Your Soul, I Claim

"Hiss-ha."

A creature that stood and walked like a human, yet possessed the face of a wolf, stared greedily at the small village not far away, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth.

"Ahhhhh! Wolves! Wolf Bandits! Run! Wolf Bandits, ah!"

A shrill, miserable scream shattered the peaceful night of the small village.

A large pack of Wolf Bandits roared as they stormed into the village, leaping into houses, the scent of blood in the air growing increasingly thick.

"Don't, don't panic." A middle-aged man who appeared to be the village chief held a pitchfork, forcing himself to remain calm as he comforted and directed the villagers.

"Lote, take the women and protect the children first..."

The night was dark, and the villagers were listening intently to the chief's instructions when they suddenly noticed he had stopped speaking.

"Ch-Chief?"

A villager trembling as he struck a match held it up in front of the chief.

The air suddenly fell into a suffocating silence.

The chief, who had just been giving orders, now had his eyes wide open in shock; although they had lost their luster, one could still see a trace of disbelief within them.

A sharp, matted claw had pierced through the chief's chest.

It was a lean, small Wolf Bandit, hunched behind the chief's corpse.

Upon seeing the firelight, a flicker of playfulness crossed its face. It poked its head out, looked at the many "foods" before it, and a glint of greed flashed in its eyes before it withdrew its claw and lunged forward.

"Ahhhhh~"

Screams echoed incessantly.

Corpses littered the ground, all of them human, with only one weak Wolf Bandit lying among the many bodies.

A young man leaned against a wall, a horrific wound torn into his abdomen. One could see his internal organs had been sliced in two, the edges of the wound already blackened, with only a trickle of blood slowly oozing out. The young man's body had begun to grow cold—a symptom of excessive blood loss.

"Why, why..." the young man muttered weakly. "It was, it was only one Wolf Bandit, and yet, everyone, everyone is dead."

His wound twitched, but the young man could no longer feel a shred of pain.

"God, I beg you, I don't want to die, save me."

The light in his eyes gradually dimmed; clearly, his god had not protected him.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Slow footsteps sounded, and in the darkness, a figure carrying a lantern emitting a Green Light walked among the scattered corpses.

"Soul, the scent of a soul."

A hoarse voice spoke, and the lantern in the figure's hand flickered slightly. Many green motes of light floated out from the corpses, all of them sucked into the lantern.

The figure did not pause for a second, heading straight toward the center of the village.

"Hmph."

The Wolf Bandit Chief, who was busy gorging itself on a corpse, seemed to sense something. It raised its head, staring vigilantly into the darkness; the wild instincts of a beast made it keenly aware that something in the shadows posed a threat.

"Step, step, step."

Footsteps sounded, and the figure appeared. Looking at the Wolf Bandit that was watching him with vigilance, no one could tell what expression was hidden beneath the hood.

"Mm, a beast-like body providing a stable soul structure, and humanoid intelligence providing high-quality Soul Essence. A great tonic."

The hoarse voice was filled with joy.

The figure looked at the Wolf Bandit, which had already slowly risen to its feet, baring its fangs and teeth in a display of aggression. He grinned, though of course, no one could see that smile.

"Heh heh, resistance? An unruly soul has even higher value. So, hand over your soul."

"Roar!"

A ruthless glint flashed in the Wolf Bandit's eyes, and with a howl, it charged at the figure first.

The lantern flashed with a stronger Green Light, the frequency of its flickering increasing rapidly.

Behind the figure, five Soul Rings of different colors emerged, their configuration far exceeding a perfect ratio: one yellow, two purple, and two black.

The yellow Soul Ring shimmered, blooming with a bright radiance. The lantern in the figure's hand randomly spewed out a sheet of green light, covering the rope-attached Hook on his right hand, which resembled a sickle at the tip.

Watching the Wolf Bandit Chief, who had already leaped into the air and reached him, the figure flicked his wrist. The reinforced rope-hook smashed into the Wolf Bandit Chief's chest from bottom to top, sending it flying.

As the Wolf Bandit Chief fell to the side, its body overflowed with mist-like green light, most notably from its head.

The Wolf Bandit Chief stumbled, trying to crawl up, but kept falling. It shook its head, and when it looked at the figure again, a trace of fear had already surfaced in its eyes.

The figure shook his head, his words filled with disdain. "A beast, after all."

He flicked his hand with force, and the Hook shot out, tightly wrapping around and snagging the Wolf Bandit Chief's body. The first purple Soul Ring behind him shone brightly, and a wave of energy instantly traveled along the rope to the Hook. The Hook vibrated slightly, turning semi-corporeal as it passed through the Wolf Bandit Chief's waist. When it flew back, there was an emerald-green soul attached to the Hook—the soul of the Wolf Bandit Chief.

The figure watched the Hook fly back, raised his hand to grasp the soul, and the Hook, as if possessed of life, uncoiled itself and retracted back to the figure's waist, hiding within his robes.

The figure held the soul up before his face, taking a deep breath as if enjoying something.

A moment later, the figure exerted force with his right hand and gave a gentle squeeze. The Wolf Bandit Chief's soul shattered, exploding into a sky full of green mist, which was then drawn into the lantern.

The figure closed its eyes, savoring something. After a long while, it opened them again, but they were now filled with madness.

"Not enough. I need... more."

Where the figure's eyeballs should have been, roaring green flames burned within its sockets.

The first black Soul Ring behind the figure lit up, yet it strangely drew in the surrounding light like a black hole.

"It is no mere coincidence that our paths intersect, $n. You were meant..."

An eerie, unnameable Whisper appeared deep within the minds of all the Wolf Bandits present. Every one of them simultaneously grew weak and lost their sanity.

"Hah, hah~"

The Wolf Bandits collapsed to the ground, gasping for air with great difficulty.

"Heh."

The figure chuckled, its voice raspy.

The first thousand-year Soul Ring behind it flared once more—Soul Shock.

The bodies of all the Wolf Bandits shuddered as their souls emerged from their physical forms, flying uncontrollably toward the Soul-Guiding Lantern in the figure's hand.

The figure watched quietly as every soul was drawn into the Lantern one after another, smiling with satisfaction. The voice remained raspy.

"A bountiful harvest..."

Without hesitation, it turned and submerged back into the darkness.

Another village had become a dead zone.

Martial Soul Hall was the number one power on the Douluo Continent, at least for now.

"Who goes there?"

The guards at the side gate of Martial Soul Hall watched the shadows of the forest in front of the gate with vigilance.

"Step, step, step."

A figure hidden beneath a Dark Green Robe slowly emerged.

Seeing this figure, the guards visibly relaxed.

"Lord Hals."

The two guards bowed respectfully, but Hals did not react, walking straight into the palace.

"Lord Hals, the Pope has ordered that you report to him upon your return."

Hals paused his steps, nodded, and continued on his way.

"Lord Hals is still as terrifying as ever," one guard said to his companion, shivering.

"That is true, but Lord Hals is already a Soul King at such a young age."

Hals walked at a steady, unhurried pace. It took a long time to reach the Pope Palace, but Hals did not hesitate, pushing open the heavy doors and walking inside.

"You have come, Hals."

Sitting on the throne was a man with a gloomy expression; he was Qian Xunji, the current Pope of Martial Soul Hall.

Hals bowed slightly, still carrying his Lantern, his eyes not daring to meet Qian Xunji's gaze.

"Yes, my Majesty."

"You have done well, Hals." Qian Xunji made no effort to hide his satisfaction with Hals. "I have seen all of your performances. Your loyalty to Martial Soul Hall, your loyalty to me—it is very good."

"Hals, you must remember, although you are very strong, I cannot make you the Holy Son. But rest assured, in the future, I will entrust the Shadow Army of Martial Soul Hall to you. You must properly assist the Holy Maiden; she will be the future Pope."

Hals bowed even lower.

"Yes, my Majesty."

"Hahaha, Hals, do not always be so reticent. Your next task is to assist the Holy Maiden unconditionally whenever she needs help. Do you understand?" Qian Xunji was in high spirits.

"Understood, Majesty."

"Mm, go now. Go and take your orders from the Holy Maiden."

Hals bowed in salute and turned to leave.

Hals's residence was a small cabin next to the Holy Maiden Bibi Dong's quarters. Though called a cabin, it was more like an underground dungeon.

Hals did not return to his own room first, instead knocking on Bibi Dong's door.

"You have returned, Hals." The door did not open, but a pleasant female voice drifted out.

"Yes, my Master." Hals replied in that same raspy voice, though it was significantly more respectful than when he faced Qian Xunji, and his body was bowed deeply.

"What did he say to you?"

"He demanded that I obey your commands, my Master."

"Mm." The voice sounded, then fell silent.

"Go, Hals. I will call for you if there is anything."

"As you command, my Master," Hals said. "The item you ordered me to find has been brought back. Do you need me to leave it at the door now?"

"Mm."

Hals took the item out of the Lantern and placed it on the ground. After bowing once more, he turned and walked into the dungeon next door.