With Ery's overwhelmingly dominant spirit sense, entering Varkul's weakened soul required little effort.
The Phantom Blade had already suffered severe spiritual damage. With a single thought, Ery's divine sense pierced through the outer layers of resistance and descended into the man's mories.
Scenes began to unfold one after another.
What Ery discovered was far more interesting than he had expected.
Apparently, his raid on the Midnight Brotherhood's hidden base six years ago had caused damage well beyond the destruction of a single stronghold. Magus enforcers intensified their hunt, while several factions that had long suffered under Brotherhood extortion took the chance to strike back.
The organization had been pushed into turmoil from all sides.
Yet the external pressure was not their greatest problem.
The true crisis ca after the capture of their Third Brother, Khadeth, and the destruction of his centipede spirit beast. Khadeth had been the key figure behind the refinent of the infamous Violet Death Poisons, the ans by which the Brotherhood controlled hundreds of Magus Realm followers, keeping them obedient through addiction, fear, and dependency.
Without the centipede beast's influence, that chain of control broke.
Subordinates began to rebel. So fled. Others refused orders. Regional cells withheld tribute. The surviving brothers turned on one another, blaming each other for the collapse and scrambling to secure what power remained.
Several confrontations nearly ended in bloodshed.
Then-
Their master erged.
The Chira Sovereign, who had remained in seclusion for many years, suddenly stepped back into Brotherhood affairs. His return was swift, decisive, and strangely effective. Internal disputes vanished almost overnight. Rebellious factions submitted once more. The surviving brothers fell back into line, and new mbers were selected to restore the Brotherhood's sacred ten seats.
Order returned too quickly.
Too perfectly.
That unnatural calm planted the first seed of suspicion in Varkul's mind.
Unlike the others, he had survived for centuries through caution and observation. He watched what others ignored. During the acceptance ceremony of the newly appointed Mada Butcher, he noticed sothing deeply wrong.
The Three-Fla Bird spirit beast that had elevated their new sister into the Second Cosmos realm exhibited traces of foreign tampering.
At first, he assud it was so hidden enhancent thod granted by their master. But once suspicion had taken root, he began to investigate quietly.
What he uncovered chilled him.
Not only Mada Butcher's beast.
His own bonded beast.
His brothers' spirit beasts.
All of them had been tampered with.
The Chira Sovereign, as a Spirit Shaman, had secretly planted hidden seals and soul imprints within every beast under his disciples' control. Through those spirit creatures, he could influence, suppress, or perhaps one day
consu the cultivators who relied upon them.
They had never truly been disciples.
They had been prepared resources.
Varkul considered exposing the truth, but fear stopped him. He knew his brothers too well. So would dismiss the accusation as paranoia. Others, eager for favor, might report him directly to their master.
So he remained silent.
Instead, he searched for a private solution.
In secret, he attempted to remove the hidden imprint from his own spirit beast. The process failed. The seal was too deeply integrated, intertwined with the beast's core and his own cultivation path. Removing it outright would have crippled him.
Unable to erase it, he chose another path.
He planted an additional hidden seal of his own-a final trap buried beneath the master's control mark. If the Chira Sovereign ever tried to devour or dominate him completely, the seal would detonate and destroy both beast and connection.
A desperate insurance policy.
That explained his behavior during the battle.
He actually had so clues that Ery's strength was beyond what his brothers realized, but he kept quiet and chose the weakest opponent while keeping himself occupied for safety.
As one brother after another was devoured by the Chira Sovereign, Varkul imdiately understood that all his fears had been justified.
Whether Ery lost or the Brotherhood lost, remaining in the open ant death for him.
So when chaos engulfed the battlefield, he used a secret technique, splitting his soul and hiding it within a prepared artifact.
Then he waited.
His plan had been simple: remain hidden among the ruins until both sides
departed.
It was a clever sche.
Unfortunately for him-
He had underestimated Ery's divine sense.
Which had led to his current predicant.
Ery shook his head with quiet amusent after learning the truth hidden
within Varkul's mories.
The additional seal planted by the Phantom Blade had been the final spark behind the Chira Sovereign's destruction. In the end, the infamous Chira Sovereign had fallen to the consequences of his own thods.
It was karma in its purest form.
Now that Ery had fully uncovered his thoughts, the terrified Varkul, who had begged monts ago, gradually disappeared. Though still kneeling under Ery's control, he now carried himself with a composed manner.
"Lord Ery," he said respectfully, "with your profound capabilities, it is clear
that I can no longer preserve my life through information alone."
He lowered his head slightly before continuing.
"However... I have sothing else to offer."
Ery gave a faint smile.
"Speak."
Varkul raised his eyes carefully, asuring every word.
"For over three centuries, I have been the man behind most of the
Brotherhood's operations. I hold relations with dozens of important figures
across the sectors..."
Ery's gaze narrowed. Even standing still, the pressure coming from him was
enough to make the restrained soul tremble.
"So what are you proposing?"
Varkul bowed deeper.
"I am willing to help you, Lord Ery."
His voice faltered for a mont, then steadied.
"No... I am willing to serve you and make use of all these relations for you... If
you spare my life."
Ery was not surprised. n like Varkul valued survival above pride, and once cornered, they adapted quickly. He considered the offer in silence.
Unlike Barnet, the forr Magus Academy instructor Ery had captured earlier, Varkul held limited knowledge regarding the Moonlight Syndicates. He
did not possess the information Ery most wanted. That reduced his
imdiate value considerably.
Still, value took many forms.
Ery finally spoke.
"I have already seen these so-called relations of yours. Most of them are people
you threatened, blackmailed, bribed, or coerced into cooperation."
His eyes remained cold.
"I wonder how useful such relations truly are."
The words struck hard. Varkul fell silent, clearly searching for the one answer
that might preserve his existence. Ery watched calmly as the man weighed
truth, deception, and desperation.
Then Varkul made his gamble.
"I witnessed what you built in Dawnstar," he said carefully. "My understanding may be incomplete, but I can still recognize ambition."
He lifted his head just enough to et Ery's gaze.
"Forgive my boldness, Lord Ery, but n of honor alone cannot rule places built on vice. You need soone like . Soone who understands the criminal networks, fear, leverage, and the kinds of people who bow only when
properly handled."
He pressed his forehead lower.
"If you spare , I can recruit what remains of the Brotherhood and beco your shadow force."
Hearing this, Ery smiled faintly.
As the strategist behind much of the Midnight Brotherhood's operations, Varkul
was indeed an intelligent man. More importantly, he had correctly identified a weakness in Ery's growing power structure. Ery possessed warriors, elites, and loyal followers-but very few who were suited for work in the
shadows.
The gladiators under his command were fierce and dependable, yet too direct in nature. The chivalrous Terra warriors valued honor and discipline, making them ill-suited for covert dealings, intimidation, and criminal suppression. The Red Lotus had the intel, but they still lacked the strength and influence required to dominate lawless sectors.
To take control of slum territories filled with smugglers, extortionists,
assassins, and syndicates, Ery would need more than noble soldiers.
He would need criminals to control criminals.
Taking over what remained of the Midnight Brotherhood would certainly carry
risk. Varkul himself was cunning, adaptable, and not the type to trust lightly. Whether the man could truly be loyal remained to be seen.
Still-
The opportunity was too valuable to dismiss.
It would save Ery years of groundwork, allowing him to inherit hidden
routes, underground contacts, and an existing structure that only needed to be reshaped under stronger leadership.
In fact, a person ca to mind-soone he trusted who could help keep
Varkul in check.
Which led to his decision.
"Alright," he uttered calmly. "But I will place restrictions upon your soul." Under normal circumstances, Ery would not have been able to impose such restraints upon a powerful Two Cosmos figure like Varkul. Even in his current weakened state, the Phantom Blade was still no ordinary cultivator. If he chose to resist completely, there remained one final option available to him-
Self-destruction.
A soul detonation from soone of Varkul's level would be enough to erase
what remained of himself and deny Ery any control or further use. Varkul's expression stiffened, though he remained kneeling. Behind that outward composure, his thoughts raced wildly as he weighed the choices
before him. Submission ant bondage. Resistance ant annihilation. Ery saw every flicker of hesitation.
With his spiritual sense still linked to the restrained soul, the man's doubts, fear, calculations, and desperation were laid bare before him. Ery continued, his tone even and controlled.
"Do your work well, and unlike your forr master, I am willing to remove
those restrictions after one hundred years."
He looked down at the bald man, his gaze steady and unreadable.
"What's your answer?"
Silence followed.
Varkul's mind churned. Fear of death pressed heavily upon him, but so did
sothing else-Ery's growing reputation. His ability to defeat the Brotherhood, his ability to fight the Chira Sovereign, and his reputation among his followers.
The struggle in Varkul's eyes slowly faded.
He lowered himself into a deep and respectful bow. "Yes... I, Varkul, pledge you my life to you... Master."
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