Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 155: Soul payment

Azazel’s Guard shifts again.

With a hiss of dark magic, the armor peels away from Alter’s body, dissolving into black mist before reforming midair. Three spinning chakrams emerge from the smoke, orbiting her with blistering speed, cutting arcs through the air as they deflect every strike that dares to approach.

This has created a barrier for her, a safe zone to do what she needed.

Time. That’s all she needs. Time to awaken the fourth eye of Sheol.

The divine blade drinks from her again.

As the blood seeps from her finger into the runes along its surface, I feel something shift. The world warps around us, our vision blurs at the edges, like ink bleeding into water. A chill runs down my spine, crawling through our shared veins.

I close my eyes and reach inward.

The soul-space greets me, vast and silent.

It’s just a dark plane of nothingness where two souls are present—mine, bright and intact—and hers… cracked and flickering. Alter’s soul glows faintly now, its brilliance reduced to a trembling ember, and fractures run through her like veins of shattered glass. Still, she stands tall, defiant.

But behind her looms something terrifying.

A black sun.

Not light, but the opposite, an orb of silence and gravity, a collapsing star turned void. A black hole. It pulses without sound, its pull relentless. Threads of Alter’s soul stretch toward it, unraveling strand by strand, dragged into the hungry dark.

I watch in horror as this sun consuming her.

This must be Sheol

And Alter… she is paying it with her own soul energy, hoping that the sword awakens into a higher state.

Crack…

A sharp crack splits the stillness.

Another fracture rips through her chest, jagged and deep. Then, without warning, a piece of her arm splinters away, torn from her by the void’s pull. It vanishes instantly, gone without a trace.

Yet nothing happens.

Sheol remains unchanged.

The fourth eye remains sealed.

"Tch. Not enough," Alter mutters through clenched teeth.

No hesitation though.

She immediately drags the edge of Sheol across her palm, carving a deep wound. Blood pours freely now, hissing as it flows along the blade’s surface. The sword trembles in her grip. It pulses with hunger, with expectation. Its edge glows faintly red, its thirst not yet quenched.

Our vision flickers, going black for a heartbeat.

Back in the soul-space, her left leg crumbles and disappears, drawn into the abyss.

Still… nothing.

The fourth eye remains closed.

Alter’s breath shudders, her lips curl into a crooked grin.

And she laughs.

A quiet, dry laugh, laced with pain and something dangerously close to madness.

"Hey, aren’t you a greedy bastard," she whispers to the blade, her voice ragged. "Fine. I’ll feed you more."

She raises the blade to her wrist.

And is about to cut…

"NO! WAIT!!" I cry out, my voice cracking through the haze, yanking control just enough to stop her.

Because now I understand.

This is no longer a power-up.

This is the edge of death.

And she is already too close!!!

"Alter, wait!" I shout, panic sharpening my voice. "Your soul’s too weak! Is this really okay? It looks dangerous!"

She hesitates, then speaks with a nervous edge. "Well, I have to, Felicia. If I don’t open the fourth eye, we will die here. All of this will be for nothing. Nothing."

"After all these years… all the struggle…" she continues, smiling a little, "I finally saw her again. I heard her voice. I held her in my arms and we was able to have a conversation without her going berserk. So finally, there’s hope now. And because of this, there’s no way I’m letting those Sentinel bastards take that from me, even if I have to give every last piece of my soul!"

"And besides," She flashes a faint smile. "My soul’s been in worse shape. Don’t worry about me."

…

But I do.

Because I know this girl.

I know how stubborn and reckless she can be.

And no matter how brave she sounds, I can feel it—she isn’t telling me everything. She’s hiding how deep the cracks go.

Still, she’s right about one thing.

If we die here, everything will be in vain. It would all end in silence.

The worst ending.

That’s something I cannot allow.

"Then take my soul too," I say, firm and clear.

Alter blinks, stunned. "What?"

"You heard me. Take my soul too. Share the burden. We’re in this together, aren’t we? There’s no way I’m letting you carry this all by yourself."

"But… this is dangerous. Are you sure?"

"Yes!" "You still owe me more sword lessons, remember? And I’m not letting you sleep too long after this, so don’t even think about disappearing. Also, you promised Morvena squishcakes. She’s waiting for them, you know? We can’t keep her waiting forever."

A soft chuckle slips from Alter’s lips, dry and breathless.

"Squishcakes, huh?"

"That’s right. Squishcakes." I shrug. "Though I still don’t actually know what the hell they are."

"They’re mochi," she says simply.

"Oh? Mochi?"

"Yes." she says, ,nodding, then stares at me for a moment, then sighs, smiling wider this time. "Alright… if you insist."

Her soul reaches out.

And without hesitation, I reach forward and take her hand.

The moment our souls connect—

Everything shifts.

A sudden rush floods through me, like a current tearing through my core.

HOLY SHIT.

It’s like I’m being split in two. One half of me remains grounded, aware, tethered to this moment. But the other half plummets, falling endlessly, spiraling into a void so deep it seems to stretch forever.

It’s disorienting.

It’s dizzying.

And yet, somehow… it isn’t painful.

It’s strange, almost peaceful. My senses begin to dull. The sounds of battle become distant, muted to a low, indistinct hum. Even my thoughts feel slow, drifting like leaves carried on a breeze I can’t feel.

And then… color.

Color drains from everything, slowly, gently, as if someone is washing it all away. The vivid hues of the world fade, replaced by dull greys and pale whites. The warmth retreats. The light softens into a dim, sterile glow.

————————-

And just like that, before I know it…

I’ve become a color-blind catgirl.

Wait—wait!

Panic slams into me like a truck.

If my senses are being dulled right now… then what else is affected?

What if I lose my sense of smell? My sense of taste?

No! That means I might never enjoy food again!

No more filoan drumsticks! No more grilled horned rabbit! No more chocolate milk!

NOOOOOO!!!

And worse… what if other senses are dulled too?

My… my sex sensations?

Will I feel nothing the next time I cuddle or kiss Eris? When we—

NOOOO!!! PLEASE, NOOOO!!!

….

"Relax," Alter says dryly, as if she’s read my every thought. "Don’t worry. Once your soul recovers, the color will return to your world, and so is your other senses."

"Oh, thank the gods!" I exhale, nearly collapsing from relief.

Living in grayscale forever…

Imagine filoan birds tasting like cardboard…

Fuck… that would be a disaster.

Wait…

With this, a thought dawns on me.

So… the soul… is it consists of senses?

"Nah, it’s more than that." Alter replies. "Your soul is… everything. Sensations. Memories. Emotions. Love. Some things come back once you recover enough soul energy. But…" her voice tightens, suddenly serious, "some things might be lost forever."

Gulp.

I swallow hard.

That… doesn’t sound so funny anymore.

However… there’s something weird about this, something I’m struggling to understand…

"If that’s the case… then why haven’t I felt anything else missing?" I ask.

"Alright," Alter hums. "Then answer this: who was your first crush?"

"Hah, easy. Eris, obviously!" I answer proudly.

"And what’s the name of your favorite anime?"

"A…nime?" I blink. "What’s that?"

"Okay, then who is your most favorite waifu?"

"Waifu? Huh?! What are you even saying? You’re not making any sense!"

"Exactly."

"EEEEHHH?!?!?!"

I start panicking again, but now for a different reason.

What the hell is anime? What’s a waifu?! Why does she sound like she’s just stringing random syllables together?! Why is she saying gibberish now???

"Did… did your soul break too hard or something?" I ask cautiously. "Are you okay, Alter?"

She just smirks and ignores me completely.

And I’m left here, confused and vaguely concerned for both of us.

Anyway—

A low hum rises in the air, cutting through my thoughts like a blade through mist.

I snap my attention back to the battlefield.

"Thanks to you," Alter murmurs, her voice soft but steady, "the sword has ascended."

I turn toward Sheol.

The fourth eye is open now.

Fully open.

And the sword… it has changed.

Its presence looms heavy, oppressive. A deeper darkness coats its blade, pulsing with dread. The edges shimmer like they’re cutting through reality itself. It looks heavier now, thicker with power, hungrier, like it wants to devour every last ray of light in this place.

Then, the pulse begins.

A slow, deep rhythm.

Boom.

Boom.

BOOM.

The shockwaves ripple out, crashing against the space around us. The air wavers. The ground quivers beneath our feet. Even time itself feels like it hesitates.

Above, the Sentinels stop.

Mid-flight, mid-scream—they freeze.

They hover, flickering, their forms trembling as if the very light that composes them has gone brittle.

Their bodies hiss softly, wings faltering in the air.

Oh?

It seems like they’ve sensed it.

Their impending end.