Chapter 234: Soul Force

Veyron’s expression became even more amused as he watched the Monster’s body. The result was clearly different from what he had expected, but rather than being disappointed, he seemed to have gained exactly the information he wanted.

’Well then... let the real show begin.’ With that thought, Veyron snapped his fingers again.

The moment he did, the separated body of the Monster, which was already beginning to fall toward the cracked barrier, suddenly stopped. Immediately afterward, the flesh and blood from the separated parts shot toward each other and instantly began stitching themselves back together.

Velmira, who had already sheathed her sword and was preparing to move toward Veyron and kill him next, widened her eyes for a brief moment before her jaws tightened, "You thought I wouldn’t account for this just because I was angry? To use that strange substance and negate the very effect of my attacks? Let me show you something as well..."

As she spoke, Velmira raised her right hand and snapped her fingers in the same manner as Veyron.

Far away, Veyron frowned as he wondered what she was trying to accomplish. However, before he could think any further, the sight in front of him caused his pupils to contract and shake in horror.

The stitching flesh and blood suddenly stopped.

No, it didn’t simply stop. It violently resisted the very effect that was forcing it back together, with the flesh beginning to crumble as it slowly turned into dust.

"What?!"

Veyron’s voice echoed through the battlefield as he stared at the phenomenon in disbelief. The strange substance mixed with Spirit Energy was supposed to erase anything it came into contact with, even abilities to some extent. Although its ability to erase things had been significantly weakened after being mixed with Spirit Energy, it was still powerful enough that Veyron had believed it should have had no problem erasing anything existing in this World.

So... what was happening now?

How was it even possible?

Those were the only questions Veyron could think about as he watched the impossible phenomenon unfold before his eyes.

What Veyron didn’t know was that Velmira had used Soul Force when she attacked the Monster, one of the natural forces that existed outside the four fundamental forces known in Eliomor: Gravity, Strong Force, Weak Force, and Nuclear Force. One could even consider Soul Force to be the fifth fundamental force of Eliomor.

Velmira had discovered this property while fighting Azarion. Whenever she infused Soul Force into an attack, the resulting damage remained permanent. Azarion could heal that damage through his ability, Event Rewriting, but even that strange substance mixed with Spirit Energy had been unable to negate its effects. Under normal circumstances, injuries caused by Soul Force were also impossible to heal through ordinary Regeneration abilities.

After analyzing everything she had learned during the battle, Velmira understood that even the smallest amount of Soul Force could create an irreversible effect on another Individual, with Azarion being the only exception she had encountered.

She looked toward Veyron’s confused expression with cold detachment as the Monster’s entire body continued turning into dust. Within moments, there was nothing left of it, not even a trace of blood, flesh, or bone.

Kael, who had watched the sudden turn of events, was completely baffled. He couldn’t understand how something that had supposedly been capable of erasing anything could be overcome so easily, and he immediately asked his System, ’Hey System, didn’t you say Null was a conceptual Attribute and could negate or erase anything? How did this sudden turn of events happen?’

The System answered immediately.

[Detected: Use of Soul Force in the attack Velmira Ashenworth made.]

[Soul Force is the direct force an Individual releases from their soul. An Individual’s desires, emotions, and experiences throughout their life forge this force, making it a completely different kind of conceptual Attribute.]

’What?! Soul Force is also a conceptual Attribute? But how do so many conceptual things even exist on a planet like this?!’ Kael was utterly shocked by the System’s explanation.

First, there had been Null, an Attribute that had appeared so suddenly that even the System had initially struggled to analyze it, and now there was another conceptual Attribute called Soul Force that apparently had existed on this planet for a very long time. The more Kael thought about it, the stranger the situation became, and he couldn’t help wondering whether he had somehow transmigrated into a higher plane of existence without realizing it.

’Wait... Did I actually end up on some kind of higher-level planet?’

For someone who had already accepted transmigrating into another world, the thought didn’t seem completely unreasonable to Kael.

He had already witnessed beings capable of destroying mountains, strange abilities that ignored the laws of physics, and now there were conceptual Attributes that could directly interfere with something as abnormal as Null. Compared to what he had known on Earth, this World was becoming more ridiculous with every passing day.

The System immediately responded to his question.

[Host needn’t worry. Soul Force has existed on this planet since long ago. The First Progenitor was the one who learned of it and later spread his teachings throughout the planet. As for Null, that is a sudden emergence.]

Kael nodded slightly as he listened, but the System wasn’t finished.

[As for this planet being in a higher plane of existence, Host must be quite delusional to think that far.]

"..." Kael became speechless for a moment.

The System had answered his question properly, yet it had somehow managed to insult him in the same breath. He couldn’t even tell whether the last statement was meant to be serious or if the System was simply mocking his sudden conclusion.

A faint laugh escaped him as he scratched the back of his head.

’The system really doesn’t know how to hold back, does it?’ He shook his head before returning his attention to the more important matter. If Soul Force was genuinely capable of interfering with Null, then it was something worth understanding, especially considering the possibility that he might encounter more beings capable of using Null in the future.

’So, are there any requirements to wield this Soul Force? It could become quite handy for completing my quest.’ The System answered without hesitation.

[There are no requirements, Host. However, to learn Soul Force, you need to understand yourself deeply. It is somewhat similar to the concept of Enlightenment known in the novels from your previous world.]

Kael’s expression became slightly thoughtful.

There were technically no requirements, yet the explanation made it obvious that learning Soul Force wasn’t going to be simple. Understanding one’s own soul, desires, emotions, and experiences deeply enough to turn them into an actual force was clearly not something that could be accomplished through ordinary training.

Kael nodded slowly, ’As expected, a conceptual Attribute that can interfere with something like Null wouldn’t be easy to acquire.’

He glanced toward Velmira for a moment before looking back at the battlefield. The Monster had been completely erased despite possessing Null, and the reason was apparently because Velmira’s attack had contained Soul Force.

’If something like this can actually counter Null, then learning it would definitely be useful.’ However, Kael quickly reached another conclusion. ’But there’s no way I’m spending hundreds of years sitting in seclusion just to understand myself.’

A grin slowly appeared beneath his mask.

He had no intention of following the normal path if there was another option available to him. After all, he had obtained a System precisely because it allowed him to do things that ordinary people couldn’t. If the natural process required hundreds of years, then there was no reason for him to obediently accept that limitation.

After all, having a system is in itself a cheat to the natural laws and orders.

His grin widened slightly as another thought entered his mind, ’Alright, how much time would I normally need to learn this? First, I need to know the limit before I figure out how to cheat my way through it. Hehe~’

[...]

The System remained silent.

For several seconds, there was no response at all, almost as though even it needed time to process the sheer shamelessness of its Host.

Kael waited patiently before finally asking again, ’System?’

[...]

Still nothing.

Kael tilted his head slightly.

’Are you there?’

The System finally responded.

[Host would normally require approximately two hundred years merely to grasp Soul Force. To reach the level currently displayed by that Individual, Host would require nearly five hundred years of complete seclusion.]

’...Damn.’ Kael’s expression stiffened slightly, ’That’s a huge amount of time, System.’

Although he had expected the number to be absurdly high, five hundred years was still far beyond what he had imagined. He could cultivate for a long time, if necessary, but completely isolating himself for centuries just to reach a single level of mastery wasn’t something he was willing to accept.

His thoughts immediately shifted toward the abilities he already possessed. There was one ability in particular that he had deliberately left unused because he hadn’t yet encountered a situation where he felt it was necessary.

’Wait...’ A smile slowly returned to his face, ’System, you know what to do, right?’

He paused for a moment before adding,

’We haven’t used that ability yet... you know, the one called Chrono Axis ─ Lamebula?’