Chapter 538: The Soul Devourer

Luke had been caught in the Midnight King’s grip, his body turning to stone.

“I devour souls,” the archangel said, smiling, “and you have delivered yours to me on a silver platter.”

Luke summoned a knife.

[Crimson Fang activated]

He drove it into the archangel’s chest. The creature recoiled, releasing him. “You worthless little bastard!”

[Shadow Ball activated]

Luke hurled volley after volley of shadow orbs into the archangel.

[Burst Throw activated]

A knife flew straight into the creature’s face. He sprinted away while the archangel cursed behind him, using the brief distraction to put distance between them. After a few frantic turns he ducked into a ruined house, watching from the shadows as the archangel soared overhead.

Sariel’s Eye, somehow, still carried traces of the archangel’s presence.

“Running won’t save you, demon! This is my realm, and we have all the time in the world!” the archangel’s voice shook the sky.

If a core fusion failed, the creature would take over the host’s body and be reborn through it. That was why the method of claiming a second core had been abandoned. The risk wasn’t worth the reward.

If I lose here, it’ll be the archangel who returns, through my body.

***

Henry had just returned from his trip to Arcadia’s temple. He’d even passed by the old military outpost, the one that used to serve as a temporary village. His journey had paid off: he finally managed to assemble every piece of the temple maps, guided by the memory echo he witnessed of the vampire Charlie speaking with the winged woman, Angie.

He had assumed Luke died in Arcadia. Henry knew the Daimyo had gone there to deal with the people who tried to deceive him. But apparently nothing happened. If the Daimyo had killed Luke or Charlie or Angie, their heads would’ve been displayed on stakes like the others from Arcadia.

Which left Henry cornered. He knew Luke had gone to Arcadia. He knew Charlie and Angie had been using the Spore Forest Temple as their base. And then, at some point, the three simply vanished. But he made progress once he assembled all four maps and realized the Dimensional Rift map formed a smiling face. With the knowledge from the riddle and his memory of the region’s geography, Henry deduced that the “mouth” was where the final temple must be hidden. So he headed to the outpost near the abyss.

And found something.

“They came here, slaughtered all the soldiers, and just left?” he asked.

He stood in a briefing with several of the baron’s soldiers, listening to their report. While he had been away, that outpost had been attacked twice.

“The baron ordered us to evacuate this area and the other hideouts in a few days. He wants everyone back to reinforce Cassandra’s army base. He’s planning his next move soon,” one soldier said.

“Take me to the corpses you found,” Henry ordered.

Reports from survivors didn’t interest him. He preferred to learn from the dead. And he did. Using his Rank Skill, he witnessed the final moments of each fallen soldier, confirming what he already suspected.

Charlie and Angie attacked this place.

In one of the deaths, he saw someone’s throat being slit or a dagger striking from the shadows.

That isn’t Charlie’s or Angie’s fighting style. Must be Luke’s.

He watched every death carefully, then activated another skill.

[Thief’s Tracking (Rare)]: The thief follows when it’s profitable and vanishes when it’s not. Allows tracking individuals through almost imperceptible traces: displaced dust, half-erased footprints, and objects slightly out of place. Reveals escape routes, blind spots, and moments of vulnerability. The effect grows stronger while the target remains unaware of being pursued.

Footprints shimmered into view for Henry, glowing faintly along the ground.

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A lot of those idiots walked through here. Finding the right trail is going to be a pain.

He checked the death echoes of each body, watching their last steps, until finally he saw the illusion of Charlie’s footprint. He followed it, step after step… until it ended beside several others at the edge of the abyss.

“Knew it. Those bastards jumped.”

Either they were all dead, or the abyss wasn’t actually bottomless.

“Tell the baron I found the temple. And tell him to send soldiers.”

I’ll avenge you, Dolores. They’re all going to pay.

***