Chapter 123 Chapter 123: About Her... Isn't It a Bit Too Much?
Chapter 123: About Her... Isn't It a Bit Too Much?
He could only see a field of crimson, taste the metallic sweetness in his mouth, and feel his limbs go limp and weak.
—He should be dead.
This wasn't the first time he had experienced this feeling. He had already died thousands upon thousands of times, or perhaps... he had never truly died at all.
How utterly strange. Even though he had long since lost the will to live, his body always stubbornly restored itself. Probably because his body also knew that before that person's time of death arrived, he absolutely could not fall first.
Even if what lay before him was an endless hell, even if what lay behind him... was the same.
He had long since allowed the monster within him to be nourished into a colossal behemoth. Yet now, listening to the faint sounds of muscle fibers tearing and bones bridging and mending within his body, it suddenly gave him a fleeting illusion of clarity.
Accompanied by an itch in his eardrums, his vision suddenly brightened—he began to perceive his surroundings and the current scene once more.
That white-haired man with cold, handsome features and expression was simply staring as his wounds continuously healed. Clearly, within him lurked a monster even more terrifying than his own, and his power seemed as unfathomable as the abyss.
If he wanted to reach a similar level, he'd probably have to die thousands of times like at the very beginning... no, perhaps tens of thousands of times wouldn't be enough.
That would undoubtedly be a perilous journey. He might be completely devoured by the monster within during countless deaths, losing himself. Or he might successfully metamorphose, becoming an even stronger 'Blade' from then on.
But none of that mattered, because whichever version of him it was, he would kill that guy without any hesitation, and only then would he die.
He slaughtered his enemies to the last; with his own hands, he buried his beloved; he nearly caused the destruction of his homeland... No, he absolutely must not stop, at least not now!
As his thoughts surged, as that person suddenly came to mind—the self-healing speed of Blade's body abruptly accelerated. In almost an instant, he was restored to his original state, but the remnants of his rationality also began to be completely swallowed by the monster.
Precisely at this moment, just before the two could continue their fight, a gentle voice suddenly entered his mind, as if each word pressed down upon the monster in his heart.
"Listen, A-Ren, relax."
"Listen to me, don't think about anything."
The peculiar tone even instantly soothed the Mara-Struck state that was so uncontrollable and violently rampant on the Xianzhou. Blade's eyes, which had been blood-red just a second ago, regained their initial calm in the next moment. Only after giving Kevin a deep look did he turn his head and give Kafka a slight nod.
"I really wish you would kill me... but that guy isn't dead yet, so I can't either."
After casting one last glance at Kevin, Blade walked back behind Kafka as if nothing had happened, merely tossing out this sentence: "You are very strong."
The terrifying injuries from just moments ago not only had no effect on him, but even the symptoms of Mara-Struck vanished without a trace in an instant. If not for the bloodstains on his body and the clothes that were damaged beyond repair, one might even think everything that just happened was a complete illusion.
However, at this moment, compared to Blade's immortality, Kevin was actually more interested in Kafka's ability.
"Is this... 'Spirit Whisper'?"
Kevin had seen the name of this ability in intelligence reports before. Initially, he wondered what kind of ability it could be. But judging from its current manifestation... it was clearly identical to Aponia's ability.
It's just that one of their key phrases is 'Listen to me,' and the other is 'Please.'
Of course, two seemingly similar abilities don't necessarily have a close connection. Abilities like ice control existed among quite a few of the former MANTISes. It's just... haven't there been too many pieces of information related to Aponia lately?
Kevin instinctively felt this was just a coincidence. After all, an ability like 'Taboo' had always remained within him; it was only when facing Mara-Struck that he barely managed to develop some usage for it. The abilities of these so-called Stellaron Hunters were merely stirring echoes within him.
But... were these really all just coincidences? Could there be a possibility that other Flame-Chasers also existed in this universe in another form, like Pardo?
Or was it simply that he wanted such things to happen, which is why he thought this way...
"That's correct. But this is just a means to simplify certain troubles." Kafka suddenly interrupted Kevin's contemplation and looked at him seriously as she said: "I can sense it; your spirit is frighteningly resilient. It likely won't have much effect on you."
"If you weren't standing right here, appearing so young in every aspect, I might have thought you've lived for who knows how many thousands or tens of thousands of years?"
Pure mental strength is one thing, but that kind of resilience of will isn't something that can be easily explained by mere innate talent. Kafka deliberately spoke this way, attempting to glean some confirmable information from Kevin's expression.
Unfortunately, she gained nothing. Kevin truly was like a giant block of ice, not showing even a hint of extra expression.
"There's no need for such polite falsehoods." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest, and the expression on his face grew increasingly stern: "You could have controlled his Mara-Struck state long ago; you just deliberately wanted to test my abilities, right?"
Ever since the end of the Previous Era, Kevin's temper hadn't been exactly good, but it certainly wasn't that bad either.
He usually approached problems with extreme rationality. For example—if he could confirm someone's hostile identity, don't doubt whether Kevin would directly eradicate them completely.
He definitely would.
"Hmm... I have to admit that point. Sorry."
Kafka gave Kevin a slight bow and explained very seriously: "After all, Elio only told me a small part of that astonishing future. To prevent the Xianzhou from seeing too many things they shouldn't see with their 'Divination Matrix,' he didn't tell me any extra details."
"But you know what? That really is a very astonishing future."
Even as she spoke these words repeatedly, Kafka clearly had no intention of telling Kevin the truth. And Kevin himself had little interest in exploring this future that had been 'carefully selected' by others.
What he wanted to do, he would do himself. And what he didn't want to do, these people wouldn't be able to do anything about him either.
"Alright, alright... After all, it's rare to play a somewhat decent role; can't mess things up too badly."
"We won't trouble you all any further now. If there's anything... I'll contact you, Stelle..."
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!