I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 119: Prince of Darkness

Jack dangled in Corvin’s grip, the sharp wind cutting across his burned skin.

Darkness pulsed at the edge of his vision, and then...

a voice colder than the void filled his mind.

”Jack... repeat after me.”

Jack’s head snapped up, confusion cutting through the haze of pain. It wasn’t the System.

”God of Death? I don’t have your blessing, so it won’t...”

”You bear the Soul Warden’s mark,” the God of Death interrupted, voice like black thunder rolling across a graveyard. ”That alone is my blessing.”

Jack barked a ragged laugh despite the agony consuming his body. ”You’ve got a lot of secrets, don’t you?”

”You’ll have answers when you reach Malakai’s Castle. For now... repeat after me or you will die.”

The words slid into Jack’s mind like molten iron, burning themselves into his consciousness.

”Dark Father, bearer of the ashen crown,

I call the night to still the breath of life.

Grant me dominion over life!”

He spoke them aloud, every syllable vibrating with ancient power that made reality tremble around him.

The sky bled black as if the very heavens were hemorrhaging darkness.

Lightning hissed, then died completely, snuffed out by something far greater.

Jack’s white hair bled into absolute midnight, strand by strand, while his eyes turned obsidian shot through with violet fire that burned like dying stars.

Then his senses erupted.

Sound crashed over him in overwhelming waves. The whisper of wind through distant canyons, the skittering of insects miles away and heartbeats...

So many heartbeats. Jack staggered in Corvin’s grip, nearly falling as the flood of information threatened to drown his consciousness.

Two distinct heartbeats thudded inside Cho’s chest below, irregular and panicked.

Beyond the demon, Jack’s perception reached out like grasping fingers, finding the faltering pulses of dying creatures scattered across the wasteland.

Wounded animals breathing their last, insects crushed beneath stones, life flickering out like candles in a hurricane.

The sensory overload was staggering. Jack pressed his free hand to his temple, struggling to process the cosmic awareness flooding his mind.

The God of Death’s voice resonated again, calm and terrible as a judge pronouncing a sentence.

”This is my gift. I am the keeper of souls, and I know the precise moment when every living thing will draw its final breath. Now you, too, may sense every life that trembles on the edge of death.”

[DING!]

[New Class Unlocked: Prince of Darkness (Primordial Class)]

[A mantle of absolute dominion over the boundary between life and death. The Prince of Darkness walks as the god’s chosen heir, commanding shadows and souls alike.]

Down on the battlefield, Cho staggered mid-flight, his crimson eyes widening as he looked up at Jack’s transformation. For the first time in their entire battle, something Jack had never seen flickered across the demon’s face.

Pure, primal terror.

”That... that’s not possible,” Cho whispered, his cultured voice cracking like ice. ”The Soul Warden shouldn’t... no mortal can channel...”

[Status Update]

Jack Kaiser: Level 20 (29,910 / 35,000)

Class: Arc Mage level 5 (2,200/10,000) | Prince of Darkness (Temporarily)

Strength: 600 (+30)

Stamina: 450 (+25)

Agility: 650 (+25)

Vitality: 550 (+25)

Endurance: 550 (+30)

Magic: 150 (+40)

Mana: 10,000

HP: 25,000

Blessings: Draven’s Pendant (Lv.2), Soul Warden (MAX)

Skills: [Obscured by Divine Power]

Corvin released him, and Jack discovered he no longer needed the raven’s support.

He stood on the air itself. Black waves rippled outward with each step as though invisible stairs formed beneath his feet.

The sensation was intoxicating, power flowing through his veins.

’I can feel everything.’

He raised a hand to summon his Lightning Spear from his system storage, but something entirely different answered his call.

A weapon of absolute nightmare materialized in his grip.

[Scythe of the Damned]

[Stats Required: Strength, Vitality, Agility, Endurance, and Stamina must be greater than 450. SSS Martial Talent and Dark Affinity.]

[Special Effect | Reaper: Instantly severs a soul from its vessel, bypassing all mortal defenses.]

The scythe was magnificent and terrifying. Twice as tall as Jack, its blade forged from twisted obsidian.

At the weapon’s heart sat a massive skull whose violet eyes flared like miniature suns, radiating malevolent intelligence.

The handle felt perfectly weighted in his grip, as if it had been crafted specifically for his hands.

Jack stared at the weapon in stunned disbelief. ”What kind of weapon is this? This thing seems...”

”Broken?” The God of Death’s amusement rumbled through his consciousness. ”It is yours to borrow, young Warden. Consider it a down payment on future services.”

Jack’s jaw tightened as suspicion crept into his voice. ”Any catches I should know about?”

”Only that the scythe must feast each time it’s drawn. It hungers for souls, and that hunger must be satisfied.”

”Of course there’s a catch,” Jack muttered, though he couldn’t deny the weapon felt right in his hands.

”We’re going to have a very long talk when this is over.”

”Cross the eastern ridge when your work here is done. My emporium is set up there.”

On the black sand below, Cho’s terror broke into panicked words as he began backing away, his confidence completely shattered.

”I... I must warn Pho! If the Soul Warden left Ren’s castle unharmed and they’re working together... this changes everything!”

His fear reeked across the battlefield.

The world blurred around him as he stepped through space itself, reality bended to his speed.

He had intended to simply grab the demon, to stop his escape attempt, but when his fingers made contact with Cho’s shoulder, the demon’s arm tore clean away from his body with a wet, horrific sound.

Jack stared in shock at the severed limb in his hand, dark blood still pumping from the torn vessels. The transformation had made him so much stronger that he’d accidentally mutilated Cho without even trying.

The demon’s scream of agony split the air, black blood spraying across the scorched sand as he clutched the ragged stump where his arm had been.

”You monster! You’ll be hunted by every demon on this floor for what you’ve done!” Cho shrieked, his voice breaking with pain and terror.

Jack looked down at the cowering creature that had moments ago been trying to destroying him, and smiled.

The expression was sharp as winter and twice as cold, radiating the kind of satisfaction that froze the air itself.

Even the flames around Cho’s remaining hand guttered and died under the weight of that terrible smile.

Cho’s eyes went wide with fresh horror. ”No... no, please, I can make you a deal, I can...”

”Final Death.”

The Scythe of the Damned descended in a perfect arc, trailing ribbons of pure darkness that devoured light in its wake.

To Cho, the blade seemed to move in slow motion. An inevitable ending he could see coming but had no power to prevent.

Black mana writhed around the obsidian edge and the skull’s violet eyes blazed with anticipation.

The blade whispered through demonic flesh as if it were nothing more than a piece of paper.

[-540,000 HP]

The skull’s eyes flared brilliant violet, drinking deep of the departing soul with visible satisfaction. The scythe hummed with contentment, its hunger momentarily sated.

[DING!]

[Congratulations, you have slain your first Demon!]

[Congratulations, you have slain your first Nightmare-class entity!]

[Reward: +30 Stat Points | +25,000 Reputation Points]

[Reward: +100 Skill Points | +25,000 Reputation Points]

[Reward: +18,000 Death Tokens]

[Reward: +50,000 EXP]

[DING!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]

[Arc Mage advanced to Level 6 (42,200 / 50,000)]

Jack exhaled slowly, watching as the scythe dissolved into black mist that seemed to seep back into his very soul.

The divine power still coursed through his veins, but he could feel it beginning to ebb like a tide pulling away from shore.

”Impressive,” the God of Death said.

”But understand this, you cannot wield darkness freely until you possess all three pieces of the Soul Warden.”

Jack frowned, some of his post-battle euphoria fading. ”Why not?”

”You failed to notice what Chiron wore when he struck your chest. The chain wrapped around his left arm.

That was one piece of the Soul Warden’s true power. Until you claim all three pieces, my blessing remains locked. Your only using it now because I’m feeding it souls.

The divine connection faded gradually, leaving only the echo of an ancient will and the lingering taste of power on Jack’s tongue.

Jack’s hair slowly returned to its natural white, his eyes shifting back from obsidian to their normal color.

The overwhelming sensory input faded to manageable levels, though he retained a ghostly awareness of the heartbeats around him.

He stored Cho’s corpse in his inventory and gazed toward the eastern ridge where the God of Death’s emporium supposedly waited, his mind already racing with questions.

Where was the last piece of the Soul Warden?

How much information was the God of Death hiding?

Did this mean Jack could ultimately learn to weird Dark Magic, like he did lightning?