Chapter 265 - B4 - 60: The Hole IX

Zeke awoke from his deep slumber, disturbed by a strange sensation. As he opened his eyes, he was met with the curious gaze of two green orbs. It was Soria. The girl was leaning over him, curiously studying his face while lightly poking his cheek.

Startled, Zeke slapped her hand away. "What are you doing?"

Soria didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked deeply into his eyes. There was a hint of uncertainty in her gaze, making Zeke wonder what the girl was thinking about. However, he didn't have to wait for long as she gave voice to her suspicion a few moments later.

"…Master?" she asked, her tone a mixture of confusion and hesitation.

Zeke's jaw dropped. "What did you just call me?"

"Are… are you my Master, Ezekiel?" the girl repeated.

Zeke blinked, uncertain as to how she had come to that conclusion. "What makes you think that?"

Soria remained silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. However, after a while, she shook her head helplessly. "I don't know, it's… it's just a feeling."

Zeke lightly pushed the girl away, urging her to give him some space. After he had properly sat up, he started to think about this situation. "Do you know anything, Akasha?"

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">I can't make any definitive statements as of yet. However, it should be easy enough to figure out if she is right in her assumption.</span></p>

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Zeke nodded. He had taken a risk by returning the Soul fragment to her, and he didn't yet know what the consequences would be. For now, he would have to confirm what he could.

"I want to do a little experiment, Soria. Can you try to resist my next order?" Zeke said, waiting for the girl to nod. After he had her agreement, he spoke with as much authority as he could muster: "Walk over to that wall!"

Immediately, Soria stood up and walked to the wall he pointed at. Zeke was dumbfounded. It was clear from her expression that she was trying to resist. However, she could do nothing to stop herself. He… had become her Master?

"Did I fail to return the fragment?" Zeke asked nobody in particular.

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Negative. There are still only three fragments in Host's Soul.</span></p>

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"Then, how do you explain this?" Zeke asked, nodding at the girl who was looking back at him with wide-open eyes.

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Unclear.</span></p>

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Zeke's mind raced. He must have succeeded in returning the fragment. This was proven by the fact that it was not within his Soul, yet the girl was still alive. There was no other place it could be, as a Soul could not survive without being anchored to a body. But if he had returned it to her, then why was she now bonded to him?

"Fascinating," he murmured.

However, now was not the time to dwell on this matter, as Zeke noticed an expression of alarm surfacing on Soria's face. It was evident that her growing apprehension stemmed from his own evident confusion.

Zeke cleared his throat, changing his expression to one of triumph. "So it worked, after all," he stated confidently.

It didn't take long for Soria to notice his changed demeanor. Even though she still looked doubtful, she approached and sat down across from him. "What did you do?" the girl asked.

"Weeeeeell…" Zeke said dramatically, drawing out the word. "I felt like it was a shame to send you away after we had gotten to know each other. Therefore, I've changed my mind and didn't alter your memories. Instead, I made it so that you would be able to keep my secret and stay here."

Soria's eyes widened. "Y-You can even do something like that?"

Zeke nodded confidently, slightly raising his chin. "Child's play," he bragged shamelessly. Of course, this arrogant act was mainly to reassure the girl that everything was as intended. It wouldn't do for her to find out that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Fortunately, Soria didn't see through his act. Instead, the girl became excited. "Does that mean that I can stay here?"

"Of course. What kind of a Master would I be if I sent you to fight while I sit around doing nothing?"

Soria tilted her head. "Isn't that what Masters normally do?"

Zeke found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't deny the validity of Soria's observation; after all, that was exactly what servants were for. Seeing no other way out, he resorted to his last option.

"You brazen girl! How dare you speak against your Master!" he scolded with mock outrage. "As punishment, I demand that you go and practice your Mana breathing technique in the corner over there."

Soria was momentarily startled, but when she noticed the twinkle in his eyes, she giggled cheerfully. "I am soooooo sorry, Master. It won't happen again." Even though her apology didn't contain even a hint of sincerity, she still followed his orders and went to the corner he had specified.

Zeke watched her skip away and heaved a secret sigh of relief. By now, there was not a trace of fear left on her face. In this, at least, he had succeeded. Now, it was time to figure out what had actually happened.

"Theories?"

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Numerous potential explanations could account for this outcome. However, among them, I find two options to be particularly probable: Firstly, the subject may have been forcibly bonded to the nearest living individual when Host reclaimed the fragment. Secondly, the subject could have been bonded to the last person who had contact with the fragment.</span></p>

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Zeke weighed both options carefully. While he couldn't be entirely certain, the second explanation appeared far more plausible. According to his understanding of the Soul, it wouldn't simply bind itself to a nearby person without a good reason. However, he quickly dismissed this line of thinking. Right now, understanding the intricacies of the process wasn't what was most important. Instead, he needed to focus on the implications of the situation at hand.

On a positive note, this change mitigated one of the most egregious side effects of the Slave contract: A Slave whose Soul fragment was returned to them would no longer face the threat of death upon their Master's demise. Living under such an arrangement meant constantly being prepared to die at any moment and for no apparent reason.

On the negative side, with no Soul fragment available for transfer, the ownership of a Slave could no longer be changed. Consequently, Soria would remain bound to Zeke indefinitely, regardless of his desires or intentions.

All in all, Zeke was pretty happy with this outcome. This might not be the same as removing the contract completely, but it was pretty close. After all, if he were to order the girl to do whatever she wanted, it would be equivalent to setting her free. As a bonus, she couldn't get enslaved by anybody else anymore.

Zeke was excitedly thinking about the possibilities of this discovery. He was already planning on doing the same thing for Ash, Vulcanos, and Gravitas. After all, he didn't want them to perish if anything were to happen to him. Of course, he had no plans of dying anytime soon, but it had to be horrible for them to live like this, not knowing if they would be dropping dead out of nowhere.

Next, Zeke considered what this meant for his immediate plans. If he could steal one fragment from the Archmage, what was keeping him from stealing all of them?

"How long was I away last time?"

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Host has left his body for 8 hours, 32 minutes, and 22 seconds.</span></p>

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Zeke furrowed his brows. A lot of time passed, huh?

With a sigh, he acknowledged that rescuing the Slaves using this method was unfeasible. Even when subtracting the time spent searching for the fragments and strategizing, each attempt would still require several hours. Furthermore, he would have to rest after each attempt. No, he couldn't save more than a handful of Souls using this method. And he still needed to complete his main task: to weaken the Archmage's Soul…

But that didn't mean that it was completely useless. Zeke's eyes shone with a strange light. "How much time is left before the week is up, Akasha?"

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">There are 4 days, 14 hours, 56 minutes, and 11 seconds remaining.</span></p>

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Zeke fell into deep thought. However, the longer this state lasted, the further the edges of his mouth crept up. This was it. He had finally found a way to bridge the gap between himself and the Archmage.

***

Over the next few days, Zeke spent most of his time immersed in his Soul-Form while Soria practiced her Mana breathing technique. The two only interacted during their daily meals. Contrary to what Zeke had thought, she seemed perfectly happy with this arrangement and didn't pester him.

Between her meditation sessions, Soria spent her time sitting by the edge of the hideout, listening to the sounds of the ongoing skirmishes below. The situation in the hole had devolved into sheer pandemonium, with nearly half of the initial occupants either deceased or grievously wounded. Nevertheless, Soria appeared relatively unfazed. It appeared that her life in Undercity had equipped her to confront such harrowing scenes with a degree of resilience.

Before he knew it, four days passed like that.

Zeke returned from his latest trip, taking a deep breath. He had made substantial progress over the last couple of days, constantly chipping away at the Archmage's Soul. By now, the Archmage had become aware that something was wrong. He had even sent his subordinates to call for all sorts of doctors. However, none of the summoned specialists had been able to determine what was wrong with him. However, it was as far as Zeke would go using this strategy.

Lately, it had become a lot harder to infiltrate the Soul. This was a direct result of the accumulated damage he had dealt and a sign of the Soul raising its guard. Zeke was well aware that he would only be able to enter the Archmage's Soul one or two more times before he would be cut off for good.

None of this was unexpected, though. It just meant that it was about time to start the next phase of his plan. Steeling his tired mind, Zeke entered his Soul-Form one more time. After struggling for a while, he managed to use the almost-collapsed entry point to gain access once more. However, this time would be different.

Instead of stealthily destroying a couple of memories, Zeke went on a rampage. He started consuming the Archmage Soul with abandon. The effects were immediate. It almost felt like the Soul was crying out in pain under his furious onslaught. However, it didn't take long for the wounded Soul to retaliate. Zeke didn't even have a chance to fight back before his Soul tether was completely destroyed.

With a start, he found himself back in his body, his forehead covered in sweat. "Well, that felt like shit," he murmured with a shake of his head.

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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Notice] </span></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Host has inflicted serious damage to the opposing Soul. The plan has succeeded.</span></p>

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Zeke nodded, satisfied that all his preparations had been finalized. He had long since grown weary of this disgusting place, and he anticipated his departure eagerly. Now, he simply needed to be patient for a little while longer.

"Soria," he called softly.

The girl, who had been engrossed in her breathing exercises, looked up with a start. "I am going to leave in a bit," he said.

"Where are you going?"

Zeke smirked, raising a single finger and pointing upwards. "I'm going for a stroll," he said mysteriously. "But don't worry. I'll be back in a bit."

Soria looked at him with wide-open eyes. However, before the girl could respond, the familiar rattling of a hand crank reached their ears, accompanied by the jarring shrillness of a bell.

"Feeding time!" a gleeful voice called from up above.

Zeke's smile turned predatory. His timing had been perfect. Finally, he would get to do something he had been looking forward to for a very long time….

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