(Bonus: Thank you for the 2 power stones Eternal_D chapter 2/2)
Surveying his surroundings, Regulus found he was no longer in the basement containing the cursed sword but inside a mysterious sub-world.
A monochromatic expanse of space stretched as far as the eye could see, the floor that seemed like black water reflecting the sub-world infinitely.
Glancing down at his reflection, Regulus saw an unfamiliar face staring back at him. A man with stunning amber eyes and blonde hair that was so familiar yet not.
What Regulus saw was a mix of the characteristics he had in his past life and the new ones from his life as Regulus Cosmos.
A middle-aged man with a heavy-set build, unlike his current smaller one, yet possessing the striking attractiveness of Regulus Cosmos.
Overall, the features of his original body as the King of Leo were still the more dominant ones.
'I guess I haven't fully adapted to my new reality as Regulus Cosmos.'
The space Regulus was currently in was known as the sea of consciousness, a place that reflected your inner self with no deception.
As an essential step in celestial cultivation, the concept of different planes and the inner self was simple to Regulus.
"Yet how come simple contact with a sword was able to drag me into the sea of consciousness."
Regulus was muttering to himself when he heard a voice that reminded him of shattered glass from behind him.
"To think that someone could recognise this as the inner sea so quickly. How curious."
Pivoting on his foot and launching himself backwards with practised grace Regulus came to face with a humanoid figure.
Despite being a humanoid shape, the similarities ended there: a simple black mannequin with no definition or definable features was staring at Regulus, resting his chin between two fingers.
"Whoa, no need to panic, little one. You are just so intriguing I have to fight the urge to dissect you."
Although the humanoid shape had no face, Regulus still felt he could see the crazy expression on it.
"Why is your soul so different from the body I saw outside? Ooooh, just imagine what mysteries you're hiding inside."
A sigh cut off the excited voice of the human outline as he shrugged his shoulders begrudgingly.
"And yet I have to devour your soul anyway to recover my strength; what a waste."
Regulus had been letting the shadow human speak in order to gather information, and with the amount it had been talking, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on.
"So you are the curse that's hiding within David's 'Prince' ranked sword."
"Like a parasite, you hide inside the blade and lure weaker targets inside the sea of consciousness to consume."
Hearing the accuracy behind Regulus's words, the shadow knew it had been found out, not that it cared. When it saw Regulus enter the basement through the sword, the lack of card energy told him he was a perfect target.
"Exactly, to think my pesky little experiment would strip me of my body in its final steps."
"I honestly thought it was over until a vortex dragged me inside this sword.
Revealing his identity as a mad scientist, the shadow figure laughed as he stared at the handsome middle-aged man whose soul was so different from his body.
"Although I may have lost my powerful body, that doesn't matter here."
Spreading his hands to indicate the endless expanse around them, the figure delivered his final words to the target he would soon consume.
"The only thing that matters in here is soul weight, and standing before you is a former 'Prince' rank existence."
At that point, an extremely malevolent energy began overflowing from the figure and surging towards the figure of Regulus.
The concept of soul weight was something Regulus was familiar with. The accumulation of existences, every action and experience would result in the formation of a soul weight.
A person who had experienced far more in their life would have a far greater soul weight than a younger person who had not had the opportunity to see the world.
The confidence that his soul weight would easily devour the young man in front of him was what led him to allow Regulus to enter the 'Prince' ranked sword.
The soul weight of a former 'Prince' rank existence stormed towards Regulus, allowing him to see the experiences of the man attacking him.
The life of the man flashed by Regulus in an instant. Born into a loving, noble family, the boy lacked nothing in his youth, yet something was different about him.
He always saw the world differently and wished to distance himself from humanity; that is where his downfall began. Buying slaves in bulk, the now young man experimented on them in horrific ways.
Despite his talent, when his parents found out about his actions, they banished him from the family. Now, without restrictions, the man bought slaves from dozens of races to experiment on their souls.
Cries of children, the wings of angels being ripped off, and the dissection of beast people without a single emotional fluctuation. The frighteningly calm Regulus saw all of it.
The mad scientist, who now just went by the Soul Doctor, finally began experimenting on himself in an attempt to transcend humanity and reach a higher race.
The consequences of his experiments eventually led to his soul becoming incompatible with his body and being forced to enter this sword to recover.
Regulus stared into the eyes of the Soul Doctor with an unmistakable look of disgust as he spoke.
"It would appear my earlier analysis of you was too high; even a parasite is better than the creature you became."
At this point, every movement of the faceless Soul Doctor showed his panic as his shaking voice rang through the void.
"You- Why is your soul not affected? How can a kid like you possibly face my soul weight unfazed!"
Regulus snorted at the shaking figure before him, his arms folded as he spoke in a cold voice of authority.
"A thousand mere worms like you wouldn't be able to shake my soul in the slightest. Allow me to show you the immensity of heaven and earth."
It was at that moment the Soul Doctor felt the heavens collapse upon him.
-Authors Note-
Add to your library to support the series :)