Chapter 99: [Chapter 99 ● The Soul Sanctuary!]
"I know that." Auguszta rolled her eyes. "I’m talking about your Infinite Soul Sea. As a structure capable of housing both physical and metaphysical existences, we can obviously test it there, can’t we?"
"Ah..." Aezaleon scratched his cheek. "About that."
The girls immediately focused on him.
"Didn’t I tell you before? I’m incapable of entering my own Soul Sea physically. Only you four can do that as my companions." He gave each of them a meaningful look. "If that wasn’t the case, why do you think I spent nights sleeping on hard rocky ground back in the forest instead of living comfortably inside the giant castle I’m carrying within my own soul?"
The room fell silent. Aphryne blinked, Anastasia blinked, and even Auguszta looked momentarily speechless. When he put it that way, the situation did sound rather ridiculous.
"Hm." Clementine suddenly hummed. "I think I have the perfect solution for that shortcoming." Immediately, all four pairs of eyes shifted toward her. None of them looked doubtful; only curious. Clementine smiled faintly.
"Rather than wasting time explaining it, I’ll simply show you what I have in mind. But before that, let’s move inside the Soul Sea, alright?"
At her words, the four nodded in agreement. Aphryne, Auguszta, Anastasia, and Clementine vanished from the room the very next instant. Meanwhile, Aezaleon adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on the bed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the familiar meadows greeted him. The scene, however, was vastly different from before. The sky was no longer bright and clear; instead, it was filled with countless twinkling stars stretching endlessly across the heavens. A cool breeze drifted through the air while pale moonlight bathed the vast green plains in a gentle silver glow. Everything here was technically an illusory manifestation, yet it was so flawless, so vivid, and so complete that there was almost no distinction between illusion and reality.
Standing upon the moonlit grass, Aezaleon covered his nakedness with a simple black robe he materialized over himself through nothing more than a thought. Anastasia did the same—or at least, she partially did. The woman materialized a semi-transparent white nightdress that concealed the necessary parts while somehow managing to reveal far more than it hid. Every movement caused the delicate fabric to sway, granting fleeting glimpses that seemed deliberately designed to test one’s self-control.
"Tsk. Such a demoness." Aezaleon shook his head with a helpless smile and quickly averted his gaze.
Meanwhile, Anastasia’s satisfied smile only widened. Turning his attention elsewhere before she became even more insufferable, Aezaleon focused on Clementine standing beside him. "So," he began, "how do we proceed from here? What exactly is this idea of yours, dear wife?"
"So impatient~" Clementine shook her head, amusement visible in her eyes. The corners of her lips curled upward. Then she snapped her fingers. Instantly, a massive surge of energy appeared from seemingly nowhere and rushed toward a single point in the space before them. The surrounding air distorted as countless streams of power converged together, causing reality itself to become slightly blurred. The phenomenon lasted only a moment. When the energy finally dispersed, another figure stood where the convergence had occurred.
It was Aezaleon. The girls’ eyes widened. Almost instinctively, they began comparing the two: the original Aezaleon and the newly created one. There was no difference. None whatsoever. The same crimson hair, the same face, the same eyes, the same height, the same physique. Even the smallest details were perfectly identical. The only distinction was that the newly created Aezaleon remained completely motionless, standing silently like an empty vessel waiting to be awakened.
Aezaleon stared at the duplicate before slowly turning his attention toward Clementine, his expression filled with questions. Fortunately, Clementine didn’t need him to ask them; after all, she already knew exactly what they were. "It’s an illusory form I manifested for you. A physical one," Clementine explained in the briefest way possible. "Simply transfer your consciousness into it. That way, you’ll finally be able to possess a physical body here as well."
Aezaleon nodded absentmindedly. At this point, he had long since given up trying to understand how Clementine accomplished half the things she did. Asking would probably only lead to an explanation he wasn’t currently qualified to comprehend anyway.
So, rather than wasting time, he simply followed her instructions. Stepping forward, he tapped the duplicate’s forehead and guided his consciousness into the empty vessel from his currently manifested metaphysical body. The transfer was effortless. The moment it was complete, Aezaleon opened his eyes.
Immediately, he saw his previous body beginning to dissolve into countless particles of energy before dispersing into the surrounding environment. Slowly, he raised his hands and examined them. He opened and closed his fists several times, testing the sensation. It felt real—not merely real, but physical.
At least, as far as he could tell.
"You truly amaze me, Clementine." A genuine smile appeared on his face. Clementine merely chuckled. Then, without lingering on the matter, she redirected the conversation toward a far more important topic. "Now that that’s settled, why don’t you have a proper spar with Aphryne?"
Aezaleon raised a brow. "This should help you gain a practical understanding of your new ability," Clementine continued. "It’s certainly better than swinging it around by yourself like a fool with nothing and no one to test it against."
"I’m ready whenever you are, husband." Aphryne immediately agreed, her crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation. "In fact, don’t limit yourself to just Frostsword Executioner. Use your other abilities as well—Cryovant Fracture Lockdrive, Linear Frost Severance, and even its category two: Glacial Vector Impalement." Her smile widened. "If we’re going to spar, then I want you to go all out." After a brief pause, she added, "Naturally, you won’t use your absolute, and I won’t use Nytherion. Otherwise, this entire exercise becomes pointless; I wouldn’t stand a chance."
"That’s actually a good idea." Auguszta nodded, readily agreeing with Aphryne’s proposal. "Furthermore, since big sister can create these illusory physical manifestations, she can simply make one for Aphryne as well." Her eyes brightened as another thought occurred to her. "That way, even if one of you accidentally dies during the spar, nothing will actually happen."
