he got to death, the more his resolve and his instincts wavered. The rage that Zeigra held towards his killers began to seem more and more distant as the threat of spiritual death became more acute!
Eventually, Zeigra's spirituality finally ceased its resistance. It had implicitly given in to Ves! Deep down in the core of his spiritual being, Zeigra still wanted to live!
\"You've made the right choice!\" Ves mentally smiled.
Though Ves privately ached at all of the spiritual energy that Zeigra lost, he knew it was a necessary step to gain the huge cat's acceptance.
The weak had no right to contend against the strong!
Now that Zeigra lost a substantial portion of its spiritual strength and continued bleeding even now, it fully recognized that it was in a weaker position.
Therefore, when Ves attempted to grab hold of Zeigra's spirituality, the beast did not resist.
\"Oh.\" Ves mentally muttered in surprise.
He thought he would face a lot of resistance in his attempts to move Zeigra's spirituality. Even if it did not put up a resistance, its anchoring in the imaginary realm would certainly be hard to overcome!
However, the truth turned out to be different!
\"His anchors have weakened!\"
This made his next step a lot easier! While Ves fumbled around a bit, he eventually managed to drag Zeigra's spiritual presence back into his own mind!
\"I want it all! I don't just want the portion of your spirituality in the imaginary realm, but also what's decaying in your dead body's mind!\"
Fortunately, the spiritual presence was connected to the spirituality locked in the dead Crown Cat's mind. While Zeigra's death had caused the bonds to loosen, Ves still managed to tug it from its place and drag it all the way back to his mind!
As soon as Ves captured every last bits of Zeigra's spirituality within his range, he quickly returned to his mind.
Only to encounter a massive headache!
\"AAAAAHH!\"