"That's right, that's all."
Facing everyone's astonishment, Caelan spoke modestly.
The bones of the defeated country could only function within his Reality Marble.
In other words, he had to be present in battle to use the bones to fight.
But if he was already there in person, why would he even need these skeletons?
Their greatest value was in massive battles. Only then could an army of fearless, powerful bones truly shine.
Most of the time, they were little more than atmosphere pieces.
Of course, even atmosphere had its uses. At the very least, it looked impressive.
"…"
Dragon stared at Caelan's expression, somewhere between a laugh and disbelief.
Among these tens of thousands of skeletons, the weakest were on par with elite soldiers of the Revolutionary Army. The strongest, such as the three Marine admirals, were at Vice Admiral level.
The entire bone army combined was far stronger than the Revolutionary Army he had spent years building.
And yet Caelan acted dissatisfied, as though this ability were nothing. Was he trying to ascend to heaven itself?
If only he stopped showing off, perhaps they could still be friends.
"If there's nothing else, may I leave now?"
Dragon spoke expressionlessly.
It was already bad enough that his plan to capture Caesar had failed. Now, Caelan had rubbed salt into the wound by revealing such a terrifying power. He was exhausted.
"Please."
Caelan spread his hands, and ripples appeared in the air.
As soon as Dragon departed, Morgans hurried after him. He had no desire to be the third wheel with Caelan and the women.
Within the Reality Marble, only Caelan, Nami, Robin, and the other women remained.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going too."
Gion yawned, her sleepiness evident.
Dragged out in the middle of the night, she was still exhausted.
Since Caelan was unharmed and had even gained a new ability, she saw no reason to linger.
"We want to sleep too. Staying up late is terrible for the skin."
The other women agreed, each eager to rest.
Hancock and Kalifa, however, exchanged knowing glances and brushed against Caelan, clearly wanting to tempt him into some nighttime fun.
"Don't be impatient. There are other things in this world," Caelan said with a smile, stopping them.
The other half of his Reality Marble, tied to the will to preserve, was related to them.
In truth, this half was the real core.
"Other things?"
The women glanced around.
All they saw was a barren wasteland, where tens of thousands of bones appeared and disappeared beneath rolling sand.
Nothing more.
"Look up at the sky."
Caelan shook his head and pointed upward.
The women followed his gesture, and their eyes widened.
High above, a solemn and majestic palace stood upon the dome of the sky.
The temple loomed tall and vast, resting among the blue clouds.
"What is that?"
They stared in awe.
Just moments ago, when Dragon and Morgans were present, there had been nothing but a blazing sun in the sky.
Yet in the blink of an eye, a sacred palace had appeared, floating above them.
They had seen sky islands before, and even Shiki the Golden Lion's floating stronghold.
But this was different.
This temple radiated divinity, as though it watched over all creation. It was not simply a suspended building, but something sacred.
"That is Valhalla."
Magic surged within Caelan as he instantly shifted their positions, bringing them into the temple itself.
"How spectacular!"
Gion's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.
The temple rose nearly one hundred meters tall, covering hundreds of thousands of square meters. Its entire form shone white, flawless, without any trace of human craftsmanship.
White clouds and mist swirled around the structure, glowing beneath golden sunlight.
Compared to this sacred hall, even Mariejois, the Holy Land that the Celestial Dragons so proudly boasted of, seemed pitiful.
"Compared to the wasteland below, this place is much more beautiful," Nami admitted with a sigh, hands on her hips.
Just gazing upon it washed away her fatigue, leaving her relaxed and refreshed.
"I heard you call it Valhalla just now?"
Robin asked curiously, her scholarly instincts stirred.
Despite her knowledge, she had never encountered such a place. Its design was simple yet divine, as if shaped by the hand of a god rather than human labor. Even from here, she could faintly sense it had a special function.
"The Hall of Valor is naturally the residence of heroes."
Caelan hadn't expected his Reality Marble to manifest something like this.
Its prototype was the Throne of Heroes from the Type-Moon world, a place that transcended countless timelines to gather heroic spirits.
Of course, the Hall of Heroes within his Reality Marble was far inferior. At best, it was the prototype of a prototype.
Originally, he had intended to slowly work toward constructing such a thing. He had not expected the Reality Marble to provide even this foundation, saving him countless difficulties.
"The so-called Heroic Spirit is the soul of one who achieved great deeds in life. After my transformation, they can rely on my immortality to live forever."
"In short, I can resurrect the dead. Even if they fall again, they will be reborn here in Valhalla."
Caelan explained as simply as he could.
In truth, Heroic Spirits were posthumous existences, formed from legends combined with the wills of Gaia and Alaya.
Naturally, he lacked that level of power.
He could not create true Heroic Spirits. At most, he could forge Servants, projections with the same properties, degraded yet similar to Heroic Spirits.
The Hall of Heroes existed to record their information. When one of his Servants was destroyed, he could revive them using this stored data.
"Resurrection after death, eternal existence!"
Vivi's eyes widened as she stared at him in shock.
She even wanted to touch his head to see if he had gone mad.
To bring someone back from death was already miraculous. But to revive them endlessly, granting them eternal existence?
Such power belonged only to gods.
Seeing the women's doubtful expressions, Caelan said seriously, "I'm not joking. I now have the physique of a Heroic Spirit, and I've gained the ability to turn others into Heroic Spirits as well."
"…So you're not actually human?"
Nami studied him carefully.
They had been together for so long, and yet suddenly she realized the man beside her might not even be human.
It felt unsettling.
"If you called me a god, I'd probably be happier."
Caelan rolled his eyes.
That wasn't the point at all. The real point was that he now possessed the immortal body of a Heroic Spirit, and could mass-produce others like him.
"In other words, not only have you gained immortality, but you can also grant it to others?"
Gion cut straight to the heart of the matter, though disbelief filled her voice.
Eternal life was something countless powerful figures sought for their entire lives, only to fail.
Yet here was Caelan, speaking of it as though it were nothing.
(To be continued.)
***
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