coobybook Chapter 87 The Battle of the Curved Blade
Chapter 87 The Battle of the Curved Blade
“…Where is this place?”
"Is it... another dream?"
He seemed to hear the sound of rain falling.
An endless crimson expanse met my eyes; rain and blood mingled to create a suffocating scene. Before I could even react, I was choked by the sweet, metallic liquid, coughing violently as I struggled desperately to see my surroundings.
However, all that met the eye were severed limbs and broken bodies scattered everywhere, and the air was filled with desperate cries and helpless pleas for help. In this chaos, only the figures of those monsters stood out clearly.
Struggling to his feet, before he could even process what was happening, he turned around and saw a soldier returning home late at night running towards him—
"you……"
"Shh-"
The enemy's weapon pierced his body without hesitation; the intense pain made even uttering a question a luxury. Struggling to turn his head, he saw a distorted face, its eyes flashing with madness, muttering something to itself:
[Defeat the remaining elephants and protect Jinzhou]
In his final moments, he saw those eyes reflecting a reversed clock, their white light standing out starkly against the rain.
【Going against the flow of rain】
Never trust people on the battlefield.
It's a phantom and an illusion.
"..."
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the same familiar place, surrounded by the familiar bloodstains. Before he could even process why these things had happened, he saw that figure approaching him once more.
Instinctively, he tried to summon his weapon to retaliate, but was surprised to find that he couldn't sense where the sword had gone.
Left with no other choice, he could only grab a longsword from the blood-stained ground to block the attack, but it was too late.
He was pierced through the body once again.
【Going against the flow of rain】
The incompetent are left only with tears.
Only a mutilated corpse remained.
"..."
He opened his eyes for the third time, quickly recovering from his previous near-death experience. Without thinking twice, he drew his sword and whirled around, blocking the fatal attack.
Enduring the excruciating pain, he sidestepped, plunging the sword into the opponent's chest before swiftly pulling it out. He watched the figure flicker briefly before vanishing in a flash of white light. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the familiar sensation began to spread from his chest once more:
[Defeat the remaining elephants and protect Jinzhou]
Trembling, he turned back and saw countless fleeting afterimages and remnants within the blood-red hue, before his eyes were completely blinded by the rain.
He could no longer see any living beings.
The rain curtain flows upstream, and mournful cries echo like ghostly sobs.
The remnants are ravaging living beings.
You are powerless to reverse the situation.
"..."
It's too late, there's no turning back.
It's too late
The fourth time, the fifth time… he closed and opened his eyes on this scorched earth, over and over again without ceasing. Each time he opened his eyes, he used all his strength to escape the fatal attack, but the scythe of death would descend once more the next moment.
It's just that I lived a little longer.
【Going against the flow of rain】
It's all too late.
Can you find the key to breaking the deadlock?
……
Yes, there's nothing he can do now that he's here.
So... so how can we end all of this!
I have no evidence! What's the use of knowing all this...?
I can't end this war alone... and I don't have any evidence to make that person retract that order...
He doesn't believe me...
He was already used to the agony of the sword piercing his chest once more. In his final moments, several near-collapsed roars echoed in his ears; the despair and rage in those voices were like a chilling wind, involuntarily sending a wave of desolation through him.
"...Mo Wunian"
If... I could have arrived a little earlier...
Give me a little more time...
[Could I gather enough information to persuade him...?]
[Did they save him?]
……
He saw the clock rapidly reverse, flowing backwards into an unknown past, its ticking echoing endlessly in his mind.
He closed his eyes; he had never been so exhausted before. He didn't want to open them again.
But he seemed to hear people's exclamations, the sound of machines running, and heated arguments... all sorts of sounds swirled around him, preventing him from falling asleep peacefully.
Sarcasm, ridicule, doubt… all these complex emotions surged into his heart, suffocating him. He tried to refuse, but was forced to accept it all.
Why couldn't he escape it?! Why did he have to accept all of this?!
Hey... have you seen that person reading that book...?
I don't remember seeing him before... Is he some kind of genius...?
[Those who got in through connections... what kind of ability could they possibly have...?]
[They can't even understand the most basic classifications... I don't know what this person is doing here...]
[Pah! I thought it was something special... Turns out it's this kind of person...]
[A complete slacker... I don't know how he has the nerve to stay here... The things we research are all for the sake of future generations living better lives...]
People like him who waste time and energy coming in... it's a long story.
……
So tired... So sleepy... How much longer will it take for him to finish all this?
so……
What on earth is he doing?!
[To make him believe me]
[To give him more time to consider]
[To keep him alive]
"..."
Standing in the empty space, with his back to something, his figure lonely yet resolute, facing the sudden voice, he never opened his eyes.
But in that instant, as if struck by lightning, he abruptly opened his eyes, turned around urgently, and reached out, trying to grab the figure.
However, an invisible barrier separated the two, as if isolating them into two completely different times and spaces.
【…】
He closed his eyes again, and gradually he could no longer hear any sound.
Everything seemed like an illusion from a past life, with no connection to this one.
But he had to die.
All of this was in vain.
After a long time, he opened his eyes again. He was no longer on that scorched earth stained with blood.
However, he witnessed that white figure standing resolutely in the light of the giant purple moon. All around, burning purple flames spread like a nightmare, engulfing the space.
Before that person, a winged monster let out a hoarse roar, using its body as a weapon to unleash an endless black light that instantly devoured everything around it.
"Geshulin!!!"
He met those golden eyes, but saw that the reflection in them was not him—
Instead, it was Mo Wunian.
The next moment, a blinding red light suddenly burst forth, illuminating the space and instantly cleaving the world-destroying black light in two. Even he, seemingly an observer, felt a soul-tearing pain relentlessly assaulting every inch of his skin.
In his final moments before consciousness faded, he gazed at himself, his weary eyes reflecting both endless despair and a final sense of relief.
And that sword that appeared in the illusion—it was his own sword.
[Drawing the sword in despair, forging its essence with one's soul]
(Continuer, this is your destiny)
"..."
The enormous eye that had been hovering in the sky focused its gaze on him once more, slowly descending into a distant space until it stood atop it again:
Chains hung in mid-air, a crimson light enveloping the entire space. Gazing ahead, the figure stood atop the high steps, each step so firm and composed, as if awaiting a specific moment to turn and meet his gaze—
Then kill him.
【Mo Wunian】
【Can't do it】
【Mo Wunian】
It's impossible.
This is our destiny.
The key to breaking the deadlock can only be found within the context of convergence.
Until fate shatters.
"..."
He could see the red light approaching him again, until it enveloped his entire body.
This time he no longer begged someone to pull him out.
He has decided to face his destiny.
(Ding! The 282th review has been approved.)
(During intercourse, can you find the key to breaking the deadlock?)
……
[Ming-style recovery, come quickly!]
The clock in his eyes began to reverse, countless fragments flashing past him until it froze on that one sentence.
This time, his world was completely plunged into darkness.
--------
He opened his eyes, but this time he saw nothing but darkness. However, this was actually a good thing for him.
This means he has indeed woken up.
"……well"
"This dream was quite revealing..."
"Was that the Battle of the Scimitars...?"
In such circumstances, how could one not feel endless despair and fear? They were already forced to fight those monsters with their own flesh and blood…
Even after the rain started, they couldn't trust their comrades anymore. No one knew if the person fighting alongside them against monsters would suddenly plunge a sword into their chest, leaving them forever on that battlefield...
After all, even he had lost count of how many times he had died in that dream.
He patted his head to clear his mind, and unlike before, he could recall almost the entire scene from the dream.
Instead of being strangely blurred as before, it was not.
"...Mo Wunian...Mo Wunian..."
"Am I actually in Narumi...? This world is getting more and more distorted..."
"If it's really as I deduced... then what would the real situation be like..."
"..."
"...Never mind, I'd better get up. It looks like it's getting late."
"Besides, wasn't I playing cards with Bei Wang and the others in the military camp? How did I suddenly come back?"
"And what did I do last night? Why can't I remember?"
Struggling to get out of bed, he surveyed his surroundings. The chaotic scene made him frown, and after quickly getting out of bed and tidying himself up, he began picking up his clothes.
"...These should be Ji Yan's clothes, right? How did they end up in my room?"
"And how did all my clothes end up over there...?"
"How did this garment get torn to shreds?"
While packing his things, he tried hard to recall what he had done last night, but unfortunately, he couldn't remember anything. Helpless, he could only sigh, grab his clothes, and push open the door.
Then I sensed someone in the living room.
"Ji Yan? Are you done with your work?"
"By the way, why is your coat in my room? What happened last night?"
"I must have blacked out... I didn't do anything outrageous, did I?"
Ji Yan, who was teased by someone and ended up taking several hours of cold showers and spending the whole night in the cool breeze: ...
"...Last night, after I finished my work, I was going to go find you, but Beiwang said you had too much to drink and asked me to come and pick you up."
"The clothes... I must have left them there when I took you back to your room."
"as well as……"
"You really don't remember what happened last night?"
He sat down next to Ji Yan and draped his coat over him to keep him warm. Hearing the last sentence, Ji Yan's hand trembled so much he almost dropped the coat. He didn't know how many times he'd tried to recall, but unfortunately, he really couldn't remember anything.
Now I'm really starting to panic.
"...I blacked out...I really can't remember anything."
"If I did anything wrong to anyone last night... please tell me!"
"I'll go apologize right away!"
Ji Yan glanced at the anxious expression on the face of the person beside him, and then recalled what had almost happened the night before. In the end, he could only lower his head in silence.
If he were to tell that person what happened last night, he would be 100% certain that the other person would atone with their death.
There's no way I could ever have that kind of relationship with him in this lifetime.
"...didn't do anything."
"General Geshu was also present last night, but he didn't do anything excessive..."
"Really?"
"...Yes, no one was hurt."
Someone sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put their finger on it. They tilted their head, rested their chin on their hand, and pondered:
Forget it, Ji Yan wouldn't lie to himself. If he really did something, he'd find out when he got back.
However, the tone of the last sentence always felt a bit like Xiaobai's at times... Is it just my imagination?
Ji Yan turned his head slowly, looking at Mo Wunian who was completely unaware. His heart was filled with complex emotions, but he couldn't say anything:
She looked like a newlywed bride who had been dumped by a heartless scumbag on her second day of marriage, looking wronged but not daring to say anything (?).
"Oh, by the way, I made you some hangover soup."
"You drank quite a bit last night; a bowl of wine should make you feel much better."
Drink it while it's hot.
He took the hangover soup from the other person, nodded gratefully, and drank it all in one gulp. Sure enough, his headache eased a bit.
He couldn't help but admire the boy beside him; he was truly a model of goodness. Even before reaching adulthood, he was already so sensible and considerate. Not to mention that he would one day become a general renowned throughout the land.
I wonder who will benefit from the discount in the future.
Just as he was about to chat with the other person a few more times, both of their communications came through simultaneously, leaving him no choice but to abandon the idea.
He picked it up casually and glanced at it; the striking red characters on it instantly overlapped with the last sentence of his dream, and he seemed to see that blood-red scene again—
[Ming-style recovery, come quickly!]