The Invincible Full-Moon System

Strengthening the soul would require a completely different approach.

Since the concept of souls itself was different, this was natural.

An Awakened cultivated their affinity to become stronger—the Supernatural race has varying methods to become stronger, unique to only their own race, so it came as natural for the soul to demand another method to strengthen it.

Iris was foreign to the concept.

She has never come across the need to strengthen her soul in any way.

Because of that, she doesn't know what Rex was trying to gain by going through with this.

He even made a deal with Elder Tilirith, a hostile force.

Mavenna should know something about this, but Iris has no intention of asking her, she was too focused on Elder Tilrith. She didn't trust the Demons at all much less the Demon Queen, she knew how barbaric the Demon race was.

If Elder Tilrith did even remotely try to do something bad, she would intervene.

It was the reason Iris wanted to stay here with Rex.

She would become another piece for Rex to use if Mavenna and Elder Tilrith betrayed him.

As she followed Elder Tilrith's movements—Iris immediately acted when Elder Tilrith made a palm strike that knocked Rex's soul out of his fleshy body. But Mavenna placed her hand on Iris' chest, holding her back.

"What are you doing?!" Iris barked, glaring at Mavenna.

Mavenna calmed her down, "Relax—it's part of the process. The Emperor is going to be fine"

Even then, Iris kept pushing forward, she didn't believe even one word.

Despite feeling that it was a hassle to lower herself and amend for the likes of something so mere as a Dark Elf, Elder Tilrith waved her hand. Her hell-void energy brushed against Iris' body and in that instant, she stopped struggling.

Not because she was manipulated or anything but she could now see Rex's soul.

Earlier, she couldn't—she only saw Rex's actual body becoming limp.

He was still standing but his shoulders slouched and his eyes turned dead hollow.

It was understandable for her to become worried.

But that was no more.

"Calm down, Iris. It's okay," Rex assured, this was a part of the process.

<Notice: the representation of the user's soul has been extracted>

Representation? Not my actual soul?

<Yes, only a representation>

Does that mean I wouldn't be harmed even if Elder Tilrith attacked me right now?

<No, this was only a projection to inspect the user's actual soul>

Even though Elder Tilrith was doing this to help him—the fact that she could knock his soul out without any struggle made him worried. But as it turns out, this wasn't his actual soul—only a representation so he's fine.

Looking down at his body, Rex nodded.

No wonder I'm colored purple, made of hell-void energy.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Rex asked, shifting his attention back to Elder Tilrith.

Upon hearing this, Elder Tilrith approached closer again.

Her demonic heels tapped against the broken white marble ground before she stopped a few steps away from Rex with a finger on her chin, she was inspecting him, "Before I do anything, I need to know if you're clean"

"Clean?"

"Yes, the soul is a fragile thing. It's sensitive and any harm would most likely be a permanent one. By clean I mean if your soul is in good condition enough—to start the process. A soul is the representation of the person's whole life and from what I can see... you're far from being clean"

Rex's eyebrows dipped into a frown in confusion.

But once he looked down at himself again, he saw cracks forming one by one.

It happened out of nowhere.

"You've been hiding your scars, Royal Black Prince—your soul reflects it," Elder Tilrith said.

Tightening the muscles in his cheek, Rex squinted, "Can you fix it?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Tilrith chuckled humorously.

"You ask as if your soul was an item, you're a living being..." She replied before a playful smile crept to her face, suspecting something interesting. "Or have you forgotten that? I'm sure the corpses piling around your feet and the blood coating your hands made it hard for you to feel alive. More like a weapon than man... am I close?"

Rex clenched his hands, maintaining eye contact with Elder Tilrith.

He then raised an eyebrow, "Doesn't that also apply to you...?"

"I'm sure it could but you've forgotten one thing..." Elder Tilirth grinned. "I'm a Demoness"

An upbringing from person to person, was vastly different, Rex knew that, so comparing him to a Demoness was a far-stretch. Surely, Elder Tilrith has no guilt in her conscience, she was made for this kind of life.

Bringing death to others excites her more than anything.

"Can you fix my soul?" Rex asked again, changing the topic.

Elder Tilrith paused for a second, pondering about the situation.

"Fixing this soul of yours wouldn't be possible even for someone like me," She answered.

Upon hearing this, Rex clicked his tongue and swam back to his fleshy body.

He couldn't afford any time to waste.

"If you can't do it then we're done here, our deal is off"

"Wait a minute..."

Before he could return to his body, Elder Tilrith stopped him.

"What? Didn't you say you can't fix my soul?"

"Yes, I can't fix your soul. Only you can fix your soul and I can help you achieve that"

Even though Elder Tilrith could help him, there was something hidden behind her eyes—the catch that she was about to deliver. Rex could see it, she was eager to say it, "And how can you help me achieve that?"

"I can use my power to infiltrate your mind and create the place to help you heal—by letting out of your trauma, and helping you overcome it" She then tilted her head, the smile of hers stretching wider. "But if we do that, I'll be able to see your weaknesses... No, we're all going to see your weaknesses"

Elder Tilrith turned towards Mavenna and Iris.

Both of them were here so they were going to witness everything too.

It was a big decision for Rex.

Going through with this means the three of them would be able to view his entire life—and all of his trauma would be displayed. Not even Adhara, or the others knew much, about his past, he kept it to himself for obvious reasons.

So Rex was forced into contemplation, he was uncertain what he should've done.

Allowing these three to know before them would be unfair.

But what else could I do? It's only memories.

Before making a decision, Rex asked, "Once my soul is fixed, what's next?"

"I will begin the process to strengthen your soul"

"And that is how exactly?"

Elder Tilrith paused for a second, looking directly into Rex's eyes.

She then answered in a whisper, "By sacrificing my soul and using it to enhance yours..."

"What...?" Rex was stunned, not expecting the answer.

Her expression then twisted into sadness, she clutched her chest as if clutching her heart in a dramatic way, "Yes, I will be soulless but as a Demoness—I can survive still. It would cause me immense pain and alter my life for good but for the Origin, I will gladly do it..."

Upon hearing this, Rex was even more in disbelief.

He didn't know what made her willing to go to such lengths.

Even without his help, even if he didn't need to go, to the Spirit Realm, Elder Tilrith would be able to retrieve the Maw of Oblivion, in the future without a doubt. So there was no need for her to sacrifice her soul to help Rex if losing her soul would cost her so much.

Rex was confused as to why Elder Tilrith was going through with this for him.

But then, Mavenna intervened with an irritated tone, "She's lying,"

"She's a Succubus, there was no effect on her for losing a soul. If her soul was shattered, in some ways, she could absorb others' life forces and replenish her soul," She added, casting Elder Tilrith a mocking grin. "It costs her nothing to enhance your soul"

"Mavenna, yo-?!" Elder Tilrith pointed at her in anger. "Aren't we on the same side?!"

"We are but I don't want to see you have your way," Mavenna replied, sticking out her tongue.

Seeing this, Elder Tilrith wanted to rip her apart but she refrained from doing that.

Had Mavenna not intervened, Rex would've fallen for that.

She could demand more but that plan was ruined all because of Mavenna's pettiness.

"Really...? I should've known" Rex exhaled roughly.

Even without Mavenna saying that the System would also notify him whether Elder Tilrith was being truthful or not. So either way, he would know if she was lying, but to think that Mavenna stepped in was surprising.

Recovering from her anger, Elder Tilrith turned towards him, "I promised to help, but I did not promise to not extort more from you so don't be angry, Royal Black Prince. It's the game you and I are familiar with"

As someone who was in a position of power, Rex understands this deeply.

In a political situation such as this, there will always be schemes.

Elder Tilrith was using his situation to her advantage, knowing that Rex's mind was occupied.

System, what are the chances of my soul being harmed if I go through with this—without the need to fix my soul?

<Scanning the user's soul...>

<Calculating the probability...>

<...>

<Completed!>

<If the soul's cracks are not repaired first, damage exceeding 50% integrity will result.>

50% huh... I can't really take that chance, it's too high. How about if I fix the worst crack?

Looking down at his chest, he could see his beating heart was cracked the most.

It represented the worst trauma he had.

<Calculating...>

<The probability of harming the user's soul would drop to 20%>

20%...? Okay, that's good. I can work with that.

Once he consulted with the System, Rex turned back towards Elder Tilrith who was awaiting his answer. He hesitated for a second—knowing what he was about to allow—but gritted his teeth anyway, "I'll fix my heart only, the worst one"

"Oh...? Does that mean you allowed me to see it?" Elder Tilrith asked again teasingly.

Upon hearing this, Rex nodded firmly, "Just do it..."

Gaining his approval, Elder Tilrith stepped forward and lifted both of her arms.

Swoosh!

Her hell-void energy created a bubble across the entire space—muting the sound of the sea and the blowing wind. Once that was done—she went over to Rex's actual body and pointed her index finger at his heart.

"Don't resist it, Royal Black Prince" She muttered and charged her index fingertip.

Finding no malicious intent in this, Rex lowered his guard.

Once he did, a beam of hell-void energy pierced through and struck his heart.

In an instant, the energy coated his entire beating heart, before it shot upwards, striking the bubble barrier and shading it with a waterfall of purple energy. Rex, Iris, Mavenna, and Elder Tilrith were then blinded by a radiant light coming from Rex's heart.

After what seemed to be ten seconds, the purple light slowly faded.

Rex and the others regained back their vision and realized that the surroundings changed. Discover stories at empire

Before them was an infinite battlefield that stretched into the horizon—littered with tranches and bomb craters. A desolate expanse shrouded in an oppressive gray mist that clung to the air like a shroud.

A pungent scent of iron and decay permeated the tranches.

As they settled onto the place, the mist swayed, revealing an infinite amount of corpses.

Most of them were shrouded in darkness but as Iris glanced around, she gasped.

All of the corpses littering the ground were Rex.

Just then, Elder Tilrith turned to Rex's soul who was standing still ahead, "Find the path that would take us to your most painful trauma—you have to conquer it to heal your soul. Do not let your past linger in your mind anymore. Attain solace"

Upon saying that, she and the others were about to help search for it.

Elder Tilrith scanned the place and saw steams coming out of the trenches.

Stronger steam must represent deeper pain in Rex's soul.

However, none of the steam was vicious, it was as if Rex had already conquered his past.

Suddenly, Rex turned and went over to her—his face was dark and grim.

Rex placed both hands on Elder Tilrith's shoulders and tilted his head down to the ground.

"W- Wait a minute..." His voice shook hard. "I... I can't do this, I can't let you see this"

Elder Tilrith's eyes widened when she heard this, a realization came to her.

"You..." She whispered in disbelief. "It is not your past that was making your soul suffer, it is your current self..."

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