He frowned, squinting his eyes at her. “Sophia?” he asked as he took a cautious step forward.

  “Ah,” she said, shaking her head. “No. The one you are speaking to isn’t your friend.”

  Freddy froze. A deep anger bubbled in his gut, and he immediately conjured Sanguine Avenger. The weapon materialized with an aggressive clang, and he slowly lowered it into a stance as he tightened his grip on the long handle. “Who the hell are you?”

  “If I were you, I’d rather put that thing down,” the person speaking through Sophia said. “If you still want your friend back, that is.”

  For a long moment, Freddy’s mind churned. Then, his eyes widened as he made a horrible realization. “Oh fuck off! You’re Silver Heart, aren’t you!?” He scowled, angry at himself for not realizing that something about her state was off.

  Sophia’s eyes widened. “Curious. What gave me away?” Silver Heart cocked Sophia’s head, but it was a little unstable. It appeared that he was incapable of fluidly manipulating her body. Whatever had allowed the man to take her body wasn’t stable.

  “You’ve already survived one execution. And I’m short on guesses.” Freddy said. “So it was bodysnatching, huh? Does it cost losing a limb forever?” Freddy took a step forward, ready to cut the man down at the slightest sign of hostility. “That’s one hell of a spirit ability.”

  “Unique affinity, actually,” Silver Heart clarified. “Not that it really matters.”

  “That's cool. Now give me one reason not to kill you,” he said, raising his sword a bit and taking another step forward and finally making it close enough to decapitate Sophia with a flick of his wrist. “And hurry up. My patience is running out.”

  “I can still give you your friend back,” the man said.

  “A compelling offer,” Freddy said. “And yet, I’m somewhat disinclined to trust you.”

  “Yet I know you will accept.” The man twisted her face into a grin. “I—no, we have been present for all those times you’ve diligently taken care of us.”

  Freddy’s jaw clenched.

  The man continued, “All those hours you’ve spent trying to nurse her back to health. Are you really going to tell me that you’ll throw her life away at the drop of a hat? I know you won’t. If you weren’t willing to negotiate, you’d have already killed me.”

  Freddy hesitated. “Let me guess—you want to take my body instead?”

  “While I would gladly accept the offer, I already know you won’t agree to it. From what her memories tell me, you aren’t nearly so selfless.”

  “But you do want a new body,” Freddy confidently guessed.

  “You’re a smart kid.”

  “That’s not gonna happen, buddy.” With renewed determination, he pulled the sword back, ready to swing. “She wouldn’t want me to sacrifice someone for her.”

  “I don’t need a living person.”

  Freddy hesitated again, and this time, he had to fight the urge not to lower his sword a bit.

  Silver Heart smiled. “You see, the ritual I performed to secure my life is rather limited. I should have been able to overtake this girl’s body with ease. And I would have, had the body not been unconscious for such a long time. Now, we are two souls in one vessel, fated to keep fighting for our place and yet unable to ever come out on top.” He raised Sophia’s hand. Atop it, a grey mist floated—it was a Spark of Undeath. “Because the line between me and her is no longer so clear.”

  Freddy’s eyes widened at the sight. “How the fuck are you using her talent!?”

  “I told you. Our souls are no longer fully separated. In this case, however, that might be a lucky coincidence.” The mocking smile the man was forcing on her face vanished as he turned serious. “All you need to do is bring me a recently deceased corpse. As long as there some cells still living within, I can use this girl’s talent to fully recontruct the body.”

  Then, Sophia’s face twisted into a sick grin. “An intact human body without a soul. Horrible, horrible power, this girl has. But useful in this case. With my ritual affinity, I could finally separate our souls and free us both of this predicament. I just need a clean slate to move to. You would get your friend back and I would leave you alone. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect deal?”

  Freddy remained there for a few long moments, his mind churning and his heart pulsing rapidly. There was no way this man could be trusted. However, that didn’t mean there was no hope left. With an exaggerated sigh, he lowered the sword and took a cautious step back. “You’re lucky with your timing.”

  “It isn’t luck,” Silver Heart claimed. “I can see through this girl’s eyes that the surrounding air is full of life essence. Human life essence. Blood has been shed nearby. A lot of it. I decided this was a good moment to strain my soul and briefly take over. By the way, you should hurry. I can’t keep this up forever. And if I lose control again, there is a risk we might truly fuse into a single person. And believe me, you wouldn’t want that to happen.”

  “Just one more thing before I leave—how do I know that you aren’t lying to me?”

  “Believe me, I wish I could do better, but all I can do in this state is give a verbal promise. But if it helps any, this girl is my descendant. And I don’t cast away the lives of my children without good reason.”

  “Funny you’d say that,” Freddy said. “I remember seeing them die in scores.”

  “For good reason.”

  Freddy took a long, deep breath. “Fine. Be right back.”

  “Please hurry. And feed your little spark of undeath while you’re there. I will need it.”

  Freddy turned around and walked out of the room.

  It would be a frosty day in hell where Freddy would believe anything one of the most infamous human beings alive said. And if they were playing this game, he would make the first move.

  As soon as he made it outside, where the bodies he’d dropped were scattered all over, he looked for someone especially soft, preferably without much tempering.

  Someone who would easily die in a single strike.

  He settled for a short woman who appeared to be a caster of some sorts, likely fire. She had died from a blood shard right to the forehead, most likely at the very start of the fight.

  That meant that her forehead was, indeed, quite fragile.

  He put a finger to the wound, then cast Absorb Blood. He proceeded to drain her whole body, leaving her an empty husk. Then, he replaced her blood with his own, solidifying it throughout her entire cardiovascular system.

  If she were alive, she wouldn’t be able to move a muscle. And he knew from experience that even supreme healing wasn’t the best at dealing with this kind of thing.

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  Perfect.

  After feeding his fleshy undead blob, he hauled the body back to Sophia’s room. Thankfully, Travis was still blabbering, so nobody saw Freddy dragging the corpse through the hallway.

  As soon as he stepped into the room, he threw it on the ground.

  Silver Heart eyed it for a moment, noticeably forcing a displeased look into Sophia’s eyes. “I would prefer the body of a man.”

  “This was one of the few bodies that wasn’t in literal pieces. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

  Silver Heart sighed. “What about the spark?”

  Freddy pulled it out of his ring and cut it in half.

  “I want the whole thing,” Silver Heart demanded.

  Freddy shook his head. “I’m not sure I can trust you that Sophia will be okay. And I don’t want to lose the spark. It is quite useful to me.”

  “Do you take me for a pushover? I want the whole thing, I said, and you will give it to me.”

  Freddy grinned at that. “Sophia’s memories should tell you that I’m more than selfish enough to die on this hill.”

  Silver Heart scowled at that. Clearly, he seemed to agree. Which honestly hurt Freddy’s feelings a little.

  Freddy scoffed. “And half will be more than enough to fully heal this body,” he lied. “She was killed by a single wound straight to the forehead. Even a tenth of a spark would do the job.”

  Silver Heart sighed, clearly weighing his choices. “Fine.” The man extracted the captured spark of undeath, throwing the already-melting mass of organic matter aside, and then slowly dragged Sophia’s body out of the wheelchair and over to the dead woman. Then, he eyed Freddy. “Do you mind giving me some space?”

  “Sure thing,” Freddy said, taking a few steps back. He casually put his hands behind his back. Then, quietly, he conjured a Knuckle Blade on his right fist.

  He watched Silver Heart slowly put Sophia’s hand on the body. Then, the corpse rapidly healed. It was quite creepy to watch. And frankly, this put Sophia’s talent well into the illegal category, without a doubt.

  Silver Heart started casting an ability. This was undoubtedly a product of the unique affinity he was talking about. He chanted bizzare… noises. They couldn’t be described as words. And with every moment, more and more symbols gathered. Some attached to Sophia’s body, others attached to the corpse on the ground.

  A few seconds passed, and with the song of horrible sacrifice coming to an end, Sophia’s body dropped limply to the floor.

  For a brief moment, Freddy simply stood there, every muscle in his body primed to move, watching the corpse on the ground. Then, the corpse opened its eyes.

  Freddy bolted. Instantly, he activated the impact function on his Knuckle Blade and cast Tsunami Strike, aceelerating straight for Silver Heart’s head.

  Silver Heart noticed his attack, as expected from a five-star, he immediately reacted, trying to dodge. But he couldn’t move. The blood solidified throughout the woman’s whole body paralyzed him.

  Realizing he was stuck, he opened his mouth and released a horrid screech. Five stars lit up inside the man’s soul, releasing a blinding and overpowering aura, and a gust of unholy essence washed over Freddy as the compound curse impacted his body. He was blinded. He lost all feeling in his body. He heard the screams of everyone he’d ever known, begging for salvation and trying to drag his attention away.

  But he didn’t lose faith. He didn’t falter. Although he couldn’t feel his body, he believed that he was still moving forward, and for that split second, he continued, trusting his body to respond to his command. Compared to witnessing the incarnation of Insanity itself, this was nothing!

  A moment later, the curse broke. It oozed out of his body like several hundred greasy tongues, all of them screeching with an unpleasant dying gasp. The wisps left bloody holes in his skin as they escaped through giant boils. His hearing was still buzzing. A deep, profound itch still bit away beneath his skin.

  Gasping for breath and fighting away the blind spots in his sight, he forced himself to look down.

  The tip of his Knuckle Blade was embedded straight into the woman’s skull, deep enough to kill. Shadowy tendrils were dissipating all around him, no doubt another failed attempt to block Freddy’s attack. All the furniture in the room had been knocked over, and Sophia’s body was laying on the other side of the room. Cracks had spread through the floor. Freddy’s hand was bursting apart at the seams, courtesy of the Tsunami Strike.

  But he knew better than to drop his guard yet. “Bloodshed!” Freddy shouted, releasing the skeleton from its ether cage. “To the Netherecho! Hurry!”

  He joined it a moment later.

  Right where the woman’s corpse was, there was now a black sphere. It hovered ominously, emitting a deep, thrumming buzz. And then, like a balloon being carried on a gentle gust of wind, it began to move in the direction of Sophia’s body.

  “Destroy that sphere!” Freddy shouted, swinging his soul construct scythe at it. But as the tip of his scythe blade made impact, it was repelled. Like a steel knife striking diamond, it had failed to even leave a scratch. “Shit!” he cursed as he pulled the scythe back and prepared another attack.

  Bloodshed joined him, firing all sorts of blood projectiles, from hardened blood to acidic attacks, but nothing seemed to work. As the sphere inched closer to Sophia’s body, Freddy panicked, rushing back outside. “Fuck!” he screamed as he returned to reality and leaped over to Sophia.

  He didn’t risk moving around the sphere and going to the door. He simply smashed a fist into the wall on the other side, shattering it into pieces and then ran into the hallway, carrying Sophia on his shoulder.

  Bloodshed! he called mentally. Follow that sphere and keep attacking it!

  Master! The sphere is getting faster!

  “Oh, come the hell on!”

  Freddy stepped on it, activating Hydraulic Flex with both stars to rush through the hallway. His mind churned as he rushed through his options, and with gritted teeth, he turned to face for the meeting hall where most of the members were.

  “… and that’s why we’re going to—” Travis paused as he turned to face Freddy, scowling at the sight of the bloody man carrying the unconscious Sophia over his shoulder.

  “Everyone!” Freddy shouted. “Please go into the Netherecho. I need your help!”

  The people looked afraid, and nobody listened to him.

  “Please!” Freddy yelled again.

  “Do as he says!” Travis commanded. “And hurry up!”

  Travis’s authority broke their hesitation, and the archhumans in the room got seated—one by one, they projected their spirits into the Netherecho.

  Freddy put Sophia’s body down and then joined them. “Everyone!” he shouted inside the Netherecho. Some turned to face him, but most didn’t have a broad enough vision in the Netherecho for his words to reach them. He gritted his teeth and turned around, spotting the black sphere. It was coming a lot faster now. There was no time. “Attack that black sphere!”

  For a second, everyone hesitated at the sight of the ominous ball. And then, the numerous soul projections started to move. The people rushed forward, swinging all sorts of bizzare weapons.

  Behind the sphere, Bloodshed threw a set of bloody chains. They tangled together and got a hold of the sphere. With all its power, Bloodshed pulled the sphere back, sinking its feet into the floor. It strained, but it barely slowed the orb’s movement.

  Attack after attack barraged the sphere. Freddy leaped at it with reckless abandon, repeating swinging his scythe at it. Everything that touched it seemed to be repelled immediately. The sphere kept reaching for the mannequin-esque reflection of Sophia’s body, faster and faster, and he knew there was no point in trying to take her further away. Even at this speed, it would easily catch up.

  “Bloodshed!” He screamed.

  The skeleton's eyes glowed with a sinister red light. It pulled on the chains, swinging itself around to the other side. Then, it focused. Blood essence gathered around it in a whirlwind. It put its hands together.

  The people noticed and moved out of the way. A moment later, an extremely compressed jet of acidic blood slammed right into the sphere. This time, the sphere was pushed back. One meter. Two meters. Three. Then, Bloodshed’s attack stopped. The sphere stood still for an agonizing moment. Then, a crack appeared. But in the next moment, the jet of acid stopped, and Bloodshed’s arms dropped to the side.

  “I’m sorry, Master,” it said as it dissolved into mist and returned to Freddy’s soul.

  A moment later, a projection with the head of a dog slammed into the black sphere, smashing an axe right into the crack. The crack spread, and a small explosion of essence sent the dog-headed projection flying away.

  A sinister green light seeped through the crack.

  Unhesitantly, Freddy ran at it, thrusting his scythe into the hole. Then, with all the force he could muster, he pulled, dragging his soul projection to widen the scar. Suddenly, the crack began to spread. The sinister light seeped from all sides.

  “Back off!” Freddy screamed, and everyone rushed to return to reality, him included.

  Reality was calm. Everyone was just sitting around, looking tense. Then, a moment later, Freddy returned to the Netherecho.

  Countless wisps of a strange affinity, taking the form of glowing green symbols, had spread all throughout the Netherecho taking up the space of the hall. And in the middle of them stood a… spirit.

  It was a gangly, large spirit, with bone pale skin stretched over what looked like mummified flesh. At the center of its torso was a large hole, and in it, a silver heart hung by threads. The spirit turned around, revealing a face of hollow eyes and a wide, toothy grin. “The Netherecho…?” it muttered. “Where am I?”