Chapter 256: The Plan To Devour

I stared at the massive serpent, completely thrown off by what she’d just said. For a moment, I thought I’d misheard her.

I coughed awkwardly, trying to make sense of it.

“Did you just say… Phantom?”

Lily nodded slowly, her glowing eyes steady on mine.

“Yes. You asked me what I wanted in return, didn’t you?”

I gave her a cautious nod, already feeling a sense of unease build in my chest. Something about her tone told me this wasn’t going to be a simple favor.

“Then this is my requirement,” she said firmly. “The Phantom Azalea once searched for. The one she tried to fuse with, but failed. I want you to take that Phantom as your summon.”

Her words hit me like a cold wind slamming into my face. All trace of casualness dropped from my expression. That wasn’t just any request—it was layered with risk and weight. A lot more than I expected.

I clenched my fists slightly.

“And where exactly… is this Phantom now?”

“Behind the door,” she said, her tone softening. Then she sighed and continued, her voice calm but heavy with memory.

“As you know, Phantoms are created by Eternals using the souls of the dead. When Azalea attempted to fuse with one, her soul clashed with the Phantom’s. Because of the Feran’s interference, the fusion failed… and Azalea was thrown into chaos. The corrupted soul of the Phantom tried to devour hers.”

She paused, her coils shifting as she turned her head to face the locked door behind her.

“To stop herself from being overtaken, she split her soul into four fragments.

From each fragment, she created one of us—the serpent guardians—and designed four separate environments, each aligned with a part of her nature. She hoped these spaces would help her soul fight off the corruption.”

I stood still, absorbing everything. That level of desperation, of willpower… it was hard to imagine.

“But two of those fragments were eventually lost,” Lily continued. “The Phantom’s soul was too powerful. It gained more ground over time and ended up consuming Iris and Rose as well.

What I want from you is to go through that door, defeat the corrupted soul trapped inside, and free Azalea’s fragment.”

I stepped forward slowly and came to a stop beside her, facing the door with her.

“I understand what you’re asking,” I said. “But what happens to Azalea’s soul once she’s freed? And more importantly… how strong is this Phantom?”

She replied without hesitation.

“Once she’s free, she’ll return to me. I’m part of her soul—only a split piece. The natural state of a soul is to be whole again, and that’s what we’ll become.”

I blinked at her.

“So… you’re saying you and Azalea are the same?”

Lily chuckled softly, a deep rumble in her throat.

“Yes. I’m just a fragment of her, given form. Rejoining will be easy, once the corruption is gone.”

I nodded slowly, starting to piece things together.

“As for the Phantom’s strength,” she went on, “at full power, it was easily Azalea’s equal. But what’s behind that door is only one-fourth of the whole thing. Azalea’s soul is still in there fighting it, so you won’t be alone. The real threat won’t be just the fight—it’ll be keeping your own soul intact. You must guard yourself from corruption.”

I nodded again, letting out a breath.

“Alright… but why do you want me to acquire it as a summon?”

Lily didn’t answer right away. Her glowing eyes dimmed slightly as if weighing her words.

“Because,” she said at last, “that’s the only way to safely pull the corruption out. Your abilities let you control and contain the corrupted soul. If you don’t bind it to yourself, even if you destroy it… Azalea’s soul will be destroyed too. She’s entangled with it now.”

That made sense. A dangerous, delicate balance. If I didn’t absorb and contain the Phantom’s soul, Azalea wouldn’t survive the separation.

So that was the real mission—not just defeating it, but saving her.

She continued.

“There’s more. Azalea specialized in laws tied to life. But the Phantom? It was connected to the Law of Creation.

That’s why she tried to fuse with it in the first place. If you acquire a summon with control over creation, it would help you a lot in your future.”

I smirked.

“No need for the sales pitch, Lily. I’ve already made up my mind.”

I rolled my shoulder, stretching out the tension.

“Alright then. I’ll need a bit of time to prepare before I go in. Can you send me to where Dahlia is first? Then bring me back here directly after?”

Lily tilted her head, her forked tongue flicking out for a moment.

“I can send you to her, yes. But I won’t be able to bring you back here.”

I hummed thoughtfully.

“So that means… I’ll have to come through the Deathmist again if I want to return?”

Lily chuckled, a sound like falling stones and rustling leaves.

“Yes. And considering how you managed to find your way here last time… I was quite entertained.”

I rubbed the back of my head, grinning a little awkwardly.

“This time, I’ll just run straight through it.”

She let out a soft chuckle and asked, “You want to go now?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

“Alright. Come closer and place your hand on my head.”

I stepped forward without hesitation. Her scales shimmered faintly in the dim light. I reached out and placed my hand on her massive head.

The moment my palm made contact, I felt something strange—a pulse, like a wave of invisible energy scanning through me. The air around me trembled, and for a heartbeat, everything went pitch black.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself standing in front of a familiar stone temple—Dahlia’s resting place. The air was still, but thick with tension. Something felt off.

My senses flared instantly.

My Psynapse activated on instinct, flooding the area with my perception. I swept across the entire space and located movement fast—Ana’s pets were rushing toward me from different directions. At the same time, I caught sight of Marcus Holt lying unconscious near one of the wooden houses, his body barely moving.

BOOM!

The sound made the ground shake. I spun around and saw a massive figure land right in front of me—an ape, powerful and wild-eyed. I recognised him immediately.

Ragnor.

“Groowwllll…”

The ape snarled, eyes scanning the area. He wasn’t here for a fight. He was looking for Ana.

Our eyes locked. He was still feral, still on edge, but I had no time to play nice.

I made my decision.

Essence surged through my channels, rushing into my limbs. My muscles tightened and coiled, storing power. With a sharp exhale, I stepped forward and vanished—blasting off the ground and appearing right in front of the beast in less than a second.

I threw my fist forward, right toward his midsection.

“Seismic Burst.”

Just before impact, I activated the skill.

BOOM!

Essence exploded from my knuckles, amplifying the hit. My fist crashed into the ape’s body with brutal force, sending him flying. His frame smashed through several wooden houses, splinters flying everywhere as he tumbled and rolled before crashing into the dirt.

I didn’t wait.

My legs bent, and I launched myself forward, cutting through the air. Midair, I raised my hand and pointed at the downed ape. A thin beam of concentrated light fired from my fingertip.

The ape let out a wild roar.

An earthen dome rose around him just in time, and my beam collided with it, bursting on impact and sending dust and debris everywhere.

I landed lightly, about ten feet in front of the dome. I whispered calmly, “Spatial Shield.”

The space behind me shimmered and warped—right as another giant fist was about to crush my spine.

BOOM!

The bear’s strike collided with the compressed shield of space, but it held strong, absorbing the brunt of the force. I turned slightly and saw the second bear now fully revealed, along with the serpent slithering out of the trees.

They were all here now—surrounding me.

I quickly scanned them with my perception.

[Sama Bear – Level 170]

[Sama Bear – Level 123]

[King Ape – Level 172]

[Black Mamba – Level 163]

I rolled my shoulder back and gave a silent command.

15 privilege chapter mass release on 1st June.

Creation is hard, cheer me up!