Chapter 93: Soul Crystals

The moment Brunhild grabbed Alistair’s soul, it suddenly snapped back to life as if it had been deeply asleep this entire time. Although it still did not seem capable of speech or of remembering her clearly, the soul squirmed and writhed frantically in her grasp like a worm struggling for freedom.

“Gyaaaaeeeerrggh!”

“C-Calm down! Quiet!”

Brunhild held him tightly with both hands, trying to keep the thrashing soul at bay. However, his soul proved incredibly strong, strong enough that even restraining him like this became difficult and strained her grip.

“Just what’s wrong with this idiot?” she sighed, frustration mixing with a strange sense of amusement.

“It seems that although you ate a part of his soul, the rest was filtered here through your Soul Orb,” Freyja explained calmly. “Like brains, souls also contain part of who we are, including memories and personality. You essentially ate a piece of his brain, leaving him in a very strange mental state.”

“I see… well, good for him! I should eat him right now, but I want him to turn into a strong weapon instead,” Brunhild said with clear determination. “That fight we went through, which almost killed us both, better be worth it. I’m squeezing him of everything he’s worth. You’re not even getting an afterlife to rest, fucker.”

“Gyaaaaahh! Aeeeehhh…” Alistair’s once-handsome face twisted in pure fear as he looked utterly pathetic. His body continued to squirm and writhe, and he seemed instinctively terrified of Brunhild.

Brunhild found his panicked reactions quite amusing and even felt a brief urge to torment his soul further. She held herself back, however, deciding that would be a step too far. He had already died in agonizing fashion, after all.

“And about the recipient, a weapon is best,” Freyja continued. “Which weapon, though?”

“Yeah, which weapon…?” Brunhild thought carefully for a moment. “Ah…! Right!”

Suddenly she remembered their intense battle and how annoying he had been because of his regeneration, his scarlet blood armor, and especially his combat style.

“His Spear Skills were amazing!” Brunhild declared. “He could use three forms consecutively to target a soul and then explode a foe with a single thrust. I say we turn him into a lance or something similar. Maybe we can channel his expertise with the weapon through that recipient.”

“A thoughtful answer!” Freyja nodded in approval. “I think that might be worth giving it a try.”

Brunhild nodded as she noticed Alistair’s eyes gleaming red for a brief moment while he stared at the souls floating above them.

“Aeeeehhh… Uuugh…?”

He seemed curious about what those glowing spheres were and weakly extended his hands toward them. Then a sickening smile spread across his pale face, his tongue lolling out as he began to drool with clear bloodlust.

“Hey!”

Brunhild quickly guessed what was happening and slapped his head firmly, jolting him out of the strange, bloodthirsty daze.

“Uaaaaahhh!”

He immediately started crying again, making her feel as if she were holding a large, distressed baby in her arms at times.

“What a strange guy,” she sighed once more. “Well, okay, so how do I do it, Freyja? I want this idiot to turn into a weapon quickly so I don’t have to keep babysitting his stupidity.”

“Fair enough,” Freyja agreed. “And well…” She floated closer to the altar and looked around carefully. “Ah! Look, over there.”

Behind the altar, Freyja had noticed something important. Brunhild walked over and quickly found what her System Spirit was pointing toward.

It was a large furnace formed entirely of Soul Energy, constantly burning with a multi-colored Soul Flame that shifted through vivid hues.

When Brunhild stepped closer, she felt the furnace calling to her. She approached its searing fire, which stung her own soul slightly with its intensity.

“Ouch,” she muttered. “The fire is so intense it can even hurt me, its master?” She felt genuine shock. “It sure is strong magic…”

“It’s more than magic. It seems this Talent has triggered your Soul Orb to evolve,” Freyja explained.

Brunhild raised an eyebrow. “To evolve?”

“Yes,” Freyja answered with a confident nod. “And you know how the Divine Soul Orb has permanently fused with your soul, right? Therefore any upgrade or evolution it undergoes also affects yours, so your Soul is growing stronger as well.”

“I see…” Brunhild nodded, rubbing her chin while still holding the squirming soul of Alistair. “So these flames are my own soul? And why do they burn me?”

“It’s more like an illusion. It’s not truly real,” Freyja replied. “Anyway, I believe you should place him into the fire.”

“Right now? What about making the weapon first?” Brunhild asked.

“Can’t you feel it, Brunhild?”

Suddenly Brunhild felt exactly what Freyja was pointing out.

The flames moved on their own. They coiled gently around her body without burning her, then wrapped around Alistair and slowly began dragging him away.

“Gyaaaaaeeeggghhhhh!”

“W-Wait!”

Brunhild tried to stop the flames, but they pulled Alistair into the furnace before she could use him for anything else.

His entire soul burned within the multi-colored flames, and his screams of agony echoed and reverberated through the space without pause.

“A-Ahhhh! What’s happening to me?! Where am I?! I-Is this hell?! I fell into hell?! No…! No, wait! AAAAIEEEEE!”

While Alistair suffered under the torturous flames, he suddenly regained full consciousness, only to endure the searing agony for even longer.

“Just what happened? He’s back?!” Brunhild asked in surprise.

“More or less,” Freyja nodded. “I would say it’s more like his mind finally put itself back together because his soul is… burning and crystallizing.”

“…Crystallizing?!”

Brunhild’s blue eyes widened as she approached the furnace. She watched as Alistair struggled desperately against the flames, only causing himself to burn even faster. His soul rapidly crystallized into a glowing red, gold, and orange crystal.

“AAAAAAGGGHHHH…!”

He continued screaming until the flames completely consumed him, leaving behind a beautiful, dazzling red, orange, and yellow crystal that compressed itself into a single palm-sized sphere.

Ding!

[You have successfully refined and burned the Soul of [Pure Blooded Belladonna Clan Vampire, Alistair]!]

[You have obtained the [Soul Crystal: Pure Blooded Belladonna Clan Vampire, Alistair: ♢]!]

[You can infuse this Soul Crystal into available equipment and use them as recipients for its power.]

[Or you can equip Soul Crystals inside of your own Soul.]

[Soul Crystals, once equipped, will grow strong by harvesting Soul Points from battles, and will, over time, unlock new skills and magic.]

[Once a Soul Crystal is equipped, they cannot be unequipped, but they can be shattered to make space again within the equipment or the soul.]

[When shattered, Soul Crystals will lose their power and become Soul Points and Soul Dust.]

[Soul Dust can be used, in appropriate quantities, to create custom-made Soul Crystals infused with Spirit Essence in the Soul Forge.]

[However, you require Soul Crystal Recipes you can only learn and unlock by creating more Soul Crystals.]

“Wow?”

Brunhild stared in shock. It seemed she had just unlocked an entirely new system within her soul.

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