Chapter 100 - Boiling Point (Patreon)

She had done it. She had finished unlocking her obelisk faster than Irkun. Her engagement with Irkun Marakkus was no longer.

Alas, she’d found she was not as exhilarated as she thought she would be. She was in the middle of a battlefield between good and evil and it wasn't a great place for celebrating.

Demons and cultists were fighting the Silver Legions. Like their name, the demons fought like demons, with otherworldy savagery. Some cultists wore a disguise and others didn’t. On the other side, were men and women that hunted demons as an occupation. With steel and magic and faith they fought against the tide of teeth and fire.

And despite being outnumbered three to one, the Silver Legion had the upper hand!

Their reputation as the number one fighting force in the continent was not an empty boast.

But the cultists of Yasterah were not without hope. After unsealing half of the seal, the miniature sun was no longer blinding to look at. The light dimmed and people could see an object floating in the center of it.

It was a severed human head. The face’s expression made it look like it was sleeping peacefully before the neck was separated from the rest of the body. But everybody that laid eyes on the head would have their attention focused on its left eye.

The left eye was open. The skin around the eye was bulging with mutated veins. The eyeball moved around eerily to look at its surroundings as if it was a separate entity.

Cultists and legionaries alike felt incredible dread from that eye.

“Stop them!” Ash Priest Shay ordered. “Do not let the Demon King’s left eye free from its seal!”

The Silver Legion pressed the attack with a renewed zeal. Even with new demons continually arriving from the Hellgates, the cultists were on the precipice of buckling.

“Izabella, hurry!” Blood Exarch Ursula’s voice resounded in Izabella’s head.

Izabella’s group started to work on the other obelisk, reinforcing the few workers that survived from Irkun’s camp. The completion was already at 94%.

The Blood Church’s goal was almost complete. Just a little more…

***

Knowledge is power.

Viers soul-searched the assailants and turned the information in their brains into an opportunity.

Four people attacked him in the inn, intent on capturing him alive. Viers easily dispatched two of them and disabled the others before reading their memories through soul gazing.

It was then Viers got a glimpse about the Blood Church’s plot and the ongoing operation. The Deathsworns were not privy to all of the details but they knew just enough for Viers to make informed decisions.

Viers treated this revelation as a Godsent opportunity.

Decisively, Viers marked his target. It wasn't the Biome where the two churches of good and evil were clashing for the Demon King’s fragment, but Irkun Marakkus’ vulnerable position.

The Biome battlefield was a stage where Level 5s do battle, Viers knew his limits and didn't try to dip a finger in that pool. He planned to get to the boss of these two Deathsworn and get massive benefits from Irkun, the scion of the Governor-King of Marakkus city.

It was the lesser prize but most of the strong fighters were at the Biome. Viers was like a shark that had caught the scent of blood.

After leaving instructions to Boram, Viers also told him to pack up. No matter what, the two of them would no longer stay in this city after tonight.

The first step was infiltration. Viers needed to access the compound the young master was in without raising suspicion. For that, he used a new soul Arte, Soul Hack. An Arte heavily inspired by Jedi Mind Trick and Witcher’s Axii. If he could ‘dominate’ the soul of someone, Viers could implant suggestions and instructions to their very souls so they would do his bidding.

As the usual pattern, the Arte had a very limited effect on people stronger than him. But for people ‘weaker’ than him, even if they were on the same Level, it was a magical swiss army knife. When Viers first arrived in Marakkus city, if the guards denied him entry because of his suspicious origin, Viers would use this Arte, waved his hand, and said: ‘these are not the droids you’re looking for’.

He didn't have the opportunity that day but he swore he would say the line on the next suitable occasion.

After faking capture, Viers let the Deathsworn bring the silkpants young master and put a soul bullet through his head. The body was unharmed but not so for the soul. It was that kind of bullet.

The revolver was the product of the system he snatched from Sigma. It could create any kind of firearm, even futuristic or sci-fi ones if the requirements were met. At the moment, Viers could only use the revolver. He named it Little Friend and it made an explosive debut. The revolver disappeared into thin air. The system’s strange and otherworldly abilities allowed Viers to summon and un-summon the gun whenever he so wished.

Now I will never be unarmed.

Unlike the person he got this ability from, Viers was determined to use his gun as a situational weapon, away from eyewitnesses.

Viers chose a soul attack because Viers was sure Irkun would be protected by many artifacts and whatever others. He was rich. A soul attack would be harder to defend than conventional elemental Arte and physical harm. Seeing Irkun’s state, he was glad to make the right call.

After the first bullet was shot, Viers said an iconic line for his enjoyment and Horizon, he made sure Irkun’s soul was not functional. Unlike the body, a soul was immortal. At least, the current Viers was unable to truly destroy a soul. Irkun’s soul was as ‘injured’ as it could be. He was not dead but he was definitely no longer a threat to Viers.

Blam!

A gigantic man blasted through the door and part of the wall. He was raising his fist at Viers. His charge immediately killed the two Deathsworn Viers had hacked.

The bodyguard slave had sensed something was wrong with his master and took action to protect him. The Level 4 could move with more speed and power but considering his master was in close vicinity, he took a milder approach.

Which gave Viers the precious microseconds to prevent a disaster.

“STOP!”

Viers manipulated Irkun to stop the giant before he was killed. The giant’s fist was about ten centimeters in front of his clothed face. Viers couldn't help but shed a cold sweat.

“Nothing is wrong. Keep guarding the place. Nobody is going in this room,” Irkun spoke again. His eyes were hollow but the voice was clear.

Viers experienced intense several seconds of silence but the giant seemed to follow the order. The Level 4 backed away and exited the room, standing guard outside. Viers let out a long relieved sigh.

That was the reason Viers didn't outright kill Irkun, to deal with the other hostiles in the area.

Now, soul search!

In ten minutes, Viers had known all the information he needed. His daily soul search training made Viers very proficient in extracting information from other people’s souls. Then Viers used the Soul Hack Arte on Irkun too. The next thing on his agenda was cleaning house.

He gathered all of the Deathsworn to one place and ordered them to stay put. Since they couldn't resist Irkun’s order, they were neutralized. There were also half a dozen or so people in the big room, Level 2s that supposedly assist the unsealing, bound there.

Viers didn't bother with them and let them bound and immobile for the time being.

Through Irkun’s memories, Viers had found there was a portal that was connected to the eye of the storm. Viers made his way there as quickly as he was able while Irkun walked behind him like a leashed cattle.

***

The sound of the breaking seal pierced the hearts of the legionaries. Despite giving their all, the cultists had freed the left eye!

“It’s not over. We have sealed it before, we can seal it again. Fight on, warriors of the light!” Holy Inquisitor Malcolm’s rallying cry fan the fading spark of fire in their hearts.

“Take it away! Do not give them anything!” Blood Vicar Tobias’ directed his followers.

The seal was broken and both churches chased the same object albeit for different objectives. The evil church wanted to bring the head containing Demon King’s left eye to the outside, through one of three portals they created nearby. The good church wanted to prevent the cursed object from getting out.

If Viers was here, he would see a scene of a chaotic, football match with a severed head as the ball. The Blood Church’s quarterback was tackled and mangled and blasted by all manners of attack. When the person could do no more, a different cultist took the head and ran towards the portal.

After prying the head from a dead Level 3 cultist, Shay tried to carry it back but Haghen almost speared his heart from behind. The dodge gave the opening for the cultist to toss the ball in the air. Ursula struck Mita with red lighting to prevent her from getting the head while a legionary squashed the head of an imp-like demon that snatched the head.

In the center of the chaotic madness of blood and magic, the eye emitted demonic energy that became stronger by the second. Pathseekers on both sides felt it.

The left eye of the Demon King had started to awaken.

One cultist, a true believer of Yesterah but just a normal member without any importance, through a stroke of luck, managed to bring the head to a couple of meters from a portal.

“No! Stop him! No matter what it takes!” Mita desperately shouted.

A legionary caught his legs with plant roots, and the cultist cut off his leg without hesitation.

He only managed to take a few steps with his unwhole legs before a legionary threw a shining sword and stabbed the cultist in the back.

The cultist fell to his knees. The portal was so close he could send the Demon King’s left eye if extended his arms but he had squeezed his stamina dry getting here.

Breathing had become a daunting task.

He felt his life was swiftly fading. But he was so close to the portal and he saw a visage on the other side of the portal.

“Here… take it… ”

He let out the words while coughing blood. His eyes were bloodshot. The last spark of his life refused to go out until he had seen the glorious purpose of the Blood Church fulfilled.

The cultist saw the man on the other side of the portal extend his hand.

And destroyed the portal.

The cultist was consumed with despair and died in the next second.

The other cultists and legionaries were too far and the portal was quite blurry from afar. They weren't able to see what the cultist saw in his last moment. They only knew that the portal was closed just when the cultist was on the precipice of scoring a touchdown.

“The Goddess is with us!” Someone from the Silver Legion shouted and their morale surged to the seventh heaven.