Chapter 355: White End Point (6)
7.
After dealing with the aftermath related to the mad warrior, I was left with a chunk of free time on my hands.
I turned my gaze towards a corner of the world.
[You can declare stage clear at any time.]
Such a message was floating there.
As I waved my hand, the letters scattered like grains of sand. And standing in the middle of the ground (since the world moves with me, I could only ever stand in the center), I fell deep into thought.
Idiot What are you doing? Arent you going back to the lobby?
Me No. Suddenly, I thought that I, too, could fail around the 99th floor.
Idiot
Me I think Ive become quite strong. Maybe, with my current strength, I could even compete with my master before her enlightenment. You, more than master, are half a step or more powerful, Sword Emperor. But even someone like you died on the 99th floor.
I couldnt imagine what awaited on the 99th floor that led the Sword Emperor to his death. A point beyond my imagination. Anxiety sprouted like a poisonous mushroom from there.
I looked straight at Bae Hu-ryeong.
Me Whats on the 99th floor? Cant you still tell me?
Idiot
Me If you tell me, I can prepare. I can come up with measures, right?
Idiot Hmm. Well. Death
Bae Hu-ryeong scratched the back of his head.
Idiot You have a point, but thats all you have.
Me What does that mean?
Idiot I just dont want to tell you the truth about the 99th floor.
Me Are you really a child!?
Idiot Enough. Lets walk.
Me Walk? Youre a ghost, you cant even
And for the first time since I met Bae Hu-ryeong, I witnessed something. It was a sight that was astonishing in a way, yet utterly mundane in another.
Bae Hu-ryeong, who almost always floated gently in the air, walked, step by step, on the ground.
Idiot What are you doing not following?
Me No You, even without a body. How can
No matter how I looked, Bae Hu-ryeong seemed to be truly walking.
Me Did you get a body? As I climb the tower, you also gradually gain a body. Something like that?
Idiot Idiot. Youve reached such a level and still blind. Im just pretending to walk.
Me What?
Idiot Tsk, whats the use of talking. Just follow me.
Bae Hu-ryeong turned his back and walked forward. I followed him as if possessed by a ghost.
.,,.. ;^;^;, ...''...'.... ,,'.'.........,, ....''....... ...''... ,,..... ........... ...,,, ___________________________
Mountains continued and clouds flowed by. The world was silent, and so was Bae Hu-ryeong. I followed the silent man without a word.
Idiot That mad warrior said the difference between you and me is just half a step.
After walking for a while, Bae Hu-ryeong finally spoke.
Idiot Zombie. What do you think that half-step difference is?
Me I think its the Heart Sword.
Idiot Right. Its the Heart Sword. I can use the Heart Sword, and your master also grasped the Heart Sword right before she closed her eyes. So, how can one awaken the Heart Sword and wield it freely?
Me .
I instinctively sensed that this conversation was extremely, immensely important. Yes, Bae Hu-ryeong was trying to teach me something. Just like when I first awakened my aura.
Me The Heart Sword is the sword of the heart. Perhaps its about imbuing the sword with the heart?
Idiot Youve already reached the pinnacle of Infernal Heavens Demonic Art. You freely deciphered Infernal Heavens Demonic Art and even invented formations. In terms of imbuing the sword with the heart, theres hardly any meaningful difference between you and me.
Me Then is it a matter of the type of heart being imbued?
Idiot Idiot. Dig deeper.
Step. Step.
I chased after Bae Hu-ryeong and noticed something. It was far. It had become farther. Bae Hu-ryeongs back was a little more distant than before.
Me .
The stride hadnt changed. There was no difference in the way Bae Hu-ryeong walked. Nevertheless, the speed, for some reason, the pace at which the feet crossed the horizon, had changed.
I quickened my steps so as not to fall behind Bae Hu-ryeong.
Idiot Most warriors spend their whole lives without even getting a glimpse of the Heart Sword. Most? Its basically 99.99%. But you, youre damn lucky to have witnessed the Heart Sword twice, arent you? Then you should grab the clue to enlightenment from there.
Me Twice.
Idiot Yeah. Mine was merely an illusion, so lets set that aside for now. But what about your master? Didnt your master show you the Heart Sword for the last time before she left this world?
;^;^;,
_____________________________________________
The mountains flattened to meet the horizon, and the forests dwindled to lie flat on the ground. Only the sky managed to spare a few clouds. As Bae Hu-ryeong stepped forward and I ran, the world gradually whitened.
Suddenly, I wondered if this world also had an end.
Me The Heart Sword is not a panacea that can always be used. Only when you truly understand that world. Only when you feel that world more painfully than the world itself can you barely use it. But If thats the case.
I stopped.
Bae Hu-ryeong also stopped walking and turned to look at me.
Me How were you able to use the Heart Sword in my masters world?
That place was the end of this world where even the clouds had disappeared.
_____________________________________________
Only the horizon.
There were no mountains or vegetation.
Only the base of the world stretched infinitely. A single line of black and white all around. I amplified my senses with aura, trying to widen my field of vision as much as possible. As my aura strengthened, my vision expanded leaps and bounds. I saw a world ten times, thirty times, a hundred and twenty times wider than usual.
_____________________________________________
Yet, the world was only white.
It was beautiful.
A pale vast sea of tranquility and silence was there. A border where even breathing seemed not to be allowed, or rather, a world of rest where one did not want to permit it. Expressions, voices, tones everything releasing breath faded away.
I thought to myself. Someone would consider this place heaven. And indeed, this place deserved to be someones heaven.
There, Bae Hu-ryeongs eyes were turning to look at me.
Sword Emperor Watch closely.
Bae Hu-ryeong raised his arm.
Sword Emperor Ill show you for the third time.
His arm moved slowly.
Sword Emperor The next time you see this, it will be when you and I are fighting.
And then.
______________________ _______________________
Something silently split apart.
____________________ ___________________
I blinked. In the brief moment my eyelids covered and then revealed my eyes again, the silently parted crevice widened even more silently. It was as if the more the gap widened, the more it devoured and erased the worlds time.
________ _________
The white crevice expanded uncontrollably. It wasnt that the world was collapsing, nor was it being destroyed. It simply ceased to exist. It was deleted.
It was being sliced by a sword.
[The Faceless Conductor notices the anomaly in the stage.]
The master of the world that was being sliced spoke.
[The Faceless Conductor immediately requests your withdrawal.]
[The request for withdrawal is forwarded to The Wand Of Ages.]
[Approved.]
And finally, even the space in front of my eyes turned completely white.
[You are being forcibly transferred to the 70th floor.]
My vision became a jumbled mess.
Blackness diluted and whiteness intensified, with all sorts of colors swirling around. My consciousness began to feel nauseated. My senses, perfectly adapted to the 2D world, were forcibly dragged back to the original world.
Youre being absurd!!
For the first time in a long while, another persons voice struck my head. It was [The Wand Of Ages]. The voice split inside my head like thunder.
Do you have any idea what almost happened!? If you had cleared the stage, you should have quietly returned, and moreover, my goodness. A non-contender, an outsider, dares!
I struggled to open my eyes.
There was the face of the wizard, stained with perplexity and anger.
You, the unparalleled troublemaker of this world!!
.
Despite feeling nauseous, I managed to speak.
Because there are moments when, no matter how hard it is, one must speak.
Thats incorrect. Since there are two of us, rather than being a unparalleled troublemaker, it would be more accurate to say we are the only two troublemakers in existence.
Clang!
The wizard swung his staff, striking my head.
*****
Support link /sssdeathking
Discord Link for reporting mistakes https://discord.gg/woopread-708613326262894654