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Louis smiled at Zorba with genuine delight, almost as though he eagerly anticipated the moment he would torment him and draw screams of agony.
"Don't worry. I will hold you down. I won't stop until you ingrain the Five Elements into your body..."
"W-Wait, right now!?"
"No, first you need to master the Three Mana Methods and the Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering Method," Louis replied. "Fortunately, I've been guiding you since you began assisting me. You're not far from Grand Perfection now."
"Yes! It's all thanks to your help. I'm truly talentless at these things!" Zorba said, frustration thick in his voice.
"No, you simply lack the proper mindset," Louis countered. "You're worse than me, Zorba. You're an incredibly flawed son of a bitch with nothing to offer except skill at animating corpses."
"Haha, I appreciate your honesty," Zorba replied, smiling without the slightest trace of offense at Louis' cutting words, which had clearly been meant to provoke.
"Well, whatever the case, here." Louis placed his hand on Zorba's chest and infused an immense surge of Ki, forcibly activating every Meridian.
"Kuaaaagh?!" Zorba screamed in torment, then grinned through blood as he vomited, Louis' face now inches from his own. "M-Master Louis... is this...?!"
"I've imprinted the Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering Method Formula directly into your body. Now you know how to perform it. So do it." Louis kicked his head. "Hurry."
"Yes!" Zorba nodded and immediately began drawing Ki into himself, blood streaming from every orifice. "Hahaha...! So this is the power you've been wielding!"
"Yes. Now prepare yourself," Louis warned.
"Huh? Master Louis, what are you—AAAAAHHH!" Zorba howled as flames erupted across his entire body.
"Fire."
Then an crushing weight bore down, shattering bones and tearing muscles apart.
"Earth."
Next came an overwhelming cold that drowned him, freezing him underwater, air fleeing his lungs as death closed in.
"Water."
Sharp, heavy blows followed, each strike driving him deeper into the unyielding firmness of nature and the relentless pulse of life.
"Wood."
Finally, hundreds of swords pierced him through, ending him instantly.
"Metal. It's done."
Louis stepped away, leaving Zorba convulsing on the ground, body twitching violently. Physically, he appeared unharmed, perfectly healthy, in fact. Louis had merely forced fragments of his own Pain and Despair into Zorba through every Elemental Ki, making him endure a taste of true agony.
"It's a unique Spell I created by fusing the Despair manipulation of Ashen Frost with the Sutras," Louis explained, glancing back at Zorba, who now wore a maddened smile even as the torment continued. "What do you think? With this, others can attain the Sutra... provided they can endure the pain. Can you endure it, Zorba? Show me your resolve."
"I-I will...! Ngaaaahhh!" Zorba screamed and writhed for three full hours before the agony finally receded, leaving him an empty, exhausted shell—pale and drained.
Yet now faint traces of the Five Elements flowed within him. He smiled with twisted pleasure, realizing he was not alone in receiving Louis' "blessing." Beside him, dozens of knights screamed and endured the same relentless torture. Among the survivors who barely clung to consciousness were Fernand and Elises, gasping for breath, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Lord Louis had simply approached them with his body shimmering like a constellation of stars, touched their heads, and plunged them into an endless spiral of torment where the Five Elements crushed their very beings. Among the victims were also butlers and maids.
Catrise and Robert had been subjected to the same ordeal despite their protests. Their greater experience and stronger bodies and minds allowed them to awaken sooner than most.
"T-To think the Master would do something so reckless. What has gotten into him now?" Robert sighed.
"H-He made me stronger?" Catrise murmured in astonishment, feeling newfound toughness in her frame. "W-What is this..."
"I can't believe an old man like me survived that," Robert laughed weakly.
"So you survived it too, huh..." Zorba approached them. "Though what Lord Louis has granted us is only a minuscule fraction of his true power, now we all have the chance to cultivate it. You had better be grateful!"
Overseeing the scene stood Mirai and Louis. The girl remained lost in thought. She had endured the same torture for only ten minutes before overpowering it with sheer will and strength. Her talent was so overwhelming that Louis almost regretted sharing the Five Element Sutras with her.
"Is this really okay, your majesty?! Everyone is screaming in pain!"
"Yes. Despair is a beautiful thing... It's delicious as well."
Louis inhaled deeply, savoring the thick air saturated with Despair. His Ashen Frost Ability absorbed the Dark Essence endlessly, fueling his Spiralwalker growth.
"Did you know? Despair is Hope. Therefore, Hope is the greatest and most painful form of Despair," Louis said. "I have given everyone hope. To attain it, they must plunge into the deepest despair. You, Mirai, are exceptional, you achieved it in ten minutes. I am so jealous of your talents."
"W-Well... I am flattered, but this is bad!" Mirai replied, blushing briefly before returning to her usual composure.
"Let them be. Let's go spar now. I want to push myself to my limits," Louis said. "The week has only just begun."
"Uuuh... okay..." Mirai sighed. Part of her had begun to dislike Louis, yet another part admired him. It was a strange, conflicting emotion, one Louis seemed to evoke in almost everyone.
Through countless torturous training sessions, the week finally passed, and the Monday of the following week arrived.
♢♢♢♢
Monday, 12 AM, Deep Forge, VPI.
"This is the best I could forge in a single week. If you let me finish it properly later and give me another month or two, I can perfect its form and make it far stronger, brat."
Dorfus handed Louis his new weapon, a powerful lance forged with the Resonance Heart and one of his mother's Dragon Scales. The dwarf had also incorporated precious Mithril and several Spirit Stones to amplify its power and Soul Energy, transforming the spear into a pseudo-Soul Gear with the potential to evolve into a true one.
It was a stunning, pure white lance adorned with golden circuits. The handle gleamed white, and the blade metal shone the same flawless hue. It embodied the emptiness Dorfus had felt while fighting Louis, the gray ashes, the bleakness in his eyes, the stark whiteness of his uniform, skin, and hair. Whenever Dorfus thought of Louis, he saw a ghost. So he shaped a spear for such a man.
"I call it the Ashen Lance," Dorfus explained. "It has no other name for now. I don't want to give it one, that duty belongs to you later. When a piece of equipment becomes a Soul Gear, it naturally gains a Soul. That's when you name it."
"Understood..." Louis nodded, gazing at the ghostly weapon. The moment he grasped it; a powerful connection surged through him. His Fantasium flowed effortlessly into the magical circuits, activating the lance and bathing it in a pale, phantasmal glow. "What can it do?"
"Amplifies Ash Magic by at least seventy percent," Dorfus replied, puffing on a large habanero. "Increases Attack Speed, Dexterity, and the Power of any Martial Arts using lances by a hundred percent. And when you hold it... you can feel it, right?"
"Yes... it's almost alive," Louis agreed.
"It can move faster than you and react to danger, but it has a personality too," Dorfus continued. "I've never seen a non-Soul Gear behave this way. Must be the Resonance Heart. It has bonded with you now and won't leave you for anything else. Be careful—it's jealous. That red spear you're carrying looks nice. It might not like it."
"Hah, first Zorba and now this thing," Louis muttered, rolling his eyes. "Well, it's still strong and exactly what I needed. But why doesn't it boost Ice Magic or Void Magic?"
"I told you already! If you let me finish it properly... the magic circuits are only halfway complete, and that's despite not sleeping the entire damn week!" Dorfus snapped.
"Alright. If we triumph, I'll return it to you so you can complete it," Louis said with a nod. "Until then, thank you, Dorfus. Your payment has already been deposited, a hundred thousand gold, equivalent to ten thousand refined Fantasium crystals."
"Oho! Well, that ain't so bad! Nice doing business with ya, prince!" Dorfus laughed heartily.
Admiring his new weapon, Louis returned to the castle via elevator and checked his Status after a grueling week of training.
"Status Display."
♢♢♢♢
Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil
Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)
Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment, Self-Flagellation Spiral Fragment
Tier: 8 – Graveborn
Fantasy Heart: Level 20/50
Vitality: 264
Strength: 233
Intelligence: 196
Dexterity: 253
Fantasium: 2700
Fantasium Affinity: 43%
Madness Index: 31%
Bonds:
Dragon Family Bond – Mother Benladra (Level 10/10)
Friendship Bond – Mirai (Level 3/10)
Subordination Bond – Cardoon Zorba (Level 7/10)
Bonded Entities:
Abyssal Mother's Caressing Hand – Handy (Level 3/10)
Elemental Affinities:
Ash Element: A++ Rank
Ice Element: A++ Rank
Void Element: S Rank
Dragon Element: D Rank
Incarnation:
Gravewalker – Tier 8 (Growth: 67%)
Necromancer Fragment – Tier 9
Pugilist Fragment – Tier 9
Known Abilities:
Ashen Frost – Tier 8 (Growth: 32%)
Death-Sense – Tier 8 (Growth: 29%)
Soul Enslavement Fragment – Tier 9
Iron Body Fragment – Tier 9
Bonded Abilities:
Healing Prayer Fragment – Tier 7 (Handy)
♢♢♢♢
His stats had risen far more than traditional training with Mirai, or the knights could have achieved. This was due to intensive sessions with Zorba, Mirai, Robert, and the other knights. In the final two days, stronger fighters appeared and pushed Louis to his absolute limits, shattering his body in battle, only for healing to rebuild him stronger each time.
In total, he gained +25 Vitality, +30 Strength, +20 Intelligence, +27 Dexterity, and +500 maximum Fantasium storage. His level had not increased even after hunting The Knife and eliminating many enemies. It seemed he now required greater prey, high-ranked Anomaly Monsters from Fantasy Worlds, Entities, or Grievances.
That did not trouble him. Two days earlier, after wiping out The Knife, Louis acquired thirty Enslaved Souls, which Zorba transferred using a loophole that allowed infinite containment when gifted by another Desecrated Soul Spiral user.
Zorba himself had raised his maximum from twelve to thirty after his Soul Enslavement Ability reached Tier 8 ahead of his Spiral, still stuck at Tier 9. Specialization in creating Undead made the difference irrelevant. Beyond Hecatoncheires, Zorba had crafted two more "Elite Zombies" and a dozen "Enhanced Chimera Zombies," each far stronger than ordinary ones.
The three Elites matched Robert and Catrise individually in power, while the Enhanced Chimera Zombies nearly equaled Fernand and Elise, before their recent training.
Louis had claimed a few Undead for himself, including one Elite, "Thanatos," a towering skeleton with dozens of arms wielding magic weapons, five heads, six legs, and black cursed miasma armor, plus six Enhanced Chimera Skeletons. He preferred skeletons for their lack of stench, and Zorba happily complied, crafting whatever Louis requested as long as materials were provided... and after slaughtering the criminal gang, materials were plentiful.
As in the previous timeline, Louis also recruited Rashid, the Dhampir, who was thrilled to join such an esteemed household, receiving a uniform, weapons, and generous pay. This time, Louis ensured Rashid would not die so easily. In the brief days they spent together, Louis subjected him to torturous training to toughen him up. His father ran scans on Rashid's strength and Sinner bloodline, ultimately selecting him as a new student for the Sinners Academy due to his exceptional potential.
"Thank you for coming today, everyone," Louis addressed the assembled squadron of Knights, VPI Agents, Espers, and newly recruited Sinners.
"As many of you know, my father and I have been gathering every capable fighter we can find for what we believe may be a battle that endangers our entire country. Recent investigations have uncovered the Church of the Abyssal Mother quietly infiltrating our nation, beginning in the Nameless Streets. While preaching salvation and kindness, they have convinced people their actions are nothing but pure-hearted charity.
However, despite the apparent sincerity in their words, nothing could be further from the truth. Their Priest, Soma Ferrera, intends to open a Dimensional Rift to the Weeping Nest, the Fantasy Realm of this aberrant evil goddess. Their goal is to feed our country to their starving deity and convert every soul into her power, trapping us in a false paradise where all desires are fulfilled—a fabricated world to contain the millions of souls she has already devoured, sustained by the countless lives she has consumed.
We have reports of cult members actively collaborating with known criminal gangs such as The Knife and the Black Fangs, producing illegal drugs from materials harvested through an underground Dimensional Rift—likely shielded by advanced foreign technology from the Vultarn High Dominion.
For those still inclined toward mercy, abandon it. The Cult of the Abyssal Mother seeks nothing less than the consumption of our entire nation. I have learned this Evil Goddess harbors a nonsensical rivalry and hatred toward the Holy Dragon Mother Goddess—Queen, Founder of the Frostbane Kingdom, and my beloved mother, Benladra. Her aim is to destroy everything my mother has built, exploiting her current illness and unconscious state.
Our mission is straightforward. We must eradicate the influence of the Abyssal Mother Church at its root. We are moving now to the Nameless Streets. The orders are clear: eliminate every single member of that accursed church. Regardless of their appearance, they are all gateways to that monster, no longer truly alive, but monstrous creatures wearing the skin of their former selves. Show no mercy. They are wicked puppets controlled by that creature, intent on destroying our Kingdom. Understand? This mission places our entire country at stake!"
"However, our primary target is their Cult Leader, Priest Soma Ferrera, a heartless man already seen interacting with our citizens," Gustaf added. "He is an obsessed figure who never stops smiling and laughing, always masked. He conceals his true self, his true form, his true identity. I can confirm my son's words: no member of the Abyssal Mother Cult is normal. To join, they must be baptized by their mother and undergo a special mutation. Their Pain and all negative emotions are stripped away, and their bodies transform into horrid Entities. Aside from Soma, they are likely soulless puppets. Do not pity them. Research indicates they are already dead."
Gustaf's connections and leadership of the VPI had granted access to vast archives of Anomalies, Entities, and Grievances. Among them were records of captured Abyssals from the Weeping Nest who perished when isolated from their mother, and cult members from another nation who, after separation, mutated into monsters and died.
"Soma's current objective is to locate the Sinner child, Selene, a girl with the head of a wolf skull and a fur-covered body, resembling an Entity from the Dimensional Labyrinth, yet she is a half-human Sinner with an Entity Mutation-type Ability," Gustaf explained. "We have captured footage of her. I will now show you her appearance."
Gustaf waved his hand, and holograms projected from devices beneath the stage revealed Selene's scanned form. Some knights recoiled in disgust. Louis understood her appearance stemmed from her inability to deactivate her Innate Ability. Once she learned control, she could assume her human form, far easier on the eyes.
"We will enlist the help of another child—her friend Melisa, who lives in an orphanage..." Gustaf continued. "All squadrons will divide and spread throughout the Nameless Streets. Once we secure Melisa and then Selene, we will locate Soma precisely and target him. Helena will trap him within her Psychic Domain, and I will bring you all to my side. To minimize attention, my son will proceed alone with Mirai, Zorba, Catrise, and his two knights. Everyone else will follow my orders. Today we begin what we have prepared for an entire week. Let us do everything possible to save our country!"
"OOOOOHHH!"
The assembly roared, arms raised, voices thundering with resolve. They had never seen King Gustaf so visibly concerned. Even with limited evidence, every person present chose to trust him.
It was time to fight for their country.
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