Chapter 37: Soul Lord

Samael

Samael hadn’t felt genuine fear in centuries. Even then, it was nothing like his childhood trauma. When he’d watched his father, a member of the demon-king’s court, get absolutely slaughtered by a sixteen-year-old human boy. The helplessness Samael felt that day had driven him to pursue strength aggressively. He’d grown from the lesser demon that cowered as his father cried out in anguish under the full force of banishing light. He’d ascended to the rank of lord and had earned the title Samael the Soul Lord. 

The God of Demons had entrusted his own children to Samael, so that he might raise them to be powerful. The God of Magic should be nothing but a distant memory, a childhood nightmare long passed. Yet here he was, the reincarnation of everything that was wrong with the world. Of everything that had derailed his life. The man before him was older, slightly, but there was no mistaking it now that he’d seen that technique again. 

This was him. 

“Retreat! We’re leaving!” Samael stammered, kicking backwards to get away from Sen. 

“Coward! You are a coward, Samael!” Brute barked. He spoke through his teeth. “You are unworthy of your name, Soul Lord. He is just a boy,” Brute spat. 

Samael ignored him, turning to Rella. “Open the gate, Rella!” 

She appeared conflicted, looking between him and her brother. “What about the contract?”

The foolish girl didn’t understand the situation. “The penalty isn’t death, so we’ll pay it!” he snapped. He kept his eyes on the man looming over him. He wasn’t sure if the God of Magic was being intentionally cruel, or if he would actually allow them to escape given the chance. Regardless, Samael wasn’t making any sudden moves. “Open it!”

“Don’t,” Brute countered. 

“Soul Descend Permissive,” Rella said, obeying her teacher over her brother.

Samael’s eyes widened, though he dared not take them off the man before him. “Where is it?” he demanded when the portal didn’t immediately form. 

Rella sighed. “He’s contemplating.” 

Samael’s heart sank. The God of Demons would have inhaled his daughter’s memories as soon as she sought to return home. He knew what was going on, what they were facing. He was deciding whether it was worth it. If he was willing to open a portal to his home with the man that threatened to erase their existence a thousand years ago standing there. Surely he’d save his children…but Samael knew that wasn’t necessarily the case. The God of Demons had lost children before. He’d sacrifice them and many others to preserve his kingdom. All they could do was buy time and hope they had earned his favor enough to make the risk worth it. 

He weighed his options, and his eyes focused on the door where the mass of nearby students waited out the danger. 

He smiled. The God of Magic had always invaded their territory alone. He’d never had to protect others. This might just be the opportunity Samael needed. 

Professor Ladia

What was going on? 

The question repeated itself in her mind over and over. These greater demons had appeared almost out of nowhere. They’d killed Professor Childres like he was nothing, and in that moment, Ladia had readied herself to die. She’d made one last effort to wound the strongest of them, and with a simple backhand he’d left her on the verge of unconsciousness. Now, that very same demon was cowering before a first-year student. Sen was remarkable for his age, but surely he hadn’t developed so quickly that demons on this level were afraid. 

She squinted. The large red demon seemed unconcerned. The woman seemed conflicted, but only after hearing from the grey demon. It was the oldest and strongest of them all that seemed to fear Sen the most. Her ears still rang from the impact, and she couldn’t hear at all. Whatever they were saying was lost on her. Her healing magic wasn’t the strongest, but she’d try to repair the damage. She’d repair it, and she’d wait for an opening to assist Sen. Regardless of what he’d done to scare this demon, he was still a student. She’d put her life on the line for him in a heartbeat.

The look on his face made it seem as though he had it under control, though. He glared down at the grey demon, a glowing sword in his hand. 

Ladia swallowed. 

It was hard to believe what she was seeing. A first-year student facing down three greater demons. 

She gathered herself. She would help if it were the last thing she did. 

Sen 

It seems the God of Demons was playing this carefully. In truth, Sen would have preferred the demons retreat. The students on the fourth floor weren’t the only ones in danger. The entire Academy was swarmed. Sikar was on his own, and the Dean had taken a group to investigate the black fog covering the first floor of the Academy. The sooner Sen finished here, the sooner he could help elsewhere. 

Wind whistled behind him, and he spun to meet Brute’s attack with his sword. As he did so, Samael scrambled to his feet. Brute leapt back, joining Rella. A subtle look passed between the three demons, and they nodded. They were up to something. Sen’s weapon shrank, abandoning the form of a sword. Rather than return to a necklace, he laid it on his wrist and waited for it to form into a thick metal ring that wrapped around it. It still glowed under the effect of banishing light. Smaller rings hung around the big one, but he halted the new weapon’s evolution prematurely. It would work better as a surprise. He’d complete it when he needed to.

Speaking of surprises, Ladia had one of her own. 

“Hear me, Illusia. Bless me, Illusia. Bestow the power promised to me,” she chanted. In her hands, she held a small purple crystal. She crushed it, and powerful magic essence surged into the air around her. 

Sen could hardly contain his surprise. 

[This is god-level magic. Borrowed power. It must be a boon.]

Most people had developed a way to share their power with others by the time they reached the level of god. Sen did so using Perfect Replica. He’d passed his power to an individual formed in his image. Others temporarily channeled themselves into their followers, creating an avatar. Still others used artifacts they had created, like the one Ladia had just used. A boon that would allow whoever possessed it to steal a function of a god’s power. If she could handle it, Ladia would prove quite an asset in this fight. 

Where the crystal disappeared, two objects formed in either of Ladia’s hands. In one hand, she held a purple lance. In the other, a matching shield. The edges of each object were blurred, as if she were holding an illusion made manifest, and it reminded Sen of his Butterfly Maxim. When you brought out the true nature of an illusion, you could give it form. Provided you had the power. Whatever god had given Ladia this boon, which he could tell she wouldn’t get many more uses out of, obviously had masterful control over illusion magic. 

“Go,” Samael called out. Sen turned back as Rella rushed Ladia with her sword drawn. Ladia lifted her shield to deflect the attack. 

Tutor?

[As long as her boon holds out, she should be able to hold her own.]

Sen nodded. That left two for him. Brute was already on the move. The large demon hit him, and he traded blows under the effect of Mana Aggression and Protection. All the while, he kept his senses on Samael. 

The grey demon was staring at the door again, and it was apparent he intended to try his soul-destroying spell once more. The black aura surrounded his hand; he was channeling his spell directly through his body as if he himself were a magic weapon. That wasn’t uncommon for demons. Their bodies were physical manifestations of magic. But if he thought Brute could keep Sen off him, he was a fool. 

Sen stepped back, just out of range of several attacks, and uppercut Brute when he followed. In the opening it created, he cast a spell. “Shatter Vine - Elementless - Maxim!” The conch shell artifact he’d affixed to his waist glowed. 

As the name suggested, Shatter Vine normally surrounded plant vines to envelop and attack his enemies. Under the effect of Maxim, the vines grew in size. But his new artifact had an additional effect on his spells when called upon. It changed the element of the spell itself. If he wanted to make a permanent change, he’d need to exchange two elements. Different artifacts, or essence spheres. But when applying it to a spell he was casting, he could provide the elements himself. After all, the magic came from within. 

He exchanged the nature of Shatter Vine for that of an ice spell. The result was massive vines made of ice that shot forward and impaled Brute, lifting him to slam into the ceiling. A massive ice vine kept him pinned there. As he struggled, the ice pushed further. Its tip expanded and covered him, freezing him to the ceiling. 

More vines shot toward Samael. With his free hand, he swept at the vines, all while casting a spell. “Refined Hellflame of the Soul Lord!” Lord-level power maximized the attack, and he wiped the vines away. Samael was using his title as a maximizer. The excess magic of the demon’s attack fizzled out on Sen’s wards, but his defenses were weakened more than he expected. He needed to be wary of the Soul Lord’s magic. 

Samael pumped more magic into the hand he channeled his destruction spell through. His motive was clear. When the spell reached full power, Samael could take the room full of students hostage. Sen needed to avoid that at all costs. 

“Banishing Light Maxim!” Sen slashed a hand forward, and the light shot forward from him. It would be more effective up close, but this was enough to throw Samael off. The slash of light cut through the air where Samael’s hand had been a moment ago. But the old demon was wise enough to dodge. 

A lesser demon would be eradicated simply from standing close to the light. He needed to close the distance. He readied his weapon. Samael’s spell would be ready at any moment. No, was it ready now? Sen felt the charge of magic building up. Samael was making a play. Sen shot forward under Encapsulation’s effect.

But Samael didn’t take aim at the door. He turned and pointed his free hand at Sen. 

“Soul Chain of the Soul Lord.” 

Sen realized his mistake a bit too late. Miniature blue spirits appeared, each about a foot long with circular heads and small bodies that were tied to one another, forming a chain. They were souls. Souls didn’t necessarily look like this. This was Samael’s magic workings, forcing the souls he’d captured into being bound for his technique. But the power behind it was real. The blue chain of souls emerged from the floor and wrapped around his ankle. Not only was Sen shackled to the ground, but the chains began dragging him downward as soon as they locked around him. 

Samael was trying to drag him into the Shadowhell. 

The demon might not be able to open a gate for himself, but the Soul Lord could certainly send a human with this spell. This wasn’t ideal. A thousand years ago, Sen wouldn’t have been all that concerned about traveling to the Shadowhell Continent. But his enemies had grown in power while he’d stepped out of the flow of time. Until his stats caught up with the people of this time, traveling to a dangerous continent full of beings that regarded him as some ancient monster in their history books was probably unwise. Two greater demons and a lord were enough of a headache. 

Thousands was a death sentence. 

At least until he leveled up more.

But that wasn’t the only problem. Samael’s other spell was ready. With a simple release of his technique, Susanna, Girch, and all the other students inside would die permanent deaths. Their souls and bodies destroyed in a simple motion. Neither the wards nor the artifacts would be enough to save them.

Samael cackled. He’d met his conditions for victory. 

Sen acted quickly to stop Samael from killing the other students with his will. His magic authority wasn’t filtered by a spell, but simply by pure will, and it was taking everything he had. 

That was the problem. Sen could stop Samael from killing the others, or he could free himself from the chains around his ankle. If he redirected his authority for even a second, Samael would kill the other students. But if he didn’t take action, he’d end up in the middle of enemy territory. 

It was a lose-lose situation. 

He had to choose between his life and the lives of others. 

The sounds of Rella’s blade meeting the illusionary weapons Ladia wielded still rang out behind him. 

Help wasn’t coming. 

He smiled. “Haha…hahahah,” Sen laughed. 

Samael frowned. “I beat you, God of Magic.”

“Hahaha!” Sen laughed even harder. 

Samael spat. “You can’t fool me! This battle is over! I’ve won!” His voice was laced with irritation. 

Sen could hardly contain his amusement. “You know, the amazing thing is I never thought someone so weak could make for such a good opponent. I haven’t had this much fun in ages! You’ve backed me into a corner! It’s amazing!” 

There had never been a question for Sen as to what he would do. He’d protect the other students. If he focused his will enough, he could suppress Samael’s attack until it faded away into nothingness. Of course, by the time he finished, he’d already be in the Shadowhell, but that was a different issue. He wouldn’t sacrifice innocent lives for his own. 

Besides, magic wasn’t the only weapon in his arsenal. 

He wasn’t willing to break apart the weapon he’d formed fully, but he wrenched a piece from it. It turned into a dagger, and Sen flung it. The banishing light still flowed through the steel. It severed Samael’s arm and continued flying until it pierced the wall. 

It wouldn’t be enough to sever the spell. But it broke Samael’s concentration slightly, and Sen stole even more control away. The spell would still kill the students inside, but Sen was closer to suppressing it than before. 

Samael looked down in shock. He gritted his teeth and glared at Sen. 

But Sen was looking down at his feet. The chains were pulling his first foot through the floor now. Once his foot passed through, it would enter the Shadowhell. The rest of him wouldn’t be far behind. 

“I wonder, Samael, what your people’s final thoughts will be? When they watch the God of Magic descend into their home to finish the annihilation he started all those years ago.” 

Samael appeared conflicted. He wasn’t sure if Sen could make good on that threat. But he looked down, and his expression blanked as if caught in his own memories. 

Sen’s foot arrived in the Shadowhell. Unimaginable pain rocketed through his body. He ignored it. That was the price of partially removing a veil from a portion of his body. But that veil did more than protect him. It masked his identity as a god. An identity that would be felt all across the Shadowhell the moment his foot emerged from the portal. 

Samael’s eyes shot open. “Father!” The soul chain shattered, partly through Samael’s own instability, and partially by a greater authority. 

Sen smiled as his will dominated that of the spell channeled through Samael’s severed hand. It faded to nothingness. He pulled his foot free of the portal. 

Behind Samael, a portal opened. The God of Demons had sensed Sen. He was calling his children away. But more than that, he was acknowledging defeat. That small glimpse into Sen’s true power hadn’t been enough for the God of Demons to fully appraise his strength. But it had served as a reminder of what Sen had once done. How he’d defeated the God of Demons in his own time and forced him to stop attacking humans. Memories were powerful things. And thus, Sen won the fight not with magic, but with a bluff. 

Samael was shaking. The God of Demons had made the final decision. This was submission. He would certainly look more into Sen’s reappearance, but for now, he wasn’t taking a chance. 

Sen released the Shatter Vine spell, and Brute smashed into the ground. Rella jumped away from her duel with Ladia and guarded the larger demon while he recovered. She looked toward Samuel for help, but he stood halfway inside the portal, waiting for the others. As if he were afraid the God of Demons would change his mind and close it again. 

“Come, my children. We have much to discuss.” The familiar voice came from the portal. 

Brute shook himself free of Rella and glared at Sen. He wanted to attack. To keep fighting.

Sen smirked at him, encouraging it.

“Do not dare disobey me.” 

The warning shook Brute’s core. He glared at Sen one last time, and then hobbled toward the portal. Rella walked beside him, casting a glance back at Sen the entire time.

Sen waited until they’d almost reached the portal before making his move. 

The metal ring on his wrist finished forming. Each of the miniature rings around it was affixed to a chain.

Samael dissapeared inside.

Sen stared at the bodies littering the ground. Something about letting the demons walk away unscathed didn’t sit well with him. “Whisper Song,” he spoke under his breath. The spell made it so that only his target would hear the words. Just as Brute and Rella went to move through the portal, Sen’s words reached Brute’s ears.

“Who’s the coward now?” 

Brute looked back with flared nostrils. Rella noticed, and grabbed him, but with a casual swat of his hand, he forced her through the portal. It closed behind him. The God of Demons would sense Brute acting against him. He wouldn’t risk his kingdom for anyone, and he was doing everything in his power to keep Sen from following them through that portal. As far as he knew, his son’s own rage was the cause of this outburst. He didn’t know Sen had goaded him into it. The God of Demons had sold out his own spawn to preserve a fragile grip on power. 

It was exactly what Sen expected. 

The chains around his wrists shot forward and quickly subdued Brute. With the others here to counter this technique, it wouldn’t have worked, but against a single opponent who still hadn’t recovered? Victory was assured. Brute was strong, but not nearly experienced enough to serve as an actual threat on his own. 

If the Artifact of the Stone Tomb was ready to devour another foe, Sen would have used it now, but it still hadn’t finished digesting its last meal. So instead, Sen would exploit the nature of his weapon. A weapon with the ability to manipulate magic power and reform it. Brute himself had little use, but his massive body was covered in armor that Sen could reform in the forge. The ore that demons used to craft weapons and armor was extremely valuable. There was a prize here, and Sen would profit from this fight. The lives lost here would fuel the revenge that would come after.

Brute must have realized it was over, but he struggled until the chains tightened. Sen flexed his fingers and crushed Brute in an explosion of gore. With a quick spell, the armor that remained was cleaned and sent to his temporal world. He’d reform it later. 

Professor Ladia walked up to him, her weapons disappearing. “Who are you, Sen?”

He didn’t look at her. “Someone who would prefer you kept this to yourself.”