Soul Venerable (Re-written)

 

 

Mordred stepped out of the cave for the first time in his skeletal body.

The night sky was dark, but numerous stars of Divine Kingdoms lit the skies. Their lights did not reach the earth but they were faintly visible if one paid attention to the stars. Some pantheons formed star constellations, while some were just existing randomly like multicolored ink splattered across the vast universe canvas.

He took his time to determine the cave’s location through astrology. However, he had underestimated the complexity of the Divine Kingdom of the gods. The Divine Kingdoms are not like real stars which took a significant amount of time to move. They were mobile planes capable of moving as fast as the Gods wanted to. Each individual ‘stars’ are subjected to the god’s whims.

To figure out his exact location, he needs to expend a tremendous amount of telepathic thought, which is a limited resource for him at the moment.

Mordred erases the distracting thought the moment he recognizes the utterly disfigured star constellations compared to his previous life. Now he needs to focus his assault on the kobold’s group.

As a former Archmage, his method was numerous. If not limited by his cultivation base and resources, he could bombard the lands with his arcane spells from afar. But then again, it would take too much effort to reclaim the lands from spell fallout.

To prepare for any mishaps, Ymir was sent for a scouting mission, but he had now returned to report his finding, “Chief, the Kobolds are camping so near to our cave, they are already in attacking formation. What should we do?”

Despite having Ymir to do his bidding, Mordred has personally sent a few enslaved bats to scout ahead as a contingency for Ymir’s incompetence. In terms of knowing the locale, Mordred was significantly more knowledgeable than Ymir now. “There’s no time for traps, get into formation…” he gave some orders to the goblins.

Following his command, the goblins moved according to his arrangement, except for Kor. He stayed beside Mordred without moving. “Kor, you might have to draw most of the agro if things went south. Will you be okay with that?”

Kor nodded. “Yes, master. By your command.”

“Good.” He then produces a white cloud of telepathic martial will, then injects it into Kor’s sea of consciousness before sending him into the back of the formation.

Mordred proceeds to open his clothing to let Kasumi out. She slithers through his bones to appear on top of his palm. The glutinous lifeform was like animated jelly, dancing on top of his palm freely. At first, it was like a brown ball, then it changed shapes into a cube, then a triangle, then a dodecahedron, et cetera.

“The speed of Kasumi transformation is still slow, unusable in battle. She also needs more metallic content. I’ll save her for now…” He willed Kasumi to return protecting his crystalline mana aperture.  

“All the cards are placed. With these creatures holding the fort for me, I could use saturation spells to weaken them…” he pondered about spells he should use in the battle soon. “Just to be sure, I’ll prepare one necro-path spell for intimidation purposes.”

He spent his time deducting the future battle as his attention was drawn over the enslaved bats. They had found a lot of interesting details regarding the kobold group. In total, they possessed around six hundred souls, with a hundred of them being non-combatant. It was no wonder the previous chieftain was driven away continuously; their numbers are too many.

Being half reptilian and is a distant relative to dragon bloodline, Kobold culture does not abstain from eating other humanoids like themselves. It was no wonder they decided to pursue the goblins.

Their size was also smaller than the 1-meter-tall goblin, standing at around 75 to 90 centimeters if they stood straight. This became their advantage due to the goblin's inability to quickly adapt to a new type of enemy. After all, the goblins were usually the smaller ones in battles, they are used to fighting low to counter taller attackers.

Mordred smiled at their numbers. What an excellent species to subjugate. The situation of the kobold camp differed from the original condition. The goblin soldiers used weapons made out of wood and rocks tied together or sharpened rocks directly, while goblin captains using rusty metal weapons looted from god knows where. Kobold weapons, however, are mostly made out of metal, despite the crude craftsmanship.

“If I recall correctly, the kobolds are extremely fond of making traps and ambushes. There was little information regarding their refining ability, but since they dared to attack instead of defending or baiting, there must be some external factor that I am not aware of…” Mordred pondered about this matter seriously.

“I have several hypotheses… First, the goblin killed their leaders which formed a blood feud with them, but this is too far fetched. Second, famine. And the third, some outside influence is controlling them to hunt the goblin… but why?”

It just doesn’t make any sense. A colony with that number could form a tribe somewhere else. There was no need for them to pursue the goblin relentlessly.

In reality, Mordred didn’t have to understand their reasoning, but knowing them will help him formulate a plan for the future. He still lacks general information regarding this region’s geopolitics. Since he also needs to subjugate a lot of races for his future in toppling the Braves.

With that said, Mordred pours his mind into distant bats.

…

In the kobold campsite, kobold chief’s camp.

“Chief, the scout has returned. The goblins are inside the abandoned mine.” A kobold with goggles reported to the chief.

The chief kobold was the largest in the group, with his body standing one-meter-tall from top to bottom. His scale was also different from the rest of the kobolds, it has a bright red color with a metallic sheen on it. Compact muscle and metallic scales were his capital to stay in power. Scars decorated a lot of surface area of his scales, but he was proud of it. These were proof of his power, many assassinations and coup attempts have failed in front of these metallic scales.

“Is our army ready?” he replied with a heavy tone. His amber reptilian eyes glimmer with excitement.

“Yes, chief. All five attack groups are ready to attack any given time. With your words, we shall depart immediately.”

The goblins might have a stronger body, but their numbers are too small. In their eyes, they were no different than food. “Good. Prepare for attack.”

…

Mordred used an enslavement-path soul art to transfer information from the bats to his mind directly, gaining real-time access to what’s currently happening in the kobold camp. The kobolds and goblins are usually slaughtered in the human realm due to their status as monsters, but in reality, they were an intellectual race capable of having society and civilization.

The human race did not care one bit about this, however. They only see them as pests and did not even try to understand their language. Due to this, most ‘minor’ race’s language was not known by other ‘higher’ races such as humans, elves, dwarves, or others. As for Mordred, the accumulation of his past life in pursuit of knowledge and truth has forced him to excel in myriad languages, both higher or lower tongue such as the language of goblin and kobold.

Even if he lacks understanding of a certain language, devouring a soul and reading its whole life experience will fix that problem.   

He understood what the kobold was speaking from the start. They considered the goblin as natural food, but there’s one sentence from the kobold that made Mordred ponder deeply.

“Abandoned… Mine?”

Until now, he had never expected him to be hiding inside an abandoned mine. Of course, the layout of the cave was complex, but it had no order at all. A long time ago, perhaps some race had dug around the cave for resources, but now the original inhabitants have long since departed. At least, he now knows that the existence of an abandoned mine meant that the locale possessed an intellectual lifeform that he could exploit in the future.

“This abandoned mine needs some life in it. Maybe, turning it into an underground city for myriad races wouldn’t be too bad…” Mordred smiled as he already considered the kobold under his rule. With that said, his plans to gather cultivation resources are starting to materialize step by step.

Mordred looks towards the direction of the Kobold camp where the sound of small footsteps overlapping with each other can be heard. They have started the march. He called Ymir to get ready. It was time to subjugate the attackers.

…

 

“Chief, the abandoned mine’s entrance is empty…” one kobold reported to the mutant chief.

There were traces of small yet hurried footprints coming to and fro the cave, evidence of inhabitants of the cave. The entrance was large, around four-meter-wide, it was enough for ten kobolds moving side by side, but the kobolds were not comfortable with attacking head-on. Their nature was slick and slippery. Ambush and traps were their preferred methods, yet as a mutant, the kobold chief had a different nature compared to the typical kobold.

He wanted to suppress any resistance through brute power, sacrificing his minion did not pain his heart. Kobold’s fertility is quite high anyway, their physiology allows them to mature in weeks.

“Attack!” the chief commanded, which they followed.

Some of the kobolds knew they were sent to die, but if they refused, it would only change the method. Kobold’s diet consists mainly of various kinds of meat, their own included. They didn’t want to be captured for defying the chief and eaten alive, so they followed his order.

An army of kobolds marched towards the abandoned mine where the goblins are hiding. From the perspective of human ear, their voice would be like a rat and reptile screeches but Mordred completely understands their battle cry.

“FOR THE CHIEF!”

“KILL!”

“MEAT!”

“KILL THE GOBLIN!”

The army moved swiftly, faster than the speed of a goblin sprinting while merely a jog for them due to their inverted kneecaps. The swarm of kobold was rapidly gaining ground.

Their march slowed down after reaching the entrance since not many could enter the cave at once, then goblins started to appear, wielding their stone weapons such as stone axes, stone dagger, or club. The elite ones with rusty metal weapons were mixed with the stone weapon users, unlike the usual tactics of using goblin elites as a trump card, which surprises the kobold chief.

“Hmm? They finally appeared? Don’t stop marching, exhaust them slowly…” the kobold chief ordered brutally, knowing their loss would be extremely large. In his mind, this cave is like a turtle. If he could break upon its shell, the juicy meat is all for him to take. To crack this shell, he did not hesitate to send his minions to die.

“KILL!”

“KILL THE FILTHY LIZARD!”

The goblin released their battle cry which from a human's point of view, would be mere gibberish. Greenskins versus red scales. Small versus smaller, the fight was brutal as they traded blows for blow. The kobolds did not even try protecting their life, as long as a kobold managed to hold down the goblin for one moment, they would not hesitate to trade their life for one chance.

Most of the kobolds are using a spear with an iron blade and wooden body. Taking advantage of their slippery nature, the goblins were overwhelmed not long after the battle started.

The goblins were weak, yes, but they are still stronger than kobolds. With the new discipline drilled into their mind a day ago, their defensive maneuver overpowered the kobold’s chaotic assault. Mordred did not give them complex defense formation due to their limited intelligence, but the kobold could not make their numerical advantage due to the cave mouth being small and jam-packed with goblins.

When a goblin was pierced by several spears, he got pulled back and replaced by another fresh goblin who had been waiting for their chance. The goblins are moving according to Mordred’s arrangement where he made sure no goblin soldiers died.

Every instance, Mordred was constantly sending telepathic commands to his soldiers, ensuring their performance akin to a machine: precise, cold, and consistent.

However, no matter how advantageous the strategy the goblin had, it won’t be able to overcome brute strength. The kobold chief has brought every combatant in his tribe, the kobold corpses on the cave’s mouth become a hindrance in close-quarter combat.

“AAARGH!” Kor released a battle cry as he made an appearance when the defense line was almost broken.

The red goblin’s existence is eye-catching to the kobold chief as if his dignity has been challenged. He paid great attention to this unique goblin on the battlefield.

Kor moved swiftly with vigor. He was someone whom Mordred had groomed specially to govern the goblins. Before the battle starts, Mordred sends his telepathic martial will into his sea of consciousness to ensure he made the correct decision and support him in making the best maneuver during combat.  

Kor with Mordred’s telepathic martial will was like Mordred fighting with Kor’s body. Kor’s martial ability elevated multiple folds! He became a killing machine with the rusty sword in his hand. With a stab, a kobold left with a fatal wound.

Moving back and forth, he took a short spear from a kobold corpse, then used it as an extension of his hand.

“[Slithering Snake Fang]!” Kor’s short spear moved with a weird trajectory as if it wasn’t a spear but a snake. It penetrated two kobold’s hearts before it was retracted.

“[Night Owl Claw Slash]!” The rusty blade in Kor’s hand filled with dark killing intent. With one slashing gesture, a kobold had its body separated from head to bottom, while two others in proximity received a light wound identical to the position of the first one.

If his internal energy development quotient was higher, then the two phantom-like rapid slashes will be identical in terms of destructive power. Alas, due to his low cultivation base, Kor could not showcase the full extent of Mordred’s martial arts.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Due to Kor's aggressive battle style, he was unprotected by other goblins, leaving him vulnerable to kobold assault. Multiple attacks fell into his body with one spear pierced his heart, yet his movement was unstoppable. The spear embedded on his body is merely an inconvenience, Kor could not feel pain!

As a zombie-like undead, Kor does not possess fatal weaknesses in his body, only sunlight and other anti-undead methods could work against him. Of course, it didn’t mean he was immortal, decapitation works just as fine but how can Kor leave his neck being chopped off without a fight?

Some of the kobolds that use a small bow sent their arrows, piercing the goblins and Kor, but they were unmoving. Even when one of Kor’s eyes was penetrated by a stray arrow, he merely pulled the arrows and continued fighting without care.

His vision was lost, but Mordred’s telepathic martial will have yet to be expended completely, he could still fight without one eye.     

Noticing the strange atmosphere where the red goblin unstoppably killed his minion, the kobold chief started panicking. His simple mind could not think of complex strategies like Mordred. With the number of kobolds that could attack the goblins at once is limited, the red goblins were like an undying meat grinder, killing every kobold that entered his range of attack.

In a few minutes, morale went south, the kobold chief knew it won’t be good if this continues. He needed to kill the red goblin, lest his troops lost the will to fight and lose the battle outright. The chief galloped with four limbs like a lizard. This was the form that could maximize their biology for running. In a few breaths, he already reached the goblin defensive line.

Just as he gripped the weapon in his waist to lunge towards the red goblin, he suddenly felt a chill as his eyes were distracted towards something behind the wall of goblins.

“Un-dead?” he became shocked as his body froze completely.

What he saw was a skeleton, draped in a shamanic dress. He recognized the outfit, it was the goblin shaman who managed to deny his right to devour the goblin tribe multiple times with his group of elite guards. Needless to say, he could’ve never guessed that the original goblin shaman was deader than dead, and the skeleton he saw was someone far more sinister than Demon King Maximilian, the previous otherworldly invader.   

“Hehe,” the skeleton with a pair of empty eye sockets released a chuckle. Mordred finally revealed his figure behind the wall of goblins.

He then spoke in kobold tongue fluently, “Fall into despair!”

“[Quadruple Maximize: Overlapping Resonance]

Rank 0 sound-path soul art, [Heart Shocking Pulse]!”

His skeletal hands each produced a soul art formation. On his left was a four-layered ring of the high-energy soul art formation, while on his right a greyish purple soul art formation of simple energy runes. Mordred clasp both of his hands together to combine the two spell formations into one.

It was an elementary form of a killer move, the new spell formation become a four-layered ring of greyish purple rings made out of simple energy runes. Then, it broke to create an invisible wave of sound attack centered around the kobold army. The sound waves traveled all over the battlefield, every kobold and goblin are practically affected.

BANG! At the center of the spell, the kobolds inside a 2-meter diameter area suddenly stopped moving while blood and gore started to leak from their seven orifices. Their anus also leaked liquefied organs. The closer kobold in the spell area, the more damage they received. By the time it reached the Kobold chief, the spell effect was already weakened to a great degree, yet it was sufficient to disorient him completely. His head felt like exploding with loss of vision and severe dizziness attacked him after the loud sonic bang subsided.

Goblins and kobolds were affected the same way; Mordred did not care about the goblin’s wellbeing. However, he had calculated the distance where his method would hit them without killing any. They were merely disoriented due to their stronger biology capable of enduring more damage. Still, at that moment, no goblin nor kobold could think.

It was what Mordred wanted in the first place. Using another sound-path method to amplify his voice, he started to speak in kobold tongue, “Surrender to me, and I shall let you live. Defy me, you’ll become zombies…”

Mordred was not lying this time. He activated a method that he had already prepared in the beginning toward a couple of kobold corpses. The soul art formation was prepared underneath the ground.

Suddenly activated, a dark grey soul art formation pulsed with sinister energy. Only great magic casters like Mordred could understand that it was death qi being harvested from the death of kobolds in the battlefield. The death qi was funneled into a kobold corpse near him, creating a kobold zombie.

The zombie whom Mordred had just reanimated screamed in pain and despair as if its original soul were being confined in a dead body. It wasn’t false though, since the main ingredients for manufacturing undead were both body and soul. Locked in perpetual condition between life and death, the horror and anguish it felt were nothing like it had ever felt before.

“AAAA kk-killlll m- meeeeee!” The zombie kobold was not enslaved by Mordred as he merely wanted to inflict terror towards the kobold chief. The zombie was genuinely in physical pain and soul torment while Mordred savors the taste of its negative emotion. If left alone, the zombie kobold’s soul will be weakened until he becomes a mindless zombie who moves extremely slowly.  

The mutant kobold was instantly frightened. He had never expected the goblin tribe he had always seen as prey to be under the control of an undead. The skeletal mage was one of the weakest undead in existence next to skeletal conscript. The spells skeletal mage could use were merely acid ball or ice spikes, or other weak rank 0 elemental spells. He had never seen one that could use complicated spells.

Undead that could spawn other undead was at least rank 1 existence, which for rank 0 like them, is something they could not fight no matter what. This skeletal mage was not a rank 1 existence because if it did, just a casual glance from the skeletal mage could kill mortals. The kobolds couldn’t afford to fight against such existence. However, they cannot live under the skeletal mage either. Only a life full of misery and pain for creatures that fell under the rule of the undead.  

Yet, the mutant kobold was not that intelligent to make the most correct judgment nor complex decision. All this while, his decisions were made out of more instinct than logic, and his instinct told him that the undead will spare the kobold if he, as the chief, surrendered himself to the undead. Misery and pain were something too complex to consider in the face of death.

After all, for dim creatures like them, living is better than not living, no matter how bad the condition is.

Of course, the kobold chieftain’s ‘instinct’ was telling him so due to Mordred’s wisdom-path methods interfering with his thought process.

Mordred used his previous sound-path method to disseminate a type of thoughts called telepathic fake thoughts to make the kobold chieftain to think that surrendering to him is the best way to survive.

It could be described as light hypnotism through sound. The strength of the telepathic fake thoughts is weak to human or other intellectual races, like having a rash impulse that could be ignored if one focused on the task at hand but the kobold chieftain was shocked both physically and mentally. There was a gap in his mental defense which allowed Mordred’s wisdom-path methods to successfully affect them.   

The mutant kobold rolled over, showing his light-colored belly. “We surrender! Iron Claw Tribe will serve the undead!” he screamed.

Still mostly disoriented, the kobold noticed their chief had surrendered. The first thing in their mind was to run away from the skeleton, but the kobold chief’s reaction was hardwired in their mind. With a weak but potent wisdom-path and sound-path combined, telepathic fake thoughts were spread amongst the kobolds, their mind was affected.

Instead of manipulating the kobold army with the same trick he did with the kobold chief, Mordred’s telepathic fake thoughts did not affect them as severely as the kobold chief. After all, the amount of spiritual force he possessed to produce thoughts is too little to influence hundreds of kobolds at once.  Especially so after his thought-exhausting role in the battle.

The telepathic fake thoughts made them think Mordred is an impassable mountain, and their leader was the only one who could lead them to overcome this impassable obstacle. Almost immediately, the kobold soldiers followed the chief by rolling over, showing their belly to Mordred one by one. Like a domino effect, the effect of his wisdom-path methods became more evident as more kobolds surrendered to him.

Seeing the result, Mordred waved his hand, killing the zombie kobold with his contingency method as its soul was silently devoured by him.

“Excellent,” Mordred muttered. Then, a dark telepathic emotion cloud around the battlefield gathered before moving towards the spot between Mordred’s eyebrows.