Cycle of Destiny

Chapter 40 Saint Rank?

After hearing the explanation about the soul, Harry immediately realized a key contradiction.

He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Bella in her white robe.

"Wait, I have a question." He lowered his voice, "If you are just souls without a physical body, then how did your sister make me feel that kind of excruciating pain before? Pure spirits shouldn't be able to directly affect physical bodies in reality."

Bella, in her white robes, gazed at him with her pure white eyes, seemingly finding the question quite simple. She smiled happily and replied, "That's because we can use magic."

"You can use magic?" Harry was very surprised.

It's already a miracle that a soul can survive, let alone use magic?

God!

What's the difference between that and being alive?

"Yes," Bella nodded firmly, her expression calm. "What we've preserved isn't just our memories and personalities, but also the core of our original spiritual power. Although limited by the constraints of our soul form and vessel, we can't unleash the same powerful magic as when we had a physical body, some effects on the mind, perception, or subtle energy manipulation are still possible. The pain you felt, sister, was a magical influence that directly targeted your mental perception."

Harry finally understood that, just as magicians use mental power to drive magic, they, though souls, still retained the same basic abilities.

He then pressed on, "So, roughly what level of magical power can you currently mobilize?"

Bei An paused for a moment, seemingly carefully assessing her own state, before replying in a calm tone, "My power isn't very strong. By your current standards, the mental energy I can currently stably mobilize is roughly equivalent to... a ninth-level mage. This is the foundation for me to maintain my existence and to engage in this level of perception and communication. Any further consumption would accelerate the dissipation of my mental energy."

"Level nine?!" Harry almost choked on his own breath.

He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide. "This isn't strong?! In any country on this continent, a level nine mage is already a highly respected figure, someone who can influence the course of events!"

In the major human nations of the current continent of Arcanos, the total number of publicly active and recorded level nine mages and warriors is usually around several hundred.

This number may seem large, but if distributed among various kingdoms, empires, and major powers (such as magic academies, the Church of Light, and certain top organizations), having dozens of level nine experts would already make a top-tier power.

The power that a level nine expert can display is enough to change the course of a medium-sized battle.

A level nine mage at full power can unleash large-scale offensive spells with a range of hundreds of meters, capable of destroying sturdy city walls or an entire dense phalanx.

Their defensive magic can withstand direct hits from heavy siege engines, while their support and control magic can significantly influence the battlefield situation.

A level nine warrior unleashing their full power can dominate key moments on the battlefield.

Their speed can break the sound barrier over short distances, creating sonic booms, leaving ordinary people with only blurry afterimages.

Its power could easily cut through iron-clad wooden city gates, or smash the walls of small fortresses with a few blows from heavy weapons.

In charge mode, a level 9 warrior is capable of piercing through a dense square of heavily armored infantry from the front, disrupting the enemy's command center or formation structure.

Their defenses are equally impressive.

The body, tempered by battle aura over a long period of time, combined with finely enchanted armor, can withstand a volley of ordinary crossbow fire.

When facing magical attacks, highly concentrated battle aura not only provides strong physical protection, but also has a certain resistance to and neutralization effect on elemental energy, making them an important barrier against enemy magic attacks or assassinations of their own mages.

On a tactical level, the ninth-rank samurai is an irreplaceable "arrowhead" and "anvil".

They can carry out the most dangerous decapitation missions, taking down enemy generals amidst thousands of troops; they can also hold key positions, resisting tidal waves of attacks and buying time for troop regrouping.

They are the backbone of the army's morale, and their very existence can greatly enhance the fighting spirit of their troops.

Therefore, the top-ranking ninth-level warriors in the army are often granted important positions such as Imperial Marshal, Royal Knight Commander, or Grand Legion Commander, and their personal martial prowess and tactical value are directly equivalent to that of an elite legion.

Even if they don't serve in the military, level nine experts are rarely just freelancers.

They almost always hold high positions: in secular kingdoms, they have the military power to become dukes or serve as court magicians, directly involved in decision-making; in the Church of Light, a level nine divine mage is at least a white or cardinal archbishop, in charge of important parishes and temple armaments; in magic academies, they are usually members of the core decision-making layer, "deacons" or "elders," responsible for key areas and training successors.

In summary, Level Nine represents a standard pinnacle of the combination of secular power and extraordinary strength. Upon reaching this level, an individual can profoundly influence the landscape of a region.

But the woman in front of her didn't think it was anything special.

Bella seemed a little puzzled by his strong reaction, but simply nodded slightly to confirm: "Yes, level nine. Is that strong? My sister... she's much stronger than me."

"Much more powerful?" Harry pressed, his voice unconsciously lowering as a chilling thought crossed his mind. "Exactly how much more powerful? Has she... reached the Saint rank?"

Bella nodded firmly this time, her face full of pride, and her tone cheerful: "Of course! My sister is really amazing."

Despite having a premonition, Harry still felt a chill run down his spine, making him shudder slightly.

Saint Rank!

That woman in the red robe...

It actually possesses power that surpasses the pinnacle of worldly understanding.

No wonder she was so capricious and unrestrained. No wonder he showed no respect and even disdain when mentioning the Holy Mage.

Thinking of the pain he had suffered at her hands, and the fact that she was someone of such a level, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness in addition to the fear he felt.

Saint-level is an existence that transcends the concept of level nine.

Historically, their numbers far exceed those of level nine. In the relatively prosperous centuries of human civilization, the number of Saint-level powerhouses active in the world during the same era often did not exceed ten, and sometimes there were only two or three.

It represents not merely a quantitative change in power, but a qualitative change in the form of life and the level of power.

Between the Saint Rank and the Ninth Rank, there exists a chasm that cannot be crossed by sheer numbers. There is no record in history or legend of any ability to defeat a true Saint Rank by gathering a sufficient number of Ninth Rank experts.

The reason is that Saint-level powerhouses have begun to touch upon and are able to manipulate some of the world's fundamental rules to a limited extent. The nature of their power and the way they use it differ in dimensionality from life forms at level nine and below.

For example, the defense of Saint-level beings is close to the level of "laws". Conventional physical or magical attacks will not be effective or will be ignored if they do not reach the corresponding level of rules. Their attacks often have a certain "irresistible" absolute attribute.

Therefore, the Saintly Rank is hailed as the "end" or "peak" that all living beings can reach with their power.

Once you step into this realm, you stand above the billions of living beings of this world. Their very existence is a legend, a moving natural disaster and myth, usually transcending secular royal power and ordinary organizational structures, and their will often directly determines the rise and fall of nations and the course of history.

A battle between Saints is considered a clash of rules, far beyond the reach of ordinary forces to intervene or interfere with.

Harry only knew that the Holy Mage Odel belonged to this level, and that the Pope of the Church should also be able to reach the power level of the Saint rank.

Harry was not very knowledgeable, and besides that, he didn't know who else on the continent possessed such power.

What truly terrified him was that the red-robed woman, radiating rage, possessed power that had also reached this level!

Looking at the face before him, which was exactly the same as the woman in the red robe but with a completely different temperament, a thought quietly emerged.

"Bella, do you know how to prevent my magic from leaking out?"

"You mean that crack in your consciousness?"

"You know?" Harry's voice held surprise, but also a hint of expectation.

"I saw it," Xiao Bei said, touching her hair apologetically, "but I don't know what to do."

Harry was somewhat disappointed. How could this problem be solved?

After a moment of silence in the room, Harry spoke again.

“You and your sister are really different,” Harry said, trying to lighten the mood. “Always calling you ‘Bella’ makes it easy to confuse you two. How about… from now on, I’ll just call you ‘Little Bella’? That way it’ll be easier to tell you apart.”

Bella in the white robe—Little Bella—brightened noticeably in her pure white eyes upon hearing the suggestion, and a sweet smile bloomed on her face.

"Great. I love it." She readily accepted, then added a detail that touched Harry's heart: "Alexander used to call me that too, to distinguish us."

"Alexander Langton?"

"Yes," she paused slightly, as if feeling the need to provide more background information, "before meeting you, my sister and I were with Alexander. You know him, don't you?"

The moment Harry received confirmation, his body visibly stiffened, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He sat down, his back straightening unconsciously, and the composure he had been trying to maintain on his face was now overshadowed by a more intense shock.

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out immediately.

Harry felt he had been more shocked today than he had ever been in his entire life.

He certainly knew who "Alexander Langton" was. Or rather, in the Empire, no one with common sense could have been unaware of this name.

Harry is very familiar with this name!

The last Duke of Langton he encountered was the widow of Alexander Langton.

The giant ship destroyed by the Elf Prince was named after this legendary duke.

Creating myths is human nature, but even those who don't believe in miracles cannot deny that Alexander Langton lived his own life as a true legend.

This knight, who rose from humble beginnings to become an imperial duke, was a god in the hearts of all the young people who participated in the tournament—no, he should be called a god in the hearts of all the ambitious young people in the empire.