Chapter 277: The Soul-Chasing Needle [II]

The Soul-Chasing Needle.

A demonic artifact mentioned in the original story. It was considered one of the most terrifying artifacts in existence, not because of its abilities but because of the man who had once gotten his hands on it.

A man named Justin.

He was a bastard who came closer than almost anyone to killing Noah in the novel and the reason for that was this very needle.

Its ability was simple.

It could replace a person’s soul.

In the novel, Justin had used it to swap souls with one of Noah’s few trusted comrades. Afterward, he continued acting as a loyal ally, perfectly maintaining the disguise. Then, the moment Noah acquired a valuable treasure, Justin attempted to stab him in the back.

Poor guy.

He should have known better.

That bastard Noah was never truly anyone’s friend. Even the people he called comrades were never trusted completely.

So Justin naturally met his end.

Still, the story had given me an idea about how I could use this needle to make Varek’s life a living hell and at the same time, I would be eliminating a future problem before it had the chance to grow.

Varek valued his status and bloodline above everything else. For someone like him, the greatest punishment wasn’t death. It was forcing him to live as something he despised.

A human.

I didn’t even have a target body to put his soul into yet, but that wasn’t a problem. The needle could simply hold his soul until I found a suitable vessel.

As for whose soul I planned to place inside his body... Well, the answer was standing right in front of me.

My loyal slave—I mean, subordinate.

Naga.

I looked at him and gave my order.

"Go into this needle. The moment I stab it into this bastard, you will be sent directly to his Soul Palace. Once you are there, push his soul out and take control. Can you do that?"

Naga nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, Young Master!"

"Good."

Still, just to be safe, I activated the suppression placed upon his soul and added another command.

"Do not even think about trying anything clever. You are not to do anything I haven’t ordered or anything that could create trouble for me and try to take over his body as soon as possible. Understood?"

A green chain materialized around his snake body before fading away as his expression immediately grew more serious.

"Understood, Young Master!"

"Great. Now enter the needle."

I spoke quietly, and Naga immediately complied, his small body dissolving into a stream of light and vanishing into the Soul-Chasing Needle before a red glow covered the needle.

I was still standing at the edge of Varek’s room and thanks to keeping my voice as low as possible, that bastard hadn’t woken up yet.

So, taking advantage of the opportunity, I moved toward his bed one careful step at a time, making my presence as inconspicuous as possible.

Demons had exceptionally sharp senses when it came to mana, so I couldn’t use my Magician Card to teleport directly.

I carefully navigated around the scattered clothes and other junk the bastard had thrown across the floor before finally reaching the area near his bed.

The bastard was somehow still snoring and I was only about ten steps away now. The needle was clenched tightly in my palm as I took another step forward and immediately, the bastard’s eyes snapped open.

I knew it!

He had some kind of artifact warning him.

He was still groggy from sleep, so I tried to take advantage of his dazed state and lunged forward with the needle.

Before I could reach him, however, a burst of mana exploded from his body, throwing me off balance for a brief moment.

"Who are you?!"

He demanded, his voice cold.

A grin spread across my face.

"I am Vengence!"

That joke sounded a lot cooler in my head than it did when I actually said it out loud.

Varek clearly didn’t appreciate it as he immediately lunged at me. The two women sleeping beside him woke up from the commotion as Varek threw a punch straight at my face.

Looking at the mana-enhanced strike, my smile widened even further as a card appeared in my hand.

With a flick of my fingers, I sent it flying behind Varek.

I had already reduced its size and altered its shape slightly to make sure the two women wouldn’t be able to identify it as one of my Cards of Arcana.

The instant Varek’s punch was about to connect, I teleported to the card behind him and thrust the needle toward his neck. He was caught off guard but he still reacted instantly. Instead of dodging, he reinforced his body with some kind of artifact.

Unfortunately for him, the Soul-Chasing Needle was no ordinary artifact. Its razor-sharp tip, combined with its special properties, pierced through the mana barrier as if it were made of glass and a moment later, it dug deep into the back of his neck.

He let out a scream.

"Arghhhhh! How dare you, you rat bastard, attack me so sneakily?!"

Then he immediately turned toward me with a roundhouse kick.

My body couldn’t react in time as the kick landed squarely. I crashed into a nearby wooden wall, shattering it on impact. Splinters stabbed into my body as I was sent flying into the room adjacent to Varek’s master bedroom.

He immediately followed after me, his entire body coated in mana and any trace of sleep long gone from his eyes.

I could already hear the footsteps of the students guarding the villa rushing upstairs but I couldn’t care less about any of that because I had succeeded.

Naga’s soul had probably entered his soul palace by now and as long as I could hold out for a few more minutes, he should be able to seize control from within.

I could have simply run away.

But I couldn’t do that either.

The Soul-Chasing Needle was being powered by my mana and a thin invisible thread still connected it to me. So, the moment I moved too far away, the artifact’s effect would be disrupted.

So I had no choice.

I had to stay and buy time.

But as I looked at Varek glaring at me like an enraged bull, only one thought crossed my mind.

Hurry up, Naga!