Chapter 397 - 381: Inauguration as [Spiritual Master]

Chapter 397: Chapter 381: Inauguration as [Spiritual Master]

The Heartstealer’s cold, contemptuous gaze faltered for an almost imperceptible moment when the flame ignited.

Its highly developed Spiritual Perception allowed it to "discern" the nature of this flame more clearly than any other living being.

’Is this an attack on the consciousness level?’

’Or a spiritual Illusion?’

’The tricks of a lesser being...’

Before the thought could fully form, the flame on Roland’s fingertip suddenly flared, transforming into a blazing, orange-red fireball that shot toward the Heartstealer’s forehead, carrying with it an astonishing amount of heat.

However, the moment it touched that slick skin, the expected explosion never came.

There was no sizzling sound of burning flesh, no acrid smell of charring.

The fiery orange-red instantly faded. The fireball transformed into a wisp of cold, pale-white flame and, like a Ghost that had found a crack, silently seeped into its skull as a droplet of water would into a sponge.

At first, the Heartstealer had no reaction. Its tentacles even curled slightly in a mocking gesture.

But in the next second, its massive, twisted body shuddered violently.

It was not from a physical impact, but from a violent tremor originating from the deepest, most central core of its consciousness.

Its eyes, once filled with nothing but cold darkness, suddenly constricted.

"Ugh..."

A stifled, short syllable, completely different from its earlier affected tone, was forced out from between its tentacles.

That wasn’t physical pain.

Or rather, compared to this, the agony of chains piercing its flesh was as insignificant as a mosquito bite.

This was...

The burning of its consciousness. The torture of having its very soul seared under some absolute principle.

The [Ashes of Original Sin] did not ignite matter, but the "sins" borne by its very existence.

The extreme arrogance of the Heartstealer race, rooted deep in their souls, which viewed all other beings as food and slaves.

Their cold will that had devoured and assimilated countless civilizations, turning billions of intelligent individuals into sustenance.

And every act of enslavement, every massacre it had committed throughout its long life...

All these "original sins," which no mortal law or morality could ever judge, now became the very real fuel for a raging inferno in the sea of its consciousness.

"No... What is this..."

For the first time, the Heartstealer’s voice lost all its composure, becoming sharp and distorted.

Its tentacles no longer swayed gracefully. Instead, they convulsed and writhed in agony, thrashing wildly against its own body and the chains, splattering dark purple blood.

The transcendent, rational mind it had once taken such pride in was now being brutally torn apart and incinerated by a tyrannical force.

Every cold decision, every judgment that had deemed other intelligent life as mere tools, now turned into a venomous, retaliatory fire, scorching every node of its thoughts.

"Stop... Stop it..."

Its words became fragmented, laced with incredible panic.

Its previous air of superiority was gone, replaced by the struggles of a cornered beast.

"Despicable... human..."

But Roland ignored its roars, merely gazing at the Heartstealer’s miserable state and letting out a slow breath.

’Thankfully, this Heartstealer has less than a tenth of its power left. Otherwise, the might of a mere [Flaming Arrow] probably wouldn’t have had such an effect...’

As he pondered, the burning of the flame seemed endless, and it burrowed ever deeper.

The Heartstealer began to emit an inhuman shriek on a spiritual level. Though it made no sound, it caused the very air in the cave to tremble.

Beneath its slick skin, countless pale flames seemed to flicker and dance, illuminating the collapse happening within.

"AHH!"

Finally, a blood-curdling scream erupted.

It could no longer maintain any semblance of dignity. Its massive body twisted madly within the confines of the chains, trying to escape the omnipresent fire of judgment from within.

"Take it away! Take it away now!"

Its voice was filled with pure, undisguised pain and Fear.

"I command you! You lowly human! I comm—"

The threat was cut short by a more intense wave of pain, turning into intermittent whimpers.

Those eyes that had once looked down on Roland were now bloodshot, and...

an emotion called "pleading" had appeared within them.

For a Heartstealer, this was an almost unimaginable disgrace.

"Please... I’m begging you..."

The hoarse voice grew faint, laced with a heart-stopping tremor.

"Stop this flame... I... I can tell you... tell you everything..."

It even tried to lower its tentacled head.

A gesture symbolizing complete submission.

"Knowledge... Power... the secrets of Spiritual Energy... I’ll give it all to you! All of it! Just make it stop!!"

Its former arrogance and indifference had completely crumbled under the judgment of the [Ashes of Original Sin], leaving only the most primitive, wretched wails.

The stark contrast was enough to send a shock through the heart of any onlooker, along with...

a sliver of satisfaction.

Roland was no exception.

He suppressed the faint curve of his lips, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then stepped forward to look down upon the Heartstealer cowering in pain.

"Then, from now on, I ask, you answer."

Under the continuous burning of the pale flame, the Heartstealer’s mental defenses had completely collapsed.

Huddled in its chains, it haltingly divulged the core knowledge concerning the nature of Spiritual Energy and its fundamental applications.

For Roland, whose Spiritual Attribute was already extremely high, this abstruse knowledge was like a key, instantly unlocking the gate to a power he had been unable to access.

He focused, committing it all to memory, then took a few steps back and closed his eyes in a clear area of the cave.

Just as the Heartstealer had described, he could clearly sense the flow of Spiritual Energy on the border between consciousness and matter with almost no effort.

Like a gentle stream, it gathered, circulated within his body, and was then obediently released, all guided by his will.

Five attempts at guidance, five successes.

A faint, silvery-white glow flickered on his fingertips, the process as smooth and natural as breathing.

[Successfully Guided and Released Pure Spiritual Energy 5/5]

However, the final step, using Spiritual Energy to interfere with physical matter, proved to be a great barrier before him.

He locked his gaze on an inconspicuous little pebble on the ground.

This time, he needed to convert the formless Spiritual Energy into tangible "force."

On his first attempt, he channeled his Spiritual Energy, imagining an invisible hand pushing the pebble.

The Spiritual Energy surged forth, but it was as if it had slammed into an invisible wall, dissipating with a crash before it could even touch the pebble, which didn’t move an inch.

The immense consumption of Spiritual Power brought on a slight dizziness.

The second time, he changed his strategy, trying to "envelop" and "lift" the pebble with his Spiritual Energy.

His consciousness was highly focused, veins popping on his temples. The pebble trembled violently, as if it would lift off the ground at any moment, but in the end, it fell back to its spot in vain.

A sharp pain from mental exhaustion shot through his temples.

A third time, a fourth...

He kept changing his techniques and his method of visualization. Each time he felt he was just a hair’s breadth away, but he always fell short at the final moment.

Sweat soaked the hair on his forehead, and his breathing grew heavy.

This feeling of seeing the goal but never being able to reach it was more frustrating than pure uncertainty.

He could feel his vast Spiritual Power being rapidly consumed as inefficiently as pouring water into a sieve. The low efficiency was disheartening.

The Heartstealer seemed to notice his predicament and let out a few intermittent sneers between its fits of pain, though the laughter was quickly replaced by wails.

Roland paid it no mind.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed his impatience.

He recalled the Heartstealer’s cold explanation that "will is reality." He stopped trying to "push" or "lift," and instead focused his entire Spirit on a single, simple, pure thought.

’Move.’

He no longer viewed Spiritual Energy as an external tool, but as a direct extension of his own will.

All distracting thoughts were cast aside. In his mind, there was only the pebble and an unquestionable command.

HUM!

It was as if a string in his consciousness had been plucked, letting out an unprecedented reverberation.

This time, he met no resistance.

He "felt" his formless "hand" finally make real contact with the pebble and apply a tiny yet precise amount of force.

Under his concentrated gaze, the silent pebble rolled lightly, but undeniably, halfway around.

[Used Spiritual Energy to Interfere with Physical Matter 1/1]

’I did it!’

Looking at the text that appeared in his vision, Roland took a deep breath and thought to himself.

’Accept class: [Spiritual Master].’