Reborn As Noble-Chapter 435: Devourer of Souls ( )

Gurdan walked through the evening, his shadow stretching oddly long along the rocky path to the prisoner camp.

The guards at the entrance straightened up and saluted.

"Your Majesty—"

He didn't respond.

The air turned cold. Unnaturally cold.

Then—

Darkness erupted.

A red light burst from Gurdan's body, swirling around him like a storm. The ground shook, and even the guards stepped back in fear.

Inside the camp, the captured Amazarak warriors—wounded and weary—looked up from their small portions of food.

And froze.

The pressure felt unbearable.

It felt like a mountain weighing down on their chests.

"Wh-what is this…" one said quietly, hands shaking.

"A monster?"

"No…" another whispered.

"That's… their king."

Gurdan walked through the gates. The doors didn't just creak; they broke off the hinges from the force of his power.

He raised his hand.

"You all…" his voice echoed, sounding different,

"…will serve me one last time."

"In death," his eyes glowed blood red.

The celestial inside him howled in triumph.

"Yesssss… Feed us!!"

The prisoners backed away, but the aura held them down where they sat. They couldn't move or scream.

Gurdan extended his arm, and with a roar, dark tendrils of energy lashed out, striking the nearest prisoner.

"AAARRGGHH!!"

The warrior thrashed wildly. His body twisted, and his soul was ripped away in a stream of black and red energy, absorbed into Gurdan's hand.

Gurdan exhaled, trembling with twisted pleasure.

"Yes…" he hissed.

"This… is strength."

He moved forward, and one by one, the tendrils lashed out again.

Screams filled the night.

By the time the moon was high in the sky, Gurdan stood alone—his armor cracking with power, his body faintly glowing with red runes that hadn't been there before.

A low hum echoed in the air around him. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, as if recognizing the unnatural force now present in its soil.

"This is it!!" the celestial whispered, excitement sharp in its voice.

"This is true power!!"

Gurdan's chest heaved. His fingers twitched, with energy crackling across his gauntlets like dark lightning.

He looked at his hands—hands that had taken dozens of lives without lifting a weapon.

"Oh…" Gurdan murmured, his voice trembling.

"Is this… is this real power!?"

The celestial cackled.

"Yes!! Yes!! How do you feel!?"

Gurdan's eyes flew open—bright crimson, wild, alive.

"Invincible."

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He clenched his fists. Energy pulsed up his arms, reinforcing his body like armor made of rage.

"My strength… my senses… everything is sharper.

Even the air tastes different…"

He raised his arm, pointing toward the distant mountains where the Halfling Kingdom's war banners still stood tall.

"Gurdan…" the celestial cooed in his mind,

"…what will you do next?"

"What else?" Gurdan growled.

"I'll devour them all."

He turned, the red glow around him growing brighter as he marched toward his war tent.

"Kenjirou… Zephyra… Edmund… Gumarak…

Even Garius…"

"I'll take everything."

"I'll become the last vessel."

The celestial chuckled, its voice almost purring.

"Yes… That's the spirit."

"Let the world burn."

Meanwhile, in the Dwarven Kingdom…

Chieftain Gumarak stood at the edge of the war chamber balcony, looking out at the blazing watchfires in the distance.

He held the latest report in his hand—his fingers trembled slightly, enough for those nearby to notice.

Guilt. Confusion. Rage.

All of it mixed in his heavy heart.

"Damn it all…" he muttered under his breath.

He turned toward the war map behind him, covered in markers—each representing forts, outposts, and soldiers.

Many of them were already lost.

The red markers for the Halfling troops had surged forward—400,000 strong.

They hadn't waited. They hadn't negotiated. They simply… marched in.

"Before our main force even arrived…" Gumarak said aloud, gritting his teeth.

"How the hell did they conquer that many forts… that fast!?"

He slammed the report on the table.

"They're halflings! They don't fight like this!"

The general nearby hesitated.

"My chieftain… these aren't the halflings we've faced before."

Gumarak turned, eyes narrowing.

"Explain."

The general swallowed.

"According to the scouts who survived the fall of the Stonewind Fort… the halfling soldiers had… changed."

"Changed?"

"Yes, sir. They said… a dark aura surrounded them. Their eyes were bloodshot. Their movements… unnatural. As if they felt no fear. Or pain."

Gumarak clenched his jaw, his knuckles turning white.

"They're not fighting for pride or kingdom anymore…" the general said, voice low.

"They're fighting like… monsters."

A long silence fell over the chamber.

Gumarak's mind raced.

This wasn't just war.

This was something else. Something much darker.

And worst of all—he recognized the signs.

"Chieftain…?" another officer asked.

Gumarak turned slowly, his expression grim.

"Damn it…!"

Gumarak roared, his voice echoing across the stone chamber.

The war table shook beneath his fists, papers scattering like leaves in a storm.

The glow from the torches flickered unnaturally—as if the very flames feared the turmoil inside him.

The whispers in his mind never stopped.

"Devour them."

"Your general… your kin… they're weak."

"One bite, one surge of power—and you'll be unstoppable."

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Power?"

Gumarak gritted his teeth, slamming his fist against his temple.

"Shut up…"

But it didn't stop.

"Your sons. Your daughters. The council. Take them. Become more."

He stumbled backward, knocking over a bench, breathing heavily.

At first, he thought accepting the celestial's power would give him an edge. A shortcut. A way to protect his people without spilling so much dwarven blood.

"I thought… I could control it," he whispered, falling to his knees.

But now?

Now his kingdom was surrounded.

On one side, the Halfling Kingdom—filled with madness and rage.

On the other, the Human Kingdom—with a king who had already claimed two celestials.

And here he was, the Chieftain of the Dwarves, playing host to a monster whispering treachery with every breath.

Gumarak clutched his head, eyes shut tight.

"This is my fault…"

"If I hadn't claimed it…"

"If I hadn't been greedy…"

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"Thought I'd be strong without effort. Thought I'd protect my people without sacrifice."

"How stupid."

Then—he remembered.

A distant memory.

Five men and women standing in a sunlit ruin, bloodied but alive.

He and Edmund. Lioness. Mylezra. Gurdan. And the one in front—always in front.

Garius.

The only one among them who refused to claim power.

The only one who said:

"We don't wield a celestial. We seal it."

Gumarak's breath caught.

"Garius… you were right."

He looked up, eyes hollow.

"You always were."

( End Of Chapter )