Awakened: SSS Ranked Soul king
Chapter 146 - 146: untitled

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy as a formless energy permeated the air. It immediately drew the attention of the men in white while paralyzing the cohort who were standing not too far away.

This feeling, it felt like countless steel blades were placed dangerously close to their bodies, threatening to slash their flesh should they move a muscle.

The Blacksteel Lord, right now, was revealing a power that was far beyond what they had ever seen. He was infuriated.

"Hmm," Guilliman saw this and steeled his resolve. Thane was an ally, and although the circumstances were beyond his control, he fully understood why the old man was so angry.

This was his son—his beloved son, for that matter. He had long since understood some of the intricacies of Guilliman's aspect, so he understood what this was.

An eternity of servitude?

This was enough reason for him to want his head.

"Answer me!!" The Blacksteel Lord stood up, releasing a second wave of energy that pushed everyone in front back.

He could handle the death of his son, but this state—this awful state. He couldn't even imagine what it felt like, nor did he want to.

"I did what was necessary," Guilliman spoke slowly but firmly, resolve painted in his eyes.

"Necessary?? My son becoming a slave was necessary?!!" Hearing Guilliman's words, a bright light shone in the Blacksteel Lord's eyes as he rushed forward in an instant, attempting to grab Guilliman by the neck.

However, just as he closed the distance, a fiery figure blasted past Guilliman and clashed with him.

"Stupid!!"

This strength from the launch was powerful, and so was she—but this was the Blacksteel Lord. He was the strongest person in this entire shelter (now).

With a casual push, he sent Victoria's figure out of the way and headfirst into the wooden floor of the pavilion.

"Woosh"

"Woosh"

"Woosh"

Following this, the other members of the cohort promptly surrounded the Blacksteel Lord, weapons drawn.

At this moment they weren't thinking at all—it was all reaction. This man who was the supreme leader of their shelter, the one they all looked up to and aspired to be like, now seemed to them as nothing but a beast to be put down.

Albeit a powerful one, a beast to be put down nonetheless.

"Hmp!! Brazen fools, you will all lose your heads!!" Of course, this only pissed off the Blacksteel Lord all the more.

Did these children really think they could take him? It seemed like being behind that gate for so long had caused their brains to rot.

He would set them straight.

"Blacksteel." Raising his hand outwards, the Blacksteel Lord summoned a giant greatsword nearly equaling him in height.

This was his famous Blacksteel sword, the weapon from which he got his title and one he was bound to.

"Come!!" he barked, swinging his sword and entering a fighting stance.

To this, the cohort did not waste a moment, each of them lunging at the Blacksteel Lord in unison. Victoria even got up to join them.

"They are going this far?" Watching the scene in front of him, Guilliman couldn't help but be stunned.

He had joined this team in hopes of using their knowledge and strength to increase his own. Taking the spoils of their battles and turning them into his soul beasts.

But somewhere along the line, they had started to treat him like family, and he himself couldn't resist feeling the same towards them.

"Sigh, this is so troublesome," Guilliman sighed. He had a plan, actually—leaving was always something he had in mind. Maybe a tussle here and a struggle there, but he was pretty confident in his ability to escape this particular situation.

However, seeing these guys instinctively act to protect him, even at the cost of their futures in the shelter—he couldn't help but feel moved.

"Sigh, I'm going to regret this. I just know," Guilliman muttered reluctantly. Then without a second thought, he crouched and blasted forward.

As the sword of the Blacksteel Lord came barreling down at Barthold, he held up his shield and tightened his guard.

-boom

The power behind the strike immediately brought him to his knees, a sheer testament to how strong the Blacksteel Lord was.

However, it didn't end there. Quickly, Jemie flashed in the air and appeared behind the Lord, sending a strike downward at the same time Victoria attacked from the side:

-clang

-clang

-clang

With just a few twists and turns, though, the Blacksteel Lord was able to systematically disarm and send them back.

They who had fought against harrowing monsters that towered over mortal men, participating and spearheading a battle against thousands and contributing to the death of an abomination—were being pushed back? Clearly, they were out of their league here.

"Stop!!" Guilliman's figure appeared out of nowhere after their last exchange, standing right in front of the Blacksteel Lord.

"Hmp!!" Surprisingly, the Lord stopped, his gaze drifting to the side.

Guilliman had summoned Thane once again, but this time he had Thane holding a longsword.

"You think I won't fight my own son? You think you can use him against me?" The Blacksteel Lord sneered at Guilliman's despicable display.

Using the departed soul against their loved ones was unethical and downright wrong. If he were in his old world, he would be thrown into a dungeon.

"I'm not using him against you. I want him to use the last bit of sentience he has left to speak to you on what really happened," Guilliman looked to the Blacksteel Lord and said, before turning to Thane's figure.

Normally, after extraction, souls tend to lose their sentience, and for a time it was the same for Thane. However, somewhere between him being taken over by the Raven's Lord and being trapped in his soul before being summoned by Guilliman, Thane was able to keep a strand of sentience that would raise its head once in a while.

"Father, it's me. I'm sorry, it was all my fault." Thane's figure sounded from afar, he looked over the Blacksteel Lord with guilt in his eyes.

"We had no choice. Without the fog, that gate would not fall. I was… taken by another… i… complicated… no choice, mother… 70th… please keep tradition." Thane tried hard to speak, but his words were all over the place.

"What makes you think I'll believe a word from that thing? What's stopping you from using it as a mouthpiece?" the Blacksteel Lord sneered, a lingering feeling of bitterness in his mouth.

"You believe me already, because you know it's the truth," Guilliman spoke with conviction.

The truth was the truth. Guilliman had no choice. Victoria had been wounded, the fog would have dissipated if Guilliman outright killed him, leaving them to fight an army of things that were just too powerful for them.

Thane made the decision to exchange his life for his people. This was who he was at the heart of it all. And the Blacksteel Lord knew this.

"Maybe it is the truth?" The Blacksteel Lord approached Guilliman, towering over him.

"So what? You took my son's freedom. You could have very well set him free after the whole thing, but you didn't. You still want to use him like a puppet, am I right?" the Blacksteel Lord spoke.

Of course, he didn't know if Guilliman could truly set Thane free and was just speculating. However, he hit the nail on the head at this point.

There were ways—harmful to him, maybe—but it wasn't impossible. Deep down, Guilliman was greedy. He didn't want to let go of such a mighty slave.

"I guess I hit the nail on the head. It's okay. Fine by me." The Blacksteel Lord's face contorted into an evil and despicable smile.

His son had just spoken to him, meaning there was a tinge of sentience in there. He couldn't in all good conscience kill him in that case.

"However, a tooth must be replaced by a tooth, an eye must be sacrificed for an eye. You took my son's freedom, so I shall take yours. Three years—your life shall belong to me for three years," the Blacksteel Lord's voice sounded majestic, like a decree from the heavens.

As every word came out of his mouth, metallic binds appeared from out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around Guilliman, coiling around him.

"Slave, huh?" Guilliman smirked bitterly. This was not part of the plan. He couldn't move… but he also understood the principle of an eye for an eye.

He took Thane's freedom and was refusing to give his soul rest, and this was the consequence of that action. He didn't harbor any illusions of escaping these restraints, even with his soul beasts.

"Child, I know you will seek to rescue him. I assure you, what will await you if you do is death. I will forget who your father is if you come for him," the Blacksteel Lord sneered, turning to the men in white.

"I will see you all later," he said. Then, like magic, a pair of metallic wings appeared on his back and lifted him into the air—his left hand on Blacksteel and the other holding Guilliman firmly.