Chapter 397: Our World (2)

Chapter 397: Our World (2)

[One of the Nine Keys has been forged.]

[The ninety-ninth floor has been cleared.]

[Entering the hundredth floor.]

The flower field split open, and something rose from deep within. It was a huge mirror, but it was too large to reflect just one person. It was gargantuan, enough to reflect an entire legion. Crystals sprouted out of the mirror’s frame, making the surface uneven.

The mirror was murky and eerily purple on both sides. Like a wall from the underworld, it stood between me and the Sword Emperor and had nine keyholes.

[Insert the first key.]

I walked up to the keyholes. Though mirrors were different from glass and couldn’t show what lay beyond, I somehow knew the Sword Emperor was doing the same on the other side.

I peered into the first keyhole.

[The first key was forged by those who breathe in the shadow you cast.]

[What kind of person are you? Are you strong? Are you lovable? Are you beautiful? Are you pitiful?]

I took out a key and inserted it into the first hole.

“I’m a person others can rely on,” I said.

“I’m a person you want to wait for,” the Sword Emperor’s voice came from the other side.

Clank

.

The purple color of the mirror grew more vivid, shining brighter than before as it displayed the next question.

[The second key was forged by those who decided to follow you.]

[What are your apostles to you? Tools? Lovers? Family?]

I inserted the second key.

“My apostles are my friends and equals.”

“My apostles are like my younger brothers,” the Sword Emperor said.

The mirror flickered once more.

[The third key was forged by the gods you faced.]

[What are gods to you?]

“People who let their guard down and make mistakes. They’re people who can grow.”

“The guys I would have ended up like if I hadn’t met my teacher.”

We inserted the fourth and fifth keys one after the other.

“To be honest, I regretted it a little. Well, more than a little. If only I had been there. If only I hadn’t climbed the tower and stayed until the Gray Spider could find a closure of her own, maybe I could have done more.”

The Sword Emperor said, “I see it differently. Like you once talked about the First Wave, the Gray Spider lived as she wished. The one who gave me my key on the ninety-fourth floor was the same in that sense. Those who don’t blame others stand on their own feet and don’t lean on anyone else.”

“I was glad the story about me spread far, but I was also scared. People were giving meanings to parts of my life that I didn’t even know existed. I’m not talking about harmful lies or misunderstandings. I thought that I was in perfect control of myself, but it was actually far from true.”

“Becoming a myth goes far beyond simply becoming someone else’s conversation topic. People don’t debate whether the man next door has hemorrhoids or athlete’s foot, but if that man is bald and people who talk about him like bald people, the story becomes complicated. People fight to defend those they love and respect as much as they push out those they hate. And being the cause of war is really awful.”

Clank, clank.

As we inserted the keys, the Sword Emperor and I chatted away, with the mirror separating us in the middle.

“I felt that I wasn’t alone. The Tower master has probably been with me since I entered the Tower.”

“Yup, she’s probably still watching us. Hey~ Old lady~ Are you watching us~? We’re coming your way soon~”

“... Gosh.

Hmmm

, anyhow, when I first met her and heard about her beliefs, I thought she could have saved me if she had been watching me, but I thought about it again and the other timelines Mutia showed me. When someone gains a chance, someone else gets deprived of having the same chance.”

“

Hmm.

”

“The other person won’t know that they missed an important opportunity, but the one who rewound time will sense it faintly. Even if they don’t feel it, the person who rewound time can’t help but doubt if it was truly for the best. Is this truly the best path for everyone from the perspective of eternity?”

“Zombie, can you hear the screams of the countless victims each time you rewind time? Those who lost everything in the butterfly effect of what you changed vowed vengeance and are walking toward you for your destruction.”

“To do everything is the same as to do nothing at all. The Tower master chose to bear responsibility for everything by doing nothing. On the other hand, I chose to bear all the consequences of what I changed. If anyone blames me for that, then that is a burden I should bear.”

“I understand why you’re saying that, but that sounds far too arrogant...” the Sword Emperor mumbled.

“Speaking of which, what about you, Sword Emperor? If you could regress, would you?”

“It’s not like regressing means you’ll never have regrets.”

Clank.

I shrugged. “You’re right. Regressing usually brings bigger regrets. I can somehow resolve those, but then other greater regrets quickly come my way. It’s an endless cycle.”

“It’s the same the other way around. Even if you live without regressing, do you think that won’t happen?”

Clank.

“You’re right.”

“Yeah. Whether you regress or not, the result is the same,” the Sword Emperor replied.

Clank.

“Still, to say it’s the same is a bit...”

The Sword Emperor said, “To a person who can’t run, a professional runner may seem special. A regressor would seem like a monster to those who can’t upstream time, but we’re all human in the end.”

“That reminds me of what the Chemist said, but isn’t what you said more arrogant? Are you aware that the Chemist is second to none when it comes to arrogance?”

“Gaining the ability to do something also means you can die because of that. People who can do things that others can’t suffer in ways that normal people never do. In that sense, the world is fair.”

Clank.

“Mr. Sword Emperor.”

“You probably still think that you could have saved your teacher. You may say that the First Wave went where she wanted to go, and you accept that wholeheartedly. Still, you have to convince yourself of that every morning when you wake up. Don’t try to deny it. I’ve watched you wake up many times.”

I sighed. “You’re right.”

By now, the mirror was almost clear, but no matter how clear a mirror was, it couldn’t show what lay beyond it. I was still unable to see the Sword Emperor, so I just gazed at my own reflection.

“Every morning when I wake up, I think about it,” I said.

“

Hmm.

”

“Every time I feel the cold wind, I think about my teacher. When I walk down the street with Bambolina and the Viper, eating the ice cream we bought, I think how nice it would be if Teacher were alive. Perhaps I can revive her right now.”

“I know.”

“In the end, I always decide not to, and I still think that’s the best way to honor my teacher. But when I wake up again, the thought returns. ‘The dead can’t wish for anything, so is leaving them dead the way to honor them? Isn’t that just for my own satisfaction?’”

“Yeah, I know you do,” the Sword Emperor replied.

“‘If I brought Teacher back to life, she wouldn’t forgive me, but I’m the only one who has to suffer when I actually do it. Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.’”

If she were alive, if she were still here, she may be able to find happiness again someday.

“Even while I held the nine realms in my heart and gave my Nine Bows at Teacher’s grave, I kept thinking about it. It’s hypocritical and pathetic. As long as I live, I’ll probably never be able to stop thinking about it.”

“It’ll only grow stronger with each passing day. As you mentioned earlier, you’ll now also think of the Gray Spider every morning when you wake up, right?”

“Yes, I probably will.”

The Sword Emperor sighed. I looked through the keyhole in the mirror. There was only one left.

With a thud, a blade thrust through the keyhole. I recognized the blade. It was the Sword Emperor’s weapon, too big to be called a mere sword.

The huge sword, resembling a sunfish, twisted to the side, and the thin mirror cracked and broke apart, as if sensing the mood had shattered. The falling purple glass fragments revealed the Sword Emperor, who aimed his sword at me and said, “Who else but a demon would harbor such a wicked heart demon within themselves?”

“You’re just cold, like the Righteous Path follower you are.”

“I’m nothing but a cool, big bro by nature. I’m so cool that seeing a guy moping gives me the urge to crush his head.”

I grinned. “Do you think you can do that?”

“It’s finally possible now.”

Despite the mirror falling, the ninth keyhole stayed in place, and so did the Sword Emperor’s sword.

The Sword Emperor beamed. “Let’s go for a round.”

I...

“Is that really needed?” I asked.

“I don’t need it, but you do. You see, I was impressed with you from fairly early on.”

“I admit I am immensely talented.”

“Yes, so much so that no amount of ironing will get rid of your flaws, but even with those flaws, there was something about you that truly impressed me. You gave those children a requiem. ”

What he had said and I had done on the tenth floor flashed in my mind.

“That was an idea I never thought of. If you hadn’t shown me, I would still not have been aware that there was such a way. Do you know how I felt when I saw that?"

“How?”

“‘

Ah

, is this how my teacher looked at me?’”

Confused, I tilted my head, but I soon looked up in shock. The Sword Emperor’s face showed a look I was familiar with yet would have never imagined to see from him.

“I was jealous.”

I couldn’t believe that he could look jealous. The Sword Emperor smiled once more, but the lingering jealousy clung to his lips like an echo.

“But, if you can do it, I should be able to do the same.”

“Mr. Sword Emperor.”

“I’m the best when it comes to the sword. If I’m going to do something, I should do it with a sword, should I not?” The Sword Emperor flicked the tip of his sword. “Come on. I’ll give you a proper requiem.”

Not knowing what to say, I blurted out, “You’re the one who was a ghost.”

“Not anymore, and saying I’ll comfort you will make me cringe.”

“What’s so wrong with that?” I grumbled.

“Gong-Ja, I’ll console—”

“

Aaaaaaaaagh!

Cringe! Criiiiiiiiiiiinge!”

“I warned you.”

“Darn it...”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The wind blew. The petals belonging to flowers I didn’t recognize scattered.

Beyond the broken mirror and across the ninth keyhole, the Sword Emperor said, “My title is Sword Emperor. I’m the sword forged in the depths of the Mooncave and One True Sun’s disciple, carrying the Righteous Path’s will. Like that, I’ve been certified as the strongest in the world known as the Ten Thousand Sword Realm.”

Title: Sword Emperor

World: Ten Thousand Sword Realm

Status: The strongest in the realm

Affiliation: The Righteous Faction

He smiled. “I would like to challenge you.”

I remembered the look I had in the mirror before it broke. It was definitely a pathetic look that would make the Sword Emperor want to punch me. The expression would probably be gone by now. No, perhaps it was even worse. Honestly, I didn’t know. I tried to smile, but it was hard. People cried not only when they were sad but also when they were happy.

My voice croaked a little as I said, “My title is Scream-Gathering Sky. As the one who will soon run the Tower’s underworld, I’m also called Nether Sky. I’m also the Moon of Ivansia, the White Lion of the Lion Realm, the guardian god of Asuras, the Heavenly Demon’s rightful heir to the Heavenly Demon Cult...”

No, this wasn’t right. I corrected myself.

“I lead the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

Title: Heavenly Netherdemon

World: Lion Realm.

Status: The strongest human in the realm.

Affiliation: Heavenly Demon Cult.

I smiled back. “I accept your challenge.”

The duel commenced.