Soren's mind raced as he watched the tide turn.
He thought back to everything he knew about Mora.
During their first encounter, she had projected words directly into his mind—a telepathic intrusion that felt like another person sat in your mind.
But this was different.
By using her Second Form, she wasn't sending information; she was stealing it.
She was copying Bloodshine's immediate memories as they formed—every muscle twitch, every tactical intent, and every rehearsed strike.
Mora moved with eerie, and pre-calculated ease.
As Bloodshine swung her dagger in a high arc, Mora was already ducking before the blade even moved.
"They is no need to struggle so much. I can see it, all. The moves you will make..." Mora's eyes glowed. "Your muscle memory on every training... they can't escape my eyes.
When Bloodshine attempted a low sweep, Mora leapt over it with her eyes closed, her twin blades biting into Bloodshine's forearms in the transition.
It was a terrifying display of precognition.
Mora was winning, her fluid movements making the incredibly fast Bloodshine look like she was fighting in slow motion.
Soren's grip on his soul-steel tightened. He couldn't stay on the sidelines while Bloodshine was being dismantled.
Besides, even though he admittedly still had feelings for Mora, he did not want her to win.
He took a half-step forward, ready to intervene, but he suddenly saw Bloodshine's head snap toward him.
Her gaze was malicious—dark and burning with a pride that bordered on insanity.
Her eyes screamed: Don't you dare.
He stepped back.
No doubt, this was a noble thing.
Bloodshine turned back to Mora, her breathing ragged but her desire remained strong.
After all, as wrong as it sounds, both women were actually fighting not just ecause they were enemies, but because of Soren.
Although for different reasons.
"You think that you can take my husband with such... mediocre skill?"
Just then Bloodshine activated her...
Second Form: Mirror Touch.
Soren was left shocked when he heard it.
Bloodshibe has second form too?
Instantly, the space around Mora fractured.
What mora saw was not one opponent, but three Bloodshines, all moving with the same lethal intent and identical speed.
Bloodshine's voice echoed from all three figures at once. "Which are you going to trust? Your eyes... or your copying?"
She attacked.
Mora's Memory Copy surged, but the stolen memories were a chaotic mess of three different perspectives.
Mora parried left, but the real Bloodshine came from the right.
A soul-steel blade flashed through the green gas, slicing a thin, clean line across Mora's chin.
The purple-skinned girl staggered back, her precognition failing her against the sensory overload.
Bloodshine's ability usually allowed her make people see illusions, but Soren observed closely. Her second form seemed to be a little different from the first.
He couldn't put a finger on it, but it was different.
Regardless...
Seeing Bloodshine regaining the upper hand, Soren turned his focus back to the shivering butler.
He pressed the blade harder against the man's throat. "Tell me. What is the Caretaker after?"
All of a sudden, a voice registered behind him. It was so close, so intimate, that Soren felt the warmth of the man's breath against his ear.
"You can just ask me directly."
A jolt of pure, primal fear rushed through Soren's spine. He jumped away, spinning in mid-air with his blade raised high to strike the intruder.
However, the person he raised it to was not behind him.
The Caretaker stood over a hundred meters away, perched casually on a jagged rock formation, a large, ornate box tucked under his armpit.
The distance shouldn't have allowed for a whisper to sound that close, yet there he was.
Casually, the Caretaker turned his masked face toward the clash between Mora and Bloodshine.
"Enough," he spoke.
A surmounting, invisible pressure erupted from his body, rolling through the tunnel like a physical weight.
It was a gravity that didn't just pull the body down—it crushed the soul.
Mora suddenly felt her breath seized; her blades clattered to the floor as she collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Bloodshine resisted longer, her jaw set in a snarl, but a second later, the pressure forced her down as well.
The Caretaker's gaze focused through his three-faced mask on Bloodshine, "interesting. " he muttered to himself.
Soren saw the way he looked at Bloodshine. Fearing that she might be in danger, he hurried to before her.
Dagger raised towards the Caretaker.
The Caretaker looked at Soren like he was a buzzing fly. "You want to challenge me... with such a weak constitution?" His voice echoed as laughter rang out.
"Such dreams..."
Boom, his soul pressure went out again.
Splat...
Soren exploded onto meat paste, splashing everywhere.
Bloodshine saw this and screamed. "Noooo!!!"
[You Died]
....
...Soren's eyes jolted open. His fingers searched his body.
This one. This death was unexpected. After all, of all the ways he had ever died, this was the first time he never felt pain.
He had died just like that.
As they headed towards the shed, Soren thought things through.
Okay. Enrique will obviously not tell me. But whatever this thing in that box is, its obviously the reason that the Eldritch soul will kill everybody.
I have to stop that from happening.
Again, the image of his friends being digested in the Eldritch stomach flashed in his mind.
He shook his head.
Again...
[You Died]
....
....What if I hide, abd try to steal it when he is not looking.
[You Died]
.....
...What if I hold Enrique hostage?
[You Died]
....
...Okay I'll join Bloodshine, and then hold Vinegar hostage.
That ended up being a terrible plan. With a combination of him and Bloodshine, they were easily able to hook Mora to the ground.
However, the Caretaker simply looked at Mora in disappointment.
"Weak..." he muttered.
Boom...
He killed them.
[You died]
.....
Now, Soren was starting to get desperate.
Should I involve the others?
He decided to.
Vass attacked with incredible power, and so did Cynthia...
However, the result was the same.
That soul pressure from the Caretaker instantly killed them.
[You Died]
.....
[You Died]
.....
[You Died]
....
[You Died]
This time around, Soren did not jump in like before.
The power difference between him and the Caretaker was just too large.
Even with cynthia, and Vass, and Polystar to aid the battle, it still ended in a loss.
He needed to think of something somehow.
If only he could get rid of that Soul pressure, then he was sure that he could figure something out.
And then it happened.
... Again, the Caretaker released his soul pressure.
Crash...
The pressure mounted on him.
However, unlike last time, Soren did not die immediately.
His body was crushed.
Bones.
Muscles.
Flesh.
Blood vessels exploded.
All organs crushed except his brain and heart.
"Impressive." The Caretaker approached—Soren struggling in unimaginable pain on the ground.
"Your fundamentals are able to withstand my soul pressure." His eyes narrowed, "a mere F–rank. You might have more talent than meet the eyes. Too bad."
He raised a hand, fist molding together tightly.
—Soren's body gave out bursting sounds as if was further crushed into meat paste.
[You died]
...
This time around, when everyone rested, soren did not head for the tunnels, nor did he rest.
Instead, he went for information.
The reason was simple.
Initially, he coukd not withstand thd pressure of the Caretaker and dude without knowing.
But now—the jast death, he felt it all. He needed to know why and how such a thing was possible.
Also... what exactly were fundamentals, and why did it look like the Caretaker was interested but disappointed in him at the same time.
Usually, he would have asked Polystar. After all, the noble brat was a well of knowledge.
But soren had not seen Polystar achieve what he wanted.
The only petson he had seen withstand such frightening pressure.
—pressure like the mounting of several—
Only one person had he seen wuthsstand it.
Bloodshine.
Time and time again, Bloodshine had always proven to be special.
Back when all the cadets died on the train that brought them yo the academy, Bloodshine had always died last.
She was D–rank, and did not have an ability that could cause any form of damage on its own.
And yet, she had somehow been able to withstand tge assault of an Instructor possessed by an Eldritch soul.
It could only mean one thing. Bloidshine knew things even the other noble kids did not.
And So Soren approached. "Bloodshine." He whispered.
She was resting in a corner of the shed, blanket covering her face.
"Bloodshine..." he whispered again.
"Husband." She replied.
But her voice had come from behind him. Soren nearly jumped.
Only now did he look and notice the Bloodshine sleeping at the corner disappear into a mist.
He turned back at her—speechless.
She remained smiling at him.
Soren had never given Bloodshine much attention. Always something to do, or something that needed his attention.
It seemed like she had always been the type to look over her own shoulder.
"I need your help... How does Soul Pressure work?
Also... What are Fundamentals" his gaze focused.
Bloodshine's eyes glowed. And then her smile became a bit devious.
As if she had been waiting for this for a long time.
(Author's note: So who would love a Villain book)