Chapter 83: Devouring Blade (2)

Without another word, he picked up Alderton’s Alchemy Journal and began flipping through the pages.

He suddenly remembered something.

The latter portion of the journal contained several seemingly casual notes scattered between Alderton’s major research records. Previously, Aiden had focused primarily on the core research concerning Life Essence and Soul Constructs, so he had paid little attention to those fragmented entries.

But now... He quickly searched through the pages and sure enough, between discussions about Life Essence and Soul Constructs, he found a passage written in handwriting far more chaotic than the surrounding entries.

Yet despite the disorderly writing, the words carried an unmistakable sense of excitement.

And beneath that excitement... There was something else. Reverence.

"...Failed nine hundred and ninety-nine times!"

"Those so-called ’legendary’ and ’epic’ materials are nothing more than stubborn stones and rotten wood in the presence of Life Essence and hollow souls! They cannot bear it. They simply collapse!"

Aiden paused. ’Hollow souls.’

From the context, he could roughly understand what Alderton meant. Souls without a will of their own.

Souls that had been stripped of their consciousness and individuality, leaving behind nothing but their most fundamental essence.

Aiden continued reading. The next passage immediately caught his attention.

"...In the depths of despair, I found it."

"Deep within the ruins of the Ruins of the Gods, I discovered a strange metal that seemed to have fallen from beyond the heavens."

"It possessed an origin unlike anything I had ever encountered."

"Devouring."

Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he continued.

"It seems alive, yet it also seems dead."

"It possesses no conventional life force, yet it responds to souls."

"Most importantly, it can withstand the prototype of the Devouring Soul Construct."

"When the two were combined, something extraordinary happened."

"The metal developed an instinct... a craving."

"A craving to devour other weapons."

Aiden’s breathing slowed. His gaze instinctively shifted toward the rust-covered blade in his hand.

The next section was even more frantic.

"...Using my own soul fire as a guide, and sacrificing ten years of my lifespan, I finally succeeded in forging it into its current form."

"I named it... The Devouring Soul Blade!"

Aiden’s pupils contracted. "So that’s its name.’

He continued reading.

"...This blade is neither gold nor iron. It possesses no fixed nature. Devouring is its only true nature."

"It can devour weapons, equipment, and even special energy cores, absorbing their essence and using it to nourish itself."

"The more it devours, the stronger it becomes."

"There is no known upper limit to its growth."

Aiden’s expression gradually became solemn. ’No upper limit?’

A weapon capable of devouring other weapons and absorbing their essence... The potential was terrifying.

But then his eyes moved to the following passage. And his expression became even more serious.

"...However, it is also a double-edged sword."

"Excessive devouring, or attempting to devour an object far beyond its current level, may trigger a backlash."

"In severe cases... it may even devour its master."

Aiden’s fingers tightened slightly around the blade.

"Remember this well. Use it with caution."

The final entry was written with noticeably slower and more deliberate strokes.

"...I have sealed it here, awaiting a successor who can truly master its endless greed and boundless potential. Perhaps through this blade... my successor will one day grasp the true potential of the soul."

The record ended there. Silence filled the laboratory.

Aiden stared at the final line for several seconds before slowly lowering the journal.

His gaze returned to the rust-covered blade. So this was the reason it felt hungry.

It wasn’t merely an ordinary weapon. It was a weapon created through the fusion of an extraordinary material and Alderton’s research into souls, a weapon whose very nature was devouring.

Aiden’s expression became complicated. If Alderton’s records were accurate, then the blade’s current appearance might not represent its true form at all.

Perhaps the rust... Perhaps the strange weight... Perhaps even its inability to respond to mental energy... All of it was related to the seal.

And if that were true, then the weapon Damien had wielded in his previous life might indeed be this very blade.

’The Devouring Soul Blade.’

Aiden slowly tightened his grip around the ancient weapon.

For the first time, he felt as though he had stumbled upon a secret that Damien had spent his entire previous life keeping hidden.

And now... That secret was in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, Aiden slowly closed the journal and lowered it.

His gaze returned to the unremarkable, rust-covered short blade in his hand.

His breathing involuntarily quickened.

Devouring Soul Blade!

A weapon capable of growing without limit. A weapon that could devour other equipment and absorb their essence to strengthen itself.

This was practically a weapon tailor-made for his Sovereign of Souls class!

His class allowed him to absorb Soul Traits, attribute points, skill proficiency, and other forms of power from creatures. And now, with the Devouring Soul Blade, he could devour equipment and absorb their essence as well.

Absorption and devouring.

If the two abilities were combined, he could embark on an unprecedented path of continuous strengthening.

Of course, Alderton’s journal had clearly warned about the dangers.

Excessive devouring could trigger a backlash. Devouring something far beyond the blade’s current level could even cause it to turn against its master.

But for Aiden... Was such a risk enough to make him retreat? He possessed an SSS-rank Unique Class.

More importantly, his will had already been tempered through rebirth, betrayal, and hatred. His resolve had long since become as hard as steel.

If there was a price to pay for obtaining greater power, he was willing to pay it.

"This is it." A blazing light flashed through Aiden’s eyes.

He no longer hesitated. Following the cryptic hint hidden at the end of Alderton’s journal, he raised his hand and extended two fingers.

Then, using them like a blade, he gently sliced across the edge of his Power Gauntlets.

A thin cut appeared and a single drop of bright-red blood slowly emerged from his fingertip.

Aiden didn’t hesitate. He allowed the drop of blood to fall onto the rust-covered blade.

Sizzle...!

The instant the blood touched the rust, a strange sound rang out.

It was faint... Yet somehow, it seemed to pierce directly into the souls in it.

The dark-red rust suddenly began to writhe. It was as though something had awakened beneath its surface.

The rust twisted frantically, rapidly drawing the drop of blood into itself.

In merely a few seconds, the blood disappeared completely.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. ’Had the rust... Faded?’

It was almost imperceptible, so slight that an ordinary person would never have noticed.

But with his heightened perception, Aiden could clearly tell that the layer of rust covering the blade had become just a tiny bit thinner.

At the same time... The atmosphere changed.

The short blade, which had previously radiated only deathly stillness, suddenly released a distinct sensation.