Silas moved slowly, deliberately.
Suddenly! in a flash of motion, his left hand flicked—a shimmering energy shield snapped into existence.
Simultaneously, a razor-sharp throwing knife materialized in his right hand and hurtled toward Leon's head with lethal speed.
He had figured it out. Leon was the core of it all. Eliminate him, and the so-called Arthur would be nothing more than a lifeless doll.
[This shield simulates the atomic lattice of diamond. I refuse to believe it can't hold for even one second. And killing you, Leon, will only take a millisecond!]
In his mind, the entire sequence was already perfected.
The actions seemed complex, but they were executed in a seamless, blinding burst within milliseconds.
A blood-curdling scream tore through the chamber—"AAGH!!!"
A hand woven from pure spiritual energy phased through the diamond-lattice shield as if it weren't even there, clamping onto the back of Silas's neck.
His body went instantly limp, all strength sapped. The thrown dagger was caught effortlessly between two of Arthur's fingers.
Leon didn't even flinch, his demeanor unchanged as if nothing had happened.
"From my time understanding your world," he mused, his tone almost conversational, "your so-called advanced 'science' remains shackled to the mere physical realm—even in your most cutting-edge quantum fields. How... shallow."
"Ah, yes," he added, as an afterthought.
"You also have spatial weaponry. Though, I suspect if not for the humans and Bisolarans bombarding each other with those crude devices, this Blue Planet likely wouldn't have developed a spatial convergence point with our magical plane.
Space is indeed one of the supreme laws... pity your comprehension of it is so elementary, limited to crafting large-scale destroyers and those inferior storage gadgets."
And your comprehension and application of true 'Ki-Energy, elements, and the soul' remain in their most primitive stages,"
Leon continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "And even the little you do know was likely gleaned from artifacts stumbled upon at those spatial convergence points you discovered, wasn't it?"
"But now... I have found a way for my spirit to endure forever in your world. I must say, the prospect truly excites me... hahahae..."
Finished with his monologue, he gave an emotionless wave of his hand.
Arthur obediently dragged the limp Silas over and fastened him firmly to the cold iron frame.
Jake and the other two could only watch, the last flicker of hope in their hearts extinguished.
This was a Stellar Rank warrior—a towering figure in the Outer City—reduced to a bound captive.
The frame stood at the center of a complex astral diagram etched into the floor, each point of the star marked by an unknown, pulsating gemstone.
Their fluctuating light cast Leon's face in shifting patterns of light and shadow, half in darkness, half illuminated.
Silas, unable to speak, could only direct a gaze of pure, venomous hatred toward Leon.
"Good. Keep looking at me like that," Leon said, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"The deeper your resentment, the easier it is for me to fuse with your core soul. It contains everything—all your memories, even those you've forgotten. Soon, I will be you, and you will be me... Hehehe..."
A wave of utter terror and disbelief washed over Silas.
If he'd heard this tale elsewhere, he would have dismissed it as myth. But after all he had witnessed and endured, he had no choice but to believe.
"Your world is... fascinating. And you, among this group, understand it the most. It is an honor to be chosen as my Puppet Anchor."
[Puppet Anchor!] Silas didn't understand the term, yet a chilling, instinctual comprehension of its meaning dawned on him.
Satisfied by the turbulent waves of fear and resentment now churning within Silas's mind, Leon fell silent.
He formed a swift hand seal, and his body rose effortlessly into the air, hovering directly before the iron frame.
Arthur, who had moved soundlessly behind the structure, placed his massive hands over Silas's head, enveloping it completely.
[Light. So bright...] was Silas's final, fleeting thought.
An immeasurable amount of time passed. Jake and the others had dozed off and woken up multiple times in the silent, oppressive crypt when a clear, soft sigh finally broke the stillness.
"Ah... it seems I am still myself."
"You are you."
"And yet, I am also you."
"You are me."
He—or they—then gestured toward the figure standing motionless behind him.
"And what of him?" The voice was Silas's, but the cadence and calm were entirely Leon's.
"He is but an empty vessel now."
The figure who was both Silas and Leon turned to face Arthur. A hand reached out, gently touching the puppet's cold cheek—a gesture carrying the weight of looking upon an old friend, or perhaps a departed family member.
"Do not worry. He will remain here. Perhaps we may return one day. And if I can advance further by then, crafting a clone vessel for you would not be impossible."
The figure—Silas, yet not—withdrew his hand and nodded calmly. "Yes. I am fine now. Let us prepare for your... procedure."
Leon's consciousness, now sharing the same mind, responded, "Good. This mortal body is nearing its limit. You know what must be done. Do you require time to recall the process?"
"Unnecessary. Arthur has been contemplating nothing else recently. Now, I'm him, It is... familiar."
"Very well. I shall now begin restoring my soul to its peak state. During this time, you will nurture these three spiritual vessels." Leon's pointing at Jake and his companions.
With that, Leon's voice within began chanting a complex, arcane mantra.
Seven beams of spectral light shot from the jade-like skeleton nearby, each plunging into one of the seven black candles surrounding Jake and the others.
The candle flames instantly roared to life, shooting up a foot high and shifting in color from yellow to a blinding, sinister white.
This bizarre exchange and the unnatural phenomenon sent a cold dread down the spines of Jake and his two companions.
They didn't understand the specifics, but they knew with absolute certainty that nothing good was coming their way.
Leon's lips split into a wide, unnerving grin. "Little ones, you should be grateful. To undergo the Seven-Star Soul Ignition is a fortune you couldn't earn in a hundred lifetimes... Hehehe..."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jake and the others felt a wave of overwhelming darkness crash over them, pulling them into unconsciousness.
With his task complete, Leon fell silent, closing his eyes and sinking into a deep trance.
Immediately, Silas—now a vessel for shared will—began moving with practiced ease.
He formed a series of intricate hand seals.
From the seven star-aligned candles, three globes of milky white spiritual light rose, then shot forward, vanishing into the spot between the brows of Jake, Rolly, and Sam.
Time lost all meaning. Eventually, Leon's eyes snapped open.
He exchanged a glance with the figure that was both himself and Silas, who gave a single nod and stepped aside.
"Good. All is ready. Among these three, the one called Jake Nickelson possesses the finest aptitude. He shall be my vessel. The other two will serve as supplementary souls to repair any damage to my spirit after the Soul-Seize. With luck, my consciousness might even advance a step further."
Declaring his choice, Leon sat down cross-legged before the unconscious Jake.
Silas, with a wave of his hand, sent sixteen glowing runes flying to sixteen points around the chamber.
His hands then became a blur, weaving a complex series of spell-seals that flowed into a single, pulsating blood-red master rune.
In an instant, this crimson rune flashed and teleported directly above Jake's head, hovering there motionlessly.
His part done, Silas sat down behind the other two captives, placing his hands firmly upon the crowns of their heads.