Chapter 16 - Kasara's Capital Part 2

The White Ocean Tiger was the spirit from the golden pearl he swallowed. How did he know? The body of the former Lu Shu had no talent for spirit energy and was supposed to be a mage. Agemo was also, formerly, a wandering soul looking for a body. He took Lu Shu's body when he died, thereby bringing death energy into the body as he brought it to life.

Agemo was alone in his room and kept staring at the second red spirit energy that was condensing into something. He had heard rumors that one of the Practitioners had dual spirits as well, but it was affirmed as he was at the third stage. The White Ocean Tiger's outline had already formed. He was sure that he would be at the third rank once the outline of the other spirit had finished forming. Right now, it was like a red-colored black hole, absorbing spirit energy instead of matter. People with two spirits had Mutated Souls, Mystic Stones with more than one spirit inside.

“It’s not abnormal for people to have two spirits,” Agemo said as he laid back on his bed. “Are they like me, or did they have some secret cultivation technique to obtain a near-death state to create another spirit?”

“Not like you, corpse stealer,” a voice rasped as the room became pitch black.

“So you found me. You’re too late. I already found a fresh body,” Agemo smiled cruelly as he leaned up and stared to his left.

What he saw was a man completely covered in a ragged black cloak that enveloped his whole body. The cloak had a hood with shadows seeping out like mist where the face should be. Instead of eyes, there were four slanted crimson eyes, one pair above the other. Chains appeared from where the ankles and wrists would be, corroded and black. What Agemo was staring at was the exact existence that he desperately tried to escape from: a Keeper of the Dead.

“So what now? Are you going to snatch my soul out of this body?” Agemo grinned.

“You already entered the world of the living. People believe the body to have never died. Taking you away to the Nether Fields would be violating Heaven's Will,” the voice rasped with anger. “Considering your past life, I don’t understand why the Heavens have allowed you to attain a new body. Agemo Miura, what you did on Earth is unforgivable. What you did on Earth allowed you to escape us.”

“And what exactly did I do on Earth that would make me evade you for so many decades?” Agemo asked. “I thought I just messed with human genetics.”

“You demon. You didn’t just mess with genes; you tampered with them and gave it a new body,” the Keeper of the Dead roared. “Your knowledge of human genetics and advances in prosthetic limbs allowed you to create a brand new body and life form. You created a new life form, a genetically enhanced cybernetic human known as homo superior on Earth. Only the Heavens are allowed to create life or variants and evolutions of an existing race.”

“Too bad my memories are fragmented. I suppose you stopped a repeat from happening. Besides, this planet is not a technologically advanced one. Your worries are meaningless here. What do you want?” Agemo asked.

“I came here to verify that you can no longer be taken. Do not tamper with life again. Your soul has already changed. The demonic core at the bottom of your soul lake doesn’t belong to a magical beast or a Hyperion. The same goes for the wings on the demonic core and the single wing in that bead around your neck. You have already made yourself a target by obtaining the bead and its power. I can’t take you away, but you already have many enemies. That will suffice. Your name is now stricken from the Book of Dead Souls. Try to live a more humane life. Not that you can. Your abominable project, Project O, was a success. That is why your soul was able to escape me,” the death dealer advised and started fading.

“What did I do? What is Project O?” Agemo cried.

The Keeper of the Dead smiled and whispered something into his ear, making Agemo’s face pale as he said, “It can’t be. Is that why they wanted me dead? For my research?”

“You’re better off not thinking about it. Good luck, Agemo Miura. Keep that bead safe. Doing so protects Heaven’s Will. The same goes for that map. Mortals were not meant to have the power of the gods. This tournament has interesting participants,” the death dealer said as he faded into oblivion, returning the moonlight to the room.

“Damn it. Just what did I do?” Agemo sighed as relief settled in his heart. “I was right to take this bead and map. The Hyperion—I might need to study their history in more detail. I also need to study the bead. The demonic core in the darkness of the soul lake has wings from the bead, but it hasn’t done anything yet. If the map, bead, and demonic core are so important, did I make a mistake in not taking the Practitioner weapon and staff? Hopefully, the Hyperion did not find the one bead necklace I hid in the root wall. Once they realize they are missing two beads, they’ll probably start trying to find them.”

Agemo sighed as he stared at the bead necklace around his neck. A single left wing, as white as snow, swirled within. He didn’t see what was so special about it. Magical items were used in formations all the time. Because of studying formations, he knew that the five beads were components of a dangerous five-point star formation. He sipped a cup of lion wine and went to sleep, putting his worries out of his mind. He had the selection trials tomorrow. He would handle tomorrow first and deal with what came next later.

“Alright, get up, you lot!” Grey yelled the next day. “Time for you to head to the selection trials. If you’re hungry, you should have packed some food before you came here. This isn’t a playground; it’s a battlefield. You’re not here to make friends. You’re here to compete and get those rewards. Hop to it. Other people will be arriving there soon. A total of seven thousand stand between you and the top sixty-four spots. Beat the trials, win the elimination matches, and you just might get what you came here for.”