The world shattered around Kazuki. One instant, the crushed stone of the street pressed against his broken face; the next, silence. No dust, no blood—only endless light.
He stood in the Spirit Realm.
Here, stars did not hang in the sky; they floated in rivers above him, flowing like molten silver through a void-colored ocean. Books with wings fluttered past, opening themselves at random, pages glowing with runes older than kingdoms. And at the center of this vast dream stood Elsa, her hair a crown of pure light, her eyes filled with a worry that no battlefield could match.
Kazuki's voice was calm, almost cold despite the agony still etched on his spirit:"Quickly. Use all my spiritual force to regenerate my face. Then put everything—every remaining drop—into my speed attributes."
Elsa's eyes widened, her lips trembling."With your current Body Refining stage, you can regenerate your face. But if you do that—you won't be able to channel spiritual force at all afterward."
Kazuki tilted his head, his tone carrying the sharpness of a blade."You know as well as I do—body refining doesn't decide how much spiritual force I have. It only decides how much I can release at once."
Elsa's hands balled into fists. "Kazuki… what in the world are you saying? Are you seriously going to release the force your soul contains, ignoring the limits of your body?!" Her voice shook. "No mortal in history has done this—not in this world, not in any other. Even among the ascended! Your soul may hold near-infinite reserves, but your flesh is still mortal. If you force it—your body will shatter under its own spirit."
The words struck Kazuki's mind like sparks igniting memory. He exhaled slowly.
A classroom.
He was twelve again, sitting among rows of nobles and prodigies at the Royal Academy. His teacher, Master Orien, traced a glowing rune in the air as he lectured:
"Remember, students—your Body Refining stage does not determine the absolute amount of spiritual force your soul contains. It decides how much of it you can wield without self-destruction. That is why spiritual ceremonies are imperfect—they measure what you can release through mechanics, not the totality of your essence."
Kazuki's younger self raised a hand."Then… what happens if someone's soul holds far more energy than their stage?"
Master Orien paused, frowning. "They would live a cursed existence. A body too frail to carry what their spirit cradles. Unless they refine fast enough, the weight of their own soul could consume them."
The memory flickered—
—another time, another place.
The day of the Spirit Ceremony. Crystals shattering in cascades of light as Kazuki, a mere boy, released enough energy to blind the elders. Their voices panicked, hurried, some praising, some fearing:"Impossible—he broke all twelve containment crystals!""Suppress it—before the academy itself collapses!"
The vision cracked, returning him to the present.
He looked up at Elsa, his expression sharp with conviction."Then isn't the answer simple? If releasing my force damages the body… I'll use that same force to heal it."
Elsa's lips parted in disbelief. "That… that's impossible. You'd need a truly uncountable amount of spiritual energy to simultaneously destroy and repair your flesh. No one has ever—"
Her words died.
Because memories flooded her—not her own, but the ones she had witnessed through him. Every fight where Kazuki endured wounds that should have been fatal. Every impossible surge of energy. Every plan that relied on his reserves never running out. She remembered the moment she was first bound to him in Chapter 12, when her celestial senses had failed to measure the bottom of his soul.
And before her… older, darker.
She remembered the Chaos Spirit—the first thing that ever dwelled within Kazuki's soul, back when he was just five. Those eyes—like a storm without end. Eyes that whispered: infinite.
Her voice trembled. "…So that's what you've been hiding from even me."
Kazuki's gaze softened slightly, almost human again."From the time I plotted against Vareon, I knew this moment would come. Do you really think I'd burn an entire city's reserves, then face a Tier 5 Body-Refined emperor with demonic power, without preparation? No. I've been waiting. Calculating. Do you remember how many times I asked you to check my soul, to measure my reserves?"
Elsa's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "I couldn't… I could never reach the bottom of your force."
"And I never explained why."
The silence between them was heavy, broken only by the soft rustle of star-rivers above. Kazuki stepped forward.
"You were never just a weapon to me, Elsa. You've been my ally, my partner. I know the rules of spirits—I know the truth of how you became mine, because of your mother and the Lord's design. But after all these years…" He raised his hand, brushing his thumb across the light of her cheek. "Do you still think I'm just a reborn man, lucky enough to live a royal life?"
Elsa's lips quivered, her voice cracking."No. You were always different… in every way."