Leylin sat cross legged in the heart of his Zither Moon Town mansion's basement
The chamber walls etched with protective runes that glowed faintly under the flickering light of crystal lamps, casting long shadows that danced across the floor.
His robes clung to his frame, the dark fabric absorbing the light, making him a figure of quiet menace in the dimly lit space. His heart thrummed with anticipation, a heady mix of ambition and curiosity as he prepared to push the boundaries of his power, the A.I. Chip's data anchoring his focus.
[Leylin Farlier: Grand Knight. Rank 1 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Summons (8)—Great Withering Mankestre, Black Horrall Snake, Black Steed, Level 3 Acolyte (Bear-Modification), Level 3 Acolyte (Fire spell, unnamed), Level 3 Acolyte (Torash), Level 3 Acolyte (Saurun), Level 3 Acolyte (Rune and curse spell, unnamed). Strength: 11.2, Agility: 9.2, Vitality: 11.9, Spiritual Force: 33.1, Magical Power: 33. Status: Healthy. Elemental essence conversion: Darkness. Progress: 35%.] The A.I. Chip's voice cut through his thoughts, crisp and unwavering, a lifeline in the sea of his ambitions.
"A.I. Chip," he said, his voice low but fervent, excitement threading through each word, "Start merging the souls of Saurun and the Rune and Curse Acolyte, using their common meditation techniques as an anchor for merge." His heart pounded, the audacity of the experiment igniting a fire within him, his fingers twitching with restless energy as he envisioned the power he could forge.
The basement hummed with arcane energy as the Soulbound Devourer, a shimmering construct of ethereal light, materialized at Leylin's command. Its form was indistinct, a writhing mass of tendrils that pulsed with hunger, and Leylin's breath hitched, awe mingling with a flicker of unease at its raw potency.
The souls of Saurun and the Rune and Curse acolyte girl appeared, glowing orbs of pale blue and violet, trembling in the Devourer's grasp.
Saurun's soul summon was steady, a resolute core, while the girl's flickered, fragile and erratic. "Begin," Leylin whispered, his voice taut with anticipation, his eyes locked on the process.
The Devourer's tendrils coiled around the girl's soul, and with a soundless scream, it disintegrated, its essence fracturing into motes of light. Leylin's heart was unmoved, uncaring about the loss, watching as the fragments were modified, reshaped to align with Saurun's core.
The motes fused, and Saurun's soul surged, its glow intensifying, a pulse of power that rippled through the chamber.
"Incredible," Leylin murmured, his voice thick with wonder, his fingers stroking his chin as the A.I. Chip recorded every detail, its hum a steady counterpoint to the chaos.
"Present the data," he commanded, his tone eager but tinged with impatience, his brow furrowing as he awaited the results.
[Beep! Soul Merge Analysis: Rune and Curse acolyte girl's soul destroyed. Saurun's soul strengthened by 18%. Current spiritual force estimated : 13.688. Status: Level 3 Acolyte. Analysis: Due to differences in core disciplines despite similar elemental meditation techniques, significant power loss occurred, resulting in only an 18% increase.]
The A.I. Chip's report was clinical, and Leylin's eyes narrowed, followed by a flash of understanding. "18% huh?" he said, his voice was sharp with a scowl tugging at his lips.
"Retrieve the data recorded during the merge and analyze it," he ordered, his tone firm, determination burning in his chest to uncover the flaw.
[Beep! Data retrieved and defragmented. Soul strength analysis now available. Saurun's pre-merge spiritual force: 11.6. Rune and Curse acolyte girl's spiritual force: 10.9. Post-merge loss attributed to mismatched core disciplines, resulting in wasted spiritual essence.] The A.I. Chip's new capability to measure soul strength sparked a flicker of excitement in Leylin.
"Good, now at least A.I.Chip is able to quantify the summon strength more accurately." he thought, a grin breaking through. "Now I can test the limits of soul merging."
He leaned forward, his mind racing. "Recalibrate the soul merging process," he said, his voice steady with purpose, a spark of ambition reigniting. "We'll try again with the Bear-Modification Acolyte, Fire Spell Acolyte, and Torash. Merge them into Saurun one by one." His heart thudded, the risk exhilarating, his fingers drumming lightly as he envisioned the potential.
The Devourer stirred again, its tendrils weaving through the air as the three souls materialized—Bear-Modification's soul a heavy, earthen glow, Fire Spell's a flickering red, and Torash's a crackling blue.
Their meditation techniques clashed, their essences resisting, and Leylin's jaw tightened, sensing the instability.
"Steady," he murmured, his voice a low command, channeling his Rank 1 spiritual force to suppress the revolt, his will a steel cage around the process. The merges teetered on failure, the souls' discord wasting power, but the A.I. Chip's recalibration and Leylin's dominance forced them through, one by one, into Saurun's core.
[Beep! Soul Merge Complete: Saurun's soul strengthened by 41%. Current spiritual force: 16.356. Status: Level 3 Acolyte. Significant power loss due to mismatched meditation techniques.]
Leylin's lips pressed into a thin line, a faint dissatisfaction gnawing at him. "41%," he said, his voice heavy with contemplation, his hand raking through his hair.
"I lost four Level 3 Acolytes and didn't even reach official Magus strength." His mind races through possibilities, 15 spiritual force a requirement for a breakthrough to Rank 1 magus but he wasn't sure what were the other requirements for a summon to ascend, but just then a spark of insight flickered.
'They were never at Rank 1 strength.' he realized, his voice softening with revelation. "What if I elevate something with true Magus potential?"
His gaze sharpened, a bold idea igniting. "Black Horrall Snake," he said, his voice rising with excitement, "it reached Rank 3 Magus at its peak. It has the potential." His heart raced, ambition surging as he commanded, "Merge Saurun's strengthened soul with Great Withering Mankestre."
The Devourer seized Saurun's enhanced soul, now a brighter blue, and Great Withering Mankestre's, a sickly green orb pulsing with latent power. The merge was smoother, Saurun's strength bolstering Mankestre's core, but the gain was modest.
[Beep! Soul Merge Complete: Great Withering Mankestre strengthened by 21%. Pre-merge spiritual force: 13.1. Post-merge: 15.851. Status: Level 3 Acolyte.] Leylin's brow furrowed, disappointment tugging at him.
"Only 21%," he muttered, his voice tinged with irritation, though his mind was already leaping ahead.
"One last merge," he said, his voice fierce with determination, a grin spreading as he sensed the potential. "Merge Great Withering Mankestre with Black Horrall Snake." The Devourer complied, the two souls—green and a deep, inky black—merging with a harmony that sent a shiver through Leylin.
Their shared Kemoyin bloodline and Mankestre's subordinate nature aligned perfectly, the merge a symphony of power.
The Soul Realm opened—a shimmering expanse of inky blackness streaked with veins of silver and green, a metaphysical plane where souls danced and destinies were forged.
Two souls emerged: Great Withering Mankestre's, a sickly green orb pulsing with a corrosive malice, its edges frayed like decaying leaves; and Black Horrall Snake's, a deep, inky black sphere, sleek and potent, radiating a primal strength that seemed to hum with the Kemoyin bloodline's legacy.
Sparks of silver and gold flared where the souls touched, a symphony of power that sent ripples through the Soul Realm, the void trembling as if in reverence.
Leylin's chest tightened, a surge of triumph mingling with awe as he watched the black orb swell, its surface rippling with newfound might.
Leylin's hands clenching as the merge reached its climax, the green orb fully subsumed, its essence fueling the Black Horrall Snake's ascent.
[Beep! Soul Merge Complete: Black Horrall Snake strengthened by 38%. Pre-merge spiritual force: 14.5. Post-merge: 20.01. Status: Rank 1 Magus.]
The A.I. Chip's report was a thunderclap, and Leylin's laughter erupted, wild and exhilarating, echoing off the stone walls.
"A full-fledged official Magus strength soul summon!" he exclaimed, his voice vibrant with triumph, his heart soaring as he clapped his hands, the sound sharp in the quiet.
"Yes!" The breakthrough was a rush, his heart swelling with glee, the Black Horrall Snake's potential unlocked a crown on his ambitions.
"Show my new stats and summon list," he commanded, his voice brimming with eagerness, his eyes gleaming as he awaited the final tally.
[Beep! Leylin Farlier: Grand Knight. Rank 1 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 11.2, Agility: 9.2, Vitality: 11.9, Spiritual Force: 33.1, Magical Power: 33. Status: Healthy. Elemental essence conversion: Darkness. Progress: 35%. Summons (2)—Black Horrall Snake (Rank 1 Magus, Spiritual Force: 20.01), Black Steed] The A.I. Chip's update was a testament to his sacrifice and success, and Leylin's grin widened, satisfaction settling deep within him.
"Now it's time to leave this backward mortal city, with so many rare herbs and plants in my hold, my potioneering skills and my own strength, I can only fulfill my truest potential in a powerful Magus Town." Leylin decided, he has many remaining projects which would need a constant supply of ingredients from magus markets, now his vision is set on a bigger picture.
....
The main hall of the mansion was a cavernous expanse of polished stone and flickering candlelight, its high ceilings adorned with intricate carvings of serpents and stars that seemed to watch over the gathered assembly.
Leylin reclined in his grand wooden chair, its roaring lion carvings gleaming under the soft glow, his posture relaxed yet commanding, a king surveying his court.
His dark robes clung to his frame, absorbing the light, and his dark black eyes glinted with a quiet intensity, a predator at rest but ever watchful. His heart thrummed with a mix of satisfaction and calculation, pride in his dominion tempered by the restless ambition that drove him.
Before him, his slaves knelt in a reverent semicircle, their heads bowed low, their silence a palpable weight. Dexter, Greem, Faisal, Fred, Fraser, Mandal, the seven young Knights, and Anna—all bore a strange, invisible mark that only Leylin could sense, a pulse of arcane energy that bound them to him.
The Seal of Lucifer, his creation, was a chain forged in the depths of his Warlock power, ensuring absolute loyalty. It was more than a mark; it was a death sentence for betrayal, their souls primed to explode at the slightest hint of defiance.
Leylin's lips curved faintly, a flicker of dark amusement in his chest as he felt the seals' presence, their invisible threads tying each soul to his will. No cracks, no weaknesses.
He had woven a fragment of his spiritual force into each of them, a tether that strengthened their bodies and minds, and disrupted their Grand Knight meditation techniques with a new, experimental version—the Saint Knight meditation technique.
"It's far superior," he thought to himself, his fingers drumming lightly on the chair's arm. The technique was incomplete, a puzzle he hadn't fully solved, but it already amplified their spiritual force, a feat even Grand Knights rarely achieved.
'A Grand knight although has spiritual force, it's much weaker compared to an acolyte, Saint Knight still doesn't have a way to escape from those limitations.' he mused, a trace of frustration in his tone, 'but enough to experiment with.'
His mind raced with visions of bloodline infusions, rune inscriptions, and spell modifications—ambitions that demanded a proper laboratory, stocked with a steady flow of magical materials and experimental items.
'Soon.' he vowed, his heart pulsing with determination, the future a canvas for his designs.
'But this stage is probably the end of the road for many of them,' he thought, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling figures, a flicker of detachment cooling his pride.
'I don't necessarily care about the Knight path since my Soulbound Devourer enables me to grow stronger much more easily. But the Knight path is indeed… intriguing.'
The Knight path stirred curiosity in his chest as he imagined a new class of exalted beings, born from bloodline integration.
"Perhaps a fusion of blood and runes could create something unprecedented," he mused, excitement threading his thoughts, his fingers tightening briefly on the chair. The idea was intoxicating, a challenge worthy of his intellect, and his heart raced at the possibility of forging a legacy beyond mere summons.
His gaze settled on Anna, her blonde hair catching the candlelight, her bowed head a picture of quiet devotion. His expression softened, a rare warmth breaking through his calculated facade. He had freed her from the slave poison, a choice born of a fleeting sentiment, and bolstered her body with potions, yet she remained a preparatory Knight, fragile compared to the others.
"Strength equivalent to an official Magus," he thought, his voice a low murmur, a trace of regret in his tone. "That's their limit, and extent of my experiment, for now." His heart twinged, a flicker of affection for Anna warring with the cold logic of a Magus, but he pushed it aside, his resolve firm.
All Magi thought logically, and loyalty, while valuable, was replaceable.
"They're loyal," he reflected, his thought steady but tinged with pragmatism, "but I can summon stronger, more convenient allies."
The thought was cold, a strategist's calculus, yet a spark of restlessness stirred within him.
"Whatever," he said aloud, his tone light but laced with a wry amusement, 'moving around alone everywhere is quite boring. I need someone to take care of my needs anyway.'
His thoughts were half-joking, a rare glimpse of levity, and his lips quirked into a faint smile, his heart easing at the thought of their familiar presence, even if temporary.
"Prepare the carriage," Leylin ordered, his voice rising, firm, carrying the weight of authority.
"We will be leaving this place permanently." The command hung in the air, and his slaves stirred, their heads lifting slightly, eyes wide with a mix of awe and obedience.
Dexter's deep voice broke the silence, heavy with gratitude. "As you command, my lord," he said, his tone fervent, his broad frame bowing deeper, pride in serving evident in his steady gaze.
Greem echoed, "We live to serve you," his voice warm with loyalty, a spark of relief in his eyes, knowing their purpose endured.
Anna's soft, "Yes, Master," was almost a whisper, her voice trembling with devotion, her cheeks flushing as she met Leylin's gaze briefly, her heart laid bare.
The young Knights, their voices a youthful chorus, added, "Your will is ours," their tones bright with zeal, their training shining through despite their tender years.
Leylin nodded, his expression unreadable. He rose, his robes rustling, and strode toward the hall's great doors, his slaves rising to follow, their movements a synchronized dance of loyalty.
'They're not obsolete yet,' he thought, with a quiet vow, a balance between his ambition and a rare mercy. 'I'm not benevolent, but not heartless either. In this world, where a slave's life is worth less than dust, I'll keep them… for now.'