Book Eater

Chapter 321: The One who Inherits, the One who Maneuvers Behind the Scenes (4)

He stepped on the bodies of the demons at his feet and stood at the peak. This was a man truly worthy of being called a hero. Theo’s excitement was rising. This was a war hero from the history books, a person from before the era of the magic towers. It was an era from thousands of years ago, at the end of the Dark Ages where darkness survived and evil swung its power.

The sand dragon, Azi Dahaka, was the crystal of destruction that the evil of Dark Ages had created. It was a monster that could spray all types of breaths with its three heads, as well as use ultimate spells. Azi Dahaka had burned half of the continent in a week until a great hero stood before him.

Oh, my god. You really are Reynolds Spencer...?

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Reynolds was a hero who had once saved the material world! Theo had met several great men thus far, but he couldn’t help feeling awe.

Reynolds couldn’t help chuckling as he felt Theo’s admiration. “Hahahaha! Indeed, this is amazing. The world still remembers me after a thousand years, there is no greater honor for a hero!”

... Honestly, I thought your story was fiction.

It was unclear whether Reynolds was a warrior or a magician, and his achievements were spread across the continent. Anyone who knew history would come to the same conclusion as Theo. Demons didn’t leave a corpse behind. Therefore, oral stories were the only records that could be used as evidence. Azi Dahaka was a monster, and it had fallen at this person’s hands. The grounds for Reynold Spencer’s story couldn’t be found anywhere.

“Well, it is probably a good thing,” Reynolds removed Theo’s doubts with a few words. “A hero’s role is to shine a light on darkness and give hope to those who are in despair! It’s fine if I have fulfilled that role.”

In a sense, it was a contradiction. He was so pleased that his story had been passed on after thousands of years that the authenticity didn’t matter? Some people might be a little suspicious of his personality. However, because they shared a body, Theo could tell that Reynolds had a different mindset. He truly didn’t care about personal honor. All he desired was for justice to stay alive, giving power to those who were facing adversity.

This was the real role of a hero that Reynolds had carried out all his life.

“In the end, the world doesn’t turn away from righteousness. Your life is someone else’s strength. So, don’t lower yourself before me, hero from the future.”

... Yes. Thank you, Sir Spencer.

“That’s it for introductions then. Shall we cut to the chase?” Reynolds spoke like he knew everything. “You want to learn Soul Caliber?”

Yes.

“The theory is simple. Magic power is refined and discharged out of the body. The magic power takes the form of a blade that interferes with the astral system, but practice doesn’t seem to follow theory. Isn't that right?”

Theo was puzzled.

Huh? I succeeded until the blade formation, but…

“I thought so… What? You succeeded?” Reynolds’ eyes widened.

He hadn’t even been shaken by a high-ranking demon, but he was greatly shocked. Was Theo that remarkable?

Reynolds read Theo’s thoughts and explained, “Soul Caliber is a type of special magic that has nothing to do with the abilities of a magician. The sword can only be manifested when the soul is used as a core. It is easy for the Spencer family to use because we trained in it since we were children, but I have never seen someone outside the family use it...”

After muttering a few words Theo didn’t understand, Reynolds raised his right hand, pointed at the sky, and formed a shining sword. It was the fully manifested Soul Caliber.

“Haap!”

Reynolds cut through the sky with the sword.

Kiiiing-!

It made a terrible noise. Theo blocked his ears unconsciously and realized that he had escaped from Reynolds’ body. He didn’t know how, but Reynolds had separated Theo from his body. The noise from before was probably the forceful separation. Real hearing did not mean much in the mental world.

Theo asked Reynolds with a confused expression, “Why did you suddenly do this, Sir Spencer?”

“I want to check something. Use Soul Caliber.”

A great hero wouldn’t speak nonsense. Theo wasn’t sure about the reason, but he complied with Reynolds’ demand.

Soul Caliber.

It might be different for other magicians, but Theo was familiar with astral magic. His Umbra imprint glowed, and a soft green sword rose from his right hand. Of course, the strength and radiance were lacking compared to Reynolds’ version; however, the shape of the blade could be seen clearly.

“Hoh...!” Reynolds said admiringly, “You can certainly form it. Moreover, the green light symbolizes life and hope. I haven’t seen such a beautiful light in a long time.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“But it is as I expected. Look closely.”

Reynolds took the white light sword in his hand and used it to touch Theo’s green light sword. The moment that the two lights touched…

Kakang!?

Theo’s Soul Caliber broke with a cheerful sound.

“Ah?”

It broke like a graham cracker. The blade, which was made of a considerable amount of magic power, had broken easily.

Theo looked at Reynolds for an explanation, who held up his Soul Caliber for inspection, “You can manifest Soul Caliber, but you can’t reproduce the power. I’m not trying to dismiss your magic. It was like this from the start.”

“Like this from the start?”

“Soul Caliber is literally a sword of the soul. Its strength is determined by the power of the soul that forms the blade. Magic power can force into the shape of a sword, but it doesn’t compensate for the underlying strength.”

It was like a pavilion formed out of grains of sand. The smallest force would shatter it, and thus how Theo’s Soul Caliber was broken. Theo had been inspired by Umbra and managed to succeed in creating Soul Caliber with his eight Circles. However, unlike Reynolds, Theo wouldn’t be able to cut a high-ranking demon with it.

“This is why my family, the Spencer clan, quenches our souls for several generations before handing it over to future generations. I am the final result.” Reynold’s calm voice belied the terrifying hardship of this secret.

A soul being made into a sword, and a clan that handed it down for generations, repeating this process over and over... It was a history that couldn’t be revealed to outsiders. Reynolds was truly Spencer’s descendant. Theo realized why Reynolds was so proud of his heritage. After all, Reynolds shouldered the responsibility of his ancestors who had given up their souls.

When the weight of the responsibility dawned upon Theo, his face paled. Meanwhile, Reynolds just laughed and shrugged. “Don’t worry about my past. Shouldn’t you be paying attention to how to complete your imperfect Soul Caliber?”

“... Is there a method to do so?” Theo asked in a quiet voice.

“I don’t know,” Reynolds responded instantly, without any hesitation. “If there were such a method, my family wouldn’t have needed to inherit Soul Caliber from previous generations. The special magic, Soul Caliber, exerts its power when it is built up through time. There is no way to master it other than to train it thoroughly. At least, I don’t know of one.”

“But there is no time.”

The fundamental structure of Soul Caliber needed a few generations to strengthen if he used the Spencer family’s method. Jerem’s invasion was a month away, and Theo had too much to do to only focus on Soul Caliber. Reynolds, who received Theo’s memories through Synchro, couldn’t help complaining, “I’m sorry that I can’t be helpful. If possible, I would like to lend a hand directly...”

A warlock who had contracted with Nídh?ggur, a villain trying to swallow up the world tree… There was no better enemy for a hero to punish. If Reynolds were still alive, he would’ve run to Elvenheim instantly. However, Reynolds Spencer died a long time ago. This was just a fragment of his soul.

Theo was feeling frustrated when he suddenly had a thought.

The dead, a fragment of the soul…

Soul Caliber was a sword of the soul. It was a technique inherited from generation to generation.

Reynolds Spencer…

Several puzzle pieces hovered in Theo’s mind and spun to make a new shape. Any magician who saw what Theo had come up would be astonished. Theo hurriedly explained his idea to Reynolds.

It took him a moment, but the hero was flabbergasted.

“... Are you a genius?”

***

Less than half an hour later, Theo woke up from his Synchro with Reynolds.

Paak!

He jumped up like he had no time to waste, moving to an empty spot without any ents or dryads. He was worried that someone might get caught up in the aftermath of his spell. Theoretically, it shouldn’t be an issue, but a magician should always be cautious when experimenting.

“Huoong...” He took a few deep breaths and relaxed his body. He filled his muscles with blood and flexed his joints. Once he finished loosening up, he closed his eyes. Vision wasn’t a problem for magicians, but old habits were surprisingly helpful for concentration.

Umbra.

He summoned the imprint on his right arm. His hand started to glow, and Theo’s spiritual senses reached another realm. Simultaneously, a sword rose from his right hand.

“Okay, there’s no problem so far.”

Soul Caliber, an astral spell that interfered with the soul, was a spell that Reynolds had evaluated as a spell that couldn’t be used in practice. However, this time, there were some differences from the sword Theo had made in the mental world. This sword shone brilliantly, and Theo’s right hand cut at the empty space before him. Just like Reynolds had shown him, it was like a lightning strike across the sky.

Kiiiing-!?

Space parted before the blade. For a moment, it almost resembled the techniques of the 2nd Sword, Zest Speitem. There was a wall of darkness that no physical force could pass, a void that connected space. Theo’s Soul Caliber had severed that joint. It was an eerie and destructive power.

Theo banished the white sword and grinned.

I can’t exactly call it my Soul Caliber.

Theo muttered strange words as he looked down at his right arm. No, he was just talking to someone who couldn’t be seen.

“How about it, Sir Spencer?”

Reynolds’ voice came from Theo’s right arm. To be precise, it came from the engraving.

[Good! It is a bit lacking compared to my prime, but the undead won’t be able to stand it.]

“It is really great.”

That’s right. Rather than forming Soul Caliber with his own soul, Theo shifted Reynold’s soul to Umbra and had him manifest Soul Caliber.

It was only a fragment of the soul and couldn’t be compared to when he was alive. However, Reynold’s Soul Caliber had been tempered over several generations and was much stronger than Theo’s. It was sufficient to play a role in the fight against Jerem.

Theo had used a shortcut of intervening with the soul using Umbra’s power.

That’s one trump card ready for use. Sir Spencer’s Soul Caliber can kill Jerem.

Necromancers had especially strong vitality among warlocks. Despite being heavily injured by Mitra, ordinary attacks like Inferno wouldn’t hurt Jerem. Thus, Theo needed to acquire an attack that would work against Jerem.

“Please take care of me, Sir Spencer.”

[Yes! Will you inherit the name of my family? I can guarantee it with the name of Reynolds Spencer!]

It seemed that Theo had added one more talkative person to his household.