Ch.274Entry (5)

Perhaps those eyes of Delil Fantrien, my step-brother and half-brother in spiritual blood, undoubtedly possessed an ability compatible with my own “Predation Ability” (tentative name).

My ability absorbs the “karma”—commonly called residue—accumulated by those I’ve killed, and in return, I obtain fruits called factors as byproducts.

This mighty power, which goes beyond merely enhancing physical abilities to elevate one’s spiritual rank itself, fundamentally takes the slain one’s soul—or rather, what remains of it—and turns it into spiritual nourishment.

And it seems that his ability isn’t much different from mine.

Is it because we’re essentially related by spiritual blood? I could instantly recognize his ability just by our eyes briefly meeting.

Just as I absorb the karma of those I kill, that bastard can absorb and consume the souls of those he subdues, and as a byproduct, he gains control over their empty husks, allowing him to manipulate them.

The activation condition requires maintaining eye contact while concentrating for a certain period of time.

If the difference in rank is significant enough, he could probably impose it unilaterally, but the smaller the gap, the longer this concentration time would need to be.

Additionally, through the eyes of these husks whose souls he’s absorbed, he can cast abilities akin to mind control as a byproduct.

The so-called “Mental Predation.” An ability to devour consciousness and mind, making them his own—a form of mind control that at least leaves some possibility of reversal.

Considering that anyone with a slightly higher rank could easily resist this, the most concerning aspect is likely the mind control through those eyes….

Taking all this into account, what I really need to worry about is the pure raw power he’s gained from the souls he’s absorbed.

Even Chimera, who has the lowest rank among us, could easily withstand the soul absorption ability for 30 seconds if not unconscious, and as for mental predation, we wouldn’t be dominated even if we let our guard down.

But the real problem lies in what happens when the souls he’s absorbed—which likely number well over 10,000 at minimum—become Delil’s in some form.

Unlike my power, which focuses more on the byproduct factors than the absorbed karma itself, his power focuses more on the absorbed souls themselves rather than their byproduct husks.

—CRASH!!!

The ogre bone dagger I threw at him as a test—ostensibly to keep the enemy in check, though the strength behind it was genuine—was deflected by his enhanced physical abilities.

Despite my strength being extraordinarily enhanced by various luxurious factors, the fact that he could deflect my attack proves that his specs have transcended the realm of ordinary discussion.

Moreover, souls, being non-material entities, are fundamentally powerful sources of magical energy containing tremendous energy. The fact that he’s absorbed at least 10,000 of them makes him an enormous potential threat by this fact alone.

Even hundreds of souls could cause considerable large-scale destruction, let alone thousands. With tens of thousands of souls, ascending to a higher rank after absorbing them all would be entirely possible.

“….Huff.”

That’s why, right after that single exchange of attacks, as I assessed the situation, I naturally signaled to the two of them—

“Hmm. Then, let’s change the situation a bit.”

This madman, who seemed to be muttering to himself while staring into empty space, suddenly raised his hand above his head and consumed souls—

‘—Huh?’

Momentarily stunned by this completely unexpected development, I hurriedly launched my weapons. But before my blades could pierce through his body, the magical power gathered in his hand erupted.

“Get back!!”

Concerned about what might happen, I raised my shield to prepare for the incoming attack, but despite the situation, the power of the magic generated by that magical energy was on a different scale altogether.

To think he’d waste dozens of souls—enough to potentially cause someone to ascend—just for a single spell.

At this point, a spell that consumed dozens of souls couldn’t be dismissed as “just a spell,” so I braced myself for the incoming attack with a trembling heart….

As a result, the outcome of this magic was, unsurprisingly, on a different scale than what I had anticipated.

‘….Huh?’

What I sensed from all directions was at least thousands of demons. While the vast majority were merely lower-rank demons, a considerable number of mid-rank demons were also among them.

With a single summoning spell, an unprecedented situation occurred where lower-rank demons comparable to 10,000 in number and at least dozens of mid-rank demons invaded the battlefield.

It’s more than sufficient—even excessive—for the cost of consuming dozens of souls, but—

‘….Why is he doing this?’

Paradoxically, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at his strange behavior.

With souls numbering at least 10,000, honestly, he could use them to ascend not just to a higher rank but potentially to the realm of demigods, yet his actions were nothing but awkward.

To put it bluntly, with that much power, he could seriously summon one of the “Gluttony” demon legions to the surface, but all he’s doing with it is summoning thousands of lower-rank demons?

Even if he wanted to conserve souls, he could easily strengthen himself through soul consumption to reach a higher rank, but instead of consuming souls, he’s just hoarding them, which raises many questions.

He’s restraining his self-enhancement to a level comparable to me, who’s on the verge of reaching a higher rank, and instead of wielding any special power himself, he’s just summoning demons.

….Honestly, it would be truly foolish to overlook this, but despite knowing this, I couldn’t move due to the lack of leeway.

In the current situation, the additional dozens of mid-rank demons might not be fatal to me, but they were extremely dangerous for Corin and Hannah. So I finally decided to use the techniques I had been saving.

‘Transmit coordinates! Fire!’

The moment the order was given, Hannah, following my instructions, threw a crystal spear she had taken out from her bosom with all her might. When it touched the ground, it emitted light and transmitted coordinate information to the rear.

And then—

—BOOM!!!

Immediately after, hundreds of shells fired from beyond the boundary of the corrupted lord’s castle landed right in the center of the enemy formation, centered around the spear stuck in the ground, bombarding the entire area.

The golem armor’s fire support created a situation that seemed impossible for anyone to match, with shells and explosions raining down like a downpour, dominating the space itself.

A literal tactical bombardment. While the summoned demons were confused by the shells pouring down on their heads, I unhesitatingly drew my sword and advanced forward with the support of my allies.

Honestly, stepping forward in a situation with so many uncertain factors was quite reluctant, but even so, I couldn’t just stand by and watch in such a situation, could I?

So while the other three cut down the demons approaching me and blocked interference, I finally approached right in front of him and launched twelve blade shields at that twisted knight.

Each part of these blade shields, which should be called the “Kamiyū-style” swordsmanship in its completed form, had already reached a level no different from a sword wielded by someone.

The principle of unity between offense and defense, where every movement is both attack and defense. The sword technique, exerted through extremely compressed mass and free three-dimensional maneuvers, was in a realm sufficient to cut them down.

Even twisted knights wielding weapons possessed by or made of demons couldn’t handle attacks coming from directions completely different from human ones.

Thanks to this, with all the variables that interfered with our battle now gone, my sword and Delil’s demon spear-flag collided—

—CRACK!

‘….Huh?’

The result was so anticlimactic that it seemed almost wrong.

Although his physical specs could barely keep up with mine through sheer force, he was far behind in fundamental technique.

The flagpole, which was nothing more than ordinary wood wrapped in aura, was severed in two, and my blade didn’t stop there, cutting through his body in one go.

There was a slight catch at the ribs and shoulder blade, but that was only relatively speaking.

—SLASH!

After physically slicing his body diagonally except for the spine, I didn’t stop there and extended my sword to cleanly decapitate him.

However, what I saw after the decapitation was enough to give me an unfamiliar feeling….

“….Huh.”

In an incredibly short time, not even exceeding 0.01 seconds, what I saw was him restoring his injuries as if rewinding time.

And that, by consuming just one of the many souls he had absorbed.