Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 154: Soulbinder’s Claim

Chapter 154: Soulbinder’s Claim

The trade was straightforward: souls for bloodlines. However, dealing with a Legendary devil was never simple.

The Legendary devil began explaining the trade rules, and there were clauses upon clauses, each more intricate and complicated than the last. Though Vlad had grown significantly thanks to his memories of his military career, his mind couldn’t keep up with the convoluted codes and rules of the devil’s pact. Fortunately, he didn’t have to.

The A.I. Chip analyzed every word the devil uttered, identifying any attempts to trick Vlad with clauses designed to complicate his task. Whenever the devil tried to insert a trap, the A.I. Chip detected it, allowing Vlad to oppose it.

The Legendary devil’s annoyance grew as she realized her usual tactics failed. She couldn’t understand how a young man in the Mortal Realm possessed such profound cognitive abilities to detect her schemes. Despite her persistence, she couldn’t slip any hidden terms past him.

The negotiation dragged on, with the devil growing more frustrated with each failed attempt to ensnare Vlad. She tried to probe Vlad for any sign of how he managed to counter her so effectively, but he remained inscrutable, his expressions calm and focused.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the devil gave up. The pact was reduced to its most basic terms: the transfer of souls for bloodlines and nothing more. There were no hidden traps, no convoluted clauses – just the straightforward exchange Vlad had insisted upon from the beginning.

"I have left my mark in the Runic Formation. Activate it again when you have the souls for me. Until then, young man," the Legendary devil’s voice was full of charm, as not even all the setbacks had managed to break her facade and composure.

[Beep! The communication channel has been closed!]

Vlad’s face remained impervious as he saw the flames vanish, and only then did he dare to relax. His breathing was rough, and cold sweat began to cover his body. The deal was highly intense, and if not for the help of the A.I. Chip, he might have been tricked.

Dealing with Legendary creatures, especially those from a high realm that use souls as currency, was extremely dangerous. Even after all those negotiations, Vlad never revealed his name as he did not want the Legendary devil to use some sort of divination spell to track him.

Of course, the chances of something like that were minor and would require even more power than a standard Legendary devil had, but it was always good to be careful. Since Vlad never gave his name, the devil also hid hers, but that did not bother him.

After it was over and Vlad regained his focus, a smile arose. He had managed to secure a proper trade channel for the bloodlines. With them, the power of the Xaos Kingdom would rise immensely, allowing them to race ahead of other forces and expand their influence at a shocking speed.

Vlad’s smile did not last long as a somber light appeared in his eyes. "Now that I have the trade channel, I must procure the goods."

An eerie coldness appeared in Vlad’s voice as he uttered those words. The goods he was referring to were human souls that would be damned to spend an agonizing existence in the fiend realm that was Hell.

Of course, Vlad would not be sacrificing the people of his kingdom, nor would he hunt down innocent refugees or civilians. The ones that would be sent to that realm were people whose souls had already been corrupted by depravity and moral degradation.

There had been many clashes between the rescuing forces of the Xaos Kingdom and minor warlords who had attempted to form their own power. Not all of them were bad, but no small amount had abused their authority and committed all sorts of crimes. Many of those people were currently in the cells of the Silent Wind Military Base.

Some might say that even those types of people did not deserve such brutal punishment, but Vlad did not have time for those types of sentiments. Bloodlines would improve his soldiers, enhancing their survival abilities and increasing the number of good people they could save from the dangers of the apocalypse. If the cost were the souls of rapists and killers, Vlad was more than happy to make that deal.

A wave of exhaustion assaulted Vlad, and he threw himself to the ground. He took the Tower Key and opened the entrance to the underground level, and in the next second, a small yellow cat flashed inside.

The next moment, Jormungandr appeared next to the young man with a small smile as he glanced at the Runic Formation. "I guess you succeeded, Boss."

"Haha, yes, I did. I will rest for a few hours. You should start with your part of the Bloodline Project." Vlad smiled at the little cat and uttered those words before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

The small yellow cat nodded to the young man and went to his alchemy laboratory, taking a small metallic cauldron, where he began to prepare a strange concoction. His eyes were sharp and focused as he used his abilities and the full power of the A.I. Chip.

Vlad woke up a few hours later, his mind feeling as good as new, all the exhaustion fading away. He stood up and nodded as he saw Jormungandr engrossed in his alchemy work.

[Beep! Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation has been completely analyzed.

...

The Soulbinder’s Claim is a dark and powerful runic formation designed to twist mortal souls so that the lawful realm of Hell easily claims them upon death. This formation is typically employed by dark sorcerers, necromancers, or infernal cultists who wish to ensure the delivery of souls to fiendish patrons. It combines elements of soul manipulation, demonic binding, and dark enchantments.

...

Main Runes: Rune of Soulbinding (core rune), Rune of Mortal Weakening (secondary rune), Rune of Hellish Anchor (tertiary rune).

Supportive Runes: Rune of Pain and Rune of Fear.]

A wide smile appeared on Vlad’s face as he saw the stream of information flooding his mind with all he needed to know about the tool he would use to ensure those souls were sent to Hell. It was very easy to bind your own soul to Hell, but doing it with others was much more complicated.

Luckily, in the ocean of universal knowledge, which was Vlad’s Second Past Life’s memories, there was a Runic Formation that could help him.

The smile on the young man’s face widened even more as he realized that all the materials he would need for the Soulbinder’s Claim Runic Formation were already at his disposal.

Not disturbing the small yellow cat, Vlad went to his runic laboratory and took some components before taking his runic pen and inscribing a new Runic Formation next to the Vengeful Runic Formation.

Vlad began to work, not wasting time, using the A.I. Chip to ensure every runic line was in the perfect place. It took him half a day, but finally, a majestic and dark Runic Formation appeared in the room.

Not making a single sound, Vlad left the underground level and rose to the surface. It was night, but hundreds of people were still working, all forging the Xaos Tower. Making sure there were no disturbances and no one caught sight of him, Vlad left the area and went to a desolate place near the Silent Wind Military Base border.

Vlad went to a seemingly empty hangar and stomped three times on a metallic plaque on the ground. Immediately, his eyes narrowed as he felt several intents and a rise in energy, but he was not worried.

"The golden door opens for the blood of trees." Those words made no sense, yet the next second, the metal plates on the ground began to move apart, revealing a set of staircases and four soldiers.

"King!" All four soldiers immediately bowed and lowered their heads in the presence of Vlad. They were two Mages and two Warriors, all battle-tested soldiers with training and who had reached Level 3 already.

Vlad nodded to the group and walked forward, soon reaching the end of the staircase, where a set of prison cells appeared before his eyes. This place was a dungeon, one of the old constructions from the first days of the Silent Wind Military Base.

In those cells were dozens of people, all criminals or rebels who had committed severe crimes. None of them were moving much as they were all under the effect of powerful anesthetics and drugs. The Silent Wind Military Base still lacked a place to hold spellcasters and Force users, so they needed to deploy this chemical restraint to keep them in check.

Vlad went through their faces, the A.I. Chip marking those whose crimes were deemed worthy of death according to his standards. "I will be taking some of these prisoners and carrying out their punishment. Open the cells."