I could not refuse Shizu's request to save the children from their destined deaths, so I agreed to help her. However, unlike the situation with Shizu, things were different this ti.
Normally, when crossing into another world, the body is destroyed and then regenerated, absorbing energy in the process. That energy is then converted into a skill; that is the basic principle.
But the children summoned through an unstable ritual had massive amounts of energy coalesced inside them. In other words, it was fused with their souls like gum stuck to a floor.
If I tried to force them apart, their bodies would not be able to withstand the strain. Creating and implanting an upper spirit, as I had done for Shizu, would be simple enough, but I feared the aftermath.
Unless it was a nation like Salion, where spirit worship is deeply rooted, making a contract with a spirit is rare. Furthermore, controlling such powerful magical elents is sothing only an upper spirit can manage—mid- or lower-ranking spirits simply aren't capable of it.
And upper spirits are few in number. If it ever beca known that children who were on the brink of death had sohow contracted with upper spirits, it would lead to complications for both Shizu and the children.
As for letting a demon possess them... there was no telling what they might do.
Just as I was running out of options, my skill, Pro, offered a suggestion.
It was a thod with enormous risk, but it was equally certain. It was a technique utilizing the Ultimate Skill, [Soul Reaper (Martiel)].
High risk, but is it the only way...
Following that, I called one of the children into my room—the one whose lifespan was nearly exhausted. The surgery I was about to perform was sothing that could cause a massive uproar if seen by others...
"Your na is..."
"...Chanocha."
Judging by his na, he was a young boy likely from Thailand. At most, he looked ten or eleven years old, and his eyes were shaking violently. It was only natural, considering he believed he was about to die.
"Don't worry. I will take responsibility and liberate you from that fate."
After reassuring Chanocha, I gave him a mild sedative to put him to sleep.
And then,
Krazzzzzt!!
My right arm expanded exponentially, transforming into the massive limb of a dragon.
Invisible Snake Eyes!
Using Protheus to perform parallel analysis and extraction, I decoded everything, including his soul, and extended my enlarged dragon arm toward the boy. Sothing began to seep out of Chanocha's body, and he remained frozen in place as if paralyzed.
Astral Snatcher.
This was a blasphemous art that could only be used at point-blank range by drawing on Martiel's power, allowing to freely manipulate the soul of the target I touched.
This technique literally allows to adjust a target's soul as I please—a power that transcends the physical realm. Since the energy was lodged within the children's souls, it could not be separated by ordinary ans, but with this skill, I could peel the power away from the soul itself.
As ntioned, this magic grants total control over the target's soul. Consequently, I could handle the massive amount of magical elents clinging to the boy's soul exactly as I intended.
Of course, the drawback was the requirent for extre proximity, and the fact that I could not use my right arm while the spell was active, leaving vulnerable. However, I was confident that if it landed, it would be an unavoidable instant-kill, even for spiritual life-forms.
Therefore, while I worked, I asked Amrita to guard and partially deactivated my attack mode. Any lifeform that tripped the sensors without her permission would be erased from existence on the spot.
With that security, I manipulated the boy's soul with the precision of a surgeon, ensuring not even a single milliter of error.
I used my magic to adjust the magical elents so they would spread evenly throughout his body. Over ti, these elents would naturally harmonize and rge with him, flowing like blood through his veins, ensuring he wouldn't be overwheld by the sudden change.
Of course, there were other ways to handle this, but...
While I worked, let briefly digress. The nation with the highest number of otherworlders—and the highest success rate in summoning them—is the Kingdom of Falmuth.
It is one of the great powers among the Western Nations, situated as the gateway leading toward the Ard Nation of Dwargon and the Eastern Empire, allowing it to flourish as a center of trade.
Well, unless "soone" decided to build a nation right in the middle of the Great Forest of Jura, most of the profits would naturally flow into Falmuth.
Separately, the high proportion of otherworlders was attributed to a famous mage there nad Razen.
If you're wondering why I'm suddenly ntioning this... it's because the Kingdom of Falmuth is now in my hands.
No, "in my hands" is a bit vague. To be precise, my subordinate has occupied the country. Not through war, but by absorbing the body of the king who ruled it.
I simply couldn't stand the way that king acted—shadowing and indulging his own greed without knowing his place.
He likely intended to use as a convenient tool to satisfy his ambitions, but he picked the wrong target.
"Kahahaha! Master! Am I really allowed to use this body however I want?!"
"Yes. He is your prey. Use him as you wish."
The shadow that erged behind , possessing the traits of both dragon and demon, instantly engulfed the king's audience chamber.
"W-What is that?!"
"You don't need to know. It's ti for you to leave the stage."
"W-Wait! J-Just what are you doing?! Hey, are you just leaving ?!"
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you. But don't worry. I will develop your country into sothing far more peaceful and prosperous."
The mont I left the audience chamber, the enormous shadow opened its maw and lunged at King Edmaris of the Kingdom of Falmuth. The room echoed with the king's final scream.
***
And so, I devoured King Edmaris's soul and seized his body. Using that position, I needed to completely overhaul the country. After all, the water must be clear at the top for it to be clear at the bottom.
Now, the nation moves according to my will. The title of King is quite convenient, as it grants the authority to scrap existing laws and establish new ones. Furthermore, I placed Baal behind the scenes.
Though a demon, Baal was exceptionally skilled in managent and cunning. With her silver tongue and powerful illusion arts, she was able to rapidly accumulate wealth for the Kingdom of Falmuth.
As I reminisced, I finished adjusting Chanocha's soul. The process had taken a little over an hour...
"An hour per person... I need to find a way to reduce that ti."
I checked Chanocha's condition. Just as I had intended, the magical elents were gradually dispersing throughout his body. He would no longer suffer from the instability of that energy.
But it didn't end there. There were still far too many souls crying out for salvation.
"Poor, lost souls. I shall create a future for you."
One by one, I began treating the children. They ca from various nationalities and backgrounds, and so were not even ten years old.
It infuriated that there were nations willing to use children this young as weapons, but such was the law of this world.
If a nation lacked power, they simply summoned those who possessed it. That was their choice. While there are rare cases like Shizu—soone who is a majin yet reached the realm of a sage through training—such individuals are few and far between. I understand the desire for military strength, but this was crossing the line.
From the children's perspective, they were ripped from their hos and forced to fight monsters.
With those thoughts, I finished the final treatnt on a half-Japanese child.
Looking back, it seed there were an unusually high number of otherworlders from Japan, similar to Shizu. Was it a re coincidence? Or was there a deeper reason behind it?
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