Chapter 776: Soul Battle [Part 2]
From the very moment Northern realized that physical attacks were useless,
He had begun to think of something else. A gamble-one he had wanted to avoid taking. But in essence-
His belief was this: Every monster had three essential components.
Body
Soul
Soul Core
The possibility of encountering a creature without a body was zero. It was impossible-an idea that had no place in the order of existential constructions he had spent so long studying. Through his frequent peering into ligatures, he had come to understand the fundamental threads that bound all things.
And one of those truths was this:
Everything had a body, a soul, and a soul core.
It was also why he had come to grasp just how much of an anomaly he was-
And why Ul would want to exterminate him.
But unfortunately for the goddess-Or whatever she was-
She couldn't.
Every human, every monster, every sentient or semi-sentient being that roamed the lands of Tra-El had a specific weave in their ligatures.
A pattern and a fundamental link that tied three concepts together:
The Soul Core-the foundation, the anchor.
The Soul-a compound of consciousness, an intangible essence.
The Body-the manifestation, the vessel that housed it all.
Each of these was a necessary existence for every creature, regardless of how they were birthed.
So-
He was certain that the Shadow Enthrall had a body. But here was the problem.
What his studies of ligatures did not confirm-
Was the rigidity of a body's characteristics.
Which meant-
As far as a body was concerned, it wasn't bound by a fixed principle. At least, not one that he knew of.
But its existence? That was undeniable.
The next problem after his certainty was finding the body. Was it the humans and monsters it had been spitting out?
No, that was not possible, it didn't work that way. Each of those entities had their own weaves of ligatures. Their own separate existences.
The Shadow Enthrall could invade their souls and take over their bodies.
But in order to even be recognized as an entity, it had to have a body of its own. If it didn't-
Then it was no different from a mundane shadow.
Was its true body hidden somewhere within its soul? Because all he could see was a mass of soul.
A consciousness that had been given the form of shadow.
Something that moved effortlessly, consuming everything in its path.
And it was so easy for it to do so.
Because unless it encountered something that could inflict soul damage-which were rare to begin with, not even counting how rotten Northern's luck had been since the start of his journey into life-It was practically undefeatable.
Worse yet-
It had all the people lost in its abyss to control as its conduits. It was... convenient.
But then-
Everything changed when it met him. That was when the bastard began showing intelligence.
The coordinated movements.
The unspoken but painfully obvious desire to possess him.
The effort it put into trying to claim him.
It was desperate and desperation more often than not-Bred vulnerability.
And just maybe-
That vulnerability would only be revealed when the monster was given the opportunity to actually take control of its body.
That was why Northern saw the necessity of releasing his own body.
And why-
At the same time-
He dreaded the idea of letting something that could seize control of his physical form enter his soulscape.
***
He sat and watched. His gaze, cold and unwavering as the creature's smokiness began to compress.
The shadows flowed inward, folding into themselves like a complicated weave of darkness.
And then-
He noticed it.
A stretching.
A hardening.
The bastard was slowly... taking shape.
The shadows solidified - forging into something that looked like lusterless, blackened steel.
That steel stretched endlessly, solidifying into seven writhing, serpentine necks. Each one extending long and sinuous, twitching, coiling-
And at their ends-
Seven vicious heads.
Jagged spikes protruded behind them like a crown of uneven, twisted horns.
And in their gaping eyes, a furious, distinguished pool of liquid darkness burned.
Its legs-if they could even be called that-were like flowing darkness, constantly shifting, never truly taking a solid form.
That part of it remained shapeless, giving the monstrosity an air of incompleteness.
Yet-
It was still massive. Towering. Lethal.
A long, whip-like tail curled out from its enormous body, lashing violently against one of the
titanic pillars.
CRACK!
The entire column shattered into a cloud of debris and dust, obliterated into nothing but
smithereens.
Then-
The seven-headed hydra of darkness turned its glare toward the young man sitting on the
white throne-
A cold figure beyond the eerily dancing flames.
Then it screamed. A bellowing, sky-splitting screech-
Like a thousand voices tearing through existence itself.
Northern's hands flew to his ears, wincing.
"Argh! Why do all of you damn assholes always have to shout?!"
He stood up in agitation, only to pause-
Then look away, his expression suddenly awkward.
'What am I doing... talking to a monster?'
A long, pitiful sigh left his lips.
Then he took his first step forward.
Finally-
The bastard had revealed its body. And judging by the way it stood, the way its burning, liquid
eyes gleamed-
It was absolutely certain that it would win.
Certain that it would consume his soul and take over his body as its new vessel.
Even without words, Northern could see it. The intense greed in its hungry, monstrous gaze...
And somehow-
It made him chuckle.
'I can understand why it would be so desperate...'
A small smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.
'I am very... uhm... appetizing...'
The thought made him stop.
And then a second wave of embarrassment crashed into him.
'What the hell is suddenly wrong with me? Since when am I so dainty?'
He shook off the ridiculous thought, letting his amusement drain from his face.
His expression hardened-
A deep, stern gaze settling over his features.
For a moment-
The creature's seven necks swayed, slow and deliberate. All seven heads looking down at him
from high above, watching.
Stillness.
A moment of silent acknowledgment between predator and prey-
Then-
They lunged.
Seven heads.
Seven monstrous, writhing shadows.
They came down in rapid succession, jaws gaping, rows of diabolical black teeth aiming to
chomp him apart.
The ground of the Limitless Void shuddered.
Then-
The first impact cracked through the air, sending a ripple across the void.
Then another.
And another.
The creature did not stop.
It did not wait to see if Northern had been smashed to a bloody paste. It simply kept
thrashing.
Kept slamming its massive heads against the same point, over and over-
Determined to end him in a relentless, feral onslaught.