Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 532

Chapter 532: Chapter 532: The Terrifying Effects of the Soul Devourer Sphere
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. None of the gods who had received the follower’s mark from him were discovered by the Royal City, which caused Sterl to let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Soon after, that dazzling light began to sweep over the other gods. Now that there were no more worries, Sterl’s expression relaxed, and he leaned back, watching the proceedings with great interest, like a bystander enjoying the show.

However, betrayers among gods were undoubtedly rare. Betrayals like Boris’s were the rarest form of disgrace. As the saying goes, only those who wrong you truly understand the depth of your grievance. Despite Boris’s resentment toward Sterl and Eterna, there was no way he would have ever truly betrayed them. His allegiance to Ashen had come solely from Sterl’s interference.

Thus, none of the gods present were betrayers. This was a cause for relief, though there was also some regret. While they were thankful there was no ticking time bomb among them, they couldn’t help but feel disappointed that they couldn’t vent their anger over Boris’s treachery.

“It seems that you all haven’t let the Royal City down,” said the high-ranking deity, a faint smile appearing on his face. However, he didn’t suspect that there were any betrayers among them. The reason for the inspection was merely to avoid any risks.

“Now, Ashen has suffered greater losses than we have. The integration of the Royal City is at its final stage, so they will likely become desperate and rally all their forces for a large-scale assault on the city.”

As gods, they had a clear understanding of the situation. If they were in Ashen’s shoes, they too would choose to go all in, leaving no room for retreat. If they let the Royal City complete its integration, the indigenous forces would find it much harder to survive in the future.

“Hmph! With Hades on our side, those despicable natives will never return!” one of the gods declared.

“And as for that traitor Boris, I will personally capture him, strip his soul, and make him a slave forever!” another god added, filled with righteous fury, unafraid of the impending battle.

The surrounding gods were all equally indignant, showing no fear of the upcoming final showdown.

“Very well, with such determination, Orichalcum will undoubtedly achieve ultimate victory,” the high-ranking deity said with satisfaction. He then proceeded to discuss their detailed plan, with Sterl listening attentively. However, he did not participate in the discussion, and the other gods took no offense.

To them, as long as Hades was willing to act, it was the best outcome. After all, anyone who had just recovered a worthless trinket, a “shame to waste” kind of item, would be quite frustrated and not eager to talk about it. It was understandable that Sterl didn’t want to engage.

However, what none of them knew was that Sterl’s full attention was focused on the Soul Treasure, the Soul Devourer Sphere. He was carefully studying its every effect and function.

Soul Devourer Sphere

Category: Special

Description: This item was born during the ancient era, amidst a catastrophic event that shook the very foundations of the world. According to legend, a mad god sought to break the boundaries between life and death, attempting to control the power of souls. To achieve this, the god spent countless precious materials and performed forbidden magical rituals, using the souls of innumerable living beings as the raw material. In the wailing and blood of these creatures, the Soul Devourer Sphere came into existence.

Throughout the ages, this crystal orb has been fought over by countless beings. Ultimately, it fell into the hands of a god with a unique soul and talent. From that moment onward, a powerful god-king was born, and a vast kingdom rose from the ground. The Soul Devourer Sphere was perfected to an unimaginable degree. It became both a treasure and a disaster. However, now it has fallen into your hands—what future awaits with such a powerful object?

Effect:

When the user kills an enemy, the Soul Devourer Sphere automatically absorbs the soul that just escaped from the enemy’s body. The absorbed soul is gradually refined within the crystal orb, turning into pure soul energy.

The refined soul energy can be used by the wielder in various ways, including but not limited to restoring or enhancing energy, vitality, physical constitution, Divine Power, comprehension ability, lifespan, and soul.

The wielder of the Soul Devourer Sphere can also imbue this pure soul energy into followers, disciples, subordinates, etc., according to the wielder’s will, enhancing or restoring their power.

The wielder can gather all the pure soul energy in the Soul Devourer Sphere and unleash an explosion of terrifying power at the limit of [Transcendence] (either to empower oneself or in a direct burst). This power cannot be resisted by anything other than abilities related to the soul!

Current Soul Power Reserve: 0

Note:

The wielder of the Soul Devourer Sphere must possess a very strong soul and remarkable resilience, as well as high mental willpower, to withstand the torrent of soul energy during absorption. If the soul’s strength is insufficient, the wielder may experience soul fragmentation, confusion, blankness, or even annihilation.

When absorbing a powerful soul, the soul may resist, and if the user cannot suppress this resistance, the soul will retaliate.

When the user infuses soul energy into others, they must ensure the absolute loyalty of the recipient, or else they will suffer massive backlash damage, causing irreversible effects!

Sterl’s eyes widened as he carefully read through the contents of the Soul Devourer Sphere, word by word. Without a doubt, this Soul Treasure from the Royal City of Orichalcum had an incredibly rich and long history.

The original Soul Devourer Sphere was created by an unknown chaotic god. Although the description is brief, it’s not hard to imagine just how cruel and shocking the circumstances surrounding its creation must have been. The chaotic Divine Power that forged this object was surrounded and killed by countless powerful beings before it had a chance to use it.

Afterward, the Soul Devourer Sphere changed hands multiple times, as its harsh usage conditions made it an object that few could fully wield. Eventually, it landed in the hands of the founder of the Orichalcum kingdom, providing him with immense aid. However, Sterl speculated that the Soul Devourer Sphere was likely not in its current form when it first came into the hands of the Orichalcum founder. Its abilities and limitations were likely different then.

As for the “improvement” mentioned in the description, it’s unclear whether this refers to enhancing its effects or simply modifying its usage restrictions.

Putting himself in the shoes of the previous owner, if Sterl had come into possession of such a treasure, even if he didn’t need it for himself, he would not want others to use it to follow in his footsteps. He would likely impose some restrictions. Perhaps these two excessively harsh limitations were a result of that mindset.

But none of that mattered. Despite the limitations, the Soul Devourer Sphere’s powerful abilities still couldn’t be overshadowed.

First, after killing an enemy, the Soul Devourer Sphere would automatically absorb their soul and refine it into the purest form of soul energy. This simple sentence doesn’t mention any upper or lower limits on the souls it can absorb. Does this mean that even ordinary mortals can be refined into soul energy?

Sterl’s mind jolted with realization. It made sense—souls of beings below the level of gods were not much different in terms of their soul grade and strength. As long as they were living beings, their souls could be absorbed and converted into soul power.

A chill ran down his spine. If this artifact fell into the hands of someone with malicious intent, they might very well choose to target weaker kingdoms and cities. After all, it’s much harder to kill a god, but annihilating millions of mortals is incredibly simple.

In a way, Sterl could almost envision the bloody storms the Soul Devourer Sphere must have stirred over the course of history. Perhaps the great god who created it had another intention—to prevent such indiscriminate slaughter.

As for the uses of soul power, that was where things got truly terrifying. The soul power could restore and enhance nearly all aspects of one’s own abilities. This thought made Sterl excited. His soul grade had reached a point where even hunting the souls of gods only provided minimal soul experience. Perhaps, by using the Soul Devourer Sphere, he could directly use the soul energy to raise his soul level, or even forcibly increase his base attributes within the limits of his current level!

If that’s the case, then the Soul Devourer Sphere’s effect on Sterl would be nothing short of monumental, on par with completing a legendary tale, if not more important!

The third ability, which allows the user to infuse soul power into their subordinates, is particularly striking. This power can enhance their overall strength without any side effects.

Sterl’s mind began to race with possibilities. If he could enhance his subordinates without any limitations, he could quickly raise an incredibly powerful army!

As for the restriction, which demands absolute loyalty from those receiving the infusion, that wasn’t an issue for Sterl. Thanks to his Blood of the Ancient One, he could control a vast number of followers, and none of them were truly disloyal to him. Why would he waste soul power on strengthening someone who didn’t owe him complete loyalty?

Of course, he suspected that this restriction was put in place to prevent powerful individuals from using the Soul Devourer Sphere to forcibly control others and absorb soul power for their own gain, leaving the side effects to the controlled ones while the controller enjoyed the benefits without consequence. This restriction effectively eliminated that possibility.

The next ability was even more astounding. It allowed the user to gather all the soul power into one burst and unleash a [Transcendence]-level power, a terrifying force described by the [Transcendence] system in such extravagant terms that it was clear how immense its power must be. After gathering enough soul power, it might even be able to wipe out higher-tier gods in an instant!

What’s more, the power released by the Soul Devourer Sphere directly targets the soul, a form of attack that is almost impossible to defend against—essentially dealing real, unmitigated damage. Even gods, who have a limited understanding of the soul, are helpless against an attack of this nature. How could anyone resist an assault from the very essence of their being?

Sterl felt a surge of impatience, eager to test the Soul Devourer Sphere by obliterating a group of enemies to see if it truly lived up to its fearsome description. However, he had learned one important rule from his experiences: the actual power of anything always exceeded the description given by the [Transcendence] system!