Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Heart's Image
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Thud.
“Haa….”
His shoulder, sliced by Blady, burned with pain.
Even though the light dragon’s power was healing it quickly, the agony was unavoidable.
His vision blurred.
Blady’s grip strength had crushed his hands completely, and every joint throbbed.
Suddenly, chills wracked him, and his limbs trembled. An overwhelming fatigue crashed over him.
It seemed to be from pushing his mental strength and body to the absolute limit while fighting Blady.
The underground stairs leading to the next layer.
Kallias, slumped midway down, let out a frail breath.
“It’s so damn pathetic, hurting alone like this.”
Heh.
Even he found it ridiculous; all he could do was laugh.
Maybe because his body felt off, he was drowsy and languid for no reason. He felt like he needed to sleep, even if just a nap.
His body was heavy like a waterlogged cotton ball, and his eyelids sank like stones were weighing them down.
However.
Kallias snapped to attention.
Because his eyes caught sight of a skull.
It wasn’t a living, moving skull.
Just…
The skull of someone who had met their end here.
Like Kallias, it belonged to someone who had sat on these massive stairs to rest and died right there.
His foggy mind cleared in an instant.
He quickly pulled a potion from his pocket and drank it.
The TD Potion Beatrice had made.
It made him feel much better.
Kallias jumped to his feet and approached the skull.
It looked quite old.
How long had it been?
A hundred years? Five hundred? Or a thousand?
No way to know.
The clothes and armor it wore were on the verge of crumbling to dust, and the sword in its hand was the same.
From the traces, it seemed like it had fought Blady, and its sword and armor had nearly shattered.
Or so it appeared.
“It must’ve been different from me.”
Unlike him.
It had fought fair and square.
And won.
Kallias reached into the skull’s ribcage.
And pulled something out.
“A holy stone… So it was a saint.”
Three yawns escaped him.
It was as good as proof of the owner’s power in life.
“…”
A flood of thoughts crossed his mind.
If this world were just a game.
Then this skull would be mere scenery.
But this wasn’t a game.
This skull, too, had lived a life with beliefs before death.
Gazing at the nameless skull, Kallias turned back to the stairs.
Along the way, he checked the alert window.
[Death Knight. You have defeated Blady. Rewards will be given.]
[The hero Blady, who shone in the Dragon-Horse Great War. Titeo’s friend and family, he became a Death Knight yet retained his formidable strength.]
[An impossible victory.]
[A higher reward will be given.]
[As reward, the balance of body, energy, and heart is achieved.]
[…]
[The trace of heart is weak. Reward is adjusted.]
[Mental image is constructed.]
[Heart is further strengthened.]
Mental image.
It refers to the state of the mind, but for knights, it means phenomena shaped by the mind.
Another interpretation is faith.
Faith in oneself.
Faith in the sword.
When qi is infused into a sword, it gains greater hardness and cutting power.
But qi is qi.
An intangible energy without form.
Infusing it into a sword gives it no shape.
But with heart, it creates form.
It perfects the original form, making it whole.
The power of faith.
It makes the impossible possible through belief alone.
Like a god’s miracle.
The mental power that performs it.
We call it heart.
For those who construct domains, it’s mental image, and those who achieve it all…
“Master.”
Or transcendent.
“I didn’t even realize I’d gained heart in my delirium.”
Body-energy-heart.
When they reach a certain limit, unify as one, and shatter the wall, the realm reached is Master.
Kallias’s body and energy had hit a wall, halting growth. But his heart had been impossible to grasp.
Without forming heart, Master was unattainable.
The easiest and hardest thing is heart.
Because it’s faith.
Who has unshakable faith in themselves?
The foolish doubt others.
The wise doubt themselves.
“I’m wise.”
Forming faith into certainty doesn’t come easily.
Kallias hadn’t obtained heart either.
After becoming Kallias, the first thing he had to do was doubt himself and restrain his actions.
Becoming a wastrel to suppress his behavior, control and bury his emotions—it was only natural.
Moreover, he was weak.
Weaker than anyone, yet more brutal and vile-hearted than any.
Thus, no awakening of heart.
He couldn’t even start.
Forced to see Kallias and himself as separate, unity of body-energy-heart was impossible, let alone faith.
This wasn’t a matter of talent but Kallias’s uniqueness.
‘So I had no choice but to stake my life.’
Countless people never obtain heart despite lifelong effort.
No matter how strong their swordsmanship or sword, without heart, they never reach Master.
That’s why most powerhouses in Carpe fall short of Master by a step.
Everyone has their reasons.
Heart is simple yet hard to master.
Thus, Kallias thought.
The tower’s upper layers aid body-energy-heart. Lower for body and energy, upper for heart and balance.
He had designed it all.
So he wasn’t satisfied.
“The upper layers are too slow.”
Too many restrictions.
Better than solo training, but even with them, three years wouldn’t suffice.
“My talent isn’t enough.”
He might never obtain it.
Many head to Agatodo, but few reach the upper layers.
Unlike others, Kallias was unique and lacked confidence.
That’s why he hadn’t obtained heart until now, but he had no choice.
So he descended underground.
Knowing he could die.
Staking his life for speed.
For efficiency in growth.
Of course, not baseless confidence.
Everything in this world could be conquered, after all.
“I made it that way.”
Not everything, but most. Especially the 6th underground layer guarded by [Weeping Fallen] Titeo.
It was in the palm of his hand.
Silver holy power gathered in Kallias’s palm.
It formed a flower.
An other shore flower.
Shaping qi had been familiar since learning Silver Flower Sword Wave.
But it wasn’t perfect.
The other shore flower he made had form, but it was so fragile it seemed it would scatter in the wind.
Like smoke rising over the flower, the holy power was deeply flawed.
Thus, its power was weak.
Though witnessing Stella’s true Flower Breaking Path had let him infuse a bit of heart. Experiencing that fateful power firsthand, he knew it better than anyone.
But only for Flower Breaking Path.
Not other techniques.
Now, though, it worked.
“The system’s correction.”
It described needing so-called enlightenment to gain heart.
No major shift in mindset, yet now he could infuse heart into not just Flower Breaking Path but all techniques.
Into every technique.
Compared to a Master’s, the power was minuscule, but this was newly awakened heart. Its growth potential was immense.
He needed to delve deeper into heart, embody it, but he had no time or insight now.
“Only the 2nd layer so far.”
Underground had 6 layers total.
Still far to go.
But positively, plenty of growth opportunities.
Kallias, now at the 3rd layer, gazed at the engraving more vividly marked with demons than dragons, then flung it open.
Ruuuuumble!
Ssssss.
Flash!
Pure white light swallowed Kallias.
* * *
Rustle.
One year after Blady’s death.
Despite losing one hand, Titeo bound his arm with a shield.
And fought.
Fought and fought again.
He had to, he told himself.
For Blady’s sake, he had to fight.
A year passed, then two. Death loomed with every battle.
Titeo wished for death instead.
He wanted to die honorably in battle.
Even if his body crumbled, it would repay those who died in his place.
Once the war ended, enduring would be harder.
He would perish honorably.
Like his comrades who fell first.
Join his heroes.
Perhaps that’s why.
His passive battles turned aggressive, seeking death.
He always defied it.
Yet that made him stronger. Fighting through life and death multiple times a day.
The more battles, the tougher Titeo grew.
On the verge of transcendence.
His name spread across the battlefield; even dragons and demons took note.
[That was enough.]
But fate denied his death. He dodged it every time.
In the direction he didn’t want.
“Titeo, you bastard! Get out of the way!!”
Boom!! Slash!
Caught in a dragon and demon ambush.
Many comrades died that day.
At some point, those who followed his death-defying back appeared. The price for ignoring them came due.
“Larivie!”
“Titeo! Live! Live and make this war humanity’s!!”
Exploding comrade’s flesh.
His body flung into the sand.
Scattering red sand.
Blood spraying into the air.
“Biota!”
“Titeo! Danger!”
His comrades’ shouts rang muffled.
Comrades pulling him up and dragging him.
Titeo shed tears.
Those he’d ignored followed his back and died for him.
He wept bitterly.
Wept and wept.
His vow never to cry again dissolved in tears.
Spurt!
“Demons! Protect Titeo!!”
Fallen ones burst from the sand again, pursuing.
Their weapons cleaved comrades.
Slash!
Dripping blood soaked Titeo’s body hotly.
“Aaah….”
Again.
Again, leaving him alone to die.
Tears welled in Titeo’s eyes.
Overflowing tears ran down his cheeks.
“Kill me….”
He didn’t want to live longer.
Didn’t want more pain.
He wished for death.
But it didn’t come.
[Do you desire death?]
“Yes, kill me now!!”
The demon stared with eerie eyes, then sneered.
[Weeping Titeo. Why did you stand on this battlefield?]
“To… end the war.”
[Yet you seek death? Is that your conviction?]
“…”
[Death is mere escape. Live. Live and save your comrades.]
“Are you mocking me….”
Coming from the one who just killed his comrades, it was absurd.
A fallen being indeed.
Mocking him.
“Trying to corrupt me?”
[Corrupt?]
The demon seemed puzzled, then burst into laughter.
In the chaotic battlefield center, it twisted and cackled madly.
As Titeo’s uncomprehending face twisted…
[What a funny guy. Why think I’d corrupt you?]
“I know demons are such beings!”
He’d seen many comrades corrupted by them.
[We are, by nature. But not to just anyone.]
Titeo’s face flushed.
Meaning he wasn’t worth it. Naturally.
His sword hand trembled.
[Seems like a misunderstanding. Not because you’re lacking.]
“What do you mean?”
[Exactly as I said.]
Exactly as said?
To aid understanding, the demon spoke softly again.
[There’s no way to corrupt one already fallen.]
Titeo didn’t know the base malice behind those words.