Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 95 - 6th Regression First Day - Exploring The Dimensional Labyrinth [3]

Louis deduced the rose craved souls as its diet—likely inheriting some qualities from its predecessor, though not all.

"I can feel an affinity to the Nature Element, and like Handy, it’s already technically bonded to me. But why does this keep happening?"

He considered several possibilities. First: when the Gardener tried to merge with him, fragments of its soul must have integrated during regeneration.

These fragments didn’t fully assimilate, instead forming a separate entity. That might explain its passivity and lack of personality or intelligence.

"So in exchange for possible Nature Element affinity and greatly strengthening my Soul, it demands I feed it souls occasionally... Well, it’s not that bad. I’ll run some scans on it later once I return to the VPI. Now, this..."

Louis scanned again, shifting focus to the flames left by Mirai. His memories of that moment were fragmented, but he knew: as the Gardener tore his soul apart, Mirai appeared, destroyed the Grievance, and transformed into her true form. She then let his soul pass peacefully, burning him with her flames...

"Flames of Nirvana...?!"

The ability the Player character—the Protagonist—unlocked at Level 100: an evolved form of Mirai’s Demonic Flames, imbued with Love and Hope instead of Fear and Self-Hatred. Similar to how Louis’s Holy Light emerged from reversing his Ashen Frost’s Despair into Hope. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The Flames of Nirvana healed and strengthened those they touched while weakening enemies—especially effective against those with whom Mirai had forged deep, high-level bonds. They also granted healing buffs to romantic partners after certain intermissions.

"It’s not just the Gardener’s vestige..."

This Flame of Nirvana burned fiercely within him, possessing immense regenerative power that had greatly strengthened his Soul. It carried Mirai’s Love for him... a memory Louis pieced together from his fractured recollections.

"Mirai..."

Louis looked sorrowful as the two Salt Statues collapsed. He clenched his fists tightly. These flames were no longer merely an Ability; they had fused with his Soul. Part of his Soul now held the properties of the Flames of Nirvana. With training, he could channel them in new ways or use them to further cultivate his Soul.

"Even after dying the way I did, I still gained two gifts from that timeline... One far more meaningful and precious than the other, I suppose."

Louis smiled bitterly. He opened his palm. A small golden-red Nirvana Flame Ember appeared, burning with Mirai’s Love and her hope that he would reach the afterlife peacefully.

"Thank you..."

He pressed the flame back into his Soul by touching his chest. He did not consume the soul; instead he stored it within the Fragment of the Spiral of Desecrated Soul.

Once finished, Louis looked down. "Zorba, how did it go?"

"It was hard but not impossible. I’m learning to control such a large creature now—all thanks to your encouragement, Lord Louis," Zorba said enthusiastically.

"I see. Can you turn these two others into golems?" Louis asked.

"I can try." Zorba nodded. He repurposed a soul from one of the statues his undead had killed, returning it to its original body. The transformation into a golem occurred much more smoothly. "Well, it works!"

"Then I’ll take this one." Louis surprised Zorba by raising the remaining Salt Statue into his own giant golem. "Unfortunately, despite their size and intimidating appearance, they aren’t that tough. Nonetheless... this is why I can infuse more than one soul."

By applying multiple souls to a single undead, enhancement or evolution became possible—an ability of the Necromancer Incarnation. Louis infused the other harvested soul, reinforcing the statue. It gained harder armor, an extra pair of arms, and sharp spikes. Its white salt stone turned reddish. The golem now emitted strong white ghostly energy.

"Alright, we’re ready. Let’s press on," Louis said after collecting and storing the Fantasium Cores for later.

With Zorba at his side, Louis advanced deeper into the First Layer. The Forest of Hollow Salt was the smallest layer; most of it lay on Antarctica’s surface, but a cliff led to its deeper regions—where they were headed.

Using their new Salt Golems, they leaped down into the depths. Salt-tree forests grew denser, white spires rising everywhere, salt particles filling the dry, arid air. Salt Creature Entities became common. As they pressed forward, not only Salt Statues but Salt Termites noticed them.

Salt Termites were giant termites made of salt—direct subordinates of the First Layer’s Area Boss, the Level 3 Entity known as the "Hollow Queen." Louis wasn’t sure if it had regenerated yet, but his goal was to slay her if present—or push on to the Second Layer regardless.

Thrusting Gungnir with seamless precision, Louis pierced through five-meter Salt Termites—Level 1 to 2 Entities. Workers were Level 1; Warriors Level 2, larger and more armored. Against Louis and his blazing Gungnir, they were nothing.

"You’ve also become stronger... and much more independent."

Louis had already noticed Gungnir’s heightened responsiveness and power. It was tougher now and could obey commands, acting independently for short periods.

Soul Gear evolved alongside its master’s Soul. Because Louis’s Soul had suddenly strengthened—thanks to the Gardener’s vestige and the merged Flame of Nirvana—Gungnir had grown stronger too, blazing with golden-red flames as it impaled dozens of Salt Termites, shattering them into countless crystals.

Zorba was fascinated by the materials. He began indulging his restrained urges, building an army of Salt Golems. Though he preferred flesh-and-bone corpses, this wasn’t bad for a start.

He abandoned his weaker human zombies, infusing all their souls into his main Salt Statue. He combined it with Salt Termites, gradually creating his new Hecatoncheires.

As they advanced, Louis stood atop his floating Ashen Frost Sword, gazing ahead. In the distance rose a massive castle-shaped termite mound of white mud and salt crystals, towering over fifty meters.

It was surrounded by nearly a hundred Salt Termites and Salt Statues guarding the perimeter. The Dimensional Staircase lay inside.

"Looks like the Queen has respawned. This is a good opportunity to test our abilities. Zorba, let’s go."

"Yes, Master Louis! Hecatoncheires! Rampage as you see fit!"

"GRAAAAHHH!"

Hecatoncheires—the giant golem of salt crystals—roared and charged, slamming into dozens of Salt Termites, crushing them instantly and alerting the rest of the army.

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