Chapter 97: [Chapter 97 ● The Weight of an Absolute!]
Power Paradox was a fundamental phenomenon.
If an existence acquired power that vastly exceeded its own existential tolerance, the result would be immediate structural collapse. Physical matter, metaphysical matter, energy, information, soul, and consciousness—everything would fail under the burden and be destroyed.
It was one of the most basic laws governing growth.
Clementine smiled faintly. "Then let me ask you something. Who am I?"
Aezaleon immediately understood where she was going.
There was no need to discuss Clementine’s identity, her former rank, or the sheer weight carried by an existence that had once stood as a rank ten divine entity and the possessor of an absolute. Such things spoke for themselves. The burden a being like her should place upon someone weaker was immeasurable.
By all logic, the moment their souls connected, Aezaleon should have collapsed beneath that weight.
Yet he hadn’t.
Not only had his soul endured Clementine’s existence, but it had also successfully bonded with three other companions—companions who had each acquired absurdly powerful elemental powers and possessed their own overwhelming existential weight.
Despite carrying all four within the framework of his soul, he had never once felt strained, uncomfortable, or unstable. There were no signs of structural collapse, nothing.
Clementine’s smile deepened slightly. "Do you understand now? You’ve been carrying all of us from the very beginning. Existences stronger than you, older than you, heavier than you. Yet your soul accepted us so naturally that you didn’t even notice it." Her finger lightly tapped his chest. "The fact that you’re capable of doing that alone should tell you how absurd an absolute truly is."
Clementine then looked directly into his eyes. "Now do you understand the magnitude of an absolute? You’re capable of bearing the burden of a fallen divine entity who possesses an incomplete absolute, resurrecting her, strengthening her, and then doing the same for those three little sisters of mine. I don’t think I need to explain anything further, do I?"
Aezaleon nodded absentmindedly. When she put it that way, things became much easier to understand. If he was already capable of accomplishing something like that despite knowing so little about his own abilities, then crushing a High Monarch with his absolute no longer sounded unreasonable; rather, it seemed perfectly plausible.
"So even husband has a limit to how many people he can forge the Eternal Oath with?" Aphryne suddenly asked from the side after noticing the implication hidden within Clementine’s explanation.
"Naturally." Clementine shifted her attention toward her little sister, indulging her curiosity. "It all depends on the tolerance of his soul. A high-quality existence naturally places a greater burden upon his soul, while a lower-quality existence places a lesser burden. The principle itself is quite simple."
Her gaze briefly drifted toward Aezaleon before returning to Aphryne. "So if our husband chooses the path of quantity, he would naturally need to focus on the latter approach. If he chooses the path of quality, then the former approach becomes inevitable."
There was no right or wrong choice, only different paths with different costs.
Ultimately, the one who would decide which path to walk was Aezaleon himself. One after another, the girls continued asking questions, and by this point, Anastasia had already woken up. Quietly resting beside Aezaleon, she listened attentively as the conversation unfolded.
During this time, Clementine, Aphryne, and Auguszta also explained everything that had happened earlier, including Clementine’s proposal to send both Aezaleon and Aphryne to the academy. Aezaleon didn’t particularly mind the idea; truthfully, he was somewhat curious himself. As the discussion continued, Anastasia suddenly seemed to recall something.
"That woman named Azara... is she perhaps Azara Blazeshade, big sister?" she asked, her voice carrying a trace of uncertainty.
Clementine nodded. "Indeed she is. Do you know her by any chance?" she asked, raising a brow. The possibility immediately caught her interest; had she unknowingly turned one of Anastasia’s old friends into a thrall?
"Yes, I do know her." Anastasia answered calmly. "When I was still a student at the academy, we were in the same class and the same grade. We were actually very good friends. In fact, you could even call us rivals. Unfortunately, I was always a step behind because of Azara’s highblood." As she spoke, a melancholic expression surfaced on her face, and her eyes became slightly distant as fragments of old memories resurfaced within her mind.
For a brief moment, the room fell silent. Then Auguszta narrowed her eyes. "Are you unhappy that she met such a fate? Do you feel sorry for her, sister?"
Anastasia chuckled softly. Turning her gaze toward Auguszta, she shook her head. "Of course not, sister. Shouldn’t it be obvious by now?" she continued in an utterly cold and detached tone. "The Anastasia who cared about the City of Varion and the people living within it died a long time ago. She was killed by those very same people." A faint darkness appeared within her eyes. "Whereas this Anastasia... only cares about her husband and no one else."
Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested herself against him. Aezaleon smiled at her actions and gently stroked her head. In response, Anastasia closed her eyes and purred contentedly, all traces of the previous coldness vanishing as though they had never existed.
"Alright, enough of that." Clementine’s voice drew everyone’s attention.
A smile appeared on her face as she produced a scroll from her storage ring. "You see, husband, I bought a gift for you." Unlike her usual composed demeanor, there was a noticeable eagerness in her voice.
Her crimson eyes sparkled as she looked at him, clearly anticipating his reaction. Curious, Aezaleon shifted his attention toward the item in her hands.
The scroll emitted a pale blue radiance, waves of frigid energy continuously rippling from its surface. Even without opening it, one could tell it was far from ordinary.
"What is it?" Anastasia asked, voicing the very question that had formed in Aezaleon’s mind.
"It is the ability scroll—[Frostsword Executioner]," Auguszta replied before Clementine could answer. "A powerful Rank Three offensive ability that we bought for you, husband."
