The path of the Soul Emperor

Chapter 9

Stella stood just outside, staring into the forest, her senses warning her to run—yet she felt it was too late for that.

Red eyes began to emerge from the shadows, revealing orcs mounted on dire wolves, armed with swords and axes hanging from their waists.

"So, I was right—the smell of a halfling," sneered the green-skinned orc in front, his expression filled with disdain.

Stella shifted into a fighting stance, focusing intently on the orcs as they emerged.

Soon, a total of ten orcs surrounded her, their wolves making the count twenty enemies in all.

The leader orc grinned wickedly as he dismounted.

"You should have killed yourself the moment you were born, halfling," he taunted.

"What do you want?" Stella asked, raising her axe, prepared to fight.

"As if you don't know," the leader replied, drawing his sword and pointing it at her. "To kill you, of course."

He swung his sword, vanishing and reappearing in front of her in the blink of an eye.

Stella barely had time to react as the massive blade slashed toward her head.

In one swift motion that others might have thought impossible, she jumped back, spinning to deflect the attack to the side.

However, the force of the strike was so powerful that she could only manage to redirect it slightly, resulting in a shallow cut on her neck.

"Good reflexes," the leader smirked, licking the blood off his sword. "But that won't save you."

Holding her neck, Stella stared at the orc leader in fear. '

What should I do?' she wondered, realizing that running would only expose her back to the enemy.

Dark energy began to swirl around the orc's sword as he locked eyes with Stella.

He moved even faster than before, his sword slashing toward her.

The match was hopelessly uneven, but then, unexpectedly, his sword was deflected.

The orc leader jumped back, and the other orcs around them were equally stunned.

Out of the shadows stepped a young man with silver hair, his eyes hidden.

It was Alex, now in his Soul Emperor state, his power heightened to C+ rank.

Due to stabilizing his Soul Foundation to 5%, his soul essence had grown fivefold, allowing him to maintain this form for more than twenty minutes.

"Who are you?" the orc leader demanded.

"Kneel," Alex commanded with a single word.

[King's Aura Activated]

{King's Aura} – Allows the user to project immense soul pressure that cannot be resisted. This pressure is especially potent against those with weaker or equivalent souls, and it can even kill them if their souls are too fragile. However, the effect diminishes against beings with significantly stronger souls.

A powerful force spread out around Alex, affecting everyone but Stella, whom the skill had spared.

The orc leader fell to his knees, breathing heavily, as did the other orcs; some even coughed up blood.

None died, as even the weakest among them held a (D-) rank, while the leader was at (C) rank.

With everyone forced to their knees, Alex quickly analyzed the situation.

'Using the Soul Emperor skill alongside King's Aura is consuming a lot of soul essence. If this continues, I'll only last about five minutes. But the more my Soul Foundation stabilizes, the easier this should become.'

He sighed and looked back at Stella. "Are you okay?"

She managed a small smile and nodded. "Thanks."

Alex returned her smile briefly before turning his attention to the kneeling orc leader. "What's your name?"

The orc leader struggled to lift his head, clearly finding it difficult even to remain upright. "Answer me," Alex ordered.

"M...Mike," the orc answered with effort.

"Mike, huh…" Alex paused briefly. "Then, Mike, you have two choices: die here along with your men or work for me. So, which will you choose?"

[King's Aura Deactivated]

With the pressure lifted, Mike gasped for air, a look of fear flashing across his face.

Staring at the cloth covering Alex's eyes, he felt diminished. "We will work for you," he stammered.

Alex considered him in silence for a moment before he sighed. "A soul cannot lie. But because of your particular bloodline, you would only corrupt mine."

Before Mike could comprehend what Alex meant, his life ended abruptly. Alex had struck him with three Soul Spears, obliterating his soul.

Due to Mike's dark bloodline, there was a slight risk it could harm Alex's own soul if they forged a soul contract, as such a bond would create a direct link between them.

Alex couldn't afford that risk; the soul was essential, akin to a heart in a person's body—without it, survival was impossible.

The other orcs, witnessing their leader's swift demise, turned and fled without hesitation.

"Orcs are quite the cowards," Alex remarked.

Stella chuckled. "No, they just know when they're outmatched."

Alex laughed as well.

[Soul Emperor Deactivated]

He walked over to Mike's body, pulled out his sword, and cut open the orc leader's chest, removing his heart and some of his blood.

Stella watched in confusion but didn't question his actions. Alex then turned to the great sword the orc leader had wielded.

It was heavy, but nothing too extraordinary. Still, it reminded him of something. "I almost forgot about the Dark Sword."

"The Dark Sword?" Stella asked, curious.

Alex smiled. "Let's head back."

{Author's Note}

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