NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 247: Defeat
The clouds in the sky were swept clean by the clash of the Sword Gods. The endless roar surpassed the thunder's howl, and if not for Ren maintaining the barrier formed by his Honkai threads, ARC City would have undoubtedly suffered a devastating impact.
"I absolutely will not lose!" Mental exhaustion gnawed at her, but Kiana's conviction sustained her, fueling the Sword God's attack. Compared to Li Sushang at her peak, Kiana's Sword God was clearly weaker.
Yet, in the clash of blades, her attack grew increasingly tenacious, gradually gaining the upper hand.
"It can actually grow stronger?" Li Sushang was astonished. To her, Taixu Sword God was a single strike, a decisive blow. Once unleashed, its power was fixed.
But in Kiana's hands, Taixu Sword God continued to intensify. In her memory, aside from her master, Cheng Lingshuang, she had never seen anyone wield Taixu Sword God to this extent.
However, Li Sushang didn't believe she would lose. Just as Fu Hua had said, Taixu Sword God's greatest strength wasn't its destructive power but its attack on the mental realm.
Spirit was centered on the mind and spirit. If one's mind was disturbed, their will wavering, once attacked, there was no escape.
An attack on the mind was unstoppable. Once locked on, the target had to endure the mental onslaught. The Honkai energy blasts from the Sword Gods could annihilate each other, but the mental attack depended on whose will was stronger.
The white light of the clashing Sword Gods gradually dissipated, and both girls simultaneously fell into the mindscape.
…
Gentle bells chimed, and time seemed to drizzle like rain.
A creaking old loom echoed as a white-haired woman wove silk, listening to the sound of rain outside.
"Sushang, you've fallen asleep again."
Young Li Sushang opened her eyes, tears welling up.
"Master…"
…
Li Sushang was now trapped in an illusion, but Kiana seemed unaffected.
The Sword God formed of flames still hovered before her, poised to strike. The opponent's attack was imminent. Time seemed to rewind to a few seconds earlier, before the Sword Gods had collided.
"Why does this feel so familiar? Haven't I already used Sword God?" For some reason, Kiana felt like she was missing a crucial memory. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't retrieve the lost fragment.
Li Sushang's attack was close at hand; Kiana had little time left to ponder.
"I came back here to look for Himeko… The reason I'm fighting is…"
What was it?
She couldn't recall.
"No matter what, I need to deal with the immediate threat first."
The Taixu Sword God in her hand erupted with a golden light, piercing through everything before her. With a single strike, the opposing attack crumbled effortlessly, like a phantom.
Yet, when the light faded, it wasn't Li Sushang that Kiana's Sword God had pierced but a gray-haired young man.
"Ren…?"
The scene instantly shifted. The sky above ARC City transformed into the frozen Pacific Ocean, and the Taixu Sword God in Kiana's hand was no longer a counter against Li Sushang but the very blade that had killed Ren.
The painful memories deliberately suppressed by Sword God surged forth, instantly shattering Kiana's seemingly unwavering resolve, piercing her mental defenses.
Aside from Himeko's death, personally killing Ren was the image Kiana was most desperate to avoid. Now, magnified by the mental attack of Taixu Sword God, it transformed into the ultimate weapon, aimed directly at her heart.
This was Taixu Sword God. It didn't kill the body; it killed the spirit.
…
The collapse of her mental defenses immediately manifested physically. Blood trickled from Kiana's lips, and she plummeted from the sky like a kite with its string cut.
Kiana lost?
Ren, who was collecting the residual energy of Sword God, froze, his breath catching in his throat. Trembling, he placed his hand on the energy node, attempting to complete the final stage of the collection.
Almost there, just a little bit more. I absolutely cannot be distracted.
Absolutely not.
He repeated this mantra to himself, yet his gaze couldn't stay focused on the nodes of the sword array.
"..."
"That idiot! And here I had so much faith in her. Always messing up my plans." Barely half a second later, Ren, his mind in turmoil, abandoned the data collection.
As the progress bar, at 90%, rapidly depleted, he cursed under his breath, materialized a Crimson Empress mask, and flew towards Kiana's falling form.
A defective weapon!
Two seconds after Ren moved, Fu Hua, who should have been the first to notice the anomaly, finally realized that Kiana hadn't broken free from Taixu Sword God's influence. Whether her reaction was too slow or Ren's was too fast was unclear.
"Kiana!" She repeatedly called out to Kiana's consciousness. The Sword God's attack couldn't be blocked. The only solution was to awaken Kiana before her mind was completely shattered by Spirit.
The cost of doing so was immense, ranging from losing one's Sword Heart like Fu Hua to suffering severe mental trauma, with the possibility of never waking up.
But Fu Hua had no choice; she couldn't just watch Kiana die.
Just as she was about to sacrifice herself again, activating the Edge of Taixuan's Zeroth Power output to forcibly awaken Kiana, a figure wearing a Crimson Empress mask suddenly appeared beside Kiana.
"You…"
"Stay quiet if you don't want her to die!" Sharply interrupting Fu Hua, Ren pressed his hand against Kiana's forehead, and invisible threads, following familiar pathways, invaded her mindscape.
Spirit was unstoppable and had a guaranteed hit effect.
For ordinary people, it was practically inescapable; even Kevin had to endure it head-on. But for Ren, it was different. His consciousness was unique. If he could transfer Taixu Sword God onto the Will of Honkai, he could naturally also shift the Sword God within Kiana to a new target.
The only problem was that Spirit had locked onto Kiana. To transfer it, he not only needed a new vessel but also a way to invade Kiana's mindscape.
But invading a mindscape was no easy feat. Even ordinary people would reject foreign consciousnesses, let alone a Herrscher.
"I wonder if she can hold on." Ren had no other choice. Even if it meant risking damage to his own consciousness, he had to save her.
However, the moment Ren acted, he realized something was amiss. Kiana's mindscape offered no resistance, as if he had been granted access.
Such a situation was only possible if the other party trusted him implicitly.
"..." Gazing at Kiana with a complex expression, Ren suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Having successfully hacked into Kiana's mindscape, all that remained was to find a new vessel. Without hesitation, Ren offered himself as the target for the Sword God's attack.
To collect data on Taixu Sword God, enduring the attack personally was only natural.
Yes, that was definitely Ren's reasoning; it had nothing to do with wanting to save Kiana. (okay Ren)
The familiar Theater of the Domination reappeared within Kiana's mindscape. Thanks to his previous experience using the Theater to seal Kiana, Ren was now exceptionally adept at manipulating it.
Constructing the Theater with his vast Hive Mind, he shielded Kiana's mindscape, ensuring it wouldn't be affected by Spirit. Ren sensed the location of Kiana's self-awareness and directly used his own mind to intercept the Sword God's continuous assault.
Kiana, currently trapped in the illusion of killing Ren, had a severely weakened consciousness. Spirit's attack was relentless, and if she couldn't escape the shadows of that memory, she would continue to weaken until she lost all resistance, her mind shattering.
That she had lasted this long was a testament to her exceptionally strong will. Just as her last shred of mental strength was about to be extinguished, plunging her into oblivion, a hand reached out and grasped hers.
…
Looking at Kiana sleeping peacefully in his arms, Ren let out a long sigh of relief. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his white Crimson Empress mask crimson.
Although he was injured, as long as she was alright, it was all worth it.
He reached out a finger, wanting to wipe away the tears from the corner of Kiana's eye, but a sudden voice interrupted him.
"She's been looking for you." Fu Hua's consciousness floated beside them. She knew Ren could hear her.
His finger froze mid-air, and Ren quickly withdrew his hand.
He remained silent, feigning ignorance, carrying Kiana as he gently landed, finding a safe place to set her down. After ensuring she was out of danger, he swiftly departed.
Li Sushang, wielding the complete Sword God, couldn't remain trapped in the illusion for long. He had to erase any trace of his presence before she discovered the truth.
Watching Ren's hastily retreating figure, Fu Hua frowned. She had merely been testing him; she couldn't be certain of his identity. But if not him, then who?