S - Soul Reaper Technique

Name: Soul Reaper Technique

Technique Power Ranking: S

Description: The Soul Reaper Technique is an ancient, heretical Ki path said to originate from a forgotten god of death. It grants its wielder dominion over death, the ability to commune with the departed, and eventually the power to harvest and wield souls as weapons. Forbidden in nearly all lands, those who walk this path are viewed not as warriors, but as omens.

Pathways:

Stage One: The practitioner must spend 30 days in total darkness, deprived of external stimuli, meditating to synchronize their Ki with the essence of shadow and death.

• Bonus: The user gains the ability to meld with shadows, becoming nearly undetectable in dim or no light. While hidden, they can move silently and sense the presence of nearby souls.

• Backlash: Their eyes become highly sensitive to light, suffering temporary blindness or disorientation in bright environments or daylight.

Stage Two: The user must perform multiple spirit communion rituals, enduring visions, pain, and emotion from beyond. They must listen to and befriend at least one wandering soul who chooses to follow them.

• Bonus:

  • Can see and speak with spirits with their mind.

  • Can ask questions of the dead, gaining access to hidden knowledge or guidance.

  • Gains a spirit companion, which offers passive insights or warnings.

• Backlash: The user’s soul becomes partially opened, making them vulnerable to possession, soul-based magic, or mental invasion by malevolent spirits.

Stage Three: To progress, the user must experience death, literally or symbolically. This could be surviving a fatal wound, entering the brink of soul-death, or willingly stepping into the afterlife and returning.

• Bonus:

  • Gains 50% resistance to physical and magical damage.

  • Gains the ability to interact with souls and spirits physically.

  • Able to linger briefly in combat after fatal damage (up to 3 turns), acting as a ghost-body before falling.

  • Can sense the presence of souls within 50 meters and their state.

• Backlash: The presence of strong life force or healing magic weakens them, reducing regen, buff effectiveness, and causing fatigue in sanctified areas.

Stage Four: The user must consume the soul essence of at least 13 different beings, willingly or unwillingly, in ritualized form, as well as their soul companion. Their own soul warps as a result, becoming something no longer fully mortal.

• Bonus:

  • Can consume soul fragments from fallen beings to heal rapidly or temporarily boost stats (10% per soul) for 5 turns.

  • Their soul becomes resistant to damage, overpowering most soul-based attacks unless from higher-tiered beings.

• Backlash:

  • Prolonged use causes mental corrosion, inducing visions, loss of identity, or an overwhelming hunger for more souls.

  • At this stage, most powerful and soul-atuned beings will sense and reject the user on sight.

Final Stage: To master the final stage, the user must relinquish their mortal nature, accepting their fate as a vessel of death. This involves merging their essence with the death-laden realm between worlds in a ritual that leaves no return.

• Bonus:

  • The user becomes a partial embodiment of death.

• Backlash:

  • They are now fully bound to the realm of death.