He suddenly moved, withdrawing ’the collective’ from the immediate vicinity. This was his rank 16 out of 21 soul mass — or rather, 10 out of 15, since he’d burned off six soul masses during his attempt to kill Arros during the time crossing.

The collective was the same soul mass that had parasitized the ’Sea God’ entity back when he was in that temple in the past. That same hungry, pervasive thing that thrived on the microscopic level.

Immediately after the collective was withdrawn, Sue could finally breathe, and she very quickly dashed towards Syf, who had now felled the abomination and was going to work on its very weakened body. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Particularly, Syf seemed intent on harvesting something right at the abomination’s center. There was a throbbing dark light that became more apparent now that the creature had been felled and was weakening. It pulsed like a sick heart deep within the chest cavity of the giant.

It was a "soul core" as Finn had seen back at Stratus. But this soul core was leagues beyond the petty thing Sue had crushed then.

Right from the onset when the abomination crawled up the chasm, Finn had sensed the soul core within it and had intended to take it for himself. He was very much interested in this new thing that had seemingly popped up at some point in time after his era as Arros. How did they work? What exactly did they do? How much stronger did they make a soul mass?

He knew they were cores created by the so-called "Soul Transcendent," but he wanted to know the nitty gritty detail and specifics of how it actually worked. He wanted to know the price of such power.

While he was very much sure of his own power and capabilities, he wasn’t conceited enough to not try to learn as much as he could about his opponents before he faced them. Knowledge was the only true absolute.

He had intended to do just this from the start. But after he noticed the nature of the abomination, he changed that plan on the spot.

The abomination was a chaos creature. Finn could see and feel the same chaotic emanations roiling off of it just like it was with Sue. It was a match in frequency.

The fact that a creature of that specific nature was here within the Ossuary’s Soul Sanctum meant it was a spoil of battle. Perhaps some conflict had occurred in the past, involving the Ossuary and the Harvester Cult, and the Ossuary came away with this as a trophy. They had kept it in the dark, using it as a last resort.

Sue’s reaction had simply confirmed that for him, and he’d used that to test the suspicions he had about her.

Particularly, one suspicion...

That she had something very powerful up her sleeve... Something powerful enough to affect even him.

He had seen it in her demeanor despite that bright, sickening facade she always put on. He had seen it in moments she thought he couldn’t see or sense her.

It was a sort of scorn. It was almost as if her eyes were saying: Just keep being smug. You’ll soon get what’s coming to you.

Finn feared no such thoughts. He was comfortable with the enmity of others. Especially when it remained just that — thoughts.

But he did fear ignorance.

He had been ignorant for his first months in this world already. Back then, he had been a pawn in a game, struggling to find his footing. All that had changed now. But no matter how strong he currently was... no matter how much he now knew... he wasn’t going to allow himself to wallow in blind ignorance again.

He blocked Sue’s path to Syf easily, hitting her back several feet with a heavy blast from his fire elemental soul mass. She looked even more frantic now, her eyes wide as Syf’s snout dug out the black pulsing soul core from the gooey, pus-filled chest of the abomination.

The giant’s wailing ceased instantly. It was as if its power source had been cut off. The life faded from its limbs, and it became nothing more than a mound of rotting meat.

Syf launched herself from its body. She landed right behind Finn with a heavy thud that made the ground tremble, standing at her full storey-building height, her fur crackling with the last of the lightning. She gazed down menacingly at Sue, whose frazzled look had gotten even worse.

The girl’s eyes were dead-set on the core. She was fully focused on it like it was a most prized treasure she needed to possess at any cost.

Yes. Go over the edge... Show me what you have up your sleeve... Finn’s eyes were locked on her, an easy challenge in them, asking her how far she was willing to go for this.

A low chuckle escaped his lips as he saw her eyes firm decisively. The hesitation was gone.

Here it comes. Finn readied himself for the incoming attack. He was not underestimating what it might be.

Sue began to chant a low string of unintelligible words under her breath, and Finn immediately frowned.

What’s this? The space around her began to distort wierdly, and that distortion slowly spread toward his position.

I can easily evade this, Finn analyzed. But should I?

He waited, silently stacking defenses of Invalidations to surround himself.

But the moment that slow, weird wave was about to touch the space of his spell, his attention was drawn to a disturbance.

Right behind Sue, a vertical slit opened and a person stepped out, hand-first, grabbing Sue by the shoulder.

The Chaos Bearer?! Finn went into full alert, way hing as the person stepped out fully.

It was... a woman? Finn frowned slightly but didn’t let up his guard. He stared at her and his expression eased into a calm smile as her eyes found his and she grinned widely.

She looks vaguely familiar... Finn watched as she pulled Sue by the shoulder, startling the girl into a fright. She turned sharply, her eyes filled with killing intent.

But the moment she saw the figure of the person who’d touched her, her demeanor changed entirely to one of utter deference tinged with trepidation.

"Mistress Elara!"