Chapter 214: Equivalent Exchange

The battle continued in unbridled ferocity.

The metallic clash of steel against claws, the thunderous impacts of bodies colliding, and the occasional flashes of light produced by the activation of Impulses and Essence Runes filled the forest.

And at this point, those sounds had become the only cacophony that existed within the crimson wilderness as the battle had finally reached its highest crescendo.

Every combatant fought with an intensity that left no room for complacency, because at this stage, even the slightest mistake could mean the difference between a wound and a fatality.

The spectral warriors summoned through Caelestra’s Coin Legion were already diminishing steadily.

At first glance, it might have seemed that the spectres possessed the numerical advantage. However, numbers alone did not determine the outcome of a battle.

The Coin Legion simply lacked the necessary attributes to contend with an entire pack of savage Animas.

Although the Duke Tier of the Coins granted the spectral warriors considerable durability and endurance, it did nothing to eliminate their greatest deficiency; they were incorporeal.

Because of this particular disadvantage, many of their attacks simply passed through the wolves without inflicting any meaningful damage. Some spectres had to strike the same target several times before they could finally produce a tangible effect.

Worse still, the spectral warriors were surprisingly easy to destroy and most times, one solid blow was often enough.

A wolf would swipe its claws through the body of a spectre, and... Poof. The warrior would immediately dissipate into wisps of silver smoke, disappearing as though it had never existed.

Furthermore, once the wolves activated their Impulses, the disparity became even more pronounced as a single sweep of a silver-coated claw could destroy several spectral warriors simultaneously, further reducing their numbers in large rates.

And although the wolves had been having trouble trying to find a way to deal with the spectres, the moment they realized this strategy, they began to enforce it greatly.

As a matter of fact, because of this discrepancy in strength and combat effectiveness, the Coin Legion was gradually reduced to little more than a reliable source of cannon fodder.

But that didn’t mean the legion was useless. Far from it. This is because their greatest value was not their ability to kill the wolves; rather, it was their ability to occupy them.

Every second a spectre kept a wolf distracted was another second the actual members of the cohort could use to attack. And because of that, the group had no choice but to give everything they had...

Caelestra, however, could perhaps be considered the only member of the group who had enjoyed a relatively easy time since the beginning of the battle.

She remained behind the others, calmly directing her legion while the spectral warriors fought on her behalf.

And despite the ease with which the spectres were being destroyed, their losses didn’t seem particularly burdensome to her.

If anything, whenever one disappeared in a flash of silver radiance, two more immediately took its place...

The sight was almost ridiculous because it was almost as though Caelestra possessed an inexhaustible army.

Surprisingly, their recent expedition into the cave had turned out to be more than merely a blessing for her; it was also a windfall.

The enormous number of Essence Crystals they had acquired meant that the failed Merchant no longer needed to worry about exhausting her supply of Coins.

As long as she had enough Essence Crystals, she could continue producing them and since she had plenty, then the production of warriors on her end was no problem.

However, there was a moment during the battle when Caelestra was forced to activate another of her Essence Runes, "Equivalent Exchange."

The Rune had become necessary when she noticed several wolves beginning to maneuver around the outer edge of her legion’s formation and were attempting to bypass the spectral warriors and reach her directly.

Caelestra could command the Coin Legion, but the spectres weren’t so nimble that they could instantly reposition themselves whenever she was threatened.

Therefore, when one of the wolves suddenly broke through the formation and lunged toward her, Caelestra had no choice but to defend herself.

Her ornate Treasure Chest appeared in her hands. Then, with a calm expression, she swung it downward.

BOOM!

The massive Soul Essence collided with the wolf’s body with tremendous force, the impact sending the beast crashing into the ground...

Also, the sheer momentum behind Caelestra’s swings was frightening.

Whenever her Treasure Chest connected with a wolf, something was almost guaranteed to break; a rib, a skull, a paw... Or perhaps even several bones at once.

However, surprisingly, Caelestra hadn’t activated Equivalent Exchange to sacrifice her Coins in exchange for increased physical strength.

In other words, the brutal force behind her swings wasn’t the result of a temporary enhancement; it was simply the strength she already possessed after becoming an Etheryean.

And since she already possessed such tremendous physical power, why would she need to increase it further?

Instead, Caelestra had chosen to experiment with something else entirely.

She had been curious about the true extent of what Equivalent Exchange could accomplish.

After all, if Coin Legion allowed her Coins to transform into spectral warriors, then perhaps Equivalent Exchange could be used to enhance those warriors.

She had initially imagined strengthening their bodies, increasing their durability, or perhaps even improving their offensive capabilities and enhancing their resilient.

It was a reasonable assumption but unfortunately, it didn’t work.

There appeared to be some kind of restriction or limitation governing what she could exchange through the Rune.

Caelestra couldn’t simply sacrifice Coins to grant her spectral warriors whatever advantages she desired.

It looked like the Rune seemed to recognize the distinction between enhancing herself and fundamentally altering the properties of something she had already created.

Yet that failure didn’t discourage her; instead, it gave birth to another idea and this one was considerably more ambitious.

If she couldn’t enhance the Coin Legion beyond its inherent limitations, then why not change the Coins themselves?

Why couldn’t she use Equivalent Exchange to reconfigure her Coins into weapons?

The idea was both brilliant and terrifying.

If Caelestra could freely transform her Coins into whatever weapon or instrument she desired, then her combat versatility would become almost absurd.

She wouldn’t merely be a Merchant anymore; she would become a polymathic combatant, capable of adapting her Soul Essence to almost any situation.

Think about it.

If she could transform her Coins into a Halberd, then, theoretically, she could reproduce something resembling Regaleon’s fighting style.

If she could transform them into twin Daggers, then she could potentially emulate Aureleah’s lethal close-quarters combat.

A bow? She could fight from range.

A shield? She could assume a defensive role.

A spear? Then she could fight from a distance while maintaining respectable offensive power.

In theory, the possibilities were almost limitless. Her versatility could become so absurd that the only thing capable of stopping her might eventually be herself.

Unfortunately, reality proved less accommodating and no matter how much Caelestra experimented, she couldn’t make it work.

That same restriction—or perhaps something far more profound than a simple restriction—prevented her from freely reconfiguring her Coins into whatever she desired.

And honestly, that disappointed the failed Merchant more than she would ever admit.

She had genuinely believed she had discovered a loophole but it seemed that the laws governing Soul Essences were far more rigid than she had initially assumed.

Perhaps nature itself possessed a way of maintaining balance through mysterious designs.

Because, really, what purpose would the Awakening Ceremony serve if every person could simply manifest whatever Soul Essence they wanted?

What would be the point of different professions?

And what purpose would there be in becoming an Awakener if someone could simply choose to possess every ability imaginable?

There had to be limitations and boundaries. And perhaps that was why the laws of Aetherium were so meticulously structured.

Every living being possessed strengths and weaknesses, every profession had its advantages and deficiencies and every Soul Essence had its limitations.

No one was allowed to possess everything.

Nature, in its inscrutable wisdom, seemed determined to ensure that every creature occupied its own place within the grand hierarchy of existence.

There were warriors, there were assassins, there were Gnosts, there were Alchemists and there were Merchants amongst many other professions.

Each possessed something the others lacked and perhaps that was the true meaning behind balance. No one was permitted to become an all-rounder and one was allowed to possess every answer.

Even Caelestra, despite the extraordinary potential of her Soul Essence, had boundaries she could not cross.

It was a disappointing realization but it wasn’t enough to make her stop experimenting.

There would always be another possibility and another way to exploit the abilities she possessed.

Unfortunately, the middle of a battle against a pack of savage Animas was hardly the appropriate place for such experimentation.

Therefore, Caelestra shelved the thought for later and focused entirely on the battlefield.

For now, she had only one responsibility, to maintain the integrity of her Coin Legion.

As long as the silver warriors continued to stand between her and the wolves, Caelestra could continue supporting the rest of the cohort.

And as long as she had Essence Crystals left to spare, her army would continue to rise...