Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 101: Hollow Soul - The Queen’s Madness [3]

"Those that have been lost will remain lost. This world—whenever I wake up in this salt-covered forest—is a different one from the previous one."

"...Timelines?!"

"Indeed. It’s not a complete rewind."

Niflheim fell silent for a long moment before speaking again.

"Does that mean that... my Tisha... she’s..."

"She’s gone."

"...Ah."

Louis felt her pain—they were connected. Her sorrow flowed into him, but he had already endured such grief and simply remained silent, meditating while manipulating the fiery energies within his soul.

"Louis..."

"Hm?"

"But do you promise to save the Tisha of this timeline?"

"I will do everything in my power to stop her death—and the deaths of as many as I can, Niflheim. For that, I need your help. Will you cooperate with me?"

"I am merely a Sword Soul Heart Avatar... or that’s what I believed. Over time, my form is strangely changing, solidifying. My essence is absorbing the power of your Fantasy Heart."

"I see. So you’re changing. Are you becoming different from your other self?"

"Yes. First of all, I am completely ethereal. But this ethereal form is solidifying. Maybe after you grow strong enough, I might fully spiritualize into a separate entity similar to Belladine."

"That would be amazing. But we are not even close to that yet."

"No, it will take a long time. However, if you use the Cultivation Methods from Spiritias—those that form a Spirit Bond—with me, my spiritualization could hasten."

"Oh? And you’re willing?"

"Anything to save her..."

"...I see! I wish I had a loyal weapon like you."

"Gungnir is evolving on her own. I am sure she loves you dearly. She cannot express it in words yet."

"...Is that so?"

Louis summoned Gungnir and caressed her blade, a warm smile spreading across his face.

She had proven his most reliable ally so far, appearing in his hand even when he could summon neither Incarnation nor Spirit.

"When I was there, did you see it?"

"I was able to sense something."

"Back then, the Flames of Nirvana within my Soul... and that abhorrent flower merged together with Gungnir. I was scared and thought they were trying to corrupt my weapon, but it only made her stronger. Do you have any idea what that was?"

"The Flower and the Flames are your own Soul now, Louis. They are expressions of your Existence. Thus, as you wield your Soul Weapon, it naturally taps into the Power of your Soul. That’s what happened. You must learn more Soul Cultivation Methods—or create them yourself—to properly harness this explosive power. However, using it recklessly is dangerous. Overuse it, and your soul will be consumed by your own power, killing you."

"So that’s how it is," Louis nodded. He gathered Nirvana Flames within his Soul and began compressing them inside his Fantasy Heart Realm.

There, as an Astral Projection, he raised his arms and forced the flames downward, compressing them further and further.

Drawing on every Cultivation Method he had learned, Louis forged a new Formula using the Flames of Nirvana—Mirai’s final gift from his previous life.

The flames rose, forming a spiraling tornado of fire that reached the skies. The ashes below melted into molten lava, shaping a volcanic landscape around the tornado of nirvana flames.

"Yet another bizarre landmark has appeared inside your Fantasy Heart, Louis," Niflheim observed. "This one seems directly connected to your Soul. I see. With this you might control the flames better, use them to grow your soul, and help them grow stronger in return. You’re smarter than I thought."

"Thank you? I don’t think that was a compliment though," Louis sighed, ignoring her. "This is good enough for now. My new Unique Cultivation Method: Nirvana Soul Flame Furnace!"

When Louis opened his eyes, his entire body burned with Nirvana Flames—capable of both healing and burning, a double-edged power rooted in his soul. It was strong, but overuse would weaken or even scatter his soul completely.

"Let’s see now."

♢♢♢♢

Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil

Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)

Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment, Self-Flagellation Spiral Fragment

Tier: 8 – Graveborn

Fantasy Heart: Level 44/50 -> 50/50

Vitality: 634 -> 694

Strength: 505 -> 565

Intelligence: 527 -> 587

Dexterity: 625 -> 685

Fantasium: 6300 -> 6900

Fantasium Affinity: 71% -> 75%

Madness Index: 31% -> 37%

Bonds:

Dragon Family Bond – Mother Benladra (Level 10/10)

Friendship Bond – Mirai (Level 4/10) 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Subordination Bond – Cardoon Zorba (Level 8/10)

Bonded Entities:

Abyssal Mother’s Caressing Hand – Handy (Level 4/10)

Young Fairy of Light – Belladine (Level 3/10)

Gardener’s Memento – ??? (Level 1/10)

Soul Gear:

Celestial Spirit Soul Lance – Gungnir (Rank 1: 77%)

Elemental Affinities:

Ash Element: A++ Rank

Ice Element: A++ Rank

Void Element: S Rank

Dragon Element: D Rank

Incarnation:

Gravewalker – Tier 8 (Growth: 88%)

Necromancer Fragment – Tier 9

Pugilist Fragment – Tier 9

Known Abilities:

Ashen Frost – Tier 8 (Growth: 81%)

Death-Sense – Tier 8 (Growth: 61%)

Pain Weaponization Fragment – Tier 8

Iron Body Fragment – Tier 9

Soul Enslavement Fragment – Tier 9

Bonded Abilities:

Healing Prayer Fragment – Tier 7 (Handy)

Light Element Affinity – E Rank (Belladine)

Soul Essence Restoration – Tier 7 (Gardener’s Memento)

Cultivation Methods:

Mana Breathing – Grand Perfection

Mana Body Reinforcement – Grand Perfection

Mana Consciousness Expansion – Grand Perfection

Heaven And Earth Essence Gathering – Grand Perfection

Heaven-Earth Harmonization Sutra – Middle Stage

Five Elemental Spiritual Roots – Middle Stage: Five Element Awakening

Sword Breathing Technique – First Step: Swordsman Rank

Holy Dragon Spirit Soul Vein Technique – Initial Stage

Fake Dragon Heart Creation Method – Conceptual Stage

Spirit Bond Method – Initial Stage

Nirvana Soul Flame Furnace Method – Conceptual Stage

♢♢♢♢

Louis examined his Status. Many new elements had appeared. He had reached max level in his Fantasy Heart and was more than ready to continue cultivating. He only needed to gather the Relics for the descent ritual to enhance the power of his Spiral of Madness.

Belladine woke at the commotion. She flew to Louis with a bright smile, hugged his face, and kissed his cheek with her tiny lips. It felt like the brush of a small butterfly.

"She sure loves you, huh?" Niflheim laughed.

"Ugh, enough..." Louis sighed, gently pushing her away. "Belladine, come help me. We’re going to continue Cultivating. This time we’ll use the Spirit Bond Method on Niflheim as well. I need your assistance."

"Hm!" Belladine nodded happily and flew beside him.

With her help, Louis slowly began forming a Spiritual Bond between himself and Niflheim. Thus, Niflheim’s spiritualization process finally started.

An hour and a half later, Zorba returned, ready to depart. Louis had no time to waste. He decided to move swiftly toward the Second Layer: the Desolate Empire.

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