'Soulbreaker?' Sylvester felt delighted in his heart. 'Does he remember everything now?'
"Soulbreaker?" Manzax recognized that name, having heard it for many years. After all, being the Supreme General of the Empire, he was one of the creators of the plan to kill the Saint Cardinal and establish their own order.
Soulbreaker came closer to Sylvester and knelt to surrender his authority. "God of Gods, what is your command?"
'He doesn't realize I'm affected by his magic.' Sylvester understood and replied with the same aura.
"Manzax, Wajir, and Ellum are servants of fate. They have surrendered, albeit late. Raise your blade at the only heathen left here. Sheelisk is his name, and he must disappear!" Sylvester replied with a muffled voice.
Soulbreaker stood up and placed his crude sword on Sheelisk's neck where the joint of his armor and helmet met, the Grand Wizard of level ten. No one had any idea how Soulbreaker was doing it, how he was binding a Grand Wizard many levels stronger than himself.
"Your Supremeness, please show mercy to this foolish man." Manzax interrupted, "Sheelisk is misguided. He can be of use to you."
Sylvester showed a false expression of anger with his widened eyes. "Once is a mistake, twice is ignorance, and thrice is a habit—Foolishness is no justification for sins to be committed."
Soulbreaker had all the needed permissions to go ahead, and there was nobody who could stop him. His sword released a strange green mist that smelled of incense that one lights to remember the dead.
"Your might comes from the body. But your soul reveals the true story. Weakness fills you, warrior." Soulbreaker didn't slash or stab his sword at Sheelisk's neck but instead swiped the blade slowly while chanting something strange that even Sylvester had not heard in the Holy Land.
'What kind of magic is Soul Magic? What are the limits of his power?' Sylvester wondered as he saw the scene unfold.
"Haha, your sword won't cut me, fool," Sheelisk mocked, laughing. "Do you not remember how I cut your Saint Cardinal back then? You couldn't save him, even with your abilities—My darkness is supreme, for darkness is the natural state of the world without a source of light!"
Sylvester understood that the man likely had a darkness element. It was a very powerful element against most others, but in front of light, it was nothing. So Sylvester began to expand his halo as much as possible since the man was right in front of him. Meanwhile, Soulbreaker stood by his side.
"Darkness is evil; that is why my light exists. This, you can never resist!" Sylvester gave it his all to produce as much light as possible.
'He's using the Dark element to create a shield on his skin.' Sylvester realized and attempted to weaken it with his light. Because in the end, even if Soulbreaker could use his soul powers on them, he still couldn't just slash through someone many levels above him.
Crack!
Finally, Soulbreaker's sword made a crack as the blade slowly scraped the skin of Sheelisk's neck. Soulbreaker continued to chant while swinging his incense burner. It was a prolonged process, but time was not an issue since everyone was frozen.
Crack!
"You will not kill me!" Sheelish's face turned red as he tried to move with all his power. "I am Sheelisk…I never lose!"
"Your soul has already lost." Manzax suddenly voiced from behind. "Soulbreaker is someone even I feared. When we planned to kill the Saint Cardinal, it took all of us to finish the job, yet he survived somehow—to this day. Accept your fate, Sheelisk, and kneel."
"I kneel to none but my Emperor!"
Crack!
"Aaargh!"
Sheelisk's cry resounded. The blade finally broke through the layer of dark energy on his skin. As if an infection was spreading, the green mist from Soulbreaker's sword began to enter Sheelisk's body.
"No…Stop this!" Sheelisk cried, although his face was still covered with the helmet. He couldn't move, so only the helpless shouts were coming out. "Stay away from me…No! I didn't do anything!"
"Nightmares," Manzax added with a pitiful tone. "Nightmare of all those who he killed—he sees it, and his soul feels the damage he brought on others. There is no escaping Soul Magic."
'Inflicting damage to the soul?' Sylvester was frightfully shocked to learn that. He knew that once he mastered magnetism to its peak, he'd be like a real God, capable of destroying the entire world. But the thought that his soul could still be vulnerable annoyed him. 'There must be a means to avoid this. The Pope must have it, or else, no Supreme Wizard could ever be safe from this broken power.'
"NOOO! Please!" Sheelisk roared.
Crack!
Sheelisk's armor broke apart and fell into pieces. His entire body was covered with wounds, some slashes, some stabs, and some magically open gashes. The man was suffering the same fate he had inflicted on others.
Thud!
The armor fell entirely apart, and soon more blood covered the floor. The sword Soulbreaker scraped into Sheelisk's neck eventually dug halfway in, reaching for crucial veins and organs. Once those began to get wounded, death was already around the corner.
'Scent of fear? I think even I'd feel that if someone used this ability on me. How many have I killed, and how many more will I kill to fulfill my goal?' Sylvester wondered and silently watched the screams slowly subside as the sword reached the end.
Thud!
The head was severed, and the body fell to the ground. With that, finally, Soulbreaker stopped using his magic, and everyone was freed from the invisible soul binds. The dungeon hall returned to light with rekindled torches, and the sight of Sheelisk's naked body came into view.
"The body is broken, and so is the soul—What is the next command? What shall be my goal?" Soulbreaker turned to Sylvester again.
"You've grown stronger," Manzax commented after being freed but dared not cast any magic against him.
Soulbreaker turned to Manzax and remained stoic. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"..."
'So he still has no memory?' Sylvester understood. 'Did Aurora send him here? He clearly knows he's a Clergyman and serves the Faith of Solis.'
"Manzax, Ellum, and Wajir, the time has come for you three to fulfill your vows. Go and capture the rest of the Grand Wizards in one place, so they may as well receive my grace. Soulbreaker, you may also follow, and if any of their hearts appear to inflict sorrow—ensure they go soulless, bodies hollow." Sylvester ordered them right away as he needed to take a calming breath.
Thud!
Soulbreaker crossed his arms over his chest to salute. "May your light enlighten us."
"Bless us." Manzax followed. "Your command shall be fulfilled."
The other two also saluted and knelt to Sylvester, and then finally left simultaneously. Soulbreaker remained behind them the entire time, as he was to judge the three as well, not just the other Grand Wizards.
At last, Sylvester let out a sigh of relief and stopped emitting his halo. He refrained from using any magic in his body, allowing it to recuperate. "That was too tough, buddy…Things nearly got out of hand. Aurora reacted on time, but thankfully, the plan is still intact."
"Maxy, I'm not taking these bodies back in," Miraj spoke up. His mouth was bloodied from spewing out so many corpses.
"No need, let's leave them here as proof that Solis was here. Eventually, I will have to act like Solis left my possessed body, but until then, I'm not Sylvester, but his corpse."
Sylvester calculated that he had already killed nine Grand Wizards, and three had joined his service. With twelve out of the game, thirteen were left. Most of them were the middle ones, but the first ten were still very powerful. Thankfully, he had killed one who was about to become a Supreme Wizard, and the other was now his servant.
Hoping the four he sent would bring him the good news, Sylvester made his way to Crown Prince Jinn's chambers, as he had to give him the letter and convince him to become a Clergyman, relinquishing all his responsibilities to Masan.
"Chonky, hand me my Archbishop gown and the miter. This time, I'll have to act like Sylvester Maximilian since Fernis' letter mentions me," he ordered, striding towards the top floor of the castle. That was where Jinn's largest chamber resided, where he not only lived but also planned his many creations.
There were also a few guards on the way, and Sylvester killed them before stashing their bodies in his Chonky Bank. It wasn't a mindless massacre either, as he also had a lengthy plan for the morning.
Eventually, he reached Jinn's chambers and knocked on the door. Some strange vibrations of heavy machinery were already coming from inside, so it was clear the man was awake.
Thud!
Eventually, the door opened with a loud noise, revealing how heavy it was. Then a head peeked out, belonging to the black-haired Prince Jinn.
"An Archbishop? What happened?"
Sylvester greeted him in a church manner. "May the Holy Light enlighten us, Prince. I am Sylvester Maximilian. You might have seen me without any hair for the past few months."
"..."
Speechless, Jinn took a few seconds to imagine Sylvester without hair and recognize him. "Sir Jack?... You're an Archbishop?…I've heard that name before, and where is Fernis? You are to protect her!"
'He really loved her.' Sylvester smelled the sincere worry for Fernis when the man spoke of her name.
"We should talk inside, Prince," Sylvester said, walking inside himself, pushing the Prince to the side effortlessly. However, as soon as he stepped in, his eyes froze at the view of the room.
'W-What is this? Steam turbine?' His heart skipped a few beats at the sight of rotating gears and an exhaust that spewed steam. However, there was no fire anywhere, or smoke…just pure steam. 'Using runes?'
"What is this about?" Jinn questioned again as he closed the door.
'Can I still make him loyal to me after he reads this?'
Sylvester turned to him and handed him the letter. "Please read this before we can continue…Prince.'
"What is th…It's Fernis' writing! What is she up to now? Is she playing some kind of prank?" Jinn smiled while opening the letter.
As expected, the smile didn't last very long. Jinn abruptly fell to the floor and continued to read the letter beyond the initial words. He looked at Sylvester occasionally and then back at the letter.
Jinn scratched his head with frustration, sadness, and anger that surged in his heart while his eyes turned teary. His hands trembled the entire time, and at the end, only a growl escaped his tightly clenched mouth.
"Why? Why her?"
[A/N: The chapter got a bit too delayed today. Had to take my dog to an emergency hospital.]
Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.
