The destructive energy storm caused by the System crash not only tore his Soul apart but also violently threw this half of his Soul and the three beams of golden light into the unknown spatial turbulence.
When he regained consciousness, he was already in this bizarre, crisis-ridden forest.
Worse still, having lost the support of his original Physical Body and existing only as a Soul, he could clearly feel his existence was like a candle in the wind; his Soul was becoming thin and transparent, about to completely dissipate between heaven and earth.
Just as his consciousness was about to return to nothingness, one of the three beams of golden light that had been thrown here with him suddenly became incredibly gentle.
The light was no longer scorching or dazzling, but like a murmuring stream under the moonlight, warmly and peacefully enveloping his rapidly collapsing Soul Origin.
Immediately afterward, that beam of golden light slowly condensed and took shape before his eyes, eventually transforming into the flawless silhouette of a young girl's body.
Silver hair, purple eyes, delicate pointed ears—it was exactly the appearance she now possessed.
It was during this process that a faint yet incomparably clear thought, accompanied by gentle goodwill, was transmitted into his nearly extinguished consciousness:
"Please... use my body."
There was no questioning, no hesitation, only the purest, most selfless devotion.
It was at this moment that Caelus finally understood the true identity of this beam of golden light.
She was Castorice, a character from one of his previous life's games, the Demigod of Death.
She was also one of his 'waifus'.
Only Castorice, whose personality was so gentle and kind, would choose to unhesitatingly give up her body as a sanctuary, completely dedicating it when sensing that his half-Soul was on the verge of dying.
Caelus's fading consciousness was almost instinctively drawn and guided, integrating into this open vessel like a chick returning to its nest.
The Soul and the new Physical Body quickly merged, the crisis of dissipation was instantly resolved, and a grounded sense of existence returned.
However, he clearly sensed that the moment he took over the body, Castorice's consciousness, which was already weakened from resisting the impact of the System explosion, completely fell into slumber.
To allow him to survive, she gave everything, including herself.
At first, having one Soul control two bodies caused Caelus immense suffering.
The body located at home was stiff and mechanical; he could only stay motionless in the room. Fortunately, Grandpa Hui thought he was shutting himself in due to the trauma of his parents' death.
Meanwhile, the Castorice body located in the forest often stumbled and fell.
The pain caused by falling could be clearly felt by both his main body and the Castorice body.
Two types of sight, two types of hearing, two types of touch... it almost twisted his thoughts into a complete mess.
However, perhaps because his Soul was forcibly split in two, some kind of compensatory mechanism was activated.
Or perhaps, having survived an impact on the scale of the System explosion, the resilience of his Soul had already surpassed common sense.
After experiencing the initial confusion, sensory overload, and intense mental discomfort, Caelus was surprised to find that he seemed to be... rapidly adapting.
Just as the brain is naturally capable of processing slightly different images seen by both eyes and integrating them into clear stereoscopic vision, his split yet homologous core consciousness also began instinctively learning how to handle these two parallel, non-conflicting streams of sensory information.
He attempted to construct an invisible barrier within his consciousness.
Initially, this barrier was fragile and full of holes, and information from both sides still uncontrollably seeped through.
But gradually, as he concentrated his mind, the barrier stabilized.
He could autonomously choose to shield the senses of the other body, gradually adapting to controlling two different bodies—a perfect example of multitasking.
Having adapted to the shock of dual senses, another more private and embarrassing problem became apparent—discomfort with this sudden female body.
When she looked down, she saw a flat chest, slender arms, and the tender fingertips of a girl.
When she walked, she could feel the emptiness between her legs, a physiological structure completely different from her past.
When the forest breeze brushed against her neck and arms, the resulting skin sensation seemed to become more sensitive and... strange.
All the information reminded her that she was now a girl.
Caelus held her breath, pressing her small body tightly against the back of an ancient tree covered in moss and emitting a decaying smell; even her heartbeat nearly stopped.
She could clearly feel a violent and scorching aura moving slowly not far away. Every step caused the ground to tremble slightly, and the dead branches and fallen leaves to crack under the strain.
That was at least a Millennium Soul Beast; the specific species was unknown, but it was definitely not something the unarmed her could contend with right now.
"To the left, behind that tree. Go around."
A cold, indifferent, yet strangely majestic female voice sounded directly in the depths of her mind, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Without the slightest hesitation, Caelus moved as instructed, like the most agile cat, silently changing her route using the cover of twisted trees and dense, strange vegetation, gradually putting distance between herself and that terrifying aura.
Only when the suffocating sense of oppression completely vanished from her sensory range did she dare to take a slight breath, sliding down to sit against a cold boulder.
"Thanks, Ronova."
She silently thought this to herself.
The area of consciousness belonging to the other inhabitant in her mind merely sent back a barely perceptible ripple, counted as a response.
This was her greatest reliance for surviving so far on the edge of the perilous forest.
It was not the Death Authority of Castorice, the original owner of this body, which required contact to take effect and was somewhat useless against powerful Soul Beasts. Rather, it was the Demon God who controlled the Authority of Death, the Regent of Death, Ronova, who had descended with her Soul and now served as her Martial Soul.
Yes, corresponding to the Regent of Time, Istaroth, awakened by her main body Caelus, the Martial Soul that emerged when this half of her Soul integrated into Castorice's body and completed its Innate Martial Soul Awakening was precisely the Regent of Death, who symbolized ultimate tranquility and the end of all things.
Ronova was also one of the three beams of golden light, while the last beam, like the one on the main body's side, remained elusive.
Of the five Golden Legends, three were Castorice, Ronova, and Istaroth, while the remaining two were hidden within the bodies of Caelus and Castorice, respectively.
Ronova's form of existence was extremely unique.
She was neither fully asleep nor fully awake.
She herself seemed unable to directly interfere with reality or use powerful forces to defend Caelus against enemies, at least not yet.