Chapter 527: Soul Box

Chapter 527: Soul Casket

Elizabeth handed over the soul inscribed with the spell to Levi.

Levi successfully obtained the soul-splitting magic he had been seeking.

Under Gusewei’s watchful gaze, Levi released Elizabeth’s hand.

He looked at Elizabeth and asked, “Will this harm you?”

Elizabeth smiled gently. “It’s fine. I’ve grown accustomed to it.”

“This is one of my abilities, after all.”

Levi nodded slightly. “I see. Understood.”

To give away part of one's soul was, naturally, not without cost.

Especially for the wraith race—souls were their very essence.

Cutting away a piece of soul was no different from slicing off a chunk of flesh.

Upon hearing that Levi had acquired the soul-splitting spell, Gusewei quickly said, “Now that you have the spell, Levi, let’s hurry and help Monis split her soul.”

Levi shook his head. “Don’t rush. I need to master this spell first. Otherwise, I might end up hurting Monis instead.”

“Monis is stable for now. Don’t worry—I’ll get the hang of it soon.”

Gusewei had no choice but to nod reluctantly. “Alright then.”

“I’ll leave you to practice. I won’t disturb you.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Seeing that Elizabeth remained motionless beside him, Gusewei quickly took her hand.

Smiling, she said, “This must be your first time in Velread City, Sister Elizabeth? Let me show you around.”

She didn’t trust leaving a female ghost alone with Levi for too long.

Elizabeth chuckled softly. “Then I’m in your debt, Mayor.”

“No need for such formality,” Gusewei replied. “Just call me Vivi.”

The two left the courtyard.

Levi returned to his room and entered the dream world to train in the spell.

Soul Splitting was a soul-based magic, its difficulty rivaling even Time Shrink.

Ordinary soul spells weren’t particularly hard to learn.

If used purely for offense, Soul Splitting wasn’t overly complex either.

But to use it precisely—to divide a soul according to one’s will without harming the target—the difficulty soared exponentially.

After a thousand years of refinement by legendary liches, the original soul-cutting spell bore little resemblance to its modern form.

Even within the dream world, Levi dared not experiment on himself.

He could only grind through practice, raising his mastery level bit by bit.

Sleepless nights. Endless training.

By the next day—

Levi arrived alone at the cage where Monis was held.

He hadn’t told Gusewei.

Nor did he feel entirely confident. Afraid of mishaps, he planned to inform Gusewei only after success.

Better to disappoint than to cause heartbreak.

Killing Monis due to demonization was more acceptable than accidentally killing her during soul splitting.

Levi had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Monis, surprised to see Levi arrive alone, asked, “You’re here by yourself?”

She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him.

Her emotions seemed more stable now.

Yet her eyes remained bloodshot, betraying an undercurrent of unrest.

Levi nodded. “Let me warn you in advance—Soul Splitting isn’t foolproof. You should prepare yourself for the worst.”

Monis gave a bitter laugh. “Do you think I fear death?”

Levi nodded seriously. “That’s good. But if you want to increase the chances of success, it’d be better if you *did* fear death. The instinct to survive can boost the odds.”

Monis glanced at Levi, surprised he still had the presence of mind to joke.

“As long as you haven’t given up on me, I won’t give up either.”

She said coldly.

“Good. Then we begin.”

Levi cast Soul Splitting.

After a night of relentless practice, his mastery had reached a minor proficiency level.

He now had over an eighty percent chance of success.

“Soul Splitting!”

The color drained from Levi’s vision, leaving only shades of gray and white.

Monis appeared as a pale silhouette.

Levi knew—that was her soul.

A faint black mist clung to Monis’s white soul.

Like parasites, the dark tendrils burrowed into her spirit, devouring her soul’s strength.

Levi began by casting Soul Splitting, excising the corrupted portions of Monis’s soul.

“Hss!”

Monis clenched her teeth, enduring the excruciating agony of soul being carved away.

Levi worked like a heartless machine, utterly indifferent to her suffering, cutting with surgical precision.

Pain on the soul level—no matter how intense—could not be escaped through unconsciousness.

Fainting was merely the body’s defense against mental collapse.

There was no escape from spiritual torment.

Monis could only endure.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth—she had bitten through her lip.

Veins bulged at her temples, brows furrowed tightly, sweat beading on her forehead like pearls.

"Ahhhh…"

She could no longer suppress the scream of agony that tore from her throat.

The guard outside instinctively turned his head toward the cell. The door had already been closed by Levi; he had told the guards that no one was to enter without his permission.

The guard was deeply curious about what was happening inside the room.

Unable to see what was going on within, she could only let her imagination run wild based on the screams echoing from within.

After completely excising Monis’s corrupted soul, Levi paused momentarily.

He glanced at Monis, who now lay collapsed on the floor, utterly weakened.

"Do you need some rest?" he asked.

Monis replied in a hoarse voice, "Continue."

Seeing this, Levi wasted no time and proceeded with the next step.

Step two: separating Monis's still-intact soul from her body to prevent it from being further tainted by the demonic seed’s power.

This step proved even more difficult than removing the corrupted portion of her soul.

Levi gave everything he had, pushing his abilities to their absolute limit.

Carefully severing Monis’s soul required extreme precision—he also had to ensure her body wouldn’t fall into a state resembling death due to the separation.

One misstep would kill her instantly.

Two hours later, Levi finally completed the soul-severance procedure.

He exhaled deeply, releasing the intense tension gripping his mind.

It was the first time he had ever performed such an operation.

Inexperience meant there was room for improvement next time—but Levi sincerely hoped there wouldn't be a next time.

Monis’s soul was now separated from her body.

Using a soul vial prepared beforehand, Levi carefully stored away Monis’s soul.

The next step involved finding a way to restore control over her physical form.

With a wave of his hand, blue light enveloped Monis as her body automatically floated upward and gently settled onto the bed.

Upon examining her condition, Levi found her currently in a vegetative state.

Not dead yet, but lacking the central soul core caused significant decline across all bodily functions.

She existed in low-energy mode—an idle state.

Holding the vial containing Monis’s soul, Levi turned and left the room.

Before departing, he cast a glance at the guard and said, “Keep watch over Monis’s body. Don’t let anyone touch it.”

The guard looked puzzled but responded immediately, “Understood.”

As Levi walked away, he couldn’t shake the feeling—perhaps just a trick of perception—that the guard had given him a strange look.

There seemed to be a hint of fear in those eyes.

Levi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, unable to make sense of it, so he dismissed the minor detail.

He took another cautious look at the soul vial before securing it carefully.

If he accidentally broke it and lost Monis’s soul, she’d be finished—possibly scattered beyond recovery.

Witnessing the immense suffering Monis endured during the soul division process filled Levi with deep admiration for legendary liches.

Legendary liches had undergone not just once, but countless times the torment of soul splitting.

And compared to them, what Monis experienced was nothing more than scraping poison from bone.

A true lich literally cleaved himself in half like chopping wood—to become two beings.

Levi knew he certainly didn’t have the heart for something so ruthless.

He considered them real tough bastards.

"Why didn’t you tell me first about such an important matter?"

Guthvie glared at Levi when she learned he had already completed the soul division.

Levi replied calmly, “I feared you'd worry, and besides, your presence might affect Monis’s mental state.”

At these words, Guthvie hesitated slightly.

She sighed softly, “Next time, always inform me beforehand if anything major happens.”

Levi nodded, “Yes, I will.”

Then he handed the soul vial containing Monis’s essence to Guthvie.

“The next step is figuring out how to allow Monis’s soul to remotely control her own body,” he explained.

Guthvie frowned in confusion, “How exactly do we pull that off?”

Soul splitting alone was already inconceivable enough.

She couldn’t understand how a soul detached from its original vessel could possibly regain command over it.

Levi answered simply, “Easy—we just need to create a soul receptacle for Monis.”

Guthvie’s eyes lit up, “A soul receptacle? You mean... a lich’s phylactery?”

“That’s right.”

Levi snapped his fingers affirmatively.

“I never imagined it could work that way. Does that mean Monis becomes a lich?” Guthvie asked, surprised.

Levi shook his head, “No, not quite. There’s still a huge difference between her and a genuine lich. Real liches possess near-immortality. She merely placed her soul inside a receptacle—essentially, she remains human.”

“We can discuss the rest later. First, I’ll focus on crafting a proper receptacle.”

Nearby, Elizabeth raised her hand upon hearing their conversation. “Actually, I happen to have an unused phylactery lying around.”

Levi felt both pleased and confused, “Why would you have one?”

Elizabeth replied, “In critical moments, I can store part of my soul inside the phylactery to avoid total annihilation should all my avatars perish.”

Levi frowned, “That won’t do. It’s your life-saving item, and besides, Monis doesn’t require such an advanced receptacle.”

Elizabeth countered, “To fully preserve that human soul intact, we must use a high-quality phylactery.”

She produced her personal phylactery—a multifaceted crystal glowing with dark azure radiance.

Had she not mentioned it earlier, Levi would never have recognized the object as a phylactery at all.

Cast among a pile of gems, hardly anyone would suspect it.

(End of Chapter)