132
My Villains Chapter 132
34. Soul Sorcerer (4)
As Hrunting drew a white trajectory, the head of Akanku Karamek shot up to the sky, splattering blood.
Most decapitated living beings die within a few seconds. This is the natural order of the world, but it seemed not to apply to the great sorcerer.
"Ugh."
Empowered by his immense magical power and tenacious stamina, Akanku Karamek was barely clinging to consciousness. But his life was rapidly fading.
"You, me-"
As the floating head glared at him, Phoenix's face paled.
'Could it be, the secret art of reincarnation? No, that can't be.'
As Phoenix had expected, Akanku Karamek was not skilled in the arts of resurrection. Instead, he excelled in malicious sorceries.
"Rec'ti elarrve (My beasts)."
The floating head drew out a spiritual formula high into the sky, and the soul beasts clung to it. The bloodied and pallid head turned indigo. It was the 'Soaring Surge' technique.
Meanwhile, along the horizon, endless vengeful spirits poured out from the cracks of the underworld. There were so many that it seemed like a gray mist was rising in the distance.
"This is insane."
Phoenix, who had coated Hrunting with the blood of the great sorcerer, turned to Ellen.
"Ellen, find the core."
"The core?"
"Yes. We have to destroy it to close the rift."
At Phoenix's urgent words, Ellen summoned her power. The deep and vast magical power that belied her seventeen years of age sensed the changes sweeping through the indigo world.
'Akanku Karamek's power is dissipating!'
The greatest sorcerer of all time had cast spells even after his head was severed. But he couldn't maintain the advanced operation of controlling the dimensional rift.
As a result, the rift was rampaging and expanding uncontrollably. If left as is, a dimensional collision might truly occur.
"Phew-"
Ellen quickly dispersed her power to seize overall control.
Goooo-
The sea parted, revealing a path leading down below the surface. It was the path to the core.
"Only Atalante remains, the rest go down!"
"Wait, then you-"
As Ellen hesitated, Utequais shouted firmly.
"There's no time, come with us!"
Utequais jumped into the slope that had appeared between the waves, and the Siren group followed him. But Ellen still hesitated, looking at Phoenix.
"Phoe..."
"Go! Go find the rift!"
Akanku Karamek was imbuing the soul beasts gathered around his severed head with indigo. A massive monster took shape, with the front paws of a tiger, the waist of a leopard, the head of a wolf and the chest of a bear, the wings of an eagle and the tail of a snake.
"Damn, it's almost complete... Hurry!"
Seeing this, Phoenix left Ellen behind and dashed forward.
"Ugh."
Biting her lower lip, Ellen finally leaped into the water below.
"Atalante! Prepare the Void Sphere!"
At Phoenix's shout, Atalante, who was focusing her mental power, made a strange expression.
'...When did I ever mention my true name?'
But before she could ponder further, the monstrous beast, now as large as a fortress, bared its fangs.
Grrrr.
The beast with four pairs of eyes began to emit spiritual energy. Its green and blue-tinged fur fluttered, and the world trembled. The sea beneath them surged up, spraying like an inverted rain towards the sky...
"...Liljanun (How dreadful)."
As Atalante muttered this and created the Void Sphere, Phoenix was searching Akanku Karamek's body. From the headless corpse, he retrieved a pair of iridescent rings and a stone tablet.
'...Where's the necklace? Where's the necklace?'
Phoenix's black eyes scanned the area frantically.
Soon, he spotted the glimmering pendant up ahead, and the indigo beast crouching in front of it.
"...Damn it."
Whoosh.
Water sprang up into the sky, leaving a long indigo afterimage.
Phoenix dropped the tablet and quickly raised his shield. The ancient shield made of the bones and scales of the Underworld Lord was now stained with blood.
Followed by a lightning-fast swipe of the front paw.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
The crimson shield shattered, and Phoenix was flung away.
"Argh!"
With his shattered elbow and wrist bones, Phoenix rose with a muffled scream.
Creak.
Akanku Karamek, with his head severed, was losing his life and spiritual power with every passing moment. The indigo beast had also shrunk to the size of a house, but its four pairs of eyes still burned with a thirst for vengeance.
Swoosh.
The beast silently launched itself. Its movements resembled those of a leopard and a tiger - stealthy.
"Phew."
Phoenix caught his breath and suddenly started running sideways. It was a strange movement, neither charging the beast nor fleeing.
The indigo beast, mid-leap, adjusted its course, flapping its wings and swinging its tail.
In that moment, a red glow flashed in Phoenix's eyes, and Kwagak!
Fragments of blood erupted from beneath the beast's jaws. It was the blood spray from Akanku Karamek's prone body on the ground.
"Phew!"
Seizing the opportunity as the beast flinched, Phoenix launched himself towards it. Sliding on the ground, he plunged Hrunting into the beast's chest.
Krang!
The beast jerked back in surprise. Phoenix, having let go of the sword hilt, quickly reached for the nearby stone tablet.
'Now, the necklace!'
Phoenix dashed towards the pendant. But just then, the beast, having pulled the dagger from its chest, pounced on him like lightning.
"Ugh!"
—=5三
With the tablet strapped to his limp left arm, Phoenix threw himself forward. His right hand was just about to touch the pendant.
Crunch.
"Ack!"
The wolf-like jaws of the beast clamped down on both his legs. The enraged beast then whipped its head, thrashing Phoenix repeatedly.
With a chilling sound, the armor and bones were severed. Thrown to the ground, Phoenix let out a horrific scream.
"Aaaagh!"
Tormented by the pain of his legs being torn off, Phoenix's eyes rolled back.
Soul sorcerers had a so-called 'Surge Combo' technique. It combined the 'Soaring Surge' sorcery, which transformed them into powerful beasts by absorbing surrounding souls, and the 'Ruin' sorcery, which inflicted massive area-of-effect damage proportional to their abilities.
What I had focused on was the 'Soaring Surge'. A skill whose power increased in proportion to the quantity and quality of the souls under one's command. I was curious.
-Whether the souls are of beasts or humans, they are all classified as 'souls'. So can the 'Soaring Surge' also absorb human souls?
I immediately began the experiment.
I trained a soul sorcerer specialized in 'Soul Beasts' and 'Soul Transformation', and prepared the 'Incident Rainbow' set that ignored class restrictions. I also equipped the necromancer's specialized item, the 'Gravestone', to control human souls.
To cut to the chase, the experiment was a partial success.
I succeeded in absorbing human souls with the 'Soaring Surge', but when I tried to use the 'Ruin' sorcery in that state, it caused the server to crash.
Stumped by this inexplicable bug, my curiosity faded, and the experimental character 'Human Ruin' was forgotten.
And today, I had to start another experiment.
"Ugh, ugh."
Even with my jaw trembling, I gripped the stone tablet with my left arm and the pendant with my right hand.
Grrrr-!
A roar of victory came from behind. With shaking hands, I hung the pendant around my neck. At the same time, the pain that had been confined to my legs spread throughout my entire body.
"Ugh."
The 'Incident Rainbow' set, completed by wearing the two rings and the pendant, possessed a power too great for me to handle.
Wanting to tear off the pendant immediately due to the burning pain that felt like my limbs were on fire, I forced myself to focus on the stone tablet.
Eeeee-
The souls from the underworld let out agonized screams. It was the power of the stone tablet, no, the 'Gravestone'.
The power to imprison souls, corrupt them, defile them, and finally subjugate them. The very power that turned Akanku Karamek's wife, Ailisha, into a vengeful spirit.
Aaaaaahhh! Kyaaa, kyaaaa!
As the Gravestone was opened, the crazed vengeful spirits poured out en masse. Hundreds, thousands of them let out horrific screams, causing even the underworld souls to retreat in fear.
"Ugh, ah."
My eyes went blind.
Light, life, flesh, moments scattered, and darkness, death, spirit, eternity gathered.
I felt like I was going insane. Every breath brought a crisis.
Grr, grooooar!
A savage roar woke me up. Clinging to my faint consciousness, I whispered to the vengeful spirits of the Gravestone.
"...Seek vengeance."
Kyaaaaaaaa!
The vengeful spirits covering the sky let out ecstatic screams. They swarmed towards Akanku Karamek. Even with my fading vision, I could see that.
"Nix."
"Ah, aah-"
"Pull yourself together, Nix." A weary voice reached me. With the faint sensation remaining, I felt gentle hands embracing my body. Not as warm as Daria's, but a soft touch.
"Ah, aah, Daria?"
"It's Atilia. Come to your senses, Nix."
"Aah, Daria, Daria."
For some reason, tears burst forth. Mingling with the liquefied eyeballs, they streamed down my cheeks.
"Lu alkarf..."
Something flowed down my throat. The pain in my limbs seemed to be subsiding.
Atalante, no, Daria's trembling voice continued.
"Nix, listen carefully. I've created multiple Void Spheres. You have to lure the beast into them."
"Aah, the beast?"
"Akanku Karamek. The monster he transformed into."
"Akanku Karamek, Human Ruin, I had forgotten such a character existed."
"Nix, the souls you summoned are being pushed back."
I could see the vengeful spirits battling the indigo beast. Even as they were consumed by the flames of spiritual power, the spirits were sinking their fangs into the beast...
"Where, where to."
"Wait."
Daria ran while holding me.
"Lure it this way. Then I can finish it off."
"Ah, ugh-"
I struggled to move my stiffening tongue. I don't know what I said, but the vengeful spirits tormenting Akanku Karamek dispersed all at once.
"Aiya, aiya." At my call, a vengeful spirit descended to the surface. The beast facing that spirit froze in its tracks.
Grrrr.
Akanku Karamek approached Ailisha. The woman who had lost her sanity cried out in agony. Akanku Karamek howled like a beast as well.
"Nix, just a little more."
The beast shrank to a size comparable to a human.
"Good, just a little, just a little."
As the couple reunited, I summoned the vengeful spirits to embrace them.
Daria's warm touch enveloped my ear.
"Ainfijar."
Sudden silence.
By the time the ringing in my ears subsided, Akanku Karamek, Ailisha, and the other vengeful spirits were no longer visible.
The vision that had illuminated the world of souls was now dyed in perfect darkness.