Power of Runes Chapter 431: Soul Flame

No one uttered a word for several moments.

The ensuing silence weighed much more oppressively than earlier, devoid now of wonder or thrill, replaced by a choking pressure bearing down on everyone there.

Gradually, murmurs started to emerge.

"W-What does that mean... Tier 0...?"

"Does that mean if I don’t fight, I will be treated like nothing...?"

"Is this even fair...?"

"But... she is not wrong... we have been living too comfortably..."

At first, the voices stayed soft, filled with doubt and reluctance, as though folks feared raising their tone too high, worried their very ideas were under scrutiny.

Faces turned ashen for some, unease flooding their features while her words' harsh truth started to penetrate.

"I... I have a family... how am I supposed to go fight...?"

"Then what, you want to stay weak forever...? Didn’t you hear her... if we stay like this, we will die anyway..."

"I thought... I thought things would get easier after coming here..."

"Easy? Did you not listen to anything she said...? There is no ’easy’ here..."

One man gripped his fists hard, his tone shaking not just from terror, but from a profound emotion beneath.

"So what if it is harsh...? At least now we know where we stand..."

Close by, youngsters traded looks, their prior eagerness swapped for a graver mood.

"This... this is our chance, right...? If we move now, we can rise..."

"But what if we fail...?"

"Then we fail while trying, not while hiding..."

Certain people bowed their heads, guilt seeping into their faces as they grasped their prior inaction, how they'd lingered for chances rather than forging them.

Some lifted their gazes, eyes gradually steeling as a fresh resolve started to sprout.

"I won’t stay at the bottom..."

"I don’t care what it takes, I will climb up..."

"If this is the reality, then I will adapt to it..."

Terror, irritation, rage, embarrassment, and resolve swirled into a turbulent vibe that kept intensifying.

Yet woven among these feelings, another force stirred to life—something keener, more perilous.

A silent determination.

Not even viewers peering via system screens throughout the city escaped its grip. Echoing murmurs arose in houses, deserted alleys, shadowy chambers where solitary figures sat mute, fixated on the display like confronting their true selves anew.

A few balled their fists.

A few dropped their heads.

A few just stared on, transfixed.

Overseeing it all, Elizabeth stayed mute, her stare unwavering as she took in the scene, face impassive, as though she'd foreseen this very response all along and awaited its evolution into more.

At the same time, the protagonist let out a quiet laugh at the sight, murmuring so softly only he caught it.

"I knew it, the future has changed even without me doing anything...."

Ash had sensed this shift coming, for this world pulsed with real stakes, unlike a mere game. Its expanse was immense, each soul burdened with personal fears, doubts, and pauses.

Hence, folks shied from stepping out, slaying beasts, purging dungeons, and powering up when death loomed genuinely—unlike game deaths one could shrug off.

Human frailty inclined toward timidity, and sans proper jolt, it slumbered unaware of buried strengths, favoring ease over advancement unwittingly.

The Transcendent Circle's bold step delivered precisely the prod required. Before, fighters, sorcerers, and explorers enjoyed loose prestige, ignorable for those clinging to old ways. Now, stark lines were etched, barring any evasion or pretense.

A keen eye would spot that Ash had conquered the game and hit its finale in five years alone, yet nearly ten years here dragged on without those pivotal happenings.

Advancement crawled at a torturously sluggish rate, bordering on standstill against his past trials.

Yet this abrupt catalyst would spur motion, discovery, fervent dungeon sweeps, accelerating the tale's momentum wildly.

Given the realm's vast superiority over the game's bounds, deviations from its path were inevitable, with the timeline veering ever wider.

So Ash felt no shock that, absent his meddling, destiny's course had already altered.

Ash realized this marked merely the start, and ahead lay a future destined to twist into something utterly alien, far exceeding his wildest familiarity.

Nevertheless, Ash absorbed plenty of details from Elizabeth’s words alone, and he vaguely recalled spotting her within Snow’s recollections.

Inwardly, Ash pondered, his urge to encounter her intensifying, for he sensed she could possess the solutions he’d long sought.

From nearby, Eva caught Ash’s murmurs yet opted for silence. She understood he wouldn’t reveal all immediately, but his vow to share gradually contented her for the moment, curbing her inquisitiveness.

So, she kept peering at the world via his vision, silently tracking the developing events without disturbance, her gaze locked on the very person captivating the masses.

"Cough!!"

The crowd hushed abruptly, murmurs halting mid-breath like a sudden freeze over the assembly, every eye riveting back to her without delay.

Noticing the response, Elizabeth gave a light nod, her demeanor steady and serene as she pressed on with her address.

"As you all know, there also exist the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness. They are affiliated with the Heavenly Realm and the Abyssal Realm respectively."

"The people among them are also like you all, mortals who chose to work for those realms, which I am not particularly fond of. But this happened before the Universal System came into existence, thus there is no need to dwell on the past."

Her eyes swept briefly over the gathering after a short lull, gauging responses before resuming.

"Although the Church of Light and the Heavenly Realm are our allies, you should still remain cautious around them. An ally does not mean complete trust, especially when their origins lie beyond our realm and their interests may not always align with ours."

"And I am speaking all of this freely, while standing in the City of Light itself, directly under the influence of the Church of Light, just to show you one simple truth."

A subtle spark flickered in her gaze as she uttered the following, her voice dipping to lend it greater weight.

"There is no need to fear anyone as long as the Transcendent Circle is there, just remember our motto : if they can bleed, they can die."

Shock and dawning awareness stirred faintly among the listeners at those words, yet the tense hush held firm, none venturing to break in.

"From now on, many individuals from the Transcendent Circle will visit various cities and regions in search of talent, looking for those who have the potential to walk the Path of Transcendence and join us."

"The selection criteria will be strict, far beyond what you may be imagining, but at the same time, it is also an opportunity. If you are able to catch the attention of those who are scouting, you may be given a chance to join the cohort of various Transcendents who regularly venture into the unknown parts of the realm, where true growth lies."

"But understand this clearly, strength alone will not make you worthy."

"To become a Transcendent, what is required is not just power, but Will."

"An Unyielding Will that does not break under pressure, a Will that continues to move forward even when faced with despair, and a Will that refuses to bow even when the odds are completely against you."

After a brief halt, she allowed suspense to mount prior to going on.

"Every one of you possesses Will, but most of it remains dormant, unfocused, and easily shaken."

"Only when your will crosses a certain threshold, when it becomes firm enough to no longer waver under pressure, can it begin to manifest."

Her tone eased a touch, giving the import of her statement time to sink in.

"But manifestation alone is not enough. Without guidance, that will remains crude and unstable, unable to take a proper form."

"That is where the Transcendent Circle comes in."

"We guide those whose will has begun to manifest, shaping it, refining it, and leading it toward its true awakening."

Her eyes gained a subtle fervor as she proceeded.

"And when your will is fully awakened, when it no longer bends, when it becomes something that defines your very existence..."

"You awaken the Soul Flame."

With a gentle raise of her hand, she indicated her glabella, home to the soft amber flame.

"It manifests here, above your glabella, as a reflection of your Will."

"It is not something that can be borrowed, nor something that can be forced. It is the purest expression of your resolve."

The assembly fell into a profound quiet, drawn inexorably to the flame hovering over her brow.

"Those who possess a Soul Flame gain the ability to sense the will of others."

"It is not a clear measurement, nor a number that can be calculated, but a feeling, an instinct that allows us to recognize those who have high Will power."

Elizabeth pressed on with her explanation, succinctly outlining the Transcendents' storied past—how they confronted powers from beyond this world and safeguarded the harmony of all creation—her narrative evoking a remote but strikingly clear vision in the minds of all listeners.

She further unveiled the Path of Transcendence to them, emphasizing that it stood not apart but in harmony with the route offered by the system.

"It is best to tread the Path of Transcendence while also following the path given by the system. The system accelerates your growth, reducing the time required to gain strength, allowing you to reach greater heights much faster than what would normally be possible."

"However, do not mistake speed for completion. The system can make you stronger, but it cannot shape your will for you, nor can it decide how far you are willing to go."

"That is something only you can determine."

Her speech unfolded with unwavering rhythm, each phrase linking seamlessly to the last, illuminating the road forward while rendering it far more challenging than it had seemed moments ago.

"And in the end, when the time comes, it will not be your level, your skills, or your talents that will decide your place among us."

"It will be whether your Will is strong enough to step beyond what you are now, and whether you have the resolve to keep moving forward even when everything tells you to stop."

At that point, Elizabeth eased her pace, permitting the profound impact of her message to sink deeply into the souls of those gathered, fully aware that their grasp of true power had forever shifted from this instant.

-Clap!!

One crisp sound reverberated through the stadium, piercing the silence without delay.

-Clap!!

-Clap!!

-Clap!!

Measured claps rang out next, unhurried and purposeful.

All eyes swiveled toward the origin.

From high above the arena, a figure advanced, gliding downward effortlessly as though strolling upon invisible steps, his motions fluid and precise with no hint of strain.

Draped in pristine golden robes that billowed gracefully about him, their fabric shimmering faintly beneath the illumination. His demeanor was impeccable and serene, marked by a tranquil face and a faint, courteous smile.

-Clap!!

With a last resounding clap, he halted, fixing his eyes upon Elizabeth.

"That was quite the speech."

His tone carried softly yet firmly, carrying to every nook of the vast stadium without strain.

"Direct... and effective."

He lingered for a moment, scanning the audience's faces before his gaze returned to her.

"I can see you have given them something to think about."

Though his voice stayed even and almost amiable, a nuanced air about him distinguished his presence from the aura Elizabeth had woven.

He remained silent thereafter, his mere arrival sufficient to subtly alter the ambiance, like an unseen power slipping onto the scene unheralded.

***