Janka was visibly shaken, staring deeply at Rhett before letting out a carefree laugh. "Alright, if revenge is possible, I'm willing to die for it. Let's begin!"
"Go ahead, Mingge!" Rhett patted the now fully energized Mingge.
Over the past few days, Rhett had sought out numerous wicked individuals with innocent lives on their hands for Mingge to consume, including the evil alchemists they had interrogated. Mingge had devoured many souls, restoring himself to peak condition and even showing signs of further growth.
With his wings spread wide, Mingge looked at Janka with complex emotions, feeling both familiar and alien. Familiar, because of the man before him, and alien, because of himself.
After a brief sigh, Mingge wasted no time and swiftly entered Janka's body, diving into his mental sea with ease.
Inside Janka's mental sea, thick blood mist floated in the air, and countless blood spikes pierced through the void, creating an oppressive atmosphere. But Mingge wasn't the least bit intimidated. In fact, he felt rather nostalgic as he recalled fragments of the Blood Demon's memories that didn't quite feel like his own. Gazing at one of the blood spikes, he whispered softly,
"Come out. Don't hide... You wanted to find me, right? Well, here I am."
A sharp, screeching sound echoed as a larger-than-life bat emerged from the blood mist. Covered in twisted markings, with long, sinister wings and a grotesque mouth, it hovered in the air opposite Mingge.
The two bats faced each other, though their appearances were noticeably different.
The Blood Demon fragment stared at Mingge with a mix of suspicion and confusion. Although it had never encountered Mingge before, something about this strange creature stirred a sense of familiarity.
"Who are you?" The Blood Demon fragment asked cautiously.
Mingge found the situation amusing. His mood lightened, and he chuckled darkly, "Who am I? That's a great question..."
Growing impatient, the Blood Demon fragment's eyes flashed with irritation, and a violent surge of killing intent began to fill the air. "Stop wasting my time! Answer, or you'll stay here forever!"
"Stay here? Oh no, I've had enough of this place!" Mingge shrugged casually. "To think I'd return to this wretched place... It feels strange, yet oddly satisfying."
"What are you talking about? How could you have been here before? That's impossible!" The Blood Demon fragment's mind was in turmoil, unable to comprehend the absurdity of what Mingge was implying.
"Do you want to know the truth?" Mingge asked in an enticing tone.
"My patience is wearing thin," the Blood Demon fragment snarled. Dozens of blood spikes materialized in the air, radiating corrosive energy. "Speak, or I'll kill you!"
"Sigh, I knew this would happen. No one knows me better than I do..." Mingge murmured to himself.
The Blood Demon fragment shuddered, hearing Mingge's words, but shook its head, dismissing it as nonsense. Its instinct was to eliminate this intruder quickly. With a sharp sound, the blood spikes shot forward, aimed directly at Mingge.
"Well, since words won't work, I guess I'll have to use force."
Mingge felt a pang of regret. He had hoped to resolve the situation peacefully, as if to prove that his past self wasn't beyond saving. But without the cleansing influence of the Master, true redemption was impossible.
Soul Wail!
Taking a deep breath, Mingge summoned all his strength and unleashed his innate ability. An invisible wave of energy rippled through the mental sea. Though inaudible to the ear, the attack struck at the soul level with unparalleled force, catching the Blood Demon fragment completely off guard.
The fragment's face twisted in agony. In that moment, a strange feeling of familiarity washed over it.
"Could it be... that what he said is true? He's... me?"
A ludicrous thought flickered through the Blood Demon fragment's mind.
But before it could process that idea further, another wave of Soul Wail followed, obliterating its defenses completely. Letting out a final, pitiful scream, the fragment's body slumped, barely clinging to life as it fell into the mental sea.
Mingge wasted no time. Knowing that no one understood him better than himself, he knew the Blood Demon fragment would quickly recover in Janka's mental sea. Mingge dove at the fragment, opening his jaws wide and biting down hard.
"Ah!"
The Blood Demon fragment, jolted by the threat of death, briefly regained consciousness and shouted in panic, "What are you doing?!"
"Destroying my sinful past, of course," Mingge muttered through a mouthful of the fragment's soul, already starting to digest it.
The Blood Demon fragment's soul was potent, but also difficult to absorb. Without hesitation, Mingge took another bite, causing the fragment to shriek in pain.
"Stop! Please, stop! I surrender! I'll leave right now!" The fragment was in a state of complete terror, realizing it was being devoured piece by piece. It had never imagined encountering a creature so mercilessly capable of consuming its soul.
"It's too late. I'm not done yet," Mingge said with his mouth full, continuing to devour the fragment.
Even though this creature was technically a version of his past self, Mingge felt no sense of kinship or hesitation. It was as if the purified Mingge and the Blood Demon fragment were entirely different beings, with no trace of a shared existence.
The Blood Demon fragment's anguished wails echoed across the mental sea.
"Janka! Help me! Damn it, you've severed the mental sea's support!"
Desperate, the Blood Demon fragment screamed for Janka's help, half-pleading, half-threatening.
In the outside world, Janka, with his eyes shut, endured the excruciating pain of his spirit being torn apart. As he sensed the Blood Demon fragment's fear and weakness, a part of him was astonished.
"Is it really possible that they can destroy the Blood Demon fragment?"
Janka found it unbelievable. While he wasn't particularly attached to the fragment, it had become deeply rooted within him over the years, an ever-present force he couldn't rid himself of. And yet now, he could feel its oppressive presence weakening by the second. Recalling what had just happened, a wild hope flickered in his heart.
Could it be... that this person really can help me get my revenge?
In Janka's mental sea, the Blood Demon fragment's cries grew fainter and fainter. Less than half an hour later, it fell silent.
When everything finally calmed down, Mingge remained in Janka's mental sea, clearing away the residual blood and impurities.
After a while, a semi-transparent shadow emerged from Janka's head. Mingge's form had grown significantly, his wingspan now larger, and the aura he exuded much more powerful. His previously ethereal figure had become more solid and defined.
Janka shuddered as something left his body.
For the first time in a thousand years, despite having reached the Saint level, Janka felt completely unburdened. His mental sea was free of pressure, and it was as though he had returned to the carefree days at Golden Blood Academy, before he had been possessed.
Tears welled up in his eyes—not from relief at his newfound freedom, but from the bittersweet realization that he had no one left to share this moment with. His closest friend, the one who should have been there to witness this, was long gone.
He turned to Rhett, his expression a mix of gratitude and complexity. "Thank you."
"Hey, I'm the one who helped you out! How about a thank you for me?" Mingge chimed in, his tone playful as he looked at Janka, who was still a familiar face to him.
Janka, still somewhat disoriented, looked at Mingge, half confused and half relieved. After a long pause, he finally said,
"Thank you too…"
"Hehe…" Mingge, satisfied, fluttered back to Rhett's shoulder.
Rhett marveled at Mingge. Having devoured the Blood Demon fragment, Mingge's power had doubled. If this happened a few more times, wouldn't Mingge become unstoppable? But then again, Rhett reasoned that much like training, the more powerful one became, the less effective such growth would be.
Regardless, the fact that Mingge had been able to defeat the Blood Demon fragment before his enhancement was proof of just how formidable his unique abilities were.
Rhett patted Janka on the shoulder. "You don't need to thank me. But if you want to show your gratitude, help me with something."
"What do you need? If it's within my power, I'll do it!" Janka agreed without hesitation. But then he frowned and added, "By the way, you said you could help me defeat the Blood Demon. Is that true? How do you plan to do it?"
"By using overwhelming strength to storm into the Underworld," Rhett said confidently, puffing out his chest.
Janka furrowed his brows deeply. "Are you joking? You don't understand just how terrifying the Blood Demon is…"
Before he could finish, Rhett interrupted, "It's not a joke. I know more about the Blood Demon—and the Underworld—than you think."
Janka met Rhett's gaze, filled with meaning, but still felt doubtful.
Janka admitted that the mysterious person before him possessed immense strength, giving him a sense of something entirely different.
But compared to the Blood Demon, he always believed there was an insurmountable gap between the two. It was as if Rhett stood at the pinnacle of the world, capable of claiming the title of "strongest in the land," while the Blood Demon transcended worldly existence, its methods defying common understanding.
"The Blood Demon fragment must have promised you that going to the Underworld was the only way to break through to a higher realm," Rhett mused.
Janka responded calmly, "That's right. Isn't it true? The Saint-level is the peak of this world, and there's no further progress beyond it."
Rhett shook his head with a smile. "You may have underestimated the potential of the Elemental World. To most, the Saint-level seems like the end of the extraordinary path, but in reality, the Saint-level is merely a new beginning!"
"A new… beginning?" Janka's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"Exactly. You and I are both Saints. Let me be straightforward: the profound power we harness is the very essence of the Elemental World's core forces, while magic and combat skills are secondary powers, relying on the pure elemental essence for their foundation."
"Hmm… Doesn't that still suggest we've reached the end of the road?" Janka pondered deeply, still unsure what Rhett was trying to convey.
Rhett took a deep breath and turned, standing atop the mountain, letting the wind sweep past him. He asked:
"Do you remember the promise you made with Sheman?"
Janka paused for a moment, his face showing a hint of nostalgia. "I'll never forget. It was at dusk, when we ventured out to collect materials and talked by the side of a clear stream…"
"Was the sunset beautiful?" Rhett asked with a smile.
"Of course."
"And the gentle flow of the stream?"
"Well, yes, it was peaceful."
"What about the breeze that day?"
"It was very soft."
"But what if there had only been the sunset? Only the stream? Or… only you?"
Janka's eyes flickered with uncertainty. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Rhett's expression remained calm as he turned his back to Janka and said slowly:
"What made that moment unforgettable wasn't just one single thing, but the serendipitous fusion of many different elements."
"The strongest forces in the world are just like that—each individual element has its limits. But when they merge, they unleash unimaginable power."
"Look at the world around you—there's wind, water, earth, fire, light, and darkness. Each element is vastly different, yet they coexist in harmony, forming this vast world."
"In the same way, if you can understand the ultimate power of these elements and find a way to fuse them, the resulting force would be terrifying. That is the realm beyond the Saint-level!"
Janka held his breath, his mind completely captivated by Rhett's words. "Elemental fusion… How could that be possible?"
Rhett turned back around, smiling. "Why not? Everything in existence has the potential to combine with something else, revealing the interconnectedness of the elements and their inherent balance."
"Hmph, it sounds good, but that path must be incredibly difficult—perhaps even impossible." Janka shook off the momentary excitement, clenching his fists. "The precondition for elemental fusion is mastering multiple elemental forces. But no one can grasp more than a single elemental essence. That makes it a dead end. Who could possibly walk this path? Can you?"
"I can!"
A small flame flickered in the air.
The temperature around them rose sharply.
The chill atop the mountain vanished in an instant, replaced by a scorching heat, as if they were standing inside a blazing furnace.
Janka was startled by the sudden change. It felt as though his skin might melt from the intense heat. He stared at the flame in Rhett's hand, his eyelid twitching, the thousand years of calm composure he had cultivated shattered by this strange scene.
"You… you're clearly an Earth-element Saint Mage. How could you possibly wield the profound power of fire?!"
He blurted out the thoughts racing through his mind. Looking at the meaningful smile on Rhett's face, Janka's mouth opened slightly, and once again, a ridiculous notion crossed his mind.
—Could what Rhett said actually be true? —Could the path of elemental fusion really be possible?
The flame danced in the air, reflecting in Janka's eyes, flickering as if to remind him that this wasn't a dream, but reality.