Chapter 219: Soul Attack??

["I have nothing to say; I can only offer you this single truth: always remember that we are all fundamentally human, so please treat yourself, and treat us, with that same grace."]

?Asher read the inked words for the fifth time. By the time he looked up, Sara had already returned to Kelly and Juliana’s side, quietly settling back into her reading with composed detachment.

?He stared at the handwriting again. On the surface, it read like a cold, detached boundary; yet beneath the ink, it carried the weight of a profound warning intertwined with deep, protective care.

?In short, Sara was communicating something essential: whatever ruthless path he chose to tread in the unfolding wars ahead, he must never forget their shared humanity. She was telling him never to crush them beneath impossible expectations, never to force them beyond their breaking points, and—most importantly—never to subject himself to that same cruel erasure.

?Asher’s fingers tightened around the pen until his knuckles turned white. He understood the hidden depth of her message instantly, cementing a silent vow in his heart: no matter how high the stakes climbed, he would never coerce his wives into anything against their will.

?{Master, I believe it would be wise to shift your focus for a moment. You can summon Tempest here inside the sanctuary of the Cultivation Tower, and simultaneously manifest all your bound weapon spirits.}

?Asher blinked, his attention snapping back to the shimmering golden system interface:

?’Does that literally mean I can feed Tempest his upgrade food right here in this dimensional pocket?’

?{Correct, Master.}

?Asher gave a short nod. With a flick of his wrist, he willed the essence of the unknown foreign deity out of his spatial storage.

?"...?!"

?"Hold on... Are these glowing red spheres supposed to be the essence?" He asked, staring at the cluster of crimson orbs hovering in the air before him.

?{Correct, Master.}

?BOOOOM!!

?The next microsecond, the hovering orbs violently fractured, erupting into a blinding torrent of red light that surged forward and slammed directly into Asher.

?"Huh?" Asher blinked, his vision shifting as the green meadow vanished, replaced by an unfamiliar, swirling sea of crimson.

?"Are you the audacious mortal who stumbled upon my sacred Essence?"

?"....?!"

?Asher stared upward as two massive, glowing red eyes materialized out of the ether, glaring down at him with immense hostility. He blinked twice, then glanced sideways at the empty air where his System screen should have been:

?"Who on earth are you talking to?"

?"Who do you think, you insolent pest?! I am the one addressing you directly!" The disembodied voice roared.

?"Lower your volume—I can hear you perfectly fine. Now, who are you again?" Asher asked casually, reaching up to scratch his ear with mild annoyance.

?"I am the ancient God of Shifters! Because you dared to unearth my residual Essence, you shall receive my sacred blessing and ascend as the next chosen God of Shifters! Consider yourself infinitely fortunate, human peasant!!"

?"Is that so? And how, exactly, am I supposed to claim these powers?" Asher asked, feigning mild surprise.

?"You must consume every last drop of my Essence into your mortal vessel!" The eyes commanded, staring down at the human—only to freeze as Asher’s expression instantly twisted into deep, unmistakable disgust.

?"Wait... You want me to eat this? This is literally scheduled to be my pet’s meal. Why on earth would I ingest it myself?" Asher snapped back, pointing an accusatory finger directly up at the hovering red eyes.

?"Pet’s food?! YOU DARE CONTEMPLATE FEEDING A GOD’S ESSENCE TO A MERE BEAST?!!" The ancient entity shrieked in absolute fury.

?Asher let out a heavy, weary sigh: "Look, if feeding this is the only convoluted way to extract your powers, I’ll hand it over—I still need his combat utility..."

?"Your arrogance knows no bounds! I refuse to be treated like livestock—I will forcefully overwrite your consciousness and possess your body from the inside out!!"

?The glowing red eyes bellowed with unhinged rage, transforming into a streak of violent crimson light that shot forward, plunging straight into Asher’s forehead and invading his inner soul space.

___

?[Inside Asher’s Soul Domain.]

?The two furious red eyes materialized inside a vast, shadowy corridor constructed from dark, monolithic stone.

?"What a profoundly foolish mortal... Does this insignificant insect genuinely believe a petty mental defense can stop—"

?The invading eyes abruptly froze, their gaze scanning the impossible scale of the subterranean hallway:

?"Wait... What ungodly tier of soul architecture is this?" The entity stammered, entirely speechless.

?"Oh? It appears we have an uninvited guest."

?The eyes whipped around toward a dark corner of the corridor, spotting a small boy leaning casually against the stone wall with his arms folded.

?"Should we simply devour him and get it over with?" A young girl asked, leaning against the opposite wall directly across from the boy, crossing her arms with a disinterested sigh.

?"Hey now... Let’s not rush; we aren’t even remotely the strongest entities residing in this domain..." The boy replied with an easygoing shrug.

?"...?!"

?The divine eyes recoiled in shock, staring at the anthropomorphic weapon spirits representing the twin great daggers.

?"Mere artifact spirits? This human actually commands such manifested consciousness? Though... they are only ranked at the Supreme Mythic-Tier, hardly a lethal threat to a true god." The invader sneered dismissively.

?"True, we alone might not pose an insurmountable wall, but the King’s Overseer and the Cloak of Shadows certainly do," The young girl smiled brightly, casually gesturing down the dim hallway.

?The red eyes darted back and forth between them, watching as a breathtaking woman draped in an elegant black dress, her hair and eyes merging seamlessly with the surrounding shadows, stepped silently out of the darkness to stand between the twin spirits.

?’Another Supreme Mythic-Tier entity... How in the worlds does her spiritual energy pressure dwarf the other two combined?’ The invader thought, a tremor of panic touching its core.

?"Such an irritating, noisy intruder... Shall we execute it immediately?"

?"Oh, King’s Overseer, I doubt we even need to exert ourselves for this pest, but you can certainly inflict permanent soul damage." The Cloak of Shadows’ weapon spirit replied smoothly.

?"I would thoroughly enjoy that privilege."

?The red eyes froze solid. A terrifying, suffocating wave of pure, concentrated Killing Intent suddenly washed over them from behind. Without a second’s hesitation, the entity spun around—only to lock eyes with a towering figure clad in deep black magician robes, wearing a striking red cape and a unique ceremonial eye-patch obscuring his face.

?’This... This signature?! A genuine Primordial-Tier artifact spirit?!!! How on earth does a mortal human possess an item of this caliber in his soul?! No—how can a weak human even maintain control over such a terrifying entity?!!!’ The invader shrieked internally, paralyzed by sheer, primal terror.

?’My current manifestation strength is too fractured! I cannot match a lineup like this... I need to flee this instant and locate this human’s core soul to seize control by force!’

?Panicking entirely, the red eyes abandoned all reason, darting toward an empty branch of the hallway and rocketing away into the dark without daring to look back once.

?"Should we bother intercepting him?" The young girl asked, blinking in mild amusement.

?"I wouldn’t step foot down that specific corridor even if you paid me... Those eyes just unwittingly walked straight into their own execution." The King’s Overseer noted calmly, shaking his head with a faint touch of pity.