Chapter 379 Becoming One?

Without wasting any more time, Seraphiel followed Atlas’s suggestion. She shifted her entire focus toward the waterfall pouring over her head, trying to pay attention to nothing else. Questions still arose in her mind, such as ’Why is the water so cold? Why do I have to sit here to empty my thoughts? The water feels so heavy. Will this really help?’

However, the more she questioned herself, the narrower her thoughts became, until the waterfall was the only thing occupying her mind.

’My body feels cold... My mind feels cold, too.’ She continued assessing her condition, gradually experiencing a strange sensation as though she were falling asleep despite remaining awake. ’...What is this fog? Why does my mind feel filled with it?’

Even as these questions arose, she could feel her thoughts slowly diminishing. The process continued until her thoughts were reduced to a single word that barely crossed her mind.

’...Fog...’

Her eyelids felt incredibly heavy, as though she had been working tirelessly for hours without any rest. However, the waterfall continued striking her head, and the slight pain it caused kept her from completely drifting off to sleep. ’...Hurts...’

Her thoughts no longer formed complete sentences. Even the words that appeared in her mind were becoming increasingly brief, until several more hours passed and she finally stopped consciously producing thoughts altogether.

The sensations of the cold water, the weight pressing against her head, and the faint pain had become so familiar that she no longer felt the need to examine them. She simply experienced them without thinking about what they meant.

The moment that happened, something stirred deep within Seraphiel’s soul.

BOOM!

Before anyone could react, intense orange and red flames erupted around her entire body, accompanied by an enormous fluctuation of energy that spread throughout the surrounding mountain range. The sudden change immediately caught the attention of all seven Regents, who turned their gazes toward Seraphiel with expressions of surprise.

The man wearing glasses immediately snapped his fingers, sealing the entire space around them. "It seems she didn’t even need a day to force her Phoenix Soul to awaken." He paused for a moment, his expression growing serious as he continued, "Be prepared. According to the First Pillar, a Phoenix is far too ferocious when it awakens."

"It can burn down literally anything in its surroundings without hesitation."

The other six Regents nodded, already familiar with the warning. Their guards rose immediately, although none of them changed their positions more than necessary. They remained focused on Seraphiel, prepared to react the moment the Phoenix revealed itself, knowing that even their combined strength might not be enough to handle an unexpected situation.

Several moments passed after the initial energy fluctuation, yet nothing happened. The Regents began to frown, wondering whether the awakening had stalled or if something else was taking place inside Seraphiel’s soul.

Just as the man wearing glasses was about to speak, however, his eyes widened in disbelief. The other six experienced the same reaction, their expressions changing as an overwhelming sense of dread sent chills down their spines.

Two enormous, vicious eyes made entirely of flames stared at them. At the same time, the silhouette of a massive Phoenix took shape around Seraphiel’s body, its fiery wings spreading through the surrounding space.

Its gaze swept over the seven Regents with such indifference that they felt as though they were nothing more than insignificant creatures standing before a being far beyond their understanding.

Without waiting for further instructions, every Regent immediately assumed a defensive stance. Even the man who had been lazily lying on the floating canvas recliner sprang to his feet and drew his sword, his previous relaxed demeanor disappearing entirely. Yet before any of them could make another move, an immense pressure descended upon them.

"KHUGH!"

"GAAH!"

"KHUGHH!"

All seven Regents were forced to their knees in an instant. Blood escaped their mouths as they struggled to withstand the pressure weighing down upon them, while the surrounding space itself seemed to buckle under its immense force.

Cracks spread across the ground, the mountain peak trembled, and even the waterfall came to a complete halt as though the flow of the world had been interrupted. The sealed space began to fracture under the pressure, yet the Phoenix’s silhouette remained perfectly still around Seraphiel.

’What in the world is this power?! Why aren’t our laws or abilities working?!’ The man wearing glasses screamed inwardly as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. His thoughts immediately returned to the first time he had experienced something similar, back when he had challenged the Third Pillar to a duel.

However, ’It’s... even greater than that! This kind of power is beyond the Galaxy!’

The other Regents were equally horrified.

None of them could understand how such an overwhelming force could emerge from Seraphiel’s body, especially when her current vessel seemed far too weak to contain it. They could barely move, much less raise their heads to look at the Phoenix directly, and each of them could only hope that the creature wouldn’t turn its attention toward them.

After all, every one of the seven Regents had reached the Nexus rank, the same level as the Harbinger. Yet all seven were now kneeling helplessly before nothing more than the silhouette of a Phoenix.

...

Meanwhile, deep within Seraphiel’s soul, an entirely different scene was unfolding. An endless darkness stretched in every direction, and within that vast expanse stood Seraphiel’s translucent figure. Before her was an enormous, translucent bird-like creature, its appearance resembling the Phoenix whose silhouette had emerged around her physical body.

Seraphiel remained silent as she observed the fascinating creature before her. She could sense a connection between them, something far deeper than the ordinary bond between two separate beings.

The thoughts within the Phoenix were the same as her own, and both of them seemed equally curious about the other, wondering why they had been separated despite sharing the same soul.

After a long silence, the Phoenix finally spoke, "I see... The time has come for my awakening."

Its voice was soft, entirely different from the terrifying pressure its physical manifestation was releasing outside. Seraphiel frowned slightly, unable to understand what it meant by those words.

"Tell me, my incarnation. Why do you wish to awaken me?" the Phoenix asked, its enormous eyes remaining fixed on Seraphiel. Although the question might have seemed meaningless to it, there was genuine curiosity in its voice. Seraphiel frowned for a moment before exhaling softly and answering without hesitation.

"I want to stay by his side all the time. To do that, I need to claim all the power I possess." The Phoenix raised an eyebrow at her answer, seemingly intrigued by the sincerity with which she had spoken. Seraphiel lowered her head slightly, her translucent hands moving toward her chest as she continued to explain what she truly wanted.

"But more than that, I want to know. I want to know why there’s a Phoenix inside my soul, why you’re here, and... why you called me your incarnation." Her voice carried a hint of uncertainty, but she didn’t look away from the creature.

The Phoenix smiled gently at her response, "I see..." She paused for a moment before continuing as though she was remembering the deepest past she had gone through, "Don’t worry, my incarnation. After this, we will become one once again."

"You won’t lose anything, nor will you lose your sense of self."

Seraphiel remained still, trying to understand the meaning behind its words. However, the Phoenix’s expression gradually changed as it continued speaking, and its voice began to weaken. "It is I who will lose everything. After all, everything rightfully belongs to you."

"These powers, these feelings, and even those emotions you hold toward that man... the man who stands above even me."

As it spoke, tears made of flames began flowing from its enormous eyes. Seraphiel’s expression changed immediately, and without thinking, she reached toward the Phoenix and gently touched its massive cheek. She couldn’t understand why the creature before her was crying, especially when it had just told her that they would become one again.

"Why are you crying, silly? Aren’t we the same?" Seraphiel asked softly, a small smile appearing on her face. "Even if there’s some kind of past that I don’t know about, we’ll always be one, won’t we?"

The Phoenix froze at her words.

Its enormous, flame-filled eyes remained fixed on Seraphiel’s smiling figure, as though it had never expected to hear such an answer. For a long moment, it said nothing, allowing her words to settle within its mind. Then, its expression gradually softened.

"...You might be right. Perhaps that really is the case." The Phoenix paused briefly before continuing, its voice regaining some of its earlier steadiness. "Nevertheless, now that I have awakened, we must become one. We will return to how we were before, and once that happens...

"...you will finally receive all the memories you deserve to know."