Chapter 180 180. ONLY THROUGH DEATH

Intense anger filled Noah's mind even though he had turned off the berserk skill.

His eyes swept its cold gaze across the icy cave, not hiding his anger in the slightest.

However, due to his experience in that world so far; he didn't allow that boiling rage overcome his rational thinking.

Nevertheless, ice spikes still exited the frozen walls and grounds to stab into the bodies of the seven. Of course he stabbed the non-fatal places. He still needed answers after all.

Another bottle appeared in his hand, and he didn't hesitate to chew on it again.

That sight sent shivers down his terrified audience, but he didn't care.

A minute of silence passed as Noah reviewed the memories that rushed into his mind.

'Am I Noah or Aiden?' He pondered in genuine confusion. His eyes also remained blank while those thoughts filled his mind.

His life as Aiden playef inside his head, but he understood that many details were missing in that life. Soon, his life as Noah played inside his mind. It started all the way from his time on Earth till the moment he accepted the systems help.

He tried to recall where he was during the period three days, but only blankness filled his mind.

[[You are Noah. My host]]

The system affirmed, and he took it as the truth.

"Why are my memories mixed with Aiden's," Noah spoke outloud; weirding out his audience, as they struggled to get an answer for his question.

[[It would always have been that way. But I can erase them if you desire that]]

[Do you wish to edit out simulated memories]

[Yes/No]

Noah gazed at that panel in hesitation. Truth be told, he loved Aiden's life, even though he knew it was artificial.

Nonetheless, he found that memories of things he never knew existed amonst the miscellaneous ones, and he considered them valuable knowledge.

He wondered how the system recreated whole landscapes, and seemingly right information of that world, without him actually knowing them.

He valued those memories since they contained useful knowledge.

"Can I keep them?" Noah eventually enquired of the system.

[[You can; but do note that you may experience short bursts of confusion or distractions. I created a whole set of habits, idealogies, experiences, and a personality far different from yours. Keeping it may prove troublesome in the long run]]

An internal sigh resounded in Noah's head at those words, then he voiced words again, still weirding his now captives, out.

"Is it possible to keep the information filled memories?."

[[No and Yes. No because that is against what you currently have access to. Yes because I can go ahead and do it since it's nothing too important, but there will be a consequence]]

"What type of consequence?," Noah asked feeling his anger reduce a bit.

[[You'll have to lose a portion of your soul island. Which would make you weaker]]

[[This is simply because you still do not have access to that function. So in order to utilize it, you'll have to give something in return. Basically a sacrifice]]

"Hmmm....That's a bit," Noah furrowed his brows, "How long do you think it'll take to regain that portion of my strength?," Noah enquired, stabbing his captives when they tried to free themselves of their impalement.

[[According to my calculations, with a steady training session; it'll take you a week at best]]

A frown appeared on Noah's eyebrows at that point startling his Injured audience.

"A whole week," he muttered, "That's a lot of power gone," he shook his head.

"We'll do that later. For now I need to focus on them," he announced, shooting a cold glare at the seven experts, and his body busrt out with even more coldness at that point.

'This is really inconvenient,' Noah thought at the effect a spike in his emotions made.

'I may as well stop hiding my trio-affinity status if this is what I constantly have to deal with,' he mused standing up.

The eyes of the seven followed his movement, and their minds couldn't help shudder at his naked figure.

Although he barely gave himself credit for it, Noah had an amazing body. One that looked regally sculpted by a god obsessed with perfection.

His skin looked firm and spotless even from the few meters distance, and it seemed to glisten in the cold mist around them. Even his little brother seemed to shine in there.

Noah took a step forward and that simple action brought them out of their daze, danger quickly spreading in their experienced minds.

They felt his anger from their various positions, and silent prayers to suddenly disappear, thereby escaping the breath-taking monster, filled their minds. But reality wasn't so nice.

A series of difficult expressions appeared in thier minds with each step Noah took. They all still had their powers available to them. And could try to escape, though the chances of success looked low.

Nevertheless, they had to try anyway, their lives were at stake. It felt naturally to take such risks, so the planning began.

If each of them launched a spell towards his figure, a few of them would have the chance to escape, but the others would most likely get killed. And no one wanted to be the one to sacrifice their life.

The fire mage had an idea which he didn't hesitate to pass on to his teammates using his mind.

Fortunately, they could communicate without Noah listening. One of the perks of mental-waves.

One could create a space where their communication using their consciousness was safe. Only existences with largely stronger minds being able to bypass such protections.

"Are you sure?," The axe owner questioned to the fire mage. His voice that of worry.

"I'm ready to sacrifice her if needed. As long as we get the chance to escape," the fire mage replied, his mental voice somber.

No one objected any further at that point. They didn't want to die after all.

Noah's barefooted steps echoed in the cave, each step sounding wet.

He seemed to take his sweet time crossing that distance, or maybe he wanted them to come up with some sort of escape plan.

The light of inscriptions flickered on the caves entrance, and a large figure burst into the cave at break-neck speed.

The seven cultivators gritted their teeths in that Instant, breaking the ice spikes in their bodies to stand up, and make a break for the exit.

A few magical circles also tried to expand, to launch spells at Noah's figure, but not on his watch.

The world slowed down in front of Noah almost instantly. A cold grin immediately broke on his face, at their already failed attempt to escape.

He had found the perfect reason to not keep them alive, and that was none-other than to allow them see him use his speed.

Yellow sparks of pure electrical energy crackled around his figure, as he utilized the empowerments of the speed forces's energy mostly on his mind. Allowing for that unique view of the world.

He took another step forward and appeared in front of the oversized grasshopper.

He recalled Aiden's fight with that creature, and felt he needed to show his superiority.

He placed his palm on its head activating another skill he hadn't utilized in a while.

[Frozen Touch[Active]: When activated your hands gain the unique attribute "Frost", and are capable of freezing anything they touch as long as it doesn't have cold resistance higher than the user's.

Cost: 20SE, Duration: 1 minute, Cooldown: 15 seconds]

Noah watched ice begin to spread slowly on the creatures body, as it froze it down to its very insides.

He moved forward at that point, calmly walking towards the exit. Creating a series of densely packed walls with his control over ice, Noah couldn't help but admire that affinity even more.

With that done, he walked towards his former position; allowing his perception of things return to normal.

In the blink of an eye a ice sculpture appeared in the cave, the exit of the cave sealed shut with a whitish-blue material.

And a yellow streak moved around the cave.

The first person to reach the exit slammed the ice wall face-first and bounced back. Her nose and part of her lips being crushed as a result of the impact.

The blue-haired lady had only been mere inches from the exit, such an effect on her face was absolutely expected.

The others managed to stop in their tracks, but confusion and terror remained evident on their faces.

What just happened? They thought in utter shock. And their necks slowly turned to glance at the only Individual who seemed capable of doing such.

The cold smile on Noah's face confirmed it all, and their moods soon turned foul; a grim expression appearing on their faces.

They had seen smiles like that, heck even made ones like that. Which was why they understood that the only way out of that cave was through death.