Eldritch Horror Theatre

Her swordplay wasn't bad; she had improved again since their last encounter.

Faced with Ji Liushuang, who swung her sword the moment she charged, Fu Qian remained completely still.

He was absolutely certain she wasn't here to kill him.

The blade drove straight in, its tip ultimately stopping right between Fu Qian's eyebrows.

An invisible ripple expanded rapidly.

The next moment, Fu Qian's mind jolted, and his vision plunged into pitch blackness.

When his sight returned, he found himself inside a pure white space. Opposite him, Ji Liushuang sat upright in a formal posture.

"This is the Heart-Questioning Sword Prison."

Seeing that Fu Qian had regained his senses, Ji Liushuang slowly spoke, her tone as flat and unwavering as ever.

"A pleasure to meet you!"

Fu Qian wasn't surprised in the slightest, casually greeting "it" for showing up in person.

"The special trait of the Heart-Questioning Sword Prison is that one cannot tell lies while inside it. That is why I decided to speak with you here."

Ji Liushuang stared unblinkingly at Fu Qian.

"And so... I have a proposal regarding our current situation, one I hope you will consider carefully."

"Sure. By the way, what should I call you?"

"There is no need for a special title, is there?"

Ji Liushuang shook her head.

"In truth, I came using this body partly because it takes the least effort, and partly because you hold less hostility toward her. Just continue using her original name."

"Alright."

Fu Qian wasn't one to split hairs, so he immediately nodded.

"You can state your proposal."

"My proposal is very simple... Become my favored one."

"A favored one... And then?"

"We will cease this meaningless slaughter. You will share my power and receive eternal protection—a bond that even I will be unable to sever.

Then, you will become the foremost figure in the sword path across all history, with an unobstructed road to becoming a God!"

Ji Liushuang pointed to herself.

"Furthermore, anyone who comprehends sword intent will unconsciously center themselves around you. You will be the invisible king of their lives."

"That does sound quite tempting."

Fu Qian stroked his chin with his right hand, feigning a thoughtful look.

"Those are all benefits. What about the drawbacks?"

"There are no drawbacks. If you are asking about what changes... becoming my favored one means opening your mind to me. You will forget my existence."

"But this isn't a bad thing. You only need to enjoy my protection, and it will prevent situations like our current one."

"I pretty much get it."

Fu Qian sighed.

"And your decision?"

Ji Liushuang stared directly at Fu Qian.

"I need a little time to consider. Also, before I give you a formal answer, can I ask a few minor questions?"

"...Go ahead."

"When did you fuse with the sword intent?"

"I..."

Seemingly not expecting him to ask this, Ji Liushuang hesitated, struggling to answer for a moment.

"Just as I thought. You can't claim to be the sword intent itself while you're in here."

Fu Qian wore an 'I knew it' expression.

"It seems my guess was correct. There's no fundamental difference between us; we are both pollutions of the concept of sword intent. It's just that you got here first."

"The people at the Sword Comprehension Institute really are out of luck. They were minding their own business, burying themselves in cultivation, and suddenly their spiritual totem turned into an evil god!"

"If not for me, the vast majority of them wouldn't even dream of comprehending sword intent in this lifetime."

Ji Liushuang scoffed, tacitly acknowledging Fu Qian's guess.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"A long time ago, but I completely digested it a few years back."

Faced with Fu Qian's questioning, "it" no longer hid the truth.

"Was it also from that moment that you began actively responding to their prayers?"

Fu Qian recalled the rapid expansion of the Sword Comprehension Institute that Lanaya had mentioned earlier.

"Yes. But I acted with extreme restraint. No one could perceive my existence—except you..."

"In truth, this wasn't a bad thing for anyone. They received what they dreamed of, while I grew in silence."

"Believe me, once you become my favored one, what you gain will be far more than theirs!"

"Alright, I have answered enough of your questions. Now it is your turn to give me an answer."

"Mhm."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Thank you very much. The areas I was confused about have largely been cleared up. Furthermore, I can feel your sincerity.

A natural-born Sword God, a child of destiny—it certainly sounds great. But I refuse!"

"Why?"

In that instant, "its" tone turned icy and somber.

"I am a man who pursues freedom."

Fu Qian blinked.

"I don't like being dominated."

"Ridiculous. Cognition and consciousness are inherently influenced by a multitude of factors. How can you be certain that your current thoughts aren't being controlled by a higher existence?"

"You must understand that even an existence like myself cannot determine whether such a thing as fate truly exists."

"Considering my recent experiences, I really can't be sure."

Faced with its rhetorical question, Fu Qian answered quite honestly.

"Then what is the point of your so-called pursuit of freedom? What impact would my invisible protection even have on you?

Could it be that you are just like those young humans?

Shouting that the whole world is wrong at the slightest setback, proclaiming that you seek absolute freedom—only for the rebellion to last precisely until you achieve fame and success.

No one has ever managed to command destiny like you claim, nor can anyone even define what destiny is... You couldn't possibly be that ridiculous, could you?"

"Discussing philosophy? Sure!"

Hearing "its" voice turn somewhat anxious, Fu Qian's smile didn't falter.

"I'm indeed not the type to blame the whole world. Of course, a long time ago, after certain things happened, I did briefly fall into that state—for about a week, anyway."

"In truth, the difference between them and me is—"

Fu Qian's expression grew serious.

"I don't care about the world's right or wrong at all!"

...

Faced with the silent Ji Liushuang, Fu Qian held up a single finger.

"I came, I saw, I thought, I acted. I have only one demand for myself... even if one day I wake up from billions of years of time and discover the universe is just a Deity's glass marble, and my life was merely an illusory flash of light, I still won't regret a single moment of my thoughts or decisions.

I can be foolish and clumsy, but I absolutely will not engage in self-deception."

Fu Qian pointed at his surroundings.

"You see, I spoke all this out loud here, which proves I'm not lying."

"You're truly mad..."

"It" fell silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"Mad? By the logic you just used, who gets to define what 'madness' is? Is everything that doesn't align with your ideas just madness?"

"Enough!"

Under Fu Qian's relentless psychological assault, "it" finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Since you are so utterly unreasonable, then this will only end when one of us dies. Let's see how long you can hold out!"

Ji Liushuang stood up abruptly, waving her hand in an attempt to dispel the sword prison. However, she froze the very next moment—the Pure White Sword Prison remained as stable as before.

"Oh? No reaction. What's going on?"

Fu Qian let out a mock gasp of surprise, his smile growing unhinged.

"I was just thinking, since our natures are essentially the same, there's no reason why I wouldn't be able to do what you can. This place is forged from the union of our consciousnesses, so naturally, it is influenced by both our wills."

"So, since we're already here, no one leaves until we have a result!"

"One of us must die today!"

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