Did Carl Obtain an Imperial Arm?

Carl merely smiled faintly and said:

"Your ice and fire powers are pretty intense. Honestly, if there had been any more, I really wouldn't have been able to hold on.

How about you keep trying? Maybe 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 understanding.

"You really are a special person."

They had seen too many partings of joy and sorrow;

Seen too much disgust and betrayal;

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

"Look at the villagers in this village. When danger came, how many of them protected their families and friends like that?

Most only cared about running away themselves. Of course, those who failed to escape were instantly swallowed by ice and fire."

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

Carl smiled slightly.

"Survival is human instinct;

And so is protecting others.

It's just expressed to different degrees in different people."

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

The ice and fire spirits looked at each other again.

The aura around their bodies gradually dissipated,

Revealing their true appearances once more.

Only now,

The resentment and malice on their faces had completely vanished.

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

"You truly are a peculiar existence.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The two of us were merely venting the hatred that had always refused to leave us."

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

But Carl did not care at all.

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

Carl's body became pristine again, 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 faintly.

"Magic?

I'm really not very good at that.

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

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

The Grimoire resembled a thick steel plate.

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

And when they saw that there was not even a single page inside the Grimoire,

The two Elves' eyes filled with a strange look.

"Regardless, thank you for saving us.

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

"You were right.

Bad people exist everywhere.

You cannot judge everyone the same way."

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

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

"Kesia, if we ever get the chance, perhaps we can be together forever.

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

The spirit named Kesia at his side revealed a gentle expression as she looked at the fire spirit beside her.

"Argo...

Thank you for staying with me."

Seeing how reluctant the two were to part, a strange gleam 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 constantly pulling them.

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 with the wind."

The two immediately became excited.

"Really?"

Carl nodded,

Then said to the remnants of the two spirits' souls:

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

After the ice and fire spirits looked at each other,

They solemnly looked at Carl.

"We believe you. Even though you were once deceived, you are a special person."

The two Elves began circling around Carl.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for purifying the remnants of the spirits' souls. You have obtained an Imperial Arm component. Imperial Arm is being generated.]

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

The entire lake began to steam, flipping over like a mirror turned upside down.

The ice and fire spirits fell into it in an instant.

The lake continuously twisted, entwined, and transformed. Before the astonished eyes of the women, it eventually became a glove as huge as a mountain.

The glove had sharp, distinct contours, and its back was covered with sharp blades like a dragon's claws, brimming with an extreme aesthetic of violence.

It was unmistakably an armored gauntlet.

Sharp-eyed Noelle instantly sensed the lingering aura of the ice and fire spirits on it.

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

Carl seemed to have sensed something unbelievable as well.

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

Charlotte's voice had nearly gone stiff.

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

And what exactly is that gauntlet?"

Looking at the enormous gauntlet that was so different and incomparably sharp, Sol Marron felt as if her mind were about to crash.

That overwhelming sense of power was simply too shocking.

Charlotte took a deep breath, finally coming back to her senses. She pointed at the gauntlet, her voice trembling slightly.

"That power...

It feels like an Imperial Arm."

"An Imperial Arm?"

Sol Marron's mouth immediately fell open.

Noelle, standing nearby, nearly jumped off the ground.

"Y-you said what?

That is an Imperial Arm?"

Charlotte nodded and continued:

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

"Since there is a gauntlet, that means it may very well be an entire set of armor."

Upon hearing this, Noelle could barely breathe.

"That is... practically an existence on the level of a god."

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

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

But that was merely a single weapon.

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

Just one gauntlet was already terrifying to this extent.

If the entire armor set were fully assembled, just how powerful would it become?

But what... exactly was its origin?

Noelle looked at Charlotte.

Charlotte only shook her head with a bitter smile.

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

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

"In other words, it is new. Completely new, without any 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 created by ancient mages through countless methods. Hadn't that art 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 transformed into a streak of light, rapidly shrank, and fell into Carl's hand.