Chapter 210: World Realization (4)

Chapter 210: World Realization (4)

A cascade of errors propagates through Lan Xiaohuis internal systems, as the remains of the platform beneath her feet further cave in and crack.

Xie Zhiqiangs sword continues to grind her toward the platform, exerting immense force and pressure but is unable to cut through the mote of sword energy that hovers before my owners palm. This mote of sword energy is created from the most fundamental laws and principles of [Fractured Sword] a necessary component of her defense even though she had no intention of exposing it to anyone in the sect.

However, with each pulse of my owners gold core, the mote weakens, trembles, sheds off particles of sword energy, and unravels. The fiendish energy coursing through Lan Xiaohuis internal system is not suppressing her directly, but for some reason, the force that couples her gold core to her consciousness is waning.

It is as if her spirit is withering away.

I have never before recorded or observed a strange technique like this; the payload of this method is in part a force that can deal external and internal damage, but even though Lan Xiaohui blocked the strike, I infer another part: a hostile energy that carves into her soul and the essence of her being.

Where before her heart was empty and free of distractions, now there is a great turmoil, similar to the one she possessed during the Princess Incident; a great and inexorable sorrow pours in from the cracks in her heart, dying the empty contents in an ultraviolet color.

Meanwhile, Elder Huang suddenly changes directions, flitting across the platform to intercept Sun Yongzheng, and reaches out, grabbing the True Disciples wrist and pulling him back.

Dont! Its too late, Elder Huang says, eyes still firmly locked onto my owner and her opponent.

But what about Sister Xuelian? Sun Yongzheng protests, clearly trying to free himself from the Elders influence, but unable to move even a single hairs width.

Elder Huang shakes his head. Xie Zhiqiang is using the Devil Soul Transformation, he says. Such a shame; someone so young has come this far in such a short amount of time. Had we known about this sooner

A tone of annoyance, perhaps even frustration, enters Sun Yongzhengs tone. So what? What does that mean? We can still do something!

No! Elder Huang exclaims and then lowers his voice. Xie Zhiqiang gave his soul to the devils in his heart; he is no longer himself, Elder Huang explains. Now his aura, his energy, and his techniques can incite the devils in others. If we approach carelessly, we will regret it. Zhu Xuelian is already

Lan Xiaohuis fingers clamp on the offending blade attempting to sever her from life, and her eyes narrow to even thinner points as I sense a rise in cold killing intent within her heart that blankets out the fiendish energy and suppresses it.

Elder Huang stares wide-eyed at Lan Xiaohui. What willpower he whispers. Does she not have flaws or devils in her heart?

Xie Zhiqiang, Lan Xiaohui hisses. You are the lowest of the low.

The blade presses into Lan Xiaohuis palm and a trickle of blood glides down her wrists, as, at the same time, the metal howls and screeches in protest under Lan Xiaohuis fingers which are crushing and bending it.

You you! Xie Zhiqiang repeats the words, his eyes having turned entirely black. How? This is impossible!

I sense an even deeper animosity rise in Lan Xiaohuis heart toward this person that gave in to the devils within his heart. Attacking me from behind is one thing but to force me to relive that scene from the Pagoda Yaoyue leaving me

The figure that emerges, on the other side, from the crumbling tiles barely looks like Xie Zhiqiang anymore; his black eyes have turned even darker, and his veins have also turned entirely black, and the places on his face where this is most visible is peeling away like dried paint.

He raises his sword into the air, as it projects a beam of dark purple and red energy and then swings it toward Lan Xiaohui.

Life-Severing Sword: Heartless Devil Soul Eradication!

The energy I sense from that sword is beyond my comprehension; I had never felt anything even remotely like it. Even if I could warn Lan Xiaohui, I neither have the time nor an explanation to provide.

Lan Xiaohui swings my vessel into the path of the beam of energy, and on impact, the blade of energy shatters and scatters away at least a part of it. The other part, which remains unaffected, cuts through my vessel and Lan Xiaohui, leaving no physical wounds in its wake.

The snake within my Inner World trembles and writhes in agony; the tree withers and changes colors to a darker, sicklier brown. A majority of my sea of consciousness is blasted away by an impact I can neither detect nor measure.

A sub-process morbidly, and unprompted, calculates the probability of my survival were I to use this method to excise the two parasites from my Inner World to be exactly zero.

Lan Xiaohui fares better than I do, but even so, her much weaker consciousness is nearly completely extinguished.

Soul Eradication those two words clue me into the nature of these symptoms.

Without opening my [World Eater], I summon what little reserve of consciousness and soul force I have remaining to infiltrate Lan Xiaohuis internal systems, and I coalesce those slivers into a sword made of gold energy, then launch it into Lan Xiaohuis sea of consciousness.

I had never operated a sword created in parts from soul force, at least not on purpose the swords that suppress the snake in my Inner World should be comprised of the same energy I am using now and though it is my first attempt, it proves to be barely adequate.

Lan Xiaohuis eyes clear up, as she stumbles half a step.

Kill him, I tell Lan Xiaohui and she immediately reacts by launching forward and raising my vessel high above her head.

My vessel leaves a trail of black ink in its wake, energies scattered and unfocused more than usual, but it is more than enough. Lan Xiaohuis attack, even at the limit of her consciousness, is brutally effective after all, she has been in scenarios like these within my Inner World countless times. It is almost second nature to her to operate on the door of unconsciousness.

Xie Zhiqiang who is still recoiling from Lan Xiaohuis parry has no hopes of stopping Lan Xiaohuis strike a second time, even though he once more raises his left arm defensively, but this time, it is only a bloody stump.

Cold, divine-grade steel carves through his body, from shoulder to hip, and the trailing sword energy becomes sword force, crushing the remains to nothing leaving not even a scrap of cloth behind, just as my owner had promised him.

Just after the slash, my owner stumbles again, and falls to her knees, using my vessel for support, but her quickly fading consciousness is beyond even my ability to maintain. Not that my state is any better.

Unable to maintain Lan Xiaohuis consciousness any longer, or my own, the sword in her internal system disperses and she falls over to her side, and her eyes lose focus. Not even a few moments later, I follow my owner, my sentient core pleased with my loyalty, as her fate becomes my own.