Divine Rend's eyes opened wide in shock as he felt his knees go weak.

His entire soul shook as several cracks appeared along its surface, each deeper than the last. The cracks only stopped when they were 12 in number.

However, even though the cracks had stopped forming on his otherwise flawless soul, Divine Rend's mind and body were still screaming out in pain.

Unable to endure such a fierce attack, his legs lost the war and he fell onto his knees. 'He said 'Mental Destruction' 12 times in under a second. 12 skill chants, 12 cracks... What a dangerous unique skill. I suppose this is where I die. No doubt, my brothers are frozen in fear. I am the strongest of us, after all.'

He would sigh were his mouth not screeching in horror at the agony his entire being was suffering through. 'Perhaps they will see the flaw in this Mental Destruction skill as I have. He clearly means to end my life, however, why did he stop at twelve skill uses? Naturally, it is limited. He cannot use it again for at least another 5-hours I would guess, though likely for a full 24-hour cycle.'

Divine Rend closed his eyes, accepting his fate. With his soul in such a state, he wouldn't be able to retaliate at all.

Given his line of research and the horrible things had done over the many tens of thousands of years, he had already come to terms with the fact that he may upset the wrong person at the wrong time and lose his life as a result.

That was why he had allowed his brothers to take advantage of him to help him get what he wanted through negotiations today.

If he could prevent such a situation from developing via diplomacy, then he would happily hand out favours to ensure that happened. Unfortunately, his instinct to learn more about splitting souls had gotten the better of him.

'Such a shame that I couldn't go on to prove my theory that all lives stem from one original soul.' He had made his peace.

All he could do now was hope that his brothers would move past the grief of his departure. He knew his brothers. They weren't foolish enough to seek vengeance against someone resilient enough to survive an attack from Divine Bumble.

Divine Rend felt a sharpness at his neck, however, except for a single trickle of blood flowing down to his collar and chest, he felt no further force from the blade. His head, surprisingly, wasn't cut clean from his shoulders.

He opened his eyes in astonishment only to find Lone stood level with his kneeling figure.

Their eyes met and the foxkin spoke truly chilling words. "Two chances. Everyone gets two chances. Attack me and see what happens when you waste the second one."

Divine Rend was no fool.

"I apologise for acting impulsively. This... altercation has given me a new perspective to look from when studying souls. Thank you for your mercy," he said as he stumbled up onto his feet and suppressed his screams from the suffering his body and soul were enduring.

It was only at his words did his two brothers come back to their senses.

"Eldest Brother, your soul..." Divine Weeping said in a distraught manner.

"Yes. The cracks are permanent. A lesson well-learned about the equality Divine Time spoke of," Divine Rend responded.

Divine Spirit stepped forwards, placing himself between his older brother and the Saturn-wielding Lone. "Do you still wish to trade those Divine Soul Prisons you mentioned to us? I know this may sound insensitive given my brother's intended actions mere moments ago, but I see no reason for your... disagreement with him to come inbetween a potentially mutually beneficial arrangement."

"First, no, those cracks aren't permanent. I can likely heal them. Second, that depends wholly on whether or not you can give me anything that interests me," Lone said a bit commandingly, fully aware that he now had a lot more influence over the three Divines in the room than he did only a few minutes prior.

"What would you ask of me to heal my soul if you speak the truth?" Divine Rend asked.

He'd witnessed Lone repair his own soul so it made some logical sense that he may be able to do something similar with the soul he'd just attacked so viciously.

"Can you do what I originally asked?" Lone questioned. "Can you help me split the souls and put the new one in a body without harming it or the original soul?"

"... I do not know. Currently, I certainly lack the knowledge to do such a thing. Splitting souls are rare, ones that do not explode immediately upon the splitting begins are non-existent. Or at least, they were until I saw that girl," Divine Rend answered honestly.

Perhaps he would have lied to get what he wanted if his primary goal right now was still to obtain Soph and not to have his soul repaired.

Abilities to detect lies were rare and usually racially inherent like with the White Dragonkin, but Divine Rend didn't want to take any further risks. Telling the truth seemed like the wisest course of action to him.

"That's too bad. Rare skills, world skills, powerful soul oracle skills, intricate items of a steamforged nature which are at least Epic-ranked or higher, and rare metals or magical jewels. That's what I'm interested in. I'll solve Soph's situation on my own since you guys won't be of any help," Lone said, he then turned around.

He made for the double-door entrance but just before reaching it he turned around and gave Divine Rend a cold look. "Remember, I only ever give people two chances in total. You're on your second. I never let people live long enough to fuck up the third. I doubt you want to be the first Divine who I feed to my status."

Pushing the doors open and looking away from the gathered soul oracle masters and grandmasters, Lone raised his hand to wave over his shoulder.

"Thanks for the food, Divine Weeping. All things aside, it made this dinner pretty good," Lone said. Not a moment later, the door closed behind him.

Divine Weeping stroked his chin as he spoke. "I've never met a summoned hero like that before."

Head Guider Owen opened his eyes wide in surprise. "He's a hero?"

"Oh, yes. Well, perhaps not conventionally. After all, I've never heard of a hero who has more than one unique skill before," Divine Spirit answered in his younger brother's place.

"I shall be returning home, brothers," Divine Rend said. "I have much to document and many items to gather. I fully intend to broker with him for a chance to undo the cracks on my soul. Thank you for trying to help me today. I shall still pay you both with your promised favours."

Without saying a word to the masters, he left the room. Shortly afterwards his brothers followed suit.

Master Millisa collapsed into a chair. "That went... unexpectedly."

Master Lefrasburn laughed. "Haha, indeed, didn't it? To think he was hiding such a powerful soul oracle skill from us. Perhaps we should have worked harder to maintain a firmer relationship with the boy. I fear that after today's incident he may see us in a very poor light."

Rangah had moved a few plates out of the way and was now resting her head on the table. She shook it and mumbled, "He won't. He understands we couldn't do anything to stop the grandmasters. Lone is smart."

Head Guider Owen smiled strangely. "I wonder about that. Did he just pull off the bluff of a lifetime or did he genuinely have the power to kill Grandmaster Obat?"

Chuckling faintly, the short blue-skinned man glanced at the mountainous table of food. "Master Dilroy, Master Lefrasburn, I trust you can dispose of this food adequately?"

"Sure," Master Dilroy answered. "I can take most of it to the slums and feed the poor."

"You really are too kind for a foreign duke, Master Dilroy, haha," Master Lefrasburn complimented. "I'll distribute the rest to the journeymen and the apprentices. It was all raised and prepared by Grandmaster Polet, after all. I'm sure they'll love the treat."

"Excellent. In that case, I shall return to my research," Head Guider Owen said, ending the conversation.

Congratulations! the host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 1.

Lone was surprised to see this notification, in all honesty.

All he'd done was warn Divine Rend against attacking him in retaliation to having his soul badly damaged.

If anything, that would have been intimidating, not persuasive. For whatever reason though, the system didn't have an 'Intimidation' skill.

Regardless, as he walked through the streets and ignored the bug-eyed pedestrians that stared and pointed at him, he pulled up the skill's information since it had ranked up.

Passive Skill: Persuasion

Naturally makes everything that the host says or suggests 95% [+35%] more reasonable.

Has a 75% [+25%] chance to notify the host if their attempts at persuasion are failing, even if it does not seem obvious.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Master Level 1

'Still simple, effective, but not powerful enough to make everything I say sound reasonable. Shame. I was hoping for another additional effect. Can't win them all I suppose,' Lone shrugged.

"Excuse me, might you be Mr Immortus?" a short human woman who looked to be in her 30s asked him.

She was wearing a very formal and tight-fitting dress and her blouse had a very obvious crest sown onto it.

'Some sort of noble? Well, she isn't a powerful person, at least. Not unless she's a Divine pretending to be an I-ranker,' Lone commented internally.

"Yeah. Need something?" he asked without slowing his steps whatsoever. He wanted to return to his hotel room to resummon Soph and comfort her, after all.

A bit surprised that he hadn't stopped to talk to her, the woman jogged to place herself next to Lone before matching his pace with some difficulty given the constraint of her skirt and the difference in leg length.

"His lordship Archduke Mikael Rivion has sent me to prepare you for the upcoming ball of his daughter's. You did accept the quest drawn up for you via The Adventurer's Guild, didn't you?" the woman asked.

"I do recall accepting something like that, yeah. In fact, I remember begrudgingly agreeing to go despite how much of a trap it sounded like," Lone said coldly. "It isn't for another 5-weeks. If you're actually a representative of the archduke's, then why the fuck're you here so early?"

"... As rude as I was informed you were. Oh, bother. This is why I am here, Mr Immortus. I have less than 2-months to get you ready for a ball where all of the high society of Felron will be gathered. The archduke needs your services, not your... personality," she explained with a bit of a scowl on her expression.

Lone shrugged. "Then tell him to fuck off and hire another gem-plate adventurer. I'm doing it partially as a favour to Grand Guildmaster Sarah, but I'm happy calling it quits if you think I'm too rude."

"T-That isn't allowed. Adventurers cannot give up on quests they have been assigned until it has been proven to be beyond their skill level or they risk a demotion," the lady stuttered.

Lone smirked. "Think I give a flying fuck? Adventuring is a means to an end for me. Likely an impossible end, mind you, since almost no one I get to meet by being a famous adventurer has info on what it is I want to know."

"Archduke Mikael Rivion is renowned all across the land for his vast collection of bizarre items and strange tomes of knowledge," she replied, clearly in an attempt to gain his interest. "I am sure he has several things that will garner your interest. That alone is more than enough reason to fulfil His Grace's quest requirements."

"I know, and that is exactly why I'm talking to you and not ignoring you," Lone said before he stopped walking abruptly, startling the woman.

He glanced down at her and said, "Look, I almost just killed a Divine who wanted to research my fiancée's soul without my consent. I'm a bit stressed right now. Go settle into the city or whatever. Find me in a few more days when I'm less irritable and more willing to discuss the proper etiquette to display at a stupid fucking ball. Got all that?"

"Y-You did what to a Divine?" she asked more to herself than actually to Lone.

Shaking his head, Lone muttered, "I'll see you later, I guess." He then quickly left the stunned woman alone.

It took a few seconds for her to get her wits about her. Once she realised that Lone had vanished, she pouted slightly. "What an insufferable man. And a liar too. Don't you worry, Archduke, I'll whip him into shape in no time at all!"