"I possess two kinds of authority and power," Chthon explained, his ancient voice resonating through the darkness. "One is the portion of magical authority that pertains to and governs dark magic itself, through which I have become the source of dark magic. The other is the authority of the Chaos Dimension itself. As the Lord of the Chaos Dimension, I possess a considerable amount of Chaos Dimensional authority—not much different in magnitude from the authority you yourself possess."
Upon hearing this revelation, Sebastian's sense of greed deepened noticeably. He spoke hesitantly, his voice carefully controlled. "Alas, what a shame and dilemma this presents. The Chaos Dimension is certainly a powerful dimension, and its authority is immense and significant. However, the authority of dark magic is a perfect match for me and my needs. It is truly a most difficult choice to make, is it not?"
Sebastian's implicit meaning was clear and transparent, and Chthon understood perfectly what was being suggested and implied.
Looking at Sebastian with sudden understanding, Chthon formed the image of a pale, frail young man before him with striking features. He raised both of his hands deliberately and with purpose. From his left hand, a black current emerged, swirling with powerful magical energy, clearly representing and embodying the authority of the Dark Arts. From his right hand, a red mist swirled and coalesced, undeniably representing the authority of the Chaos Dimension itself.
Chthon, in the form of the pale, frail young man, smiled faintly and knowingly at Sebastian. "The authority in my left hand is the authority of Dark Magic, and the authority in my right hand is the authority of Chaos itself. These are portions of the authority I wield and control.
If you desire them, I will give both to you freely, but you must sign a soul contract with me in binding agreement. If you accept my gifts but then fail to help me escape and gain my freedom, you will suffer the same punishment that I would inflict upon any other who betrayed me. What do you think of this arrangement and proposal?"
Chthon said this lightly and casually, as if the punishment threatened were merely a minor inconvenience rather than something truly terrible.
Sebastian could tell instinctively, even without deeper thought, that the punishment Chthon was describing would be extremely severe and devastating. Under normal circumstances and with normal conditions, he would absolutely not have agreed to such a dangerous and one-sided contract. However, Sebastian's soul was utterly unique and unprecedented in its nature.
Three distinct selves exist in him: his current world soul, the Harry Potter world soul and the Home Earth soul, giving him three separate and distinct identities simultaneously.
In other words, it was as if Sebastian's soul was wearing three separate vests or layers of protection. As long as the innermost layer—Sebastian's true mark and essence—remained intact and unharmed, he would be fundamentally safe and protected from harm.
As for the soul imprints of his past lives, even if they were completely lost and destroyed, they would remain separate and distinct. Such a loss would actually further purify and strengthen Sebastian's true soul in the process. Therefore, Sebastian merely feigned hesitation and uncertainty before immediately agreeing to Chthon's offer and proposal.
All he had to do was abandon one soul imprint from his past life or wish world and sign the soul contract with Chthon. Even if he were to violate and break the contract afterwards, it would have no genuine effect on Sebastian's true soul.
This was Sebastian's ultimate trump card and hidden advantage when dealing with these ancient gods and powerful entities.
According to common sense and traditional understanding, each individual soul possesses only one unique and singular soul mark. However, Sebastian was fundamentally different from other beings. He was a time traveler who had traveled through multiple worlds, carrying the soul mark of his previous life with him into this realm. In other words, Sebastian possessed three distinct soul marks simultaneously.
This did not mean that Sebastian possessed three separate souls. In fact, he possessed only one soul, but it was considerably more powerful and complex than an average human soul. A single fatal attack targeting his soul directly would certainly be enough to kill Sebastian. However, a contract or binding agreement would typically target one specific soul mark rather than the soul itself.
Sebastian only needed to retain one intact soul mark to remain safe and protected, so giving up the other two soul marks was an acceptable price if it could yield sufficient and worthwhile benefits in return.
Furthermore, having too many soul marks would compromise and reduce the purity of his soul, which would hinder Sebastian's ability to improve and advance his power. Once he reached a certain elevated level of strength and development, he would eventually be forced to abandon and consolidate his soul marks. Relatively speaking, trading one soul mark now for immediate and substantial benefits was undoubtedly a very cost-effective and advantageous move in the long term.
Therefore, hearing Chthon mention the soul contract had actually saved Sebastian considerable effort and trouble. Sebastian had originally intended to bring up the subject himself, but before he could even speak and propose the idea, Chthon had already mentioned the soul contract concept.
Looking at Chthon now in the form of a thin, pale young man, Sebastian feigned embarrassment and uncertainty. After a long moment of deliberation and careful consideration, he acted as if his mind was clouded and blinded by greed and desire, looking expectantly at the two distinct powers swirling in Chthon's outstretched hands.
You must understand that in order to properly seduce and entice Sebastian, Chthon had offered not merely a tiny sliver of power, but a substantial and meaningful fraction—perhaps one or two percent of the full and complete power within each authority.
Taking a deep breath as if reaching a difficult decision, Sebastian pretended to have finally made up his mind after careful deliberation.
"I agree to your proposal and the contract terms. However, I do need to review the contract itself first before signing. If there are no other unforeseen issues, then hand over these two powers to me, and I will help you achieve your escape from this place."
Hearing this, a hint of genuine excitement finally appeared on Chthon's face, though it quickly faded as he resumed his outward calm demeanor. He spoke to Sebastian with measured control. "Very good indeed. Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation and partnership. Here is the contract for you to examine closely."
A contract—illusory yet somehow seeming tangible and real—materialized before Sebastian.
He examined the contract carefully and thoroughly, genuinely scrutinizing it for any hidden problems or unfavorable terms. Even if there had been any subtle issues, it would not have significantly mattered given Sebastian's intention to give up only one soul mark in exchange for these substantial benefits. However, Sebastian made no move to reveal his true awareness or suspicions, acting instead as if he were truly committed to honest cooperation and good faith.
Once he was absolutely certain the contract contained no fatal flaws or trap clauses, Sebastian looked at Chthon and spoke with apparent satisfaction. "The contract appears flawless and acceptable. It seems you are truly honest and trustworthy in your dealings."
Chthon was thoroughly unimpressed by Sebastian's praise and compliments. To him, manipulating the terms of a contract was childishly simple, and he had absolutely no intention of engaging in such obvious and petty deceptions.
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