Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 783

Chapter 783: [Soul Fusion]
[Soul Fusion]

Type: Active – Soul Upgrade

Cost: Variable Mana (based on fusion size)

Requirement: Target [Elite Soul] + at least 3 compatible [Lesser Souls]

[Initiates a ritualistic merge of multiple [Lesser Souls] into a single [Elite Soul]. The process strengthens the target soul, enhancing its stats and abilities. Souls consumed in fusion are permanently destroyed.]

–

I re-opened the [Necromantic Codex] with nothing but a thought. As it wasn’t the focus of our conversation for the past few minutes, I’d sent it to rest on a nearby table, not wanting to converse with a floating tome in front of our faces.

Upon my command, its spectral pages unfurled in the air before me, etched with script that only I could read. Next, I focused my will, and three lesser souls floated into view on the ethereal parchment, each name highlighted by the codex’s ghostly blue light.

[Selected Souls:]

[Lionkin Beggar – Level 1 – Potency: 2]

[Lionkin Housewife – Level 1 – Potency: 3]

[Lionkin Butcher – Level 1 – Potency: 4]

They were the most meager members of my soul collection—save for the souls of lionkin children, almost all of whom had only 1 Potency to them—but even scraps had value. Or at least I hoped so.

Target: [Elite Soul – Eve] – Rank 1

With a mental nudge, I initiated the [Soul Fusion].

The selected lesser souls shimmered and materialized into the room from the pages of the ancient tome. This itself was quite the curious event in my eyes, because technically, it wasn’t the Codex that housed the souls but my saber, the Mythic-rarity Soul Reaper.

My working theory was that the Necromantic Codex acted as a proxy, allowing me to do my soul magic without having to summon the saber from my pocket ring. It’s as if the two worked together seamlessly to make my life easier, transferring souls between one another without trouble.

The three souls that materialized didn’t resemble the shapes of their physical forms. There were no faces, no hands, no eyes. Just three pale orbs of light, each one a bit different in its hue and intensity.

The beggar’s orb was dull and small, sporting a sickly grayish blue color; the housewife’s was slightly warmer, having a soft amber in it; the butcher’s was brighter, letting a few red-tinted lines don the otherwise blue orb.

They hovered for a moment, then began to tremble.

Without any further warning, they collided in a rather violent manner. The fusion looked more like a massacre than a peaceful merging, like one soul was devouring the others while they each writhed in agony. Threads of spectral matter tore and tangled between them.

Muffled screams echoed from within the orbs, echoes that weren’t truly sound, just psychic impressions of fear and confusion the souls experienced in their final moments.

The resulting orb had quite a sickly, dull color to it. It looked weak. Once the combination had completed, it began to slowly drift toward Eve.

She waited without a single motion of her body. The fused orb entered her chest. Her form suddenly glowed with pale light—only briefly, only weakly—but enough to show it had worked.

Nothing dramatic. No leap in power. Her blue body didn’t suddenly gain more contrast or definition.

*Shh!*

All of a sudden, something strange occurred.

Tiny specks that were the size of sand grains began to rise from Eve’s form. They had not the blue light reminiscent of souls, but an ethereal white, nearly invisible to the naked eye unless one focused on them.

There were thousands upon thousands of these particles leaving Eve’s body.

They drifted upward in silence, seeming to be entirely weightless. They passed through the ceiling as though the stone and wood above meant nothing to them. As though the world itself had no right to obstruct their path.

They were gone in seconds. No fanfare. No sound. No pain. Just… release.

Then the [Necromantic Codex] stirred.

Its pages fluttered violently without my command, flipping faster than any hand could manage. It opened to a fresh page. It was a blank spread, unmarred by ink or glyph.

And then, it began to write by itself, as if me experiencing this phenomenon was needing to unlock this knowledge.

The soul-blue color etched itself into the parchment in flowing glyphs and looping characters, appearing ancient and dignified.

True Necromancy is not the Devourer’s Path.

He who bindeth flesh to bone alone hath not earned the name of Death’s Keeper.

To rend the soul is easy. One need only erase the flesh that houseth it.

But to cleanse souls… that is an undertaking most arduous.

Let it be known: the [Soul Fusion] is no crime against the order of the universe. It hindereth not life.

For a necromancer is no pest, no leech, no plague to be hunted by kings and their armies.

It is the Corpse Animators who art an affront to life’s sanctity, treating the living as fuel for undead armies.

For every Lesser Soul consumed in true [Soul Fusion], their sin is unbound.

They are cast not to the pit, nor trapped in waiting, but lifted.

Expedited, cleansed, and returned unto the hands of the Shepherds of Rebirth, prepared to rejoin the cycle of life.

Thou art no enemy of life, if so thou choosest.

Death, in thy hands, need not be desecration. It may yet be release.

I stared at the page in silence for a few seconds before my brain began putting the puzzle pieces together.

“So that’s what those particles were…”

“What do you mean, Quin?” Vex asked, confused.

Instead of replying immediately, I stood from the mattress and moved toward Eve. I placed my palm above her head, and just as expected, the particles passed through my skin without any difficulty.

“These tiny grains were souls, yes, but not the fused parts, not the power fed into Eve. They are the remnants. By using [Soul Fusion], I’ve cleansed the souls, carving all the corrupted parts off of them. Their experiences, their levels, and their thoughts… they were all used up during the merging.”

I paused for a moment, examining Eve’s emotionless, ghostly face. “What remained behind was their souls in their purest form. It is the Goddess, Lilyanna, who is supposed to oversee this cleansing process. After this process, they’re ready to be reborn. What the text said was “They are cast not to the pit, nor trapped in waiting, but lifted. Expedited, cleansed, and returned unto the hands of the Shepherds of Rebirth, prepared to rejoin the cycle of life.” By completing the cleansing process in the Goddess’ stead, I expedited the process of rebirth. The Goddess oversees billions of souls; there must be a queue waiting for her to cleanse them, especially if something else demands her attention.”

A smirk found its way onto my features as I announced, “I made them skip the queue.”

“Based on your overly cocky grin, I’m gonna assume you’d once again done something amazing,” Vex said while following my path from the mattress, standing next to me with her hand in mine. She directed her gaze toward Eve, but when observing the Awakened Soul didn’t observe her to glean any further information, her attention found its way to me. “I’m gonna need a time-out, hubby. Goddess Liliyanna? Soul Ecosystem? Rebirth?”