Chapter 1575: Chapter 1575

"Then what exactly are you?"

Jenkins, standing with his back against a tree, directed the question at the ooze, his sword still raised.

"I was born from the malevolence of humanity, something akin to a phantom. You can think of me as a sentient but non-lethal evil spirit. I came into being early in this epoch and was later sealed into that comb. I am truly grateful that you've allowed me to see the light of day again. I can read the thoughts of humans around me, understand any complex emotion, even sense if someone harbors ill intent. I can absorb most malevolent curses and see the very essence of a person's soul. I am incredibly useful. Why not let me join you? I can offer you a great deal of assistance."

The proposal it offered seemed to infuriate the cat on Jenkins's shoulder. Before he could react, Chocolate leaped down, ready to charge menacingly at the puddle of ooze.

Fortunately, Jenkins was quick enough to catch the cat before she landed. Even so, he had to physically restrain her to prevent another sudden lunge.

"I'm really very useful," the ooze continued, ignoring the small cat and pressing its sales pitch. "I also possess the ability of mimicry. I can attach myself to you like armor and provide protection."

But Jenkins wasn't interested. If this had been when he first arrived in this world, he might have been tempted. If the ooze were truly benevolent, it would have been an incredibly alluring offer for a young man just encountering the supernatural.

Unfortunately for the ooze, the Jenkins of today would never allow such a troublesome entity to remain by his side.

"I have other abilities! I can see through mortal souls and help you find those with the potential to become Enchanters!"

Very useful, but Jenkins didn't trust the thing before him.

"No, don't! I have other abilities! Have you heard of the Dark Soul?"

"I'm not linking the fire." This update ıs available on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

He said, preparing to strike again.

"Linking what fire? I mean the King Souls. Do you know of them? A mortal who possesses the four King Souls can unite the material world and become the king of humanity. I can see the essence of a soul, so I can detect all four King Souls, and I am one of the few things capable of detecting the [Dark Soul]. The fragments of a Dark Soul are born from the depths of a human spirit only after a lifetime of tragedy, sorrow, and breakdown. They are incredibly precious. Even if you don't wish to be king, a soul like that should still satisfy you."

"The Four King Souls?"

Jenkins repeated the phrase. He had heard of this from Carmyle, who had mistakenly believed he possessed the [Tree Soul].

"I thought that was just a legend."

"It is indeed a legend, but why can't legends be true? In a distant epoch, humanity was but a weak race in the material world. Even with their rapid reproduction and passable ability to learn, they could only ensure their survival, never prosperity. Later, in their quest for power, humans attempted to cultivate these so-called [King Souls] within their own rulers by fabricating legends and myths based on the unique, innate talents of other thriving species. They were at least partially successful. The King Souls truly appeared, and from them was born the uniquely human ability, [Uncrowned King]. But this power wasn't enough for humanity to defeat all the other species. Later, as the other species retreated from the material world and the human empires fractured, the [King Souls] vanished."

"But after so many years, human civilization has once again neared its zenith, and thus the King Souls have emerged in response to the times. Though it is a myth, a legend, for this era, it is also real."

Jenkins nodded, then violently thrust his sword into the earth before him.

"But I'm sorry. For all that you've said, the one time you lied was when you were introducing yourself."

Two arcs of light spun out from his sword, rapidly expanding. A rotating ring of sword light, wreathed in orange flames, quickly enveloped both Jenkins and the puddle of ooze.

As the ring of light contracted with incredible speed, everything within it—material and immaterial, aside from Jenkins himself—was sliced in two. But the ooze didn't "die" from being bisected; this was likely a special trait of such amorphous beings.

The ring of the sword dance left a distinct spiral pattern on the ground. After contracting to its absolute limit, it didn't vanish but expanded once more, growing large enough to enclose the entire area.

"You can't kill me," the ooze declared, contracting into a smooth black sphere. "If I could be killed so easily, I wouldn't have just been sealed away a thousand years ago."

"You'll regret this. You're just taking advantage of my weakness after being sealed for so long, unable to absorb enough human malevolence and souls. Once I regain my full power, I will definitely..."

The expanding ring of the sword dance didn't contract again. Instead, it began to rotate rapidly around its central point, a full three hundred and sixty degrees, transforming the simple ring into a luminous sphere that enveloped the patch of land.

Flickering images of the sword dance whirled around Jenkins and the ooze. The sacred fire clinging to the arcs of light made the afterimages all the more brilliant.

The ooze suddenly asked.

"I don't know either."

Jenkins answered quietly, pulling the sword from the ground and swinging it forward. The arcs of light, which seemed to dance in every direction, converged on the center like closing hands. Thousands of sword marks appeared on the surface of the sphere, the undying flames of purification searing its very essence.

It shrieked curses at Jenkins, damning him to a miserable death with the foulest language. As the outer layer of black muck was burned away, its true nature was exposed to Jenkins's eyes.

This was indeed a monster formed from human malevolence. It strengthened itself by devouring the souls of its wielders, which was why the comb's previous owner had been losing their memories. Concealed beneath the ooze was a mass of black mist. Countless screaming human faces writhed on its surface, trying to break free, but they never could. These faces represented the souls the ooze had once consumed; by a rough estimate, the number of victims likely exceeded ten thousand.

The brilliant, contracting arcs of sword light finally shredded the black mist. The sword itself lacked the power to destroy it, but Jenkins's flames were its nemesis.

When the sword light faded completely, the ooze and the black mist at its center were gone. On the ground, amidst the concentric rings left by the whirling sword dance and the shredded leaves, lay a black, lens-shaped shard of glass.