Did Carl Obtain an Imperial Arm?

Carl merely smiled faintly and said:

"Your ice-and-fire power is pretty formidable. Honestly, if there had been any more of it, I really wouldn't have been able to hold on.

How about you keep trying? See if I'll change my mind?"

The Ice-and-Fire Spirits exchanged a glance. The confusion in their eyes was obvious, but it soon seemed to turn into acceptance.

"You truly are a special person."

They had seen countless partings, joys, and sorrows;

They had seen hatred and betrayal;

They had always believed that humans were cunning, greedy creatures who would betray their companions when faced with danger.

"Look at the villagers in this village. When danger comes, how many of them would protect their families and friends like this?

Most only care about running for their own lives. Of course, those who cannot escape are instantly swallowed by ice and fire."

"But you... you have truly made us see you in a different light."

Carl smiled faintly.

"Survival is a human instinct;

And so is protection.

It is only expressed to differing degrees in each person."

"So... have I passed your test?"

The Ice-and-Fire Spirits exchanged another glance.

The aura around their bodies gradually dissipated,

Revealing their faces once more.

Only now,

The hatred and malice in their expressions had completely vanished.

As they sat there looking at Carl, they regarded him as though he were a friend.

"You truly are an unusual being.

Dust returns to dust, and earth to earth.

The two of us were merely venting the hatred that had never left us."

Seeing the scorched marks on Carl's skin, the two of them looked apologetic.

But Carl did not mind at all.

The next moment, the aura of the Third Gate of the Eight Gates erupted completely. His scorched skin instantly crumbled away like a shed shell.

Carl's body became brand-new once more, carrying the distinctive sheen of muscular strength.

The strange light in the two Elves' eyes grew even stronger.

"You are very special. From beginning to end, you barely even used the power of magic."

Carl immediately smiled.

"Magic?

I really am not very good at that.

What I'm best at is punching magic out with my fists."

Seeing the confusion on the two Elves' faces, Carl directly pulled his Grimoire from his leather pouch.

The Grimoire was like a thick slab of steel.

The Four-leaf Clover pattern stamped on its cover immediately left both Elves somewhat dazed.

And when they saw that the Grimoire did not contain even a single page,

The two Elves looked at it with strange expressions.

"No matter what, thank you for saving us.

If you had not endured that endless power of ice and fire, the two of us would never have broken free from that hatred and curse."

"You were right.

Evil people can appear anywhere.

They cannot all be judged the same."

The two of them seemed to have found some kind of release. The next moment, their bodies began to gradually fade away.

The fire spirit stared at the ice spirit, his eyes filled with deep reluctance.

"Kesia, if there is a chance, perhaps we can remain together forever.

But right now, I do feel somewhat sorry for you."

The Elf named Kesia beside him looked gentle as she gazed at the fire spirit beside her.

"Argo...

Thank you for being with me."

Seeing the deep reluctance between them, a strange glint appeared in Carl's eyes.

"System,

Do the two of them meet the requirements for my core ability?"

The system responded with a chime.

The next moment, the surrounding ice and fire began to tremble at the same time.

The two Elves only felt an inexplicable force continuously drawing them in.

They exchanged a glance, then looked at Carl with blazing eyes.

Carl smiled.

"Perhaps I have a way to let the two of you remain together, instead of completely vanishing into the wind."

The two of them immediately became excited.

"Really?"

Carl nodded,

Then said to the two Elf Remnant Souls:

"Follow that guiding force and cooperate with it. The two of you will be together again."

After exchanging a glance,

The Ice-and-Fire Spirits looked solemnly at Carl.

"We believe you. Even though you have been deceived before, you are a special person."

The two Elves began circling around Carl.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for purifying Elf Remnant Souls. You have obtained an Imperial Arm component. Imperial Arm generation in progress. ]

As the system notification fell, an incomparably brilliant sphere of light suddenly bloomed around them.

The entire lake began to steam and surge, flipping over like an inverted mirror.

The Ice-and-Fire Spirits fell into it in an instant.

The lake continuously twisted, entwined, and transformed. Under the utterly astonished gazes of the women, it eventually became a gigantic glove as immense as a mountain.

The glove had sharp, distinct edges. Its back was covered in sharp blades like dragon claws, filled with an extreme, violent aesthetic.

It was unmistakably an armored gauntlet.

Sharp-eyed Noelle instantly noticed the lingering aura of the Ice-and-Fire Spirits on it.

Charlotte's eyes, meanwhile, were filled with shock.

Carl seemed to sense something unbelievable as well.

"This aura... this aura..."

Charlotte's voice was nearly frozen.

Sol Marron urgently asked beside her, "Sister, what kind of power is this? Why is it so terrifying?

And where did that gauntlet come from?"

Looking at the extraordinary, incomparably sharp giant gauntlet, Sol Marron felt as if her mind had crashed.

That overwhelming sense of power was simply too shocking.

Charlotte took a deep breath and finally came back to her senses. Pointing at the gauntlet, her voice trembled as she said:

"That power...

It feels like an Imperial Arm."

"An Imperial Arm?"

Sol Marron's mouth immediately fell open.

Noelle beside her nearly jumped up from the ground.

"Y-you, what did you say?

That is an Imperial Arm?"

Charlotte nodded and continued:

"Moreover, if it is in this form, then this Imperial Arm is most likely not complete yet."

"Since there is a gauntlet, it likely means that it is an entire set of armor."

Upon hearing this, Noelle could barely breathe.

"That is... practically a godlike existence."

As the eldest daughter of the Silva family, she naturally knew some of these secrets.

Within the entire Clover Kingdom Capital, it was said that there was an Imperial Arm sword of terrifying power.

But that was only a single weapon.

If what Charlotte said was true, did that not mean this Imperial Arm possessed countless components?

A single gauntlet was already terrifying to this extent,

So how powerful would it become if the entire suit of armor were fully assembled?

But what... exactly was its origin?

Noelle looked at Charlotte.

Charlotte merely gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

"It truly has the aura of an Imperial Arm, but there is also an indescribable feeling to it.

This Imperial Arm... seems as though it was forged anew."

"In other words, it is new—completely new, beyond all doubt."

"Or rather, it is an Imperial Arm that was born in Carl's hands."

Noelle's mind nearly crashed completely.

"How is that possible?

Imperial Arms were forged by ancient mages through countless methods. Hasn't that knowledge long been lost?"

"Carl... how could he possibly accomplish something like that?"

The group was almost simultaneously plunged into shock.

The Imperial Arm gauntlet high in the sky directly turned into a streak of light, rapidly shrank, and fell into Carl's hand.