Ch.195Salvation – 4

While I was momentarily hesitating over this critical decision, the three of them started growling at each other again, seemingly tireless. It was at least fortunate that they were only making threats, having just narrowly escaped death.

If they had started physically fighting among themselves here, Olivia would have slaughtered us all. And I would have been dragged off to that so-called honeymoon suite or whatever it was.

‘I’d like to believe they wouldn’t go that far in a situation like this, but…’

That was nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. They had just been fighting each other and causing a factional war right in front of Olivia, only to get completely demolished by her alone.

These were children who refused to cooperate even in life-or-death situations. It was clear that if they had regained their strength, they wouldn’t have stopped at just verbal growling.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Their gazes on me were piercing. A silent demonstration and pressure. Who among the three would I choose first? Wouldn’t I naturally choose them first?

It might seem trivial, but the order was an extremely important matter to the three of them. I could already envision what would happen regardless of whom I chose first.

The one chosen first would look down on the other two like insects, and I didn’t even want to imagine what the one chosen last would do. They would surely cause some major incident.

‘Should I do Charlotte first?’

Truthfully, if I set aside all other emotions and considered only efficiency objectively, it would make sense to choose Charlotte first.

Regardless of their underlying motives, Serena and Christine were ultimately characters who would absolutely obey my words. Even if the command caused their pride to hit rock bottom.

Thinking to the extreme, if I ordered them to commit suicide here, they would happily cut their own throats or tear out their hearts to offer their lives.

Charlotte was far from such loyalty or fanaticism, so considering the risk factor, it would be the right choice to bind her soul first.

But I didn’t want to do that. I wasn’t sure why. I just had a feeling that it shouldn’t be done that way. Something kept bothering me.

No matter how fanatically loyal Serena and Christine were to me, I didn’t want to rely on that loyalty and faith to break their hearts with my own hands.

“I…”

Olivia was shattering overlapping timelines and spaces, closing the distance between us with each passing moment. It was time to make a choice.

As I desperately pondered who to choose first, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Yes, there was no need for me to be the one initiating the soul binding.

“You do it.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“What does that… mean?”

At my unexpected words, the three who had been posturing against each other to see who would be chosen first showed visible confusion. It must have been a choice they never anticipated.

“Instead of me binding your souls, you bind your souls to me.”

Yes, this was the method I had chosen. Rather than me binding the three of them, they would bind themselves to me.

Impossible for all three to use soul binding simultaneously? We had already experienced countless supposedly impossible things.

Being fixed in time, Olivia returning from the dead when we thought she was gone, Serena, Christine, and Charlotte elevating their souls to a higher level, and finally, this very moment.

My life with Serena, Christine, and Charlotte had been a continuous series of turning the impossible into the possible. So, adding one more impossibility wouldn’t change anything.

“We don’t have time. Hurry.”

As I urged them, Charlotte placed her hand on my chest without hesitation. Serena and Christine hesitated for a moment, then followed suit with fire in their eyes after seeing Charlotte’s action.

In the distance, I could hear Olivia literally going berserk upon witnessing this scene. I deliberately ignored that sound. The time we had left was at most about 30 seconds.

“Now place your other hand on your own chest. The soul is a very abstract concept. I’m not certain you can fully grasp the concept I’m thinking of. I can’t give you a clear explanation either. You’ll have to figure out how to draw out your soul yourselves.”

After confirming that all three had placed their hands on their hearts, I continued.

“I used it with the feeling of pulling something out from inside my heart. But even that isn’t the absolute answer. You need to find your own way. That’s all the advice I can give you.”

I was anxious about what would happen if the three failed to draw out their souls. I had never been on the receiving end of a soul binding before, always the initiator.

And this was the first time these three had attempted soul binding as well. Not only was this their first attempt, but we were also under a time constraint—a truly absurd situation.

But as if to prove my worries unfounded, a soft light began to emanate from beneath their palms placed on their hearts.

‘Perhaps I worried for nothing.’

Indeed, who was I to worry about these three? They were children with far more exceptional talents than someone like me.

“Push what you feel in your palm into my heart, as if you’re transferring it. That’s it.”

The soft light gradually drew closer. Serena, Christine, and Charlotte were all trembling with flushed faces.

Having one’s soul move to another body must be an extremely unfamiliar sensation. Or perhaps they were excited by the fact that their souls would be bound to mine.

“…Before we finish, I have one last question.”

Feeling our souls touch each other and accepting it, I posed a final question to the three.

“This soul binding will be different from what we’ve done in the past. It’s not simply that we’ll be connected to each other, but that I’ll be able to freely draw upon your powers. Even if you don’t want me to. I could even drain all your power and kill you. Even so, do you have no regrets?”

This was precisely what concerned me. A concern made possible by the very special state of my soul.

Originally, soul binding occurs when two souls of equal standing mix together. However, now I could form a hierarchical relationship with the three souls. No, I had to.

If I wanted, I could block their ability to use their powers, or make Serena’s power usable by Charlotte or Christine, or vice versa.

I even held the power of life and death over the three. I would never do such a thing even if the sky split in two, but in the most extreme case, it was possible.

As I finished speaking, three pairs of eyes, each a different color, turned toward me. In those eyes, there was not a trace of hesitation.

“My lord.”

Serena was the first to speak.

“Whatever command my lord gives to someone like me, I am prepared to accept it all. Even if my lord were to cut off my limbs, or sever my head, if that is what my lord desires, I will gladly do what must be done as a knight. As long as my lord does not abandon me, I will never betray my lord.”

“You are greatly mistaken, my dear.”

Charlotte was the next to speak.

“Taking my power as you please? Holding my life in your hands? What of it? I have clearly stated before. Whatever you desire, be it money, treasure, a kingdom, or Charlotte de Gargantua herself, I will gladly grant any request. That heart has not changed, so do not doubt my intentions.”

“My god.”

Christine was the last to speak.

“That is rather something I should be begging for on my knees with my head bowed. For you, my god, to use the power of this lowly and insignificant lamb. What greater glory could there be in this world? If you demand this filthy body and power, I will gladly extract every last piece of my soul and offer it to you as a burnt offering.”

After finishing their words, the three simultaneously pushed their souls into my heart. I could hear their overlapping breaths, full of excitement.

As I accepted three souls of tremendous caliber at once, my heart began to glow wildly. So violently that I thought it might explode.

My vision blurred. I swallowed back the blood that had risen to my throat.

“MASTER!!!!!!”

Right behind me, I heard Olivia calling out to me, coughing blood.

It wasn’t the fact that I was trying to defeat her through soul binding that she couldn’t bear, but rather that I had formed a soul binding with someone other than her.

I turned my head. Olivia was right in front of me. Her expression was a mix of complex emotions. Anger, hatred, confusion, and more.

Among them, the anger and hatred were probably not directed at me.

“You’re too late, Olivia.”

My soul pulsed gently.