Magical Soul Parade - Chapter 254: The Errant Grows Stronger

Chapter 254: The Errant Grows Stronger

Without chanting the first word of his soul edict, Finn pressed his will outward, declaring his authority. His soul density spiked, radiating his presence till it filled the chamber.

He spoke the next word.

“Anchor.”

His position locked in place.

The creature noticed its mistake and reacted quickly, changing trajectory and tactic, it tried to make him doubt his own anchoring. Tried to inject uncertainty into his soul, making him question whether his presence was truly grounded or if he’d made a mistake in the edict’s execution.

Finn snorted at the attempt.

“Focus.”

His concentration narrowed, but the malevolent consciousness didn’t relent. It kept probing, kept searching for cracks in his mental defenses. Finn could feel it now, the nature of what this creature had been.

A predator that had hunted not just bodies but minds. That had tormented its prey psychologically before killing them. That had found pleasure in breaking others’ will to live before ending them.

It had been feared. Hated. And it had reveled in that fear and hatred.

“Phasma.”

Finn’s soul locked onto the core of the creature. The true soul mass glowing red.

It was smaller than he’d expected. Weaker. This thing had never been physically powerful. It had survived through cunning and cruelty alone.

“Order.”

The word carried absolute authority. The malevolent consciousness froze, recognizing that its tricks had failed. That superior density had overcome its accumulated wiliness.

The shell of the creature began crumbling, finally giving way. But as it fell, the consciousness made one final attempt. It tried to imprint its nature onto Finn and infect his soul with its malevolence as it was absorbed.

Finn felt the attempt. He felt the corruption of the soul mass trying to take root in him.

His soul rejected it instantly. Without his own effort, the other soul masses he’d assimilated recognized the foreign malice and helped push it out. The Tyrant’s defiance, the adaptive mass’s flexibility, the fire’s consuming heat, the ice’s cold clarity, all of them united against the intrusion.

“Bind.”

Finn stared at the soul mass with cold eyes. This consciousness had caused immense suffering when it lived. It had been evil not from necessity but from choice.

And now it would serve him, becoming nothing more than fuel for his growth.

There was a certain justice in that.

“Subjugate!”

The sphere shot forward, merging with his chest. The assimilation was violent. The malevolent consciousness fought even as it was absorbed, trying to corrupt him from within, trying to twist his thoughts, his motivations, his very nature.

But Finn’s soul was too dense. The malevolence was compressed. Reduced. Stripped of everything except raw power. All the accumulated cruelty, all the psychological weapons, all the evil intent were separated away and discarded. Leaving only the core strength.

When the assimilation finished, Finn gasped. His knees buckled slightly, but he caught himself before Althea could rush to help. He stood there, breathing hard, feeling the fifth soul mass settle into place.

His soul density had increased again. Significantly. But more than that, something else had changed. His soul had learned to reject corruption actively. To filter out foreign malice and keep only what was useful.

That would be valuable going forward.

Finn straightened slowly, testing his body. Everything felt stable. Consolidated. The five soul masses sat in clear hierarchy within his soul, none of them conflicting, all of them contributing to his overall soul density.

He turned to face the others.

“This is enough,” he said, his voice rough. “I need to rest. Properly.”

Nobody argued. They all made their way back to the central hall without conversation. Finn walked steadily but slowly, his body moving on autopilot while his mind focused inward, monitoring the as the assimilations fully integrated, ensuring everything remained stable.

When they reached the center of the hall, Finn simply sat down against one of the columns and closed his eyes. His breathing evened out within moments.

“Wake me in three hours,” he whispered as sleep took him. “…then we face the Sea God.”

.

.

.

Far away in Hoshin Bay, Jon stood in the middle of his small room, frozen in place.

Something had just happened. Something that made the previous surges feel gentle by comparison.

Throughout the day he’d not been calm. He’d barely been able to work at all, restless without knowing the cause.

First, he’d suddenly found his boss unpleasant to his eyes. Boss Murdo had come to check on the work they’d been doing at the loading section of the docks, and Jon had stared at him with so much defiance, the man himself had felt it and turned to lock gaze with him.

Jon had nearly lost his job.

​By the time Boss Murdo, in a fury, walked over to him — after Jon had refused to look away, looking like he craved a fight or had something nasty to say — the defiant feeling thankfully left.

​It was only then that Jon calmed, coming up with excuses and apologies for his behavior. ​He had somehow kept his job. But he was dismissed for the day.

​And how grateful he was for that.

The rest of the day had seen the same happen.

Bouts of extreme heat in his body. Then cold. Then something ancient and evil that made his soul recoil instinctively. For a terrifying moment, Jon felt malevolence so pure it made him question whether he wanted to remain connected to whatever was generating this feeling.

Already he had quickly pinpointed that it was likely related to the Errant God he believed in, making him question what was actually happening.

But then that malevolence was crushed. Compressed. Purified into raw strength that flooded through the connection with overwhelming force.

Around the Sprawl, five others experienced the same thing. People who Jon had converted to the faith of the Errant God in secret. In their separate locations, all six believers dropped to their knees simultaneously, gasping as power surged through them in waves.

It shook their bodies, sending spasms up their spine till they passed out entirely.

When Jon and the rest of the believers of the Errant God woke in their various locations around the Sprawl, they found themselves face-down on the floor, hands splayed out, breathing like they’d just run for miles. Their entire bodies felt different. Stronger. More capable. It was nothing monumental, but it was enough that they felt a difference. They were definitely stronger than normal humans now at least.

Jon pushed himself up slowly, looking at his hands in the dim light of his room. The sky was dark outside as the sun had already set. His hands looked the same. But he could feel more power surge through them as he clenched.

Our Lord grows stronger, Jon realized. And as he grows, we grow with him.

He needed to find the others now. This was beyond anything he’d imagined when he’d first started spreading word about the Errant God. This was actual, tangible connection to something vast and growing vaster.

Jon grabbed his coat and headed for the door in a dash. He needed to find the others! And they needed to pray for Brother Arros! His efforts to awaken their God was already bearing fruits!