Dancing on the golden ashes

We had all moved to a different place, deciding to shut down the entire war hall and keep it to ourselves for the time being. It was the perfect place for our training, free from distractions.

Park Jieun was progressing at an exceptional pace, her progress staggering as she neared the threshold of the Heavenly Soul stage. It was only a matter of time before she would reach it, and honestly, I was amazed at how quickly she was advancing. But what surprised me even more was that both Eun-woo and Seong-hoon had entered the Soul Split stage almost simultaneously. Seong-hoon was a little faster, though, and that made sense. It was as if the two of them were in some kind of competition to see who could train faster. Seriously, I swear, men can be so silly sometimes. I couldn't help but sigh, though a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. They were so determined, and I admired that, even if it was a bit ridiculous.

But there was one person who truly left an impression on me today—Seo-yeon. She was impressively fast at grasping what I'd explained, and the power of her ice energy shot through the roof. I could even feel the cold creeping into my bones as her power surged. She reached the Soul Split stage in no time, and it was nothing short of amazing. The way her ice power radiated was so potent that it seemed far more intense than Seong-hoon's. But then again, he had a different kind of strength—physical and agile—something that Seo-yeon lacked. It was hard to say who was stronger between them. Both were powerful in their own ways, and I couldn't help but wonder who would come out on top when the time came for us to face the real battles.

Min-jae and Ji-hoon were struggling, their progress slow. They had barely managed to reach the Soul Orb stage, and to them, cultivation seemed like a new concept—something they had only attained with the help of the system. When they heard that they could potentially break free from the system, they were ecstatic. Ji-hoon clenched his fists in determination, swearing to me that he would reach the next stage alongside me.

"Empress, I vow to you that I will reach that stage and escape the system with you," Ji-hoon declared, his voice filled with sincerity. "If we need to fight the so-called Creator at the end of it all, we'll help you. We'll win, or we'll die together."
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And there they went again with their vows. It touched me, honestly, but I didn't want them to face something so dangerous. The weight of their words, the sense of duty in their eyes, only reminded me of the responsibility I carried. But I couldn't let them suffer because of me.

Three days passed, and during that time, Min-jeong surprised me. She was the first to reach the Heavenly Soul stage, even faster than Jieun. That made me stop and think—who was truly the talent here? Min-jeong's progress was beyond impressive. When she reached her new stage, the entire room was filled with a sweet scent of flowers. Her aura shifted and grew to the point where she could fight me, and that realization was humbling. What pushed my own strength to unimaginable levels were the system and my ridiculous level—factors that Min-jeong had overcome with sheer determination and talent. I couldn't help but admire her.

Jieun quickly followed suit. When she reached the Heavenly Soul realm, the sky itself seemed to respond. Even though it was daytime, the heavens shimmered with countless stars, creating an unexplainable phenomenon. It was a breathtaking display of her power, a testament to the extraordinary nature of the stage she had reached.

In the midst of all this, I had also reached the peak of the Heavenly Soul realm. I had mastered the Laws of Thunder and the Five Elements, but there was still more to learn. The next step was mastering the laws of Life and Death—something the eerie voice warned would truly push my limits and comprehension. It said that my talent was unlike anything the world had ever seen. I didn't know what world it was referring to, but hearing that gave me mixed emotions. On one hand, it made me proud, but on the other, it made me wonder just how much more I had to learn.

The eerie voice had also mentioned that, for a normal person, it would take around a hundred years to reach the end of the Heavenly Soul stage. But for me, it felt almost effortless. I had passed through the stage as if it were nothing. This revelation was shocking to me—it shouldn't have been so easy. And while I couldn't help but feel proud of how far I'd come, I reminded myself not to get cocky. The road ahead was still uncertain, and I couldn't afford to let my pride cloud my judgment.

On the fourth day, Seong-hoon, Eun-woo, and Seo-yeon all reached the Heavenly Soul stage, their growth astounding. Meanwhile, Min-jae and Ji-hoon were still stuck at the Soul Split stage, struggling despite the collective effort of everyone around them. With our guidance, they had reached the threshold, and by the fifth day, they too had ascended, finally joining us at the Heavenly Soul stage. While they were elated, I couldn't help but feel the pressure weighing down on me. I was so close, yet there was something I couldn't quite grasp. The Life Law—it eluded me, slipping through my fingers just as I thought I was about to seize it.

The Death Law, on the other hand, was no challenge. After all, I was a Death Eater, born to devour and destroy. I had a deep understanding of death, of souls, and the process of ending life, but Life was a mystery. The more I tried to comprehend it, the more it seemed to slip further out of reach. It was frustrating, and the weight of that frustration pressed heavily on me. The monster had yet to appear on the horizon, which gave me some relief and a small window of time, but I knew I couldn't keep delaying the inevitable. I needed to master this.