Physical Manifestation of Beast Soul

He gulped, silently praying in his heart that Lancelot was only playing tricks on him.

Meanwhile, Lancelot, upon seeing the look of despair on Void's face, grinned even wider.

A villainous smile crept across his lips, dark and twisted.

'Yes, that's it… Cry for me, beg for mercy! That God gave my beast soul the rare physical manifestation effect, damn it! As much as I hate his torture, his gifts are superb. He can torture me all day if he keeps giving me treasures like this in return!'

'But actually how did he do it?'

He sighed the ways of a divine being like that is unfathomable. The very next second, a greatsword materialized in the air. It appeared with a low hum, wrapped in a red, smoke-like aura that seemed alive, writhing around the blade like a phantom.

Its hilt was shaped like a dragon's head—fierce, ancient, with glowing red eyes that pulsed with a menacing light. The dragon's maw hung open, holding the thick, broad blade within its jaws.

Those glowing eyes made the weapon feel alive, dangerous—like it could roar at any second.

It hovered there for a breath, humming with deadly power, before Lancelot reached out and seized it.

The moment his hand wrapped around the hilt, a jolt of raw energy surged through him.

He could feel the immense power packed inside the weapon—it was intoxicating, overwhelming.

It was as if one swing from this blade could split mountains and shatter the very heavens.

While Lancelot was lost in the rush of excitement, Void, on the other hand, was sinking deeper into despair.

His legs trembled slightly. It was now clear—Lancelot was not bluffing.

His beast soul really did have the rare physical manifestation effect, a power far beyond the common phantom manifestation.

At this point, Void knew he stood no chance.

Left with no other option, he decided to teleport away while Lancelot was distracted admiring his new weapon.

But as he prepared to escape, confusion suddenly gripped him.

Lancelot had wielded the Void Shattering Dragon before—long before he created his empire.

Void had never heard of this beast soul possessing physical weapon manifestation before.

'Is this his hidden trump card? If so, why does he act like he just got this effect? Or… did his beast soul just evolve right now? If so—then how?'

He racked his brain for answers, but none came. The more he thought about it, the more questions flooded his mind.

'If this was his trump card, why reveal it now? He knows he can defeat me even without that weapon… So why waste it? Why go overkill? Just what the heck am I missing?'

But still, Void didn't dare let his thoughts slow him down.

This was his chance, and he had to make use of it.

So, without wasting a second, he called out to his beast soul and prepared to combine—ready to teleport out.

Or rather…

He attempted to teleport out.

Then his already pale face turned even whiter, drained of every last hint of color.

'My beast soul… It's not responding to my call!!!'

Panic struck him like a hammer.

'Please… Please tell me my beast soul isn't destroyed… Please!'

Frantic, he quickly dove into his consciousness, peering into his Sea of Beast Souls—a dark, hidden space deep inside him.

There, in the black void, four glowing phantoms of his beast souls hovered.

They looked almost sentient now—almost conscious. But instead of their usual steady forms, they all cowered in the corners of that dark space, trembling in fear.

Void's eyes widened in shock.

'Why… Why are they afraid? Wait… When did beast souls start showing emotions? They've never feared anything before! And what are they so scared of!?'

His heart pounded violently.

'This is unheard of… Wait. Could this be the effect of Lancelot's physical manifestation? If it is—then this is even more troublesome than I thought.'

'Without my beast souls, I can't teleport… I can't use my spatial attacks… I'm crippled.'

Snarling in frustration, Void clenched his fists.

'Fine! I'll force them!'

With rage bubbling inside him, he roared a command into the void:

"Ancient Void Sovereign Worm Phantom—Manifest! And combine!"

"Fiery Wolf Phantom—Manifest and combine!"

"Earth...!"

One after another, his four beast souls appeared, though their forms quivered with reluctance.

But Void didn't care. He forced the combination, pulling their power into himself.

Right now, he had no interest in playing games with Lancelot.

All he wanted was to get the hell out of here—alive.

If he escaped now, he could warn the others, tell them what they were really dealing with.

And then they could regroup, come up with a solid plan to take down Lancelot properly.

Their strategy had been simple: split up in different directions.

Whoever spotted Lancelot would retreat and meet at a predetermined point.

There, they would reconvene and strike together.

And unfortunately for Void…

It turned out he was the one to spot Lancelot—or rather, Lancelot spotted him.

Gritting his teeth in sheer panic, Void chanted the skill in his mind with desperate urgency:

'Teleport!'

But nothing happened.

The space around him remained still.

The skill he had used hundreds of times before… simply failed.

His eyes grew wide in horror.

"Do I not have enough soul energy? Or essence? Or is this… Is this an effect of his damned beast soul!?" he yelled out, voice cracking as his fists clenched tight enough to bleed.

Frantically, he checked his energy reserves—

And found them almost full.

'Impossible… I should be able to teleport eighty times over with this much energy… So why… Why is it not working!?'

Now he knew—

This was Lancelot's doing.

It had to be one of the effects of that cursed beast soul.

His whole body shivered as his gaze snapped back to Lancelot, face painted with dread.

Lancelot, standing calmly in the corner, watched the unfolding scene like a predator watching its prey struggle.

His villainous smile deepened, his voice dripping with mockery as he spoke:

"Don't bother. My beast soul is your flaw. It's the perfect counter to spatial-type beast soul owners like you… Against me, you're weak. You hear me? Weak! So teleporting out? Not an option."

Void's fists trembled. His pride shattered. He knew there was no other choice.

If he wanted to live, he would have to fight.

With gritted teeth, he summoned a sword—a simple, solid weapon he had stored away in his spatial dimension.

It appeared in his hand with a soft shimmer, but to him, it felt like a fragile stick compared to the monster Lancelot held.

An ordinary sword against a divine beast soul manifestation…

But he had no other choice.

Gripping his sword tightly until his knuckles turned white, Void whispered under his breath:

"Fight it is then… Let's fight."