"..."
Hals walked beneath the tree and crouched in front of Bibi Dong, who had fallen into a half-conscious state. He looked at the girl before him, unconscious and utterly weak.
"This might be the first time my master has ever shown such weakness in front of me..."
Hals gently rested a hand on Bibi Dong's forehead, channeling Soul Power into her to examine her body. A moment later, he let out a long breath.
Thankfully, the shock had only injured her internal organs. Given her constitution, she should recover before long. However...
"However..." Hals slowly straightened and surveyed the many Soul Beasts around them.
"You actually managed to hurt my master right in front of me. I was careless, but still, this is unforgivable!!!" Hals spoke in a low voice, his oppressive, hoarse words scraping out from his throat.
The wolf Soul Beasts surrounding the camp first whimpered in fear, but in the end, their hunger for a Soul Master's flesh overcame their animal instincts. They bared their white teeth, drooled, and growled as they closed in.
"Monsters, every last one of you."
For the first time, Hals set down the Lantern in his hand.
Everyone and every beast present found themselves staring at the Lantern as it descended toward the ground.
"Craack!"
The Lantern slammed onto the ground and shattered.
"Wooo~" A piercing wail, mournful as a lament, rang out. A cold wind rose, and countless spirits surged forth, wailing as they rushed toward the wolves.
Among them were small children, hunched old people, strong mercenaries, and countless strange Soul Beasts. The spirit of the Shadow Wolf that had just been slain was among them.
"Th-those are the people Lord Hals killed?!" Xiong Yiyi, who had somehow dragged herself over to Jiabulin, clung to his limp body and trembled as she spoke.
"You beasts should feel honored." Beneath his hood, Hals wore a cold, contemptuous expression. "You're the first enemies to experience my Self-Created Soul Skill—Yellow Spring Pure Land. So..."
A chilling green light spread through Hals's eyes, both cold and tinged with frenzy.
"So offer up your lives to atone to my master, and celebrate this great Soul Skill!!"
"Argh~" The Soul Beasts assailed by the spirits, who swarmed them like zombies, let out shrill howls. They endured the horror in terror, staring at their leader, the wolf whose color had changed—Shadow Wolf, no, now he should be called Green Wolf—as he frantically attacked his former subordinates.
Hals saw fear in their uncivilized eyes.
"What a wonderful, wonderful feeling."
Hals finally lost control. He dug his hands into his face, and the green-glowing eyes that were usually the only part of him visible bulged out for the first time, shining with a bloody red light.
"Now, let me ring the final bell for this funeral!"
Hals bent his knees slightly and hunched forward at a bizarre angle. He thrust both hands into his hood, yanked at his hair, and howled at the sky, falling completely into madness.
Five dazzling Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, and black—appeared behind him. The fourth Soul Ring flashed. Whisper, activate!
But this time, what rang out in the minds of the Soul Beasts was not that eerie whisper, but a deep, ancient, majestic chime that echoed without end...
One wolf Soul Beast after another fell, and one spirit after another rose. But with the Lantern shattered, they weren't drawn inside. Instead, countless spirits swarmed and surrounded the newly born ones, biting and devouring them.
Hals gradually regained his composure and lowered his hands, straightening his robe.
"You don't deserve to have souls."
The old spirits, having devoured many newly born ones, seemed to have gained strength and recovered their memories, or perhaps awakened the instincts of spirits. Their eyes grew a little clearer. They looked at Hals in terror, then staggered and howled as they fled away from him.
"Clack, clack."
The scattered fragments of the Lantern floated up, drew together, and gradually pieced themselves back into a whole.
"Boom."
There was no sound, but to Xiong Yiyi, the only conscious bystander there, it felt like a muffled explosion in her ears.
The Lantern blazed with brilliant green light. A terrifying suction force sprang forth, drawing and dragging countless spirits back into this cage.
"Argh~" Every spirit scrambled away on its hands and feet, fleeing with all its might. Their ten fingers dug deep into the ground, but it was useless; they clawed futilely at the earth, carving out furrow after furrow, before finally wailing as they were dragged back into the Lantern.
As it drew all the spirits back inside, the Lantern's light gradually dimmed, flickering now and then as if the spirits were struggling in defiance.
A pale, withered left hand, yet somehow flawless, lifted the Lantern and hung it back beneath the robe.
"I told you, no soul can escape me and flee elsewhere."
As the words fell, as if to prove them true, Soul Rings of every color rose from the corpses of the wolf Soul Beasts, turning this place into a kingdom of Soul Rings.
Hals scooped Bibi Dong into his arms and set off in a random direction.
"L-Lord Hals," a soft, childlike voice trembled.
"Hmm?" Hals turned toward the girl collapsed nearby. Her face was full of fear, though he couldn't tell what she was afraid of—the Soul Beasts, or Hals.
"Oh, you're still alive," a hoarse, cold voice said.
Huh? Had Lord Hals forgotten about us already? Did he only care about the Holy Maiden?
Though she felt an inexplicable urge to complain, her fear of Hals and concern for her companion took precedence.
"L-Lord Hals, could you, could you check Jiabulin's injuries? He seems, he seems... like he's not going to make it, boohoo." As she spoke, Xiong Yiyi suddenly burst into tears and pointed at Jiabulin, who had already passed out.
What a child, Hals thought, forgetting entirely that he was only eighteen himself.
Hals glanced over, then turned away and continued walking.
"He's fine. He's not going to die; he just passed out."
"Oh, is that so?" Xiong Yiyi stopped crying, wiped her tears, and looked at Jiabulin in surprise. He was already snoring loudly.
"Carry him and follow me," Hals said coldly.
"O-okay!"
Xiong Yiyi hurriedly hoisted Jiabulin onto her back and stumbled after Hals.
After all that, by the time Hals found a new campsite, it was already late at night. He personally put up a tent, carried Bibi Dong inside, and lowered the flap.
Seeing this, Xiong Yiyi could only sigh helplessly. She gently lowered Jiabulin from her back and set about putting up a tent herself.
"Since you always look after me, I'll take care of you this once, even if it's a bit of a bother." Xiong Yiyi sighed and used all her strength to get Jiabulin into the tent. "Honestly, what a pain."
"Mm..." A soft moan.
Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the dark green figure beside her, her mind a complete void.
"You're awake, master."
"Hals..." Bibi Dong struggled to turn her head and looked at Hals, who had risen and walked over to her. "Hals, was it you who saved me?"
"Yes, master. I failed to protect you and allowed you to be injured. Please punish me." Hals knelt on one knee before Bibi Dong, hiding his face—and even his eyes—deep beneath his hood.
"It's not your fault, Hals. I was just too careless." Bibi Dong's voice was faint and weak.
"Hals."
"Yes, master."
"Could you tell me what happened after I passed out?"
"As you command, my master."
Before you continue