I Died and Became a Noble's Heir-Chapter 470: Don’t Fight It

Tharaxis rumbled from above. "My child recognizes reality when confronted with it. The weak survive by knowing when to submit to the strong."

Jack raised the Chain of Soul Warden, black metal links coiling through the air like living serpents. The artifact responded to his will, extending toward Stormfang.

But before the chain could strike, Jack spoke through the connection his lightning had created.

"Survive what hunts you. Become more than you are. And I promise no one will ever hurt you like this again." Jack spoke calmly.

Stormfang’s eyes widened.

The wyvern’s star-bright gaze shifted to Tharaxis, seeking confirmation that this bargain was real.

"He speaks truth," Tharaxis confirmed, his voice carrying weight that made the air vibrate. "Bind yourself to the Soul Warden, and you’ll retain everything you are. Just absolute loyalty in exchange for protection and power beyond what you could achieve alone."

The dragon’s countless arms shifted. "I would not give you to someone unworthy, my child. Trust that this serves purposes greater than survival."

Stormfang held Tharaxis’s gaze for a long moment, then turned back to Jack and lowered its head further.

The Chain of Soul Warden lashed forward, wrapping around Stormfang’s neck in loops that tightened with controlled pressure.

The artifact’s black metal links glowed with red lightning that matched Jack’s electrical discharge, creating a resonance between the weapon and the target.

The system notification appeared immediately:

[Soul Binding Initiated]

[Target: Stormfang (Blessed Wyvern - Lightning Affinity)]

[Status: Living - Critically Wounded]

[WARNING: Binding living creatures costs 1000× standard rate]

[Base Cost: 150,000 Death Tokens]

[Living Creature Multiplier: ×1000]

[Total Cost: 150,000,000 Death Tokens]

[Current Death Tokens: 44,842,250]

[Insufficient funds. Proceed with external token source?]

[YES] or [NO]

Jack selected yes, and the pile of Death Tokens Tharaxis had provided began to disintegrate.

The crystallized pieces dissolved into dark energy that flowed across the plateau, drawn toward the Chain of Soul Warden like iron to a magnet.

The energy poured into the artifact, feeding the binding process with power that made the air itself vibrate.

One hundred fifty million tokens converted to raw magical force, channeled through black metal links that wrapped tighter around Stormfang’s struggling form.

The wyvern shrieked, not from pain but from the overwhelming sensation of fundamental nature being rewritten while consciousness remained intact.

The soul anchoring process that normally occurred after death was happening in real-time, forcing Stormfang’s essence to bind itself to Jack’s will without the merciful unconsciousness that death provided.

Lightning exploded from Stormfang’s body, yellow electrical discharge mixing with Jack’s red current, creating patterns that lit up the plateau like a storm ripping apart fields.

The wyvern’s wings beat frantically, instinct driving it to flee even as the binding chains prevented escape.

"Hold," Jack commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. "The process will complete faster if you stop fighting."

Stormfang’s thrashing slowed, intelligence overriding instinct as the wyvern recognized the truth in Jack’s words.

The electrical discharge stabilized, with yellow and red lightning flowing in synchronized patterns as the binding anchored deeper.

Thirty seconds of consciousness-preserving soul binding that left Stormfang gasping on the plateau’s stone, wings spread wide, body trembling from exertion.

Then the chain pulsed once more, and the binding completed.

[Soul Binding Complete]

[Stormfang (Blessed Wyvern) successfully bound]

[Death Tokens Spent: 150,000,000]

[Current Death Tokens: 44,842,250]

[WARNING: Creature bound while living - memories and personality retained]

[Soul Warden Army: 364/500]

Stormfang’s star-bright eyes dimmed, then reignited with red lightning that matched Jack’s own gaze.

The wyvern’s head rose slowly. "Master," Stormfang rumbled, its voice carrying a cultured accent that matched the Ice Drake’s tone. "I am yours to command."

Jack studied the bound wyvern, searching for signs of resistance or hidden defiance.

He found only absolute loyalty, tempered with intelligence that recognized this outcome as survival rather than death.

"Do you remember everything?" Jack asked.

"Yes, Master," Stormfang confirmed. "I remember fleeing your arrows..." The wyvern’s red eyes shifted briefly to the massive dragon coiled above. "I remember my progenitor giving me to you as a test."

"And you’re grateful," Jack observed, noting the emotional undertones carried through the Soul Link.

"I am," Stormfang admitted. "You could have killed me. Bound my corpse. Erased who I am for the convenience of absolute control." The wyvern’s wings folded against its body.

"Instead, you preserved my consciousness. Gave me purpose beyond survival. Made me part of something that will grow stronger than anything that could threaten me."

The creature’s tone carried genuine satisfaction. "Yes, Master. I am grateful."

Tharaxis’s laugh boomed across the plateau, loud enough that nearby rocks cracked from sound pressure. "Well done, little Soul Warden. You’ve proven you can control the binding process with precision rather than just overwhelming force. That’s rare. Exactly what I needed to see."

The dragon’s massive form descended, coiling closer to where Jack stood beside his newly bound wyvern. Golden eyes studied both of them with satisfaction that transcended approval.

"Stormfang," Tharaxis addressed his child directly. "You will serve the Soul Warden well. Support his goals. Grow stronger through his power. Become what you could never achieve alone."

"Yes, Progenitor," Stormfang replied, bowing its head respectfully.

"Good," Tharaxis rumbled, then shifted his attention back to Jack. "The test is complete. You’ve proven your worth. Now..." Lightning crackled from his golden eyes with increased intensity. "Now we form the contract."

The dragon’s massive head lowered until it was level with Jack, those burning eyes filling his entire field of vision.

"Place your hand on my skull. Touch the point between my eyes where lightning flows strongest. The contract will form through that connection."

Jack stepped forward without hesitation, his left hand rising to touch the massive skull. The bone beneath his palm was warm, pulsing with electrical current that made his skin tingle immediately on contact.

"Before we begin," Tharaxis said, his voice resonating through both air and the physical contact point. "You should know that Malakai was my contractor. I fought beside him. Watched him build his empire. Saw him challenge gods and walk away without getting harm."

Jack’s eyes widened slightly at that revelation. Malakai had contracted with Tharaxis. The original Soul Warden had possessed the same power Jack was about to claim.

"When he died," Tharaxis continued, "the contract broke. I returned here, to Floor Fifty-Two, and waited. Waited for someone worthy to arrive. Someone who might carry on what Malakai started."

The dragon’s golden gaze conveyed an intensity that had been progressively developing since their initial interaction. "I think that someone is you."

Before Jack could respond, Tharaxis’s skull began to glow.

Lightning erupted from the point where Jack’s palm made contact, not red like Jack’s own power or yellow like the dragon’s scales, but pure gold. The color of absolute electrical perfection.

The purest form of lightning in existence, though Jack didn’t know that yet.

"This will hurt," Tharaxis warned, his voice distant now as the power began to flow. "More than anything you’ve experienced. More than demonic essence integration. More than soul-binding backlash. This is Demi-God power forcing itself into mortal flesh. Your body will resist. Fight the intrusion. Try to reject what it cannot naturally contain."

The dragon’s golden eyes held Jack’s gaze. "Don’t fight it. Let the pain wash over you. Let your body break and reform. The process will reshape you into something that can contain what I’m offering."