System vs Rebirth



A moment earlier.

While Noel was meditating, Ardagan actually called him back to the white space.

"This is…" Noel was quite surprised that he was back here again after that long conversation with Heisk.

However, his doubt soon disappeared when Ardagan was floating right in front of him.

"Ardagan… Are you the one calling me here?" Noel asked while looking around, not finding Heisk.

"Yes. I'm here for one last discussion about the Spirit Link."

Noel remained silent, fully knowing that they didn't have much time left.

Ardagan continued, "My Spirit Link is different from Heisk for one big reason. If her Spirit Link allows you to measure temperature as well as heighten your sense of Spiritual Energy, my Spirit Link allows you to fully utilize my fire. Do you know my fire?"

"Yes, Undying Fire."

"What do you think about its origin?"

"If I'm not wrong, it's the element you received from the Spirit God when he created you."

"That's not the entire story. It's true that this Undying Fire is something that I receive from the Spirit God, but this is actually a part of the Spirit God's element."

"What?" Noel widened his eyes. But when he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. The fact that Ardagan received a part of the Spirit God's power explained how Ardagan knew a lot of things about spirits as well as his connection with the Spirit God.

"The Undying Fire's original name is Absolute Flame." Ardagan paused for a moment. "Do you know what it means by absolute?"

Noel had a few answers, but because he was unsure, it was better not to interrupt Ardagan and waste their precious time.

"It means normal can't hold a candle. In the presence of absolute flame, all fire shall kneel."

"!!!" Noel shivered from the words alone. His confident and overbearing tone made him feel like he was being oppressed by that 'absolute.'

"And a part of that absolute flame is concealed within me for one reason. The Absolute Fire is one of the Spirit God's powers, meaning that it will follow him anywhere. That's why he sealed a portion of that power within me, so that it can be used anywhere, anytime. Thus, comes the name Undying Fire.

"I am created in order to host this fire. This is the reason why I want you to define this power yourself. In your mind, what is absolute?"

Noel thought for a few seconds before giving the best answer he got. "Absolute is freedom."

"Freedom?"

"Yes." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "If you have absolute power, no one can stand in your way. If you have absolute authority, you can do everything. If you have that 'absolute,' you will be unrestrained by everything."

"Absolute is freedom," Ardagan muttered the answer as if he was happy with this answer. "Unfortunately, this is just a part of that absolute. It means that I'm still being restricted by constraints."

"I know. That's why I have defined you." Noel's expression turned grim. Ardagan's fire was Undying Fire, not Absolute Fire. That was why Ardagan was still restrained by the definition Noel had been searching for this whole time.

"That's right. My flame is called Undying Fire. What kind of fire will last for eternity, never to be extinguished?"

"It's a bright flame, while having its own restriction, still continues burning to free itself from the constraints." Noel closed his eyes.

"Whatever that will come to my path, even if it's water and ice…"

"Yeah. I know that you will still continue burning brightly, reducing all those coming into your way to nothing." Noel smiled.

"I, Ardagan, officially recognize Noel Ardagan as my host. His enemies shall be reduced to ashes and his allies shall be embraced by warmth. I shall accompany him until the end of his life as the third Ardagan…" Ardagan released his Spiritual Energy gently.

Noel could feel that the Spiritual Energy was guiding his right hand toward the handle. Without opening his eyes, he grabbed the handle, feeling the connection between the sword and the Spirit Seal.

"Noel Ardagan. As you emphasize freedom, you are also free to do whatever you want with my power. Burning your enemies, turning this world into ashes, or sealing that very flame will be entirely your choice. Are you ready to accept this responsibility?"

"I am not an extraordinary person from the start, I am selfish and made a lot of mistakes. But I promise that I will use your power responsibly and strive to become a better person every day." Noel replied with his genuine feeling. He acknowledged his shortcomings, but it didn't block his path.

"Prepare yourself as you are about to receive the fire that can burn this entire world." Ardagan was satisfied and asked one last question as the trigger. "Call my name, Noel."

Noel took a deep breath and said his name. "I'm ready… Ardagan."

At that moment, Ardagan's Spirit Seal shone brightly. Noel could feel the fiery energy from Ardagan rushing toward his hand.

The black fire started sparking all around his hand before moving toward his arm.

The intensity and amount of fire were increasing rapidly. It felt like his organs were charred, his blood evaporated, and his bones turned to ashes.

Still, Noel had expected this kind of pain beforehand, so he gritted his teeth, trying his best to endure the pain.

Unfortunately, that was just the start. The pain continued increasing as the fire reached his body, stimulating all his veins.

Heisk had spread her power to cool down Noel's body, but the flame was so strong that it almost nullified whatever Heisk did.

When the flame reached his heart, the Spirit Heart began pumping rapidly, circulating all that energy into his entire body.

And by the time it arrived at his Spirit Mind, Noel suddenly screamed out loud.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Even though he had prepared for the unimaginable pain, what he got surpassed anything that could come into his mind.

His entire body was melting down. If Noel wanted to imagine the torture in Hell, he would definitely think it surpassed that level of torture.

The moment he lost control of his endurance, the fire erupted from his body. And that action was reflected in reality as well.

"Aaaaahhhh!"

"!!!" Raincart and the soldiers raised their eyebrows. That scream could only come from one person, so their gazes immediately fell on Noel sitting on that field.

Black fire began to leak out of his body, burning everything around him. The grass instantly turned to dust, and the soil lost all its water and became charred.

The temperature increased rapidly as a wave of intense heat rushed in all directions.

"!!!" Raincart and the soldiers had their skin reddened just by being brushed by that heat.

"Impossible. Is he…" Raincart thought about stopping him, worried that Noel couldn't handle it.

However, Heisk began sending forth her icy energy, trying to fight back the fire.

The clash between the hot and cold energy was simply too strong. The Spiritual Energy began to envelop Noel and let him float in the air.

"What kind of Spirit is your Fire Spirit, Noel?" Raincart gasped, not believing what he had just seen. He thought, 'It was normal for a higher level spirit to show this type of phenomenon when forming the Spirit Link. Even I was tortured by an unimaginable pain and froze a whole room when forming my Spirit Link. But this…"

How could Raincart believe this?

Noel's fire had been slightly suppressed by the ice. Despite that, the flame was still strong enough to burn everything in a twenty-meter radius. Even the soil became ashes and carried by the wind or shock wave formed by the clash of two elements.

If he was forging his Spirit Link in a room like Raincart, let alone the whole room, the entire building would be burned into nothing.

This kind of phenomenon far surpassed Raincart. He didn't know what kind of phenomenon Anna, Noel's rival, caused, but he believed that she had surpassed her.

Still, Raincart couldn't imagine Anna would be able to surpass Noel.

After all, this was just the beginning.

Fully knowing that the phenomenon would become bigger and bigger, Raincart stomped the ground. He poured all of his Spiritual Energy, forming four thick ice walls in all directions, isolating Noel.

His ice would also be beneficial in reducing the temperature to fight back against Noel's fire.

In addition, this would prevent anyone from finding out about this phenomenon. There was no way everyone would sit still if they knew Noel was this extraordinary.

Raincart shouted, "The second and third divisions will be guarding the perimeter. We'll expand the perimeter to a 100-meter radius. Block everyone that dares to come. If they have any problems, they're going to talk to me directly."

"Yes, Sir!" The second and third division captains acknowledged the orders and immediately arranged their troops.

"The first division will stay behind my ice walls and form a barrier. Block the wave from spreading the heat wave to all the surroundings."

Since they were stationed the closest, all soldiers in the first group immediately circled the ice walls while using their shields to block heat waves.

Fortunately, the ice walls were still holding up even though the intense heat had begun melting them down.

Raincart clapped his hands, pouring all the energy he had to maintain the wall. On the one hand, he was excited to see what kind of achievement his grandson would have in the future. On the other hand, he was worried that he couldn't overcome this trial.

There was only one last thought remaining in his mind.

"Keep fighting, Noel."