Chapter 506: Soulsworn Juggernaut, Soul Fragment
While the Soulsworn Juggernaut was distracted by Violet, Leon pointed toward the massive guardian and activated his skill, summoning two of the three chains from the ground.
They shot toward the boss and wrapped around its body, quickly binding it in place as it struggled to free itself from the sudden restraints.
The Juggernaut pulled against the chains with its enormous strength, causing them to rattle under the pressure, but they held firm.
Much like Dominik, the guardian was not strong enough to break them immediately.
It could eventually escape, but doing so would likely take several minutes, giving Leon more than enough time to finish the fight.
He rushed forward, his sword flashing as he prepared to attack.
Eclipse Annihilation!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Hundreds of slashes erupted around the boss, striking its heavily armored body from every direction.
Leon could have killed it without using such a powerful skill, but the Juggernaut’s defenses were clearly impressive, and he had no reason to waste time when he could end the battle immediately.
The guardian continued struggling against the Soul Chains, unable to defend itself as Leon’s attacks tore through its armor.
The sound of metal being cut apart echoed throughout the chamber, and after only a few seconds, the Soulsworn Juggernaut finally succumbed to the relentless assault.
Its massive body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, shaking the floor beneath Leon’s feet.
"Second time we meet here," Violet said with a smile as she approached him.
"Yeah, but this time I’m the one followed your arrows," Leon replied with a nod.
"Good! I placed as many of them as I could once I found the exit. I actually found it surprisingly fast, so the past hour was mostly spent making sure you guys could find it too."
"Alright, let’s wait for the others now."
Unlike on the first floor, Leon had several valuable items he needed to distribute, including the soul-related sub-talents he had obtained from the monsters.
In the meantime, he opened the system notifications and checked the items dropped by the Soulsworn Juggernaut.
𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
[Soulsworn Juggernaut Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 5,000 and Spirit by 4,000.]
’Not bad.’
[Soulsworn Armor (Ancient): +80,000 Defense, +40,000 Constitution, +40,000 Spirit, -15,000 Agility. Empowers the soul of its wearer slightly.]
[Soulsworn Hammer (Mythical): A massive hammer that deals tremendous physical damage. Every 50th attack releases a burst of soul energy that directly damages the target’s soul.]
Leon looked at the hammer’s description with interest.
A weapon that could directly attack the soul was insanely valuable.
If the description was accurate, a player could use it to damage an enemy’s soul without relying entirely on his skills.
He would need to test it first, but he was already curious about how much damage the special attack could inflict.
[Sub-Talent Scroll: Soul Fortification (A-Level), Supreme Strength Enhancement (S-Level)]
Leon smiled when he saw the A-Level soul-related sub-talent.
He had already obtained one through fusion, so this gave him another opportunity to strengthen the girls.
However, it was the final reward that caught his attention the most.
[Soul Fragment (Ascendant): Fusing with this fragment will very slightly increase the power of your soul.]
"Oh shit," Leon exclaimed, his eyes widening. "So the Soul Shard has weaker versions."
The [Soul Shard] he had obtained from the [Soul Soldier] was a Divine-Rank item capable of enhancing his soul, while the [Soul Fragment] appeared to be a weaker version of the same item.
Although its effect was much smaller, it was still an invaluable item.
If he could find more fragments, he might be able to strengthen the girls’ souls even further.
Overall, Leon considered the Soulsworn Juggernaut’s rewards the best he had obtained so far in the Tower of Souls.
"Take this." He handed one of the A-Level [Soul Fortification] sub-talent scrolls to Violet. "You’ll need it later."
"Thanks!"
Violet immediately poured her mana into the scroll and learned the new sub-talent, feeling its energy settle into her body.
Although it did not dramatically increase her soul’s strength, it improved her ability to withstand soul attacks and recover from the damage they caused.
Considering the enemies they were facing, even a relatively small improvement could prove valuable.
If she was struck by a powerful soul attack in the future, the new ability could help her survive long enough to recover instead of dying.
"You can have the Soulsworn Armor too. It’s much better than the one you’re wearing."
Fwoosh!
Violet replaced her current [Divine Armor +2 (Ascendant)] with the new armor, immediately feeling its power course through her body.
The dark plates fitted themselves around her, and the equipment’s energy strengthened her defenses while slightly empowering her soul.
She glanced down at herself, admiring the new armor with sparkling eyes.
"I always wonder how it’s possible to have a 100% Drop Rate," she said. "That is such a powerful ability."
"...I guess the Heavenly One favors me," Leon replied with a crooked smile.
"The Heavenly One..." Violet murmured, her expression becoming thoughtful. "That entity we saw when we first entered this world right? Do you think they’re evil?"
"Doesn’t matter." Leon shook his head. "I don’t think it’s possible to defeat him anyway. He’s too strong."
"Him?" Violet tilted her head, noticing his choice of words. "Huh, I guess that’s fine then."
Leon did not elaborate, and Violet did not continue questioning him.
The Heavenly One’s intentions were still a mystery, but there was little point in worrying about an entity whose strength was far beyond pretty much everything.
While they waited for Emilia and Celeste, Leon took out the Soulsworn Hammer to test its special effect.
The weapon was massive, but surprisingly easy to wield. Its weight did not hinder his movements as much as he had expected, allowing him to swing it without much difficulty.
Fwoosh! BAM!
Leon struck the gate with a single swing, immediately bursting it open.
"If I didn’t use a sword, I’d probably use that," he said with a grin. "But it would get in the way when I wanted to use my staff."
Since he relied on both his sword and staff during combat, carrying the hammer around would be inconvenient.
Nevertheless, its special ability was useful enough that he intended to keep it in his Storage Space for situations where it might give him an advantage.
Leon turned toward the nearby wall and began striking it repeatedly, counting each attack aloud.
"One... Two... Three..."
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Thirty-eight... thirty-nine... forty..."
He continued swinging, watching for any sign that the weapon’s special effect was activating.
"Forty-eight... forty-nine... fifty!"
As he completed the 49th attack, the hammer’s head suddenly began glowing with a powerful blue light.
’That’s it!’
Leon immediately understood that the weapon was ready to unleash its soul attack.
He raised the hammer and swung it against the wall once more, releasing the accumulated energy with the impact.
BOOM!
The strike was far more devastating than the previous ones, destroying a large section of the wall and revealing the hall behind it.
Judging by the sheer difference in destructive power, the soul attack was at least five times more powerful than an ordinary strike.
"Wow," Leon said with an approving nod before storing the hammer away. "That’s good."
The weapon was certainly worth keeping, particularly if he encountered an enemy whose soul was difficult to damage with his other abilities in the future.
And only ten minutes later, Emilia and Celeste came rushing into the chamber.