Magic Sword Aatrox

Bai Sheng looked at the sword on the table. Its blade was black, and a dark crimson gemstone was set above the hilt.

The entire sword radiated a powerful aura of destruction.

"Kid, there's a powerful soul inside this sword. In life, it was definitely stronger than a Pathstrider!"

Pandora said, the immense amount of 〔Destruction〕 power emanating from the sword was nearly tangible.

"Sister Pandora, what should I do?"

Bai Sheng asked.

"Give me control of your body. I'll transfer him out of the sword and into me."

"Alright."

Bai Sheng relaxed his mind and allowed Pandora to enter.

Bai Sheng's originally blue eyes turned purple, while an aura comparable to that of a 〔Hunt〕 Emanator suddenly erupted from his body.

"Bai Sheng! What's wrong with you?"

Silver Wolf, who stood closest to Bai Sheng, was the first to react. Body possession was not uncommon across the universe; some races could use their innate traits to seize the bodies of other races.

The Heliobi of the Xianzhou were an example.

With Bai Sheng's aura changing so abruptly, it was hard not to worry.

At Silver Wolf's words, Sam also rose to his feet. Flames coiled around his body as he drew two light swords.

Blade, standing nearby, gripped his "Shattered Sword" in hand, his eyes gradually turning blood-red.

"You're not one of the Xianzhou Eternals, yet you suffer from being Mara-struck. You also carry the aura of an 〔Abundance〕 Emanator. You certainly have quite a story, but right now, you should calm down."

Blade, who had been preparing to attack, suddenly found his previously clouded eyes becoming much clearer.

He looked at "Bai Sheng" and asked:

"What did you do to me?"

Other than Kafka's Word Charm Technique, this was the first time Blade had seen anyone capable of suppressing his Mara-struck condition.

"Nothing much. I just wanted you to calm down. Alright, you Glamoth orphan over there, and this little girl too—calm down. Let me introduce myself. I am Pandora."

As she spoke, Pandora's pitch-black scythe form appeared behind Bai Sheng.

"Your power... is far too great."

Sam said, sheathing his twin swords at the same time. Leaving aside anything else, in Bai Sheng's current state, killing everyone here except Blade in an instant would not be a problem.

"Don't make such a fuss. Time waits for no one, and I can only control this brat for a limited time. Once I transfer the soul in this sword into myself, you can ask the brat about it. Oh, and isn't that purple-haired woman of yours here? Tell her that if she wants to treat Bai Sheng as family, then she should take responsibility for her words. Otherwise, I don't mind making that slave of fate's efforts come to nothing."

With that, Pandora took the sword into her hand. In an instant, a massive amount of black mist surged from within it and enveloped Pandora.

"Hahahahaha! How many years has it been? How many years have I been trapped inside this sword?! What a powerful body! Become the vessel of me, Aatrox, Cataclysm Vanguard!"

A humanoid figure slowly condensed within the mist.

Two horns protruded from its head, its eyes were blood-red, and its black body was covered in scars. Yet it appeared somewhat illusory.

Pandora merely smiled.

"The first soul is actually a Cataclysm Vanguard. Fairly ordinary, I suppose. It seems that slave of fate isn't completely useless after all."

As she spoke, Pandora reached out and grabbed the Cataclysm Vanguard by the throat.

"Y-You... who are you? No, this is the aura of the Hunt! What are you trying to do?! Let go of me!!"

Its sharp black claws raked across Pandora's arm without leaving so much as a scratch. With a squeeze, Pandora forcibly tore the Cataclysm Vanguard's soul out of the sword.

"Stop making noise. Don't chirp away like a Trotter."

"Don't get so arrogant! I'll destroy you!!"

Aatrox raised a fist and prepared to strike Pandora.

"I said, quiet down!"

As she spoke, the purple light in "Bai Sheng's" eyes intensified, and the aura around her rose once more, directly suppressing Aatrox.

"This is... You... Impossible!... Aren't you already dead? How could you..."

It was as though Aatrox had seen some indescribable horror. For a moment, he even forgot to struggle.

"Shut up, then obediently do as you're told. Otherwise, I don't mind replacing you with another soul. After all, you're merely a Cataclysm Vanguard."

Pandora threatened him, smiling as she looked at him.

"Y-Yes... I-I will do as you command."

Aatrox said nothing further. This was not an existence he could afford to provoke. At most, he was a mortal who had walked the 〔Destruction〕 Path a little longer. But the one before him had already transcended the realm of mortals. Even if the strongest Lord of Annihilation of his time were here, he could only quietly lie there like a dish on a platter.

Aatrox had once been fortunate enough to take part in that war and witness the strength of the person before him. She was absolutely not someone he could provoke! Even if he were asked to single-handedly kill Nanook, the Aeon of 〔Destruction〕, he would still rather do that than face her!

He might have walked the 〔Destruction〕 Path, but that did not mean he was a madman bent on destroying everything, including himself.

Seeing Aatrox finally quiet down, "Bai Sheng" patted his cheek.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd acted like this from the start? Just remember one thing: you cannot harm the person I'm possessing. That is my bottom line. I don't care about anything else. Understand?"

Pandora had spoken calmly enough, but her words landed on Aatrox like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

"Yes, I understand."

"That's good. Don't think of me as some kind of monster. Once this is over, we'll still be neighbors."

After saying that, Pandora took out the Scythe Blade and stuffed Aatrox into a dim gemstone set in its blade.

The crystal immediately changed from dull gray to a striking crimson, like a beating heart.

Oh, right. Pandora had shielded her conversation with Aatrox, which meant Silver Wolf and the others outside had only seen Pandora grab Aatrox by the throat before sealing him into the Scythe Blade. As for anything else, sorry, that wasn't something they were meant to know.

"Alright, that settles it. Remember to tell that brat later to use a spirit puppet to make a body for this soul. Otherwise, he'll only be a decoration."

After Pandora finished speaking, the purple in Bai Sheng's eyes faded, returning to gold.

"Kid, you've collected your first soul. I'm going to sleep for a while. I'll wake up in a couple of days."

After that, Bai Sheng could no longer hear Pandora's voice.

While Pandora possessed him, Bai Sheng could not sense the outside world. It was as though he had fallen asleep, though it would not last long. As far as Bai Sheng knew, Pandora's possession limit was roughly one to two hours. This time had been relatively short.

"Pandora has gone dormant for now. What just happened?"

Silver Wolf and Sam explained what had happened to Bai Sheng. Bai Sheng still trusted Pandora quite a bit. It seemed the first soul he had found for her was fairly good.

Picking up the Scythe Blade, Bai Sheng saw the crimson crystal. The moment he touched it, he heard a powerful voice:

"Kid! My name is Aatrox!"