CHAPTER 17 RAGE OF THE CRIMSON SOUL
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
Their plan was ready.
The Lord of the Domain, unusually cheerful, had chosen this day for a reason. He knew that after a vampiric transformation, the victim would suffer intense bloodlust. If not properly managed, they would go insane. Even the strongest-willed would eventually crumble under the weight of their hunger.
He believed Johan would now be a mindless beast—desperate, broken, and ready to be taken.
"It's been a long time since I used this ability," the man muttered with a twisted grin. "But no matter… I'm still a weak-willed person. That's why I need you."
He was wheeled in by the same woman who had turned Johan into a vampire.
Johan, playing along, acted blood-crazed—wild eyes, shaking limbs, desperate breathing.
"Today," the man said as he sneered at his own body, "your body will become mine. I shall become immortal—a living undead—and shed this worthless, crippled flesh!"
He was laid on one of the stone beds beside Johan's cell, while the woman dragged Johan over and restrained him to the adjacent bed.
"Damn, she's strong," Johan thought. "But our plan doesn't require brute strength—just soul power and weight."
Once Johan was securely chained, the woman took her master's limp, boneless arm—his failed attempt at self-undeadification. His pursuit of immortality had crippled him.
She pressed his lifeless arm to Johan's forehead.
Suddenly, the world twisted.
Johan found himself in a dim but visible space—a strange plane of existence between their minds.
"Where… where are we?" Johan asked aloud.
The man's voice echoed. "Welcome to what I call the Soul Space. Here, I kill you, take your soul, and make your body my vessel."
His tone was amused, almost gleeful. He stared at his glowing spiritual body with adoration.
The environment was surreal—a vast, misty ocean that stretched endlessly. The water was calm, like a mirror, reflecting nothing but fog and emptiness.
Johan and the man faced each other.
Suddenly, the man squinted. "What the hell is that? Is that… a butterfly?"
Floating above Johan was Lucy—wings out, body glowing.
"That's not possible," the man muttered. "Only one consciousness should be in your Soul Space. Why is there another?"
He shook it off. "No matter. I'll kill you both."
Johan blinked in surprise. "Lucy?! How are you here?"
"Have you forgotten?" she answered calmly, floating down. "I'm a part of you—body, mind, and soul."
In an instant, Lucy transformed. Her tiny fairy form grew taller, now the size of a teenage girl, her butterfly wings radiant and imposing.
"Here, I can fight with you," she said. "But only in physical combat—none of my soul abilities will work. He's using a soul-based technique."
She looked at the man coldly. "From what he said, I think I know how this works: he kills your soul here—your body survives, but you lose control. Then he places his soul in your body."
She leaned closer and whispered:
"All you need to do is touch him and use your Soul Absorber Ability. He probably doesn't even know that skill exists. But be careful—soul injuries are hard to recover from, and you don't have super healing in this space."
"Vampires don't have strong souls, but demons do. Since you now carry both bloodlines, you've got the upper hand."
Johan was staring at Lucy, mesmerized by her beauty and presence.
"FOCUS!" she snapped, her wings flashing as she slapped him across the cheek. "Eyes on the fat bastard!"
Johan smirked and looked at the man. "So this is your true form? No wonder you want a new body. You look like a moldy potato that fell into a bowl of butter."
The Lord of the Domain, now revealed as a bloated man with sagging skin and oily folds, snarled.
"I am Veldrick! Remember the name. It'll be the last you ever hear before I take your body, you piece of filth!"
He launched forward.
Too fast.
Lucy dodged, but not quickly enough.
Veldrick slammed into her with a massive fist. She was sent flying like a ragdoll.
"If you're going to run," he grinned, "then I'll just play with this little bitch."
He pummeled Lucy mercilessly—slapping, kicking, and hurling her like a toy.
Johan's blood boiled. Something inside him snapped.
His vision reddened. His heart pounded like a war drum. Rage flooded every vein in his body.
[System Alert: Emotional Surge Detected.]
[WARNING: First Floor Rage Mode Activated.]
[Skill Triggered: RAMPAGE]
Johan doubled in size. His muscles bulged. A pair of massive, bat-like wings erupted from his back—dark, powerful, and majestic.
His voice echoed across the soul space:
"VELDRICK!!!"
"Don't you dare touch her again."
Johan's voice echoed like thunder—overbearing, domineering. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot and reappeared beside Veldrick.
Veldrick's red eyes widened in disbelief as he faced Johan's new form. Though Veldrick was a vampire, a primal fear surged through him. The demonic essence radiating from Johan overwhelmed his undead instincts. His body shivered involuntarily.
Rage Mode. Johan wasn't thinking clearly. The system's warnings were lost to him. He didn't even activate Soul Absorber.
With pure instinct and fury, he launched himself at Veldrick. One blow—limbs shattered. Another—limbs torn from sockets. He didn't stop there. Blow after blow, Johan brutalized Veldrick until he was nothing more than an unrecognizable heap.
Only when his anger finally subsided did Johan's consciousness begin to fade. His knees buckled. His vision blurred.
"So.u..I, absorb, Johan..."
Lucy's weak voice echoed faintly.
A flash. A flicker of will. Just before collapsing, Johan remembered the soul ability. Desperate and fading fast, he triggered Soul Absorber—randomly selecting an ability from Veldrick's fading soul. Then, everything went dark.
He awoke slowly.
A familiar voice, soft but firm, broke the silence.
"Defeater of the Master, do you wish to learn about the domain?"
Johan's blurred vision adjusted. The same woman—the one who had once stood silently in the hall—stood before him now. Calm, respectful, and reverent, she bowed.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Lucy's voice followed, playful but tired.
"She's... there," Johan whispered.
"This is the manifested guardian of the domain," Lucy explained. "A spirit bound to this place."
Johan nodded. "Yes. I want to learn."
The guardian smiled. "Then please, place down your terms."