Chapter 380 Rebirth

A few moments later, inside the facility where Seraphiel and the Seven Regents were gathered, all seven remained kneeling as the overwhelming pressure continued to bear down upon them. The man wearing glasses slowly began to lift his head, ignoring the excruciating pain spreading throughout his body as he struggled against the immense pressure.

"Khuk!"

He gritted his teeth and forced his neck upward. The moment his gaze reached the sky above Seraphiel, his pupils contracted violently as he witnessed the enormous Phoenix silhouette that had remained motionless until now.

The Phoenix had begun to move.

Its colossal silhouette slowly spread its wings, and as those enormous wings unfolded, the surrounding space trembled as though reality itself was struggling to accommodate its existence. Crimson and golden flames surged outward, stretching beyond the mountain range and illuminating the distant horizon.

Despite their overwhelming presence, the flames consumed nothing, yet their mere existence carried an ancient authority that the Seven Regents could barely comprehend.

"Wh-What is it doing?!" one of the regents who had raised his head as well, exclaimed, his voice trembling as he struggled to remain conscious. Before anyone could answer, the Phoenix raised its head and released a silent cry.

No sound reached their ears, yet the entire mountain range shook violently, and the cracks spreading across the sealed space multiplied at an alarming rate.

The man wearing glasses stared at the scene, his expression changing as he realized what was happening. The barrier was not being attacked by the Phoenix, nor was the creature deliberately attempting to destroy it.

Rather, the very existence of that being was placing such immense pressure upon the surrounding space that the seal could barely withstand its presence.

The Seven Regents could only watch as the Phoenix began descending toward Seraphiel. Its enormous body gradually transformed into countless streams of crimson and golden flames, each carrying an amount of energy that none of them could accurately measure.

The streams circled around Seraphiel, forming several enormous rings that rotated in opposite directions, and every rotation sent waves of pressure through the surrounding area.

The pressure forced the Regents’ bodies even lower, making it increasingly difficult for them to remain conscious. Despite their cultivation and experience, they had never encountered a being whose mere presence could overwhelm them to this extent.

Yet, at the centre of that incomprehensible phenomenon, Seraphiel remained perfectly still, seemingly unaffected by the power gathering around her.

Inside her soul, the Phoenix stood before her one final time. Its enormous, translucent body had already begun to dissolve, and the expression in its eyes had become so familiar that Seraphiel could no longer distinguish its emotions from her own. Neither of them spoke, for they had already reached an understanding, and there was nothing left that needed to be said between them.

The Phoenix slowly lowered its head toward Seraphiel, who raised her hand and placed it against its enormous forehead. Her expression carried a faint sadness, but her determination remained unchanged. The moment her hand made contact, the Phoenix’s body erupted into an endless sea of flames, marking the final moment before their existence became one.

Outside, the transformation reached its climax.

The streams of crimson and golden fire suddenly converged upon Seraphiel, entering her body from every direction. Her long silver hair rose into the air as its colour gradually changed, strands of orange and gold spreading through it until the transformation was complete.

At the same time, an enormous surge of energy erupted from her body, spreading across the mountain range and far beyond it.

The sealed space shattered completely, its fragments dissolving before they could fall, while the Seven Regents were forced to bow their heads once more. For a brief moment, the surrounding world seemed to lose its colours beneath the overwhelming brilliance of the flames. The radiance swallowed the entire scene, leaving nothing visible but the immense presence of the Phoenix and the figure of Seraphiel at its centre.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the radiance started to recede.

The enormous Phoenix silhouette gradually disappeared, its wings, tail, and head dissolving into the last remaining streams of fire. Those streams entered Seraphiel one after another until not even a single ember remained outside her body.

The pressure that had threatened to crush the Seven Regents finally vanished, leaving behind a profound silence that none of them dared to disturb.

Seraphiel slowly opened her eyes.

At the centre of her forehead, a symbol resembling living flames had formed, its intricate markings glowing faintly against her skin. For an instant, the pupils of her eyes reflected the image of a Phoenix spreading its wings, with crimson and golden flames revolving deep within them.

The light gradually faded, but the change in her presence remained.

PICTURE

She could feel an immeasurable power resting within her soul, no longer belonging to a separate existence but having become an inseparable part of herself. It was a feeling as though she had been Reborn.

Yet, that didn’t seem to make a satisfying expression on her face ’...I see now,’ she thought as she closed her eyes again. Her body slowly rose into the air above the completely dried waterfall, while the symbol on her forehead glowed ever so slightly.

’She hadn’t been sleeping by her own choice. She had been enduring the ’Seal of Stigmata’ for all this time...’

A tear slipped from Seraphiel’s closed eyes as the realization settled within her. ’...Even if it was your own fault, punishing yourself like this was never a good idea.’ She clenched her teeth and slowly raised her head, her eyes opening to reveal the silver clock hands and the flames that now resided within them.

Her gaze turned toward the sky, and the emotions that had been held back for so long began to surface.

’No, the ones truly at fault here are them.’

’From this moment on, I swear that I won’t rest until I have taken my revenge on every single one of you.’ Her anger surged alongside her newly awakened power, and cracks began spreading through the surrounding space once again.

The Seven Regents could not help but swallow nervously as they felt the unrestrained rage radiating from Seraphiel. The pressure was different from before; this time, it was no longer the overwhelming presence of the Phoenix but the anger of the woman who had inherited its power.

However, just as Seraphiel’s flames began to spiral out of control, a voice interrupted her from the front.

"You should keep that power in check, little girl. No matter how powerful it may be, your current self is still too weak to unleash it fully."

In an instant, Seraphiel felt the flames surrounding her disperse as though they had never existed. The cracks in the surrounding space stopped spreading, and the pressure radiating from her body vanished just as abruptly.

She turned her head toward the voice and found Oriendar floating barely a meter away from her, watching her with his usual composure.