The strength of the materialized soul was largely dependent on how strong the soul was and how much soul linking substance there was, as well as how widespread it was.
Even a normal person would be able to complete this operation as long as they somehow followed the appropriate procedures, for example, having an especially long death process.
As long as one’s constitution, soul, and environment met the requirements, anyone could create a special type of soul lifeform by using certain means.
“Intense emotional fluctuations, combined with a long death process will make a dead individual’s soul linking substance spread continuously, and as long as the environment is suitable for the soul, anyone would be able to achieve soul connection. However, this process of accidental suitability would leave the newly-born soul lifeform with a lot of drawbacks”
Olga continued: “The shackles of the soul are the links of an individual to the world. Not only does this link exist on one’s body, but it also exists on their reputation, contributions, and existence as a whole”
“The more renowned a person is in this world, the stronger their soul shackle would be, which in turn displays their life’s tenacity” Olga’s presence grew increasingly stronger, various shades of colors boiled and surged from her body: “Through certain means, this contribution can be converted and manifested, thus signing a covenant with the world’s history itself, from which point the soul lifeform will no longer be bound to a single location or city”
“For that reason, the modified method Lord Negary had devised was named Heroic Spirit Trial”
Lights of various colors drifted along Olga’s body, her soul rapidly solidifying, converting into a soul lifeform, at the same time, her soul shackles began to spread towards an unknown location. Once this process was completed, unless the connected location itself was destroyed, she would literally never die.
“Olga…” the two blue flames in Chromie’s eyes continuously beat, quickly discerning Olga’s current state.
“Hand your soul to me, Chromie” Olga loudly declared as the rock giant beneath her struck the ground with both arms.
Chromie could feel the earth tremble, his body lightly leapt away just in time to avoid several rock pillars from below. As he fled into the aspect of silence, he discovered that he was being surrounded by various slabs of flesh, all rushing at him.
“I’m sorry, Olga” Chromie once again leapt away from the encirclement towards Olga. An acute sense of danger was ringing in his mind, telling him that if he continued to ignore her like this, his soul might really be extracted by Olga, which he couldn’t accept.
Since that was the case, there was no other solution but to retaliate. In the end, guilt was only guilt, Chromie would not give up on his life merely because of his guilt.
A large number of rock pillars sprouted from below attempting to crush Chromie. Chromie’s figure was constantly weaving between the encirclement of rock and flesh on both sides, his sword constantly swinging in the process.
“Do not interfere with her excellency!” Luo, whose entire body was now bulging with muscle, wielded his brother Fye who had transformed into a large boney blade, both of them riding on top of a rock pillar, using its momentum to charge towards Chromie.
“Get out of my way!” Chromie shouted furiously.
The rock pillars around him were becoming denser and denser, from the gaps between some of them, he could see Olga becoming increasingly more solid. From his estimations, she would most likely be able to achieve her so-called ‘Soul Materialization’ very soon, at which point he would gain a powerful foe who wished for nothing but to take his soul. Even thinking about it felt terrifying.
Chromie’s body flickered in and out of existence, passing through Luo’s body without any trouble. Luo first became stunned, followed by him clutching his heart. A small blade had suddenly appeared where his heart was, directly puncturing it numerous times.
When moving from one aspect to another, Chromie would materialize and dematerialize various items, by placing them directly into the enemy’s body, he was able to attack their defenseless innards.
Chromie’s sword cut through the wall of flesh, then returned to the aspect of reality, to find Olga standing not too far away from himself. Several blue flowers were suddenly sprouting out of thin air, seemingly the contributions that she had manifested from her ability.
“I’m sorry, Olga” without any other choice, Chromie rushed directly in front of Olga, the sword in his hand thrusting towards her eyes, as the flames in his eyes flickered. It was simple for the current him to discover Olga’s weakness.
She was currently extending her soul shackles to form a connection with somewhere unknown, so as long as he could interfere with this connection, her life would be cut short, once again returning to her the process of death.
Right at the moment that Chromie was silently watching out for Olga’s countermeasures, his sword struck its target in an unexpectedly easy manner.
With extreme precision, the blade of the sword clad in bright red Fearless Spirit directly struck the link of Olga’s soul shackles, cutting off the process of her Heroic Spirit Trial.
The growing blue flowers instantly broke apart, countless blue petals scattered all over. The rock pillars that had obstructed him earlier also began to collapse one by one, the souls infused into them slowly dying as they no longer had Olga’s control.
Fye and Luo were in a relatively better state, but Olga’s death had also adversely affected them severely. Aside from them, others who had ‘reincarnated’ thanks to Olga also had their control over their bodies greatly diminished in mere seconds.
Watching Olga who was turning into scattering sprites of light, Chromie was stunned: “Why? I’m just a person who has given up on love, I’m sure I’m not worth you doing this, so why!?”
“So you still don’t understand at all” Olga’s gaze was still unchanged, the same love-filled gaze that could melt a person. She gently reached her hand out and embraced him: “The thing called love, not only could it make your heartbeat for me, but also my heartbeat for you”
“I— this is the only way I can take my revenge on you, never forget me, Chromie” Olga’s form grew more and more translucent, the sprites that formed her body slowly mixed with the blue petals to drift into the far distance.
These blue petals were the ability she had manifested from her contributions. Her ‘contributions’, or rather, the single most praiseworthy event in her life, was to meet Chromie in that place filled with the unknown blue flowers. Or at least, that was what she herself believed.
Chromie dropped his sword, wanting to return Olga’s embrace, only to find his hands reaching nothing. He felt loss and disappointment, various feelings from simply sorrowful to suffocating surged from inside him. He could feel that guilt and concern were among the emotions he was feeling, but what he wished to feel the most right now simply didn’t exist.
Olga’s goal had never been Chromie’s soul, rather, from the moment she discovered that Chromie’s heart no longer beats for her, she had already thought of today, she had already lost her will to continue living.
It was a greatly foolish and greatly unworthy choice, but it was Olga’s choice. She had lived for it, and she had also died for it.
Watching the blue petals that filled the sky, Chromie reached his hand out to catch one of them. The beating Mana Eye allowed him to quickly analyze the use, growth period, living environment, suitable temperature, as well as medicinal benefits of this flower, but not its name. After all, the name of a flower was merely the way humans referred to it.
Chromie clutched the petal tightly in his hand, despite the especially beautiful scene, he completely had no mind to enjoy it. Prostrating on the ground, he started to wail and sob, he knew that he had just lost something extremely precious, but even now, he didn’t know just what that was.
“I’m sorry, Olga…”