Free Web NovelChapter 262: The Soul Synthesis
"Use it on the prisoners," Rubedo commanded, his eyes tracking the complex runic arrays. "Let’s see how this works."
Syra relayed the order to the upper levels. Minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stone corridor.
Gulag hauled the captured Tarnstead general into the freezing vault, dragging him ruthlessly by his broken leg. Several soldiers followed behind her, carrying the thick iron chains used to bind him.
The general took one look at the rusted iron chair and the glowing synthesis tank. He immediately began thrashing against Gulag’s grip.
"Strap him in," Syra ordered.
Gulag lifted him effortlessly and slammed him into the seat. She secured the thick leather restraints over his wrists and chest, completely ignoring his frantic screams. As the final buckle locked into place, the runic arrays etched into the iron flared to life.
The machine activated automatically. The heavy glass conduits hummed with violent energy. A terrifying array of hollow needles descended from the armrests and pierced directly into his veins.
The general threw his head back and screamed. His life force was visibly drawn out through the tubes, flashing as a bright, ethereal mist that flowed straight up into the central synthesis tank.
Within seconds, his screams cut off. His body rapidly withered, turning into a desiccated, hollow husk trapped beneath the leather straps.
Up in the sanctuary, a new interface window flashed across Rubedo’s primary monitor.
[Life-Force Synthesis Complete.]
[Foreign Soul-Mass successfully refined into pure energy.]
[Select target for biological enhancement.]
A detailed list populated the screen, displaying the names of his highest-ranking followers. Iron-Scale, Gulag, Gorak, Krug, Syra, Krax, Torix, and Old-Shell all appeared in glowing text, along with their current physical states and geographical coordinates.
Rubedo leaned closer to the monitor. He had never seen this specific function before. The system was actively adapting enemy technology and integrating it directly into his dominion interface. freewebnøvel.com
He possessed a direct method to funnel stolen life force into his own commanders and upgrade them to make them powerful or unlock new abilities.
He reviewed the list. Most of his generals were fully healthy and operating at peak efficiency on the battlefield.
His eyes stopped on a specific name flashing with a critical status alert.
He selected Krug.
Back on the Seventeenth Continent, deep within the Alchemical Infirmary of the Bastion, Krug remained unconscious. He floated in a regenerative coma inside a bio-vat of concentrated sludge. His body was completely shattered from hosting Rubedo’s multiplied descent during the continental siege.
The moment Rubedo locked in the selection, the system executed the transfer.
[Energy routed to target: Krug.]
Rubedo pulled up the telemetry from the Bastion. The alchemical sludge inside the bio-vat violently bubbled. A surge of pure, refined energy flooded the tank, bypassing the physical distance entirely.
Krug’s vitals spiked. The severe thermal burns covering his skin began to rapidly close. His shattered bones knit themselves back together in real-time, accelerating a recovery process that should have taken months into a matter of minutes.
Rubedo rested his chin on his knuckles, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Nice. With the help of this device, I can use the enemy soldiers to make my army stronger. Although it’s a very time consuming and slow process."
He looked back at the live feed of the execution chamber. He finally had a use for the thousands of Tarnstead soldiers massing on his borders.
Gulag unbuckled the leather straps and grabbed the desiccated husk by the armor. She tossed the withered remains onto the freezing floor. The body shattered like dry clay, scattering dust across the black glass tiles.
Krax trudged down the spiraling staircase and entered the execution chamber. He dragged two Tarnstead soldiers by their collars, tossing them at Gulag’s feet.
They were survivors from the perimeter attack, completely bruised and bleeding from the gravity shockwave. They scrambled backward, their eyes locked in terror on the glowing synthesis tank and the scattered dust on the floor.
"Strap the next one in," Syra ordered, stepping back from the glass conduits.
Gulag hauled the closest soldier off the floor. She ignored his frantic kicking and slammed him into the rusted chair. She locked the heavy restraints over his chest. The runic arrays flared immediately. The hollow needles pierced his veins, and the machinery roared to life.
Up in the sanctuary, Rubedo watched the interface populate a fresh prompt. The soldier’s life force converted into pure energy, filling the digital gauge on his monitor. It was a smaller yield than the general, but it remained entirely usable.
He accessed the targeted enhancement list again. Krug was already stabilizing in his bio-vat across the ocean. Rubedo decided to test the immediate combat applications on the active battlefield.
He selected Krug again.
Across the ocean in the Bastion, the bio-vat holding Krug violently boiled. The newly synthesized energy flooded the alchemical sludge. Krug’s vitals spiked again. The remaining thermal burns vanished.
His shattered skeleton fortified, the bones expanding and hardening as the system forced his body past its natural limits.
"Bring the second prisoner to the chair," Rubedo commanded.
Gulag unbuckled the empty husk of the first soldier and kicked it into the corner. She grabbed the second screaming prisoner and slammed him into the seat. The machinery hummed, the needles descended, and the tank glowed with fresh energy.
Rubedo routed the yield directly to Krug. The continuous influx of pure soul-mass was accelerating his recovery at a terrifying rate. The shattered body was not just healing, but it was also beginning to actively evolve under the sheer volume of refined life force.
"We are changing the combat doctrine immediately," Rubedo told his commanders. "The Vanguard will no longer slaughter the Tarnstead military. Lethal force is restricted to defense only. You will cripple their infantry, capture their officers, and drag them back to the vault."
Krax grinned, watching the tank fill with glowing mist. "We are going hunting."
"Tarnstead wants to send armies to our doorstep," Rubedo said, watching the energy gauge max out again. "We will take every single soldier they send and feed them into the machine. We will drain this coalition dry to forge Krug back together."
