Chapter 105: The Fangs Of The Sovereign

[Determining the activation conditions for Soul Devour…]

For Aiden, that fleeting moment seemed to stretch into eternity.

He could clearly “see” the blood-colored energy surging through the Devouring Soul Blade. It carried an overwhelming will to consume, using the blade as a bridge as it extended countless fine yet tenacious tendrils deep into Element Controller’s fading soul.

Those tendrils coiled tightly around the slowly dissipating ball of origin light that represented the [Elemental Affinity] class.

The sphere possessed a magnificent, multicolored radiance, reflecting its mastery over the fundamental elements. Yet beneath the pressure of the blood-colored energy, it twisted violently, struggling like a trapped creature desperately fighting against its restraints.

A powerful resistance erupted from the depths of the soul.

Aiden’s mental energy trembled violently under the collision.

“What conditions?”

Aiden’s thoughts raced.

“What conditions does it need?”

“Does the target have to be in a state of absolute despair? Or does the ability require some specific form of energy suppression?”

His thoughts moved rapidly as he searched for an answer.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Almost instinctively, Aiden summoned the cold and absolute will to dominate that had emerged when he killed Element Controller. It was the will of a victor standing over the defeated, a devourer claiming what belonged to its prey.

He fused that will with the overwhelming authority of the [Sovereign of Souls] before directing both toward the multicolored class light.

The moment the two forces collided with the class origin, Aiden felt something change.

It was as though an invisible barrier had finally cracked beneath overwhelming pressure.

Then—

[Conditions met! Class extraction initiated!]

Hum—!

An enormous surge of energy suddenly erupted from the class light.

The force was vastly more powerful and purer than any attribute or Soul Trait Essence Aiden had absorbed before. It was closer to the origin of the world itself, and it came rushing through the Devouring Soul Blade and directly into his body like a breaking dam.

“Ugh!”

Aiden couldn’t suppress a muffled groan.

The power was simply too immense.

Worse, it was completely foreign.

Rather than merging peacefully with his existing strength, the energy carried a faint imprint of its original owner as well as the inherent arrogance of the [Elemental Affinity] class itself. The moment it entered Aiden’s body, it resisted his control and attempted to establish itself as an independent force.

For an instant, it even showed signs of trying to seize control.

Aiden’s veins bulged beneath his skin as the enormous energy surged through them. His bones groaned under the pressure, while his soul felt as though it had been thrown directly into a furnace.

The pain was indescribable.

It was not simply physical agony. The fusion was occurring at the deepest level of his existence, forcing two completely different class origins together and demanding that one submit to the other.

The pain far exceeded the information overload he had experienced when receiving the alchemy inheritance.

That had been an assault on his mind.

This was a trial imposed directly upon his essence.

Yet Aiden gritted his teeth and endured it.

His eyes burned with a mixture of obsession and cold greed.

He had already anticipated that devouring another class would never be a simple process. If such an ability truly allowed him to seize the fundamental power of another player, then there was no way it could come without risk.

“This is mine!”

Aiden roared inwardly as another wave of pain tore through him.

“This is the power I took from you! How dare you act so presumptuously in my body?”

The [Sovereign of Souls] erupted within him.

Blood-colored radiance surged through every corner of his consciousness, carrying an even more domineering pressure. It was like the authority of a monarch descending upon a rebellious subject, forcibly suppressing the foreign class origin.

At this moment, Aiden’s terrifying 54-point Mental attribute became crucial.

So did the indomitable will he had forged through rebirth, betrayal, and hatred.

His consciousness remained unshaken despite the agony.

Forced suppression.

Forced fusion.

Aiden could almost see the process taking place within himself.

The multicolored sphere representing [Elemental Affinity] was completely enveloped by the higher-level blood-colored energy of the [Sovereign of Souls]. Under that overwhelming pressure, the foreign class origin began to break down.

It was like a piece of metal being submerged in an extremely corrosive substance.

The multicolored sphere gradually dissolved under the pressure, its remaining connection to Element Controller being stripped away layer by layer. The traces of his original will were erased, leaving behind only the purest class rules and origin energy.

Those fragments were then devoured and forcibly integrated into Aiden’s own power.

The process was violent.

There was something almost forbidden about it, like dissecting the core of a living existence and forcibly claiming its most precious essence for oneself.

[Soul Devour in progress… 10%…]

The progress began to climb.

[25%…]

With every increase, the pain intensified.

Yet alongside that pain, Aiden began to notice another change.

His perception of the surrounding elements was becoming sharper.

Fire.

Ice.

Wind.

Earth.

Lightning.

Even the weaker elemental energies scattered throughout the canyon suddenly became distinct to him. He could sense their presence in the air, beneath the ground, and within the cracks of the surrounding rocks.

It was as though the world had previously been separated from him by a layer of frosted glass.

Now, that glass was being wiped clean.

He could faintly sense the movement of the elements and even perceive subtle fluctuations within their flow. The surrounding fire energy no longer felt like an indistinct presence. He could almost understand its movement, its rhythm, and its response to the environment.

[50%…]

The process continued.

Aiden’s body trembled under the pressure, but his consciousness remained firm.

[75%…]

The multicolored light continued to shrink as the blood-colored energy of the [Sovereign of Souls] consumed the remaining class origin.

[90%…]

The pain reached its peak.

Aiden’s teeth were clenched so tightly that his jaw ached, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

Then—

[100%!]

[Soul Devour successful!]

[You have stripped and fused the A-rank class: [Elemental Affinity]!]

Aiden’s consciousness shook.

The final trace of multicolored energy was completely devoured and converted.

At the same moment, the overwhelming pain that had consumed his entire body suddenly receded like a retreating tide.

An indescribable sense of fulfillment replaced it.

Aiden gasped heavily, his chest rising and falling as his body recovered from the violent process. Beneath the exhaustion, however, he could clearly sense a subtle change within himself.

It felt as though his life level had been slightly elevated.

Then another system notification appeared.

[Due to the Sovereign of Souls characteristic, this class has been converted into a transferable state and is temporarily stored within the Class Space.]

[You may choose to fuse it yourself or bestow it upon a designated target.]

[Note: The designated target must meet the basic requirements for class fusion.]

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly.

He hadn’t expected this.

The ability did not simply allow him to consume another player’s class and strengthen himself.

He could actually store the stolen class and give it to someone else.

That meant an A-rank class was no longer something that had to disappear with its original owner.

If he found the right person, he could create another powerful class holder.

Before Aiden could fully process the implications, another notification appeared.

[Warning: Soul Devour has entered a long cooldown period!]

Aiden took a slow breath.

So there was a price.

That was only natural.

An ability capable of directly stripping another player’s class could not possibly be used without limitation.

He closed his eyes and looked inward.

Deep within his consciousness, beside the blood-colored icon representing the [Sovereign of Souls], floated a miniature multicolored sphere.

It rotated slowly in complete silence.

The sphere emitted a faint and alluring fluctuation, containing the pure origin of the [Elemental Affinity] class.

Aiden stared at it for several seconds.

He had succeeded.

For the first time, a player had forcibly stripped another player’s innate class and preserved it in a transferable state.

At that moment, the duration of the [Silence Barrier] finally came to an end.

The invisible barrier surrounding the battlefield quietly dissipated, releasing the suppressed communication and spatial fluctuations.

“Sir Aiden! Are you alright?”

Silas’s voice pulled Aiden’s attention back to the battlefield.

The massive warrior had just smashed the last warrior attempting to flee with his tower shield. He immediately turned toward Aiden, concern visible beneath his battle-worn expression.

The strange energy fluctuation that had erupted from Aiden moments earlier had been powerful enough to make even Silas feel an instinctive sense of danger.

Luna also hurried over, her purple eyes filled with concern.

Aiden slowly straightened.

He pulled the Devouring Soul Blade from Element Controller’s corpse, but the body was already beginning to disintegrate into white light.

Feeling the surging power within his body and the multicolored class sphere quietly waiting inside his Class Space, Aiden shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

His voice was slightly hoarse from the strain.

“The target has been eliminated.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “Class extraction was successful.”

Silas and Luna exchanged a stunned glance.

Although they had known about Aiden’s plan beforehand, hearing him confirm that the ability had actually worked still left them deeply shaken.

They had just witnessed something that could fundamentally change the balance of power within Eclipse Online.

Aiden did not give them time to dwell on it.

“Quick. Clean up the battlefield and retreat immediately.”

His expression turned serious.

“This isn’t a place we can afford to linger.”

Silas and Luna immediately moved.

They quickly collected the items dropped by the fallen Dragon Sovereign players, including the rare Flame Rune Staff and several useful materials. Aiden also checked the battlefield one final time to make sure nothing important had been overlooked.

Once they were finished, Aiden looked toward the spot where Element Controller had disappeared.

Nothing remained of the mage’s body.

Only faint traces of energy lingered in the air before gradually dispersing into the surrounding heat.

From this moment onward, the player known as Element Controller no longer possessed the [Elemental Affinity] class.

That power now belonged to Aiden.

Or rather, it waited within the Class Space of the [Sovereign of Souls], ready to be given a new master.

“Let’s go.”

The three members of Abyss immediately moved.

Following the escape route they had planned beforehand, they traveled through the intricate rock formations of Flame Canyon with remarkable speed. Within moments, their figures disappeared behind the twisting walls of dark-red stone.

Several minutes later, a support team from the Dragon Sovereign Guild finally arrived at the location.

They had followed the last communication signal received from Element Controller, expecting to find their elite team either still fighting or preparing to withdraw.

Instead, they found only the aftermath.

The ground was littered with signs of battle. Broken rocks, scorch marks, bloodstains, and traces of disrupted energy covered the area, but the attackers were nowhere to be seen.

Even the bodies of the fallen players had disappeared.

Only a few pieces of common equipment remained scattered across the ground.

One of the support team members stared at the scene in disbelief.

“Element Controller… has fallen?”

Another player looked around cautiously, his expression grim.

“Who could have done this?”

The speed of the attack and the complete disappearance of the attackers made the situation even more unsettling.

“Investigate everything.”

The team’s leader immediately issued the order.

“Find out who was responsible and report to the Guild immediately.”

The news would undoubtedly cause a major shock when it reached Dragon Sovereign Guild’s headquarters.

An A-rank class holder and core elite had been ambushed and killed in the wilderness, and the attackers had managed to escape before the Guild’s support team could even arrive.

To the Dragon Sovereign Guild, this was more than the loss of a single player.

It was a direct challenge.

Meanwhile, Aiden and the others had already fled far from Flame Canyon.

As they traveled, Aiden once again turned his attention inward and sensed the multicolored sphere quietly rotating within his Class Space.

A forbidden sense of exhilaration slowly spread through him.

This was only the beginning.

The first time he had activated [Soul Devour], he had successfully stripped an A-rank class from another player and preserved it as a transferable power.

The fangs of the [Sovereign of Souls] had finally been revealed.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed as several familiar names surfaced in his mind.

Damien.

And the others who had once stood against him.

His fingers tightened slightly around the Devouring Soul Blade.

“Damien… and the rest of you.”

A cold smile slowly appeared on his face.

“Are you ready?”

The classes you rely on will eventually become stepping stones on my path to the pinnacle.