Chapter 88: From Death Toward Life |
Kyle’s handling of the situation truly astonished the ghost ship.
To still be able to actively examine and judge those causal forces while enduring the impact of endless causality—
Such precise judgment and control… this boy actually possessed the potential to become a “Fate Arbiter”!
The ghost ship became even more expectant of Kyle’s upcoming performance.
Even if he fell during the later tests, based solely on his performance in the first trial, he would definitely attract the attention of the Underworld!
Kyle continued ascending upward and soon arrived upon the platform of the second section of the staircase.
In the eyes of everyone below, Kyle’s glowing translucent figure had already disappeared beyond the clouds, nowhere to be seen.
And at the instant Kyle stepped onto the platform—
The oppressive force of causality suddenly vanished, replaced by the rapid collapse of “self.”
He was dying?!
“Ha! An interesting trial.”
Kyle instantly understood what this test was.
When one lost everything and returned to one’s true spirit, could one still reclaim the self?
When ordinary souls faced the dissolution of self, they would often desperately cling to fading memories, tightly grasping the obsessions they cherished most.
The result was either accelerating the complete dissipation of self in futile struggle, or becoming a wandering ghost sustained only by obsession.
Naturally, Kyle would not do such a thing.
His soul sat cross-legged as he concentrated all his attention and rapidly searched for a method to break through the predicament.
The loss of memories, emotions, and thoughts…
He was actually quite familiar with this kind of situation.
Among the subordinates born from chaos and darkness under his command, he had seen many similar issues.
Though they were born extraordinary and possessed supernatural abilities that ordinary beings lacked, they also carried enormous flaws within their souls.
Isos had been born with blurred emotions, chaotic and crazed thinking.
Alvaro completely lacked emotion, remaining utterly indifferent toward everything in the outside world.
Montoya lacked self-control, instinct overwhelming willpower.
And ghosts such as Selena constantly faced the gradual loss of memories.
Time slowly passed, and Kyle’s soul became increasingly transparent.
But before the most important memories vanished, he finally found that sliver of hope!
In the next moment, Kyle directly and proactively guided away all memories concerning his clansmen, his subordinates, and everything he cherished, allowing them to flow into the void!
But in the instant before those memories completely dissipated, he used his own soul as the foundation and his will as the guide, stripping away the “emotions” and “obsessions” attached to those treasured things from the specific “memory images” themselves!
He abandoned the countless days and nights spent together with his clansmen, yet firmly preserved the original intention of “protecting the clan.”
He abandoned the glorious years of fighting side by side with his subordinates, yet steadfastly upheld the promise of “living and dying together.”
These emotions and wills, stripped of their concrete vessels, transformed into several dazzling stars, gathering and sublimating once more within his empty and transparent soul!
They were no longer memories dependent upon the “past,” but had become vows pointing toward the “future”!
Just like that “star” illuminating the dark and empty heart of Isos—
An eternal promise of “home”!
It seemed that when he had the chance, he should properly “thank” that little bear named Mino…
When the final trace of memory dissipated, only several bright stars remained upon the platform, revolving slowly around a true spirit radiating faint golden light, resembling a quiet yet dazzling galaxy.
In the next instant, the stars erupted with blinding brilliance and collided into the true spirit.
“Boom——!!!”
The void space shook violently.
Intense light instantly illuminated this land of emptiness.
***
Along the shore, the crowd suddenly erupted into cries of alarm.
The staircase above the clouds suddenly burst forth with dazzling radiance, illuminating the entire sea region as bright as day.
“What happened?”
O’Brien instinctively circulated the power of Holy Light, attempting to sense the changes above the clouds.
Yet he discovered that his perception was blocked by a force no weaker than the Holy Light itself.
At that very moment, Alvaro’s metallic body suddenly emitted a humming vibration.
He sensed his boss’s call. Without hesitation, he completely unleashed all his power. From life to thought itself, he transmitted everything he possessed through the unseen connection.
As though receiving a signal, Isos, Montoya, Selena, and the others scattered throughout Coral Thorn City all made the same choice simultaneously.
Even Adrian, who had only recently joined, offered his power without the slightest hesitation.
Within several secret gathering locations far from Coral Thorn City, astonishing torrents of power erupted as well.
Upon Edlin Island, the ancestral land of the Aiven family and Kyle’s homeland, a storm-like surge now swept through heaven and earth.
Several elders, the clan head, and Caitlin, who had remained behind there, all surrounded Kyle’s sleeping place with confused expressions, having no idea what their family’s child was causing this time.
Yet following instinct, they still offered up their power without reservation.
O’Brien’s mind was left dizzy by the sudden torrent of power. He knew Kyle’s subordinates were strong, but he had never imagined they were this strong.
And there were so many of them!
The pressure radiating from the most recent streams of power even surpassed his own.
Looking toward the clouds, he muttered softly to himself:
“What exactly is Kyle trying to do by causing such a huge commotion?”
Bzzzz——!
Just as everyone’s minds were left reeling by the shock, a clear resonant sound rang out from within the clouds, as though some kind of restraint had been shattered.
***
Upon the platform of the Road of Rebirth.
One causal thread after another, varying in size, broke through the boundary between life and death and slowly emerged from the void, winding themselves around the true spirit radiating dazzling light.
Each causal thread shimmered with unique brilliance, representing a bond and a promise.
Under the infusion of power brought by the causal threads, Kyle’s soul began reforming once more.
The memories that had been stripped away slowly flowed back along the causal threads, reconstructing themselves within his soul.
Watching this scene, the ghost ship’s hull trembled involuntarily. As an extension of the laws of death, it could naturally sense Kyle’s transformation with perfect clarity.
“This boy actually broke through the boundary between life and death!”
After only a few short breaths, as the final causal thread disappeared, Kyle’s translucent soul body once again stood upon the staircase platform.
His consciousness slowly awakened once more, sensing the star chart formed from stars of will within his soul, along with the newfound solidity of his spirit.
Kyle nearly burst into laughter, but he restrained himself. It was not yet time to relax and celebrate.
After sorting through his memories, the brows of his soul body furrowed slightly before relaxing once more.
“I’ve lost quite a few recent memories. Looks like certain rather important people didn’t have bonds with me strong enough~”
“I’ll have to ask Alvaro to help me sort things out afterward.”
He looked toward the end of the staircase, anticipation shining within his eyes.
Although many memories still required time to recover, it did not affect his ability to continue onward.
“What will the next trial be?”