The battle had halted for the moment. John had advanced to the Exalted Soul Phase, yet despite that he felt no elation. He looked at the woman in front of him. His eyes told her she was Aldara, of the Empire of Elements. His senses told him, after clashing with her spiritual energy, that she was Matayal- his first wife. Or at least… some of Matayal.

She looked at him with clear eyes. Even if none of the physical details were the same, John felt familiarity in that moment. "Do you still wish to kill me?"

John lowered his blade… slightly. "I am uncertain."

Aldara nodded slowly. It was easier for John to think of her by that name, at least at the moment. "I do not believe we will have a productive conversation at this moment. Interpreting your words… I have caused you great distress. And it seems our mutual attempts to reach out to each other have failed…?"

John looked over at Roi, the elder of the Bright Trinity that John had first met. "Indeed." John made certain his words reached more than just the two of them. "We have sent many ships around the Molten Sea. And following my meeting with Roi, I awaited further connections. What I experienced was only members of the Bright Trinity declaring we were to be exterminated. I never even learned their leader's name."

Aldara turned to him. "Well?"

He immediately prostrated himself towards the two of them. "I have failed in my responsibilities. I only wish that you give me an opportunity to make up for my grievous errors." As far as John could tell, he sounded sincere- though he didn't know the man well enough to know if it was merely because of fear. "You know the reports we received, Empress."

"I do," she nodded. Aldara looked at John. "Sufficient vengeance has come upon the Molten Sea from my perspective. Do as you will with the rest. It appears we have some internal matters to settle. Afterwards, I will return to settle our accounts."

Was that a threat of some sort? John sensed no further hostility, but the mannerisms of Aldara weren't quite the same. Then again, if he understood correctly she hadn't reincarnated with full memories.

Aldara appeared to be waiting for something.

"Just go," John said.

She nodded. Some of her subordinates looked slightly offended at John giving her an order of sorts… but they couldn't complain if she didn't. Especially with John's current level of power.

All of those from the Empire of Elements boarded their own vessels and sailed off. There was no formal agreement of any sort, but it appeared there wouldn't be any further hostilities… for the moment.

-----

"What the hell was that?" Steve asked. His tone wasn't accusatory- he was quite reasonably confused by everything that had happened. Especially since not all of the conversation had been shared with others.

Ursel was staring off into the distance. "Was that…?"

Despite everyone being gathered to fight, only John had ended up in battle. Tirto stood with Verusha, his brow furrowed.

There were many things to be surprised about. Presha focused on what was most obvious to those less connected. "A twinned advancement… were the two of you fated rivals?"

John didn't believe in fate. What little he might have before he stomped into nothingness. Surely fate could not be so cruel as to do that. Or if it existed… he would find a way to slay fate itself. He shook away such grandiose and absurd thoughts, seeking the simpler explanations.

"Empress Aldara… shares the same soul as Matayal of the Brandle clan. A reincarnation… though seemingly imperfect."

John himself was uncertain of how things came to be. Obviously reincarnation was known previously, but none had been able to predict it so far as he knew.

"It was her…" Ursel said sullenly. "Mom owes me new armor!"

Tirto crossed his arms. "I am uncertain that she was our mother. Not truly."

"She did forget some things," Ursel agreed. "But…" she shrugged.

Some things, was it? She didn't even properly remember her own name until John brought it up. Though she clearly recognized their connection. If only… John actually couldn't think of a scenario where things could have gone well. Just less poorly. Astrid…

The smoldering anger inside of him wouldn't stay lit. Maybe that made John a terrible person. Or maybe it just meant he was so emotionally drained he couldn't feel anything. "It appears they will withdraw from this side of the Molten Sea. We must take care to confirm that."

Would Matayal lie to him? John didn't believe so. But Aldara might, and she had lived more years as Aldara. Nearly twice as many, with incomplete memories besides. Saying she was the same person was… difficult. Even though in certain ways, she inarguably was.

-----

John had somewhat underestimated the response of the Empire of Elements. They weren't pulling back to 'their side' of the Molten Sea. They completely abandoned it over the course of the next month. Spreading out to fill what remained would be nearly impossible for the current inhabitants of the Molten Sea, with less than half of their former population remaining. However, they were quite eager to take over certain more valuable positions.

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Maybe they would spread themselves too thin and open them up to further attacks. John didn't think the Empire of Elements was going to suddenly make further assaults… but he also didn't care.

He was done with the war, whether it was actually finished or not. If Aldara continued to seek battle, he would have to face her, but otherwise he would have nothing to do with it.

Having six elements might make his mind more stable. Or perhaps John was just broken still. How was he supposed to respond to his first beloved wife killing his second wife, who had helped him fully accept the loss of the first? There wasn't a way people were supposed to respond to such things.

He recalled Aldara's words. She might not have directly killed Astrid, but the results were the same. He hadn't recovered from Astrid's death before the battle- clearly not, with the rage that had filled him. Revealing what would have in any other moment been two pieces of fantastic news didn't make him feel any better.

Before he departed from his companions, he sparred with each of them. He couldn't just ignore them, but he couldn't communicate in any other way. He had no way to say anything of value to his friends and family. Nor did they try to force anything in his obvious confusion.

John was strong. He had attained heights he never truly expected to reach. And he didn't care. But others might… and he could at least try to help them obtain relevant insights.

Obviously none of the other would get quite the same results as he had from his battle, but they could still experience a full cycle through him. Their alliance would be far stronger for it, regardless of whether it was sufficient for them to reach the Exalted Soul Phase.

He won every battle, of course. Normally a small number of ranks could be overcome with a bit of luck or strategy, but the single rank that made up the next phase was much more difficult. Not impossible, but combined with John's full cycle of elements he hadn't merely taken a 'normal' step forward. If achieving the highest phase theorized to exist could ever be considered a normal step.

John didn't have six different elements inside him anymore. He could create fire, but it was more than just fire. His water element was more than just water, and his earth wasn't merely dirt and stone. Not that most cultivators had plain elements, but ultimately John was closer to a single element cultivator than he'd been since the very start of his journey. It was more like a new element than simply picking and choosing between six. John was certain his opinions would evolve with time, however.

Steve only lasted for a few moments. John was able to overpower him and Yustina easily. Ursel he defeated without even considering her armor- she seemed to enjoy being blasted dozens of meters into the Molten Sea rather than him using some sort of finesse. Tirto and Verusha fought together- even if John had lost he wouldn't have minded. But together all they managed was a slightly longer battle before they exhausted themselves.

Deirdre had the worst time of things. She was trained to fight against darkness, of course, but with his cycle of elements complete John had a full light totem. He wasn't weak to light in the slightest, while she was still subject to the dangers of darkness even with training. John just hoped the way he used his spiritual elements brought sparks of insight to her.

Presha managed to draw out the battle longest, but that was mainly by staying on the defensive, maneuvering in flight around John. Her attacks weren't able to break through his defenses, despite her special techniques.

The others might or might not have learned something. Ascending Soul Phase cultivators had the best chance of gaining useful insights. Consolidated Soul Phase… John tried to show them something valuable before defeating them, but he couldn't guarantee any of them were ready.

-----

He arrived back in Lunson without any fanfare, at his own request. He slipped into the city. People would know his return was imminent, but he might get a few days of relaxation. Or so he thought, but he had to meet Viriato.

"Congratulations on your advancement," he said. It was both expected and polite, but John couldn't really appreciate it at the moment. "Not everyone believes you reached the Exalted Soul Phase. They say you must have hit the highest peak of the Ascending Soul Phase." The man smiled, "But they won't be able to mistake it if they observe you in person."

"I could fake it," John said. "But I don't really have the will."

"From what else I have heard, I understand." Viriato kindly didn't mention Matayal. Or Aldara. Or whoever she was. "However, I must give you a report on local issues."

John sighed. "Is it that bad?"

Viriato shook his head. "Few have respect for a 'merely' Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator like myself. Let me tell you about certain issues that have arisen…"

-----

John sipped his soup. It was poisoned. He'd noticed that before taking his first spoonful, but he was hungry. Besides, he wanted to look for whose expression was one of shock. He was hosting a feast for people from the wider continent. A victory feast, more or less. To feed so many people, they had to call upon many outside cooks. It wasn't a surprise that someone managed to slip something in. Though their poisoning techniques weren't as good as what he had experienced in the western seas.

With just this much, John doubted he would even get indigestion later. Pure Blood was already purifying what went into him. This particular poison did nothing to suppress his energy or otherwise weaken him, so he could have also consciously filtered it out- but he figured some practical testing of his advanced body tempering was worthwhile.

He wasn't crazy, of course. He was using his energy, just not to filter things. Instead, he was looking for more insidious things- in his own soup or in the dishes of his guests. But it seemed he was the only target. Someone was afraid of his new power… which meant someone in the Ascending Soul Phase. Nobody weaker would be concerned about his advancement.

Surveying thousands of people was quite a challenge- there was no banquet hall that could support this many people, but instead the feast spilled out into various courtyards and even onto the streets.

John could be quite subtle about his probing, though. After all, his spiritual energy felt just like the normal background of Astrein- an even mix of all six elements. Many people couldn't even feel that, so as long as he didn't go over a certain quantity of spiritual energy they likely wouldn't notice. And with both light and darkness, he could diminish his own presence while also distracting people with some of his more overt uses of spiritual energy.

What was the point of being strong if he couldn't show off a little bit? He had to take what minor amusements he could. He doubted they would actually make him feel more, but he could hope.

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