Mob MC 302.1

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Chapter 302.1. Soul To Soul

-???'s POV-

There was a small clearing, about the size of a cat's forehead, nestled in the gaps of an unpopular forest.

The small clearing had no paths, surrounded by trees, and overgrown with dense vegetation. Despite appearing untouched by human hands, it had an oddly small stone monument. 

It was remarkably clean for something that seemed to have been built a long time ago, and the stone monument was covered in densely written characters. 

Those who understood the characters would recognize them as runes.

Silence reigned, and not even the chirping of birds could be heard. It was a space that exuded an aura of inviolability, but suddenly, the stone monument began to glow. 

Countless jet-black particles emanated from the stone monument, converging to form a humanoid shape. 

Once the dark particles had created the humanoid form, they dissolved into the air, revealing human bones. 

These bones were covered in cracks, other than the bones, there were no eyes or organs. In the center of the chest, a glowing orb pulsed like a heartbeat.

The bones made a clattering sound as they overlapped, and the skeleton began to move slowly.

"Aah... Uaghh..."

Despite not having vocal cords, it emitted a pained sound that resonated from the depths of hell as the skeleton walked and looked around.

"I must... convey it quickly..."

The voice belonged to a woman. If Miu had heard it, she would have been surprised. 

The voice belonged to Helheim, whom she was supposed to kill.

"Even though I used [Soul Bestowal]... this body is at its limit."

Helheim was a coward. She was aware of it herself. Even during Ragnarok, she had sent armies of the dead but had remained holed up in Niflheim.

This time, to retrieve Takano Miu's soul, she had to go herself, so she fought but used a little bit of [Soul Bestowal] on this stone monument as insurance in case he was defeated.

At least, he thought he had. However, for some reason, even this soul was beginning to crumble. Time was running out. If her soul were to crumble, only its power would remain.

Before that happened, she needed to convey the information. That thought alone kept her existing.

"Well, you've become quite an undignified sight, Helheim of Death."

The grass rustled slightly, and a woman in a white robe with a hood appeared. There was mockery in her mouth.

"Oh... Helheim of Life. You've come..."

"Of course. Since I won the bet."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and sneered as if taunting Helheim of Death. She wore a deep hood, and only her mouth was visible, but anyone associated with the Night of Magic would recognize her appearance and guess her identity.

The Spatial Witch. She was Shin's mentor, a mysterious and enigmatic woman.

The woman laughed when Helheim of Death called her Helheim of Life.

"That's why I told you, didn't I? I informed you humans could do 'God Killing'. Yet, to outmaneuver me, you placed Takano Miu under the [Ritual of Sacrificial]. The result is this undignified appearance, utterly disgraceful."

Spatial Witch smiled sarcastically and approached the skeletonized Helheim, who had become a skeleton.

"Her growth is remarkable. Didn't I say we would defeat her after we regained our full power?"

"........."

She cowered her shoulders in dismay at Helheim, who couldn't answer her. Spatial Witch sighs this despite herself.

"It is nothing short of foolish to waste and allow our enemies to become stronger. We'll have a hard time killing Takano Miu after this."

Helheim of Life says she will have a hard time, but Helheim of Death can see a glimpse of her absolute confidence. She's sure Helheim of Life has no intention of losing.

Her appearance was like a mirror image of herself from a while ago.

"You were greedy because the reincarnated person has gained more power than you expected. We have been working steadily for so long, haven't we? Success was just around the corner, you know?"

Hellheim of Death tries to nod in agreement, but she can't move her body properly.

Long ago, things had been fine until they crossed over the Ragnarok.

However, Surtr's flame had caused the Gods to die out, and all god and magic powers had disappeared. In a world where not even the dead could be born, only Niflheim was supposed to remain unharmed.

Gradually, Niflheim began to crumble, and Helheim realized that her demise was imminent. She took action to obtain a new world. As a precaution. In case she got defeated by an unknown enemy, she divided herself into two, each with the same power, using [Soul Bestowal]. For Helheim, who controlled souls, dividing her soul into w was a child's play.

Helheim of Death and Helheim of Life, although they referred to themselves as such. They were originally one being. At first, they had cooperated with each other.

However, due to the long separation of living as 2 beings that could be considered eternal, personality differences emerged, leading to conflicts over who would take control after they merged.

Helheim of Death was on the verge of success. She had been confident when she saw how quickly the next reincarnator, Takano Miu, gained power after successfully summoning the soul of the previous reincarnation.

She believed she could outmaneuver Helheim of Life.

The existence of the reincarnator, namely Takano Miu, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Helheim of Death thought that she could become a sacrificial offering and grow in a short time.

If successful, Helheim of Death would become the dominant personality after their fusion, and she could descend into this world as a complete god.

However...