Chương 86: Chapter XXIII — The Wardens & the Escapees

Galan touched Asaka's forehead. A soft light spread under her skin like glowing roots, collecting the fragmented remains of her soul. He stood, and a glowing tether of light now connected his finger to her forehead. The crowd gasped. Tadamaru stared, his mind reeling. How can a human wield such magic without any preparation? Even the most powerful sorcerers need talismans and prayers! Meanwhile, Umiginu recognized the immense spiritual pressure but not the technique.

"Don't worry," Galan said to them.

"This is all part of the plan." He cast more light tethers onto the offerings, weaving them all into a single, thicker line. He held it, gazing up at the swirling colors in the night sky. Now, where should I start…? He found a dense pocket of souls to the northeast and, with a powerful sweep of his arm, hurled the tether into the sky. It shot upward, erupting into a web of luminous, searching roots that pulsed across the clouds, hunting for a soul that matched Asaka's. Umiginu gasped. This power… it feels ancient.

Like the miracles of the High Heaven. She closed her eyes. Oh, Asaka… please come to him… if only so that I could see you one last time. The crowd was paralyzed in shock. Tadamaru's eyes were wide. He wasn't lying! He really is a god! No human would act that way without this much power to back it up!

"Awesome… it's like a fireworks show!" Mizuki cheered, her eyes reflecting the dazzling display.

"Be careful, Mizuki," Sawako whispered, pulling her daughter close.

"He can just as easily hurt us if he so wishes."

"Impressive," Raihoo murmured near the back.

"I have witnessed the sorcerers summon powerful spirits before… but he is capable of commanding the heavens as though issuing a simple order." Meanwhile, Kazanmaru swallowed hard, his palms sweating.

"Maybe Rinka was right… fighting him would have been a mistake." Rinka smirked.

"Haha! What did I tell you?! You can't just go around sizing people up like in the summers of old." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She looked at Galan, who is casually moving the line to a patch of the sky in their direction.

"Foreign gods like him seem to be quite common and casual with their display of power. At least… that's what I've gathered during my walks with Kuri around the port and resorts." She patted the fluffy Kuri before looking at Kazanmaru.

"They're the complete opposite of our Great Gods. So you better learn to relent to reckless human foreigners from now on."

"Ugh, you don't have to tell me twice," Kazanmaru scoffed.

"On the contrary, we had to tell you this six times so far," Akuro countered. They laughed at Kazanmaru as he sat with a sneer. Meanwhile, Galan's focus remained absolute. Almost there… the coverage and filtering are perfect. Shouldn't take too long before I find out where they're keeping her. How is he doing this? Tadamaru thought, creeping closer to Galan.

"Lord Odagawa… what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm using my soulcast to find where the ghosts are hiding the victims," Galan replied without looking down.

"Once I find it, I'll compare her soul signature with the ones I've gathered from her body and the offerings."

"Oh. It's that simple?"

"As simple as piloting a flying ship. In reality, both the ship and my spell are doing a hundred different things at once to make it convenient to control."

"So you really are just that powerful."

"More or less," Galan shrugged.

"But how does your plan work exactly?"

"I'm betting on the ghosts holding the souls hostage," Galan explained.

"Think of them as wardens of a prison. And I assume they check on their prisoners regularly."

"Can't you just replace her soul with a fake one?" Tadamaru suggested.

"And what happens when they realize their target list is a blank paper?"

"You do have a point," Tadamaru conceded.

"But can't you just defeat them?"

"As much as I wanted to, they're still far bigger than me," Galan sighed, rubbing the glowing line.

"The sheer number of souls required to absorb them would take half the country's worth. Only the Great Gods, like Amaterasu, could do that. But that would risk them turning into the ghosts themselves due to the Law of Spiritual Displacement." He saw the confusion on Tadamaru's face.

"It's like pouring red dye into a clear bath. Sure, the water will clear eventually, but in the meantime, it's too spooky to bathe in."

"So that's how the Great Gods work…" Tadamaru whispered. Galan smirked.

"Although, there is also another method."

"What is it?!"

"I could just mind-control all the humans into being good people. That would stop the need for the ghosts in the first place." Tadamaru took a step back.

"Please, don't do that!"

"Fine, I won't." Galan turned to Umiginu.

"What about you, Umi? Are you for absolute divine mind control?" Umiginu looked up, tears on her face.

"Can you really do it?"

"Sure. I am the god of the mind, after all. But I'd never hear the end of it from my family if I committed such a prank. And that's not to mention how furious your gods would be if I tried to do—" The line in his hand pulsed.

"Hold on."