Chapter 405 - 405: Abysmal Darkness
Silence spread between the two, broken only by the war raging below and the constant buzzing produced by the royal champion's wings.
Eleanora's lips parted.
"Recently, I have been getting reports of disturbances happening both at the upper and lower branches. Felines being rescued, my troops being slaughtered…" She spoke in a cold voice.
"You must be the one."
Michael's eyes narrowed, concluding that the cult's leader was indeed blind. The fact that she had become an Absolute Lord despite that disability showed she was capable of far more than she let on.
"I am. When there are traitors of humanity… People that make the populace turn on each other due to our so-called differences rather than uniting us and focusing on fighting the aliens… There is no way I can let that slide." He declared.
Lord Eleanora giggled softly before erupting into full-blown laughter.
"HAHAHA! Such irony! To think you would be the one blind to the truth!"
Her laughter sounded more like that of a fearsome monster than a simple woman, the edges of her eyes tearing up with amusement.
"Let me guess… You think you're morally in the right? Think again. You must have heard that I can perceive souls unlike anyone else. Their very nature, the essence that makes us alive, is laid bare before my eyes, whether human or alien."
Her laughter faded.
"Human souls are beautiful. Pure, bright, almost blinding with purpose. Spiritual beasts are similar to us in that sense, just slightly inferior. Aliens are different, distorted, and twisted, reflecting their corrupted upbringing. And the felines are much the same. Once beautiful spirits, they are now nothing but altered creations… Imitations of our nature that would be better erased."
Michael frowned. There was no point in arguing, as always.
He prepared to attack, only for Eleanora's next words to echo.
"I can prove it." She proclaimed. "Felines do not share the same harmony humanity does."
In a flash, she summoned her soul weapon: a golden triangle and a rod. When the instrument was struck, it produced a certain vibration that resonated with the souls of nearby entities.
The soldier ants, for instance, would rejoice when greeted with the sound, while the aliens would experience excruciating pain due to the imbalance of their souls. The more disarrayed a creature's soul, the greater the agony tormented it.
The ants, being simple creatures with limited consciousness, bore no irregularities of any nature. When subjected, their souls stood unwavering.
Depending on the individual, humans might endure or falter. Felines exhibit a response similar to aliens, though not as intensely.
Naturally, Eleanora knew the outcome before she struck the instrument. The darkness of a creature's soul mirrored its true nature.
That was why she didn't hesitate to summon her soul weapon.
Peering deep into Michael's soul, and Devil standing beside him, only one thing stood out.
Abysmal darkness.
Michael possessed the most unstable soul Eleanora had ever had the displeasure of witnessing. Even the Monarch alien behind them paled in comparison.
Whatever he might have gone through to be turned into such a thing, she didn't care. All she knew was that Michael was a person who needed to die at any cost.
Neither Michael nor Devil were able to move in time. Eleanora struck the golden triangle, releasing a vibrating resonance.
"!!!"
Michael's vision blurred as he staggered forward, only to spit a handful of blood. Every fiber of his being was consumed by excruciating agony, as if his very soul was being torn apart.
His condition was mild compared to Devil's.
"The audacity of this bitch!" Devil cursed, his limbs growing numb. Given that he was a soul weapon that thrived in slaughter and profanities, he had met his worst match.
Like a candle, his form gradually began to melt under the immense pressure, unable to retaliate.
The war below reacted to the change… The aliens began to stagger. The ants surged with newfound power.
"Do you see now?" Eleanora shouted. "Only corrupted beings like you can side with the felines! You were the true enemy of humanity all along!"
But due to the ringing in Michael's ears, he could not hear her.
Shifting his gaze to the still struggling Devil, Michael murmured, his voice shaking.
"Partner."
Devil, understood, assumed his sword form. He flew toward his owner's hand.
Activating Archwarlock, Michael's eyes began to glow crimson with a faint hue of gold.
A bestial roar erupted from the back of his throat.
Without a doubt, this was the first time his spirit had been damaged to such an extent in his second life.
Pushed to the brink, he had no other choice but to entirely rely on his Legendary technique, Archwarlock. Responding to the damage, his mind was infused with the madness of unyielding purpose, overwhelming power flowing through his veins.
The pain persisted, mounting on his soul, threatening to erase him from existence.
Suddenly, one thing took priority over everything else.
The wretched melody had to cease!
At all costs!
"STOP THE SOUND!"
Michael roared in fury. Using Riftstep, he teleported behind Eleanora, the edge of his sword blurring, oozing with killing intent.
Eleanora responded in kind. Turning swiftly, she blocked the strike. The two Lords, along with the royal champion, toppled straight to the ground.
BOOM!
The nearby aliens and ants formed a circle around them, unwilling to take part in the clash unless told otherwise.
"Resistance is futile!" Eleanora never halted her melody, responding with an attack of her own. The closer she got to Michael, the more pain he was forced to endure.
The royal champion seemed ready to aid her, only for Cyberfang to lunge, colliding with the powerful golden ant.
Michael's anger flared. With Lightning Surge, he unleashed a strike. But the damage proved too shallow to kill his opponent.
"Let's see how long you can endure!" Eleanora gestured toward him, the nearby ants pouncing on his figure.
"STOP THE SOUND!" Michael bellowed, two trails of blood flowing from his eyes.
He didn't even need to look at the ants. No different from simple Masters in his eyes, their heads flew off with a single flick of his wrist.
Though that didn't deter the soldiers in the slightest, they toppled over one another to reach him.
[Master!]
Cyberfang's shout echoed, trying to reach Michael.
Yet he didn't register the words of the mechanical beast. The tyrannical melody overwhelmed his senses and clouded his mind.
With another roar, he charged fearlessly.
He just had to interrupt the music.
For that blood was going to be shed.