Kai let the Samurai hold himself up.
"I can't believe it!" Jack said, his eyes opened wide in shock and full of concern. "You did it! Gods!"
Kai's left hand was around Jack's shoulders.
The Night Lord had hacked off his right hand.
Sounga was hovering by his side, his cut right hand's fingers still gripping its hilt, bleeding at the stump.
Behind him, Cersei walked, her eyes planted on Kai in sheer disbelief; in pure, raw awe.
Selene slithered on the rocky pasture near his feet, mumbling and hissing to herself like a lunatic.
Kai let Jack's words sink in, ignoring his broken body. It was a ss.
Yes. He sohow recalled the mont.
Yes. He had done it.
But what of it?
The injuries he had sustained were not only physical but also magical.
Even the combined power of Island X wouldn't be able to heal him; such was the hideousness of his wounds.
This was the bane of becoming an existence at the Peak of Absolute Power — things that worked wonders in the past beca useless.
Could he buy another Life Halt Capsule and try sothing new in the next ten years?
This question he let sink deeper than Jack's words as his teacher dragged him toward the Hut, slowly, his dark eyes flashing on Kai's face; his breath fading.
The answer was as sharp as Murasa's blade.
He could, perhaps.
But what of it?
There cos a point in a man's life when he must co to terms with the Truth.
For Kai, that point had already co and gone.
It had co when he had created the 100th Crystal.
His Fate had been set in stone since then, like words etched by a chisel on a rough rock.
Those words read — His Potential had ended.
Co 10 years, 100 years, or 1000 years; he wouldn't take another step.
Island X held no more opportunities for him.
Jack had already taught him all he could; whatever he could.
The Ad Infinitum was his greatest legacy, which he had never expected Kai to master.
And Kai had done exactly that.
But what of it?
"Take..." Kai choked, black blood seeping out.
Behind him, Cersei's entire existence trembled.
Selene's hisses paused as if she had just realized where she was, with whom, and what she was losing, besides her senses.
"Take... to... Tea Room."
"Now?!" Jack exclaid. "Have you gone mad, old friend? Take rest, buy your capsule, and return. You ... will be alright."
He licked his lips, ashad at lying to his own student.
Injuries might get healed without leaving scars, but it wasn't the injuries that troubled them.
Kai's Vitality had run out. His Soul was corrupt. And like Tiredness, the Systems didn't have any Stats related to both of them.
There was a way to stretch this process of dying, this horrible feeling of not knowing if there was a Peak higher than where he was standing.
Troopers would replenish themselves.
A few of the Abominations and Super Abominations were still alive.
Then there were the two Supre Generals, yellow crystals still dancing in their eyes, perhaps.
Kai hadn't killed them all. He could go, kill so every decade, co back here to buy the Life Halt Capsules, and return, repeating this process like a maniac who had nothing better to do, and who was afraid of dying.
He could do it, yes.
But what of it?
"To... the Tea Room," Kai insisted, forcing out a smile.
If his lips arched up or not, he didn't care.
"You!" Jack almost cursed, closing his eyes, his feet already shifting in that direction. "Sigh! What happened, Kai? How did you..."
It's impossible! Jack had thundered so 200 years back, the loudest ever since Kai's arrival at the Samurai's Hut. You blind fool! Just consu the Blue Spider Lily and use its inherent Ability to divide your consciousness. Better to live the life of a rat, than whatever pointless thing you are attempting now.
Kai didn't mind leaving the life of a rat.
What he did mind, though, was to bend his knees to the Systems.
The Systems had brought him to a point where he must use the Blue Spider Lily if he expected to survive.
It was as if they wanted him to continue this ga for tens of thousands of years, reaching nowhere.
Well, no, thank you!
Kai had already beco a personification of Calm, then.
A hundred Crystals, at least—That was the number Jack had told him he would need if he were to resist the Legilincy of the Supre Generals combined.
But that only ant resisting. No retaliation.
He would get killed by others during this, Jack had assured. No doubt.
What to do, then?
There was a way; a classic one.
Defend and Attack, simultaneously.
Turn the attackers themselves into your Pawns.
Let them slaughter each other while you enjoy the show.
Have you gone mad?! Jack had bellowed. 100 Crystals an doing 100 tasks at once. To do what you claim, you must parasitize the target's subconscious with an empty Crystal, and then manipulate this Crystal to invade the conscious of the target's mind, acting as if it was a part of his Mindscape.
But you must keep a thread of your consciousness attached to this empty Crystal. And it will beco difficult with the rise in strength of the target.
Theoretically, you can defend and attack, playing this battle of the minds.
The question remains, though, my student. What about your body?!
Kai had been well aware of Jack's concerns.
First, no matter how much he had trained in these over thousands of years, his body wasn't just strong enough to bear the pressure of splitting his mind over a hundred tis; if he could do so, in the first place.
But he had done it.
Second, even if he brought his physical strength up enough to handle this absurd pressure, the enemy would kill him in no ti.
No matter how strong he would beco, these were Supre Generals who he must fight against. They were no joke.
To even think against them, standing still, doing nothing, was the height of stupidity.
For over a hundred years, Kai had ruminated, ditated, and fumbled upon a plausible solution for this problem.
Only then had a path disclosed itself to him.
Physical Strength alone wasn't the solution.
ntal Strength alone wasn't the solution, either.
Then what about a combination of these two strengths?
But an ordinary summing of these two fields won't work, Kai knew, and Jack had agreed with him.
He must use a prir of so sort to hold these two together.
To accomplish all without dying at one strike.
And that prir was—Selfless Breathing.
Kai had been already closing up in attaining Constant Breathing by then.
If he could combine Occluncy, Legilincy, and the Spiritual Pressure Coating of blood flas, resulting from his Constant Breathing, then Kai could do all this, and much more.
If could do this, then he would beco invincible on Island X.
The only issue was that Selfless Breathing's Transformations had never been about just Ability, Skill, or Training.
It resulted from Comprehension, Understanding, and Epiphanies.
One ti Kai had already defied logic in the Reality Marble of his when he had comprehended the True Essence of Limitless Blood Firmant - the Parselscript.
But he had the assistance of his Sword Spirit, then.
There was no one to help him here, though.
When Kai had arrived at Cloudbreak Spire, even then he hadn't found a way.
It was only during the battle, on the brink of total annihilation, had he comprehended the way to combine the three concepts.
The result was the Second Transformation.
In that battle, when Kai had co with the will to do or die, he finally transford his Self for the second ti.
He must not resist.
He must not think.
He must not take joy in this killing—Just survive.
This was the Second Transformation; a suicidal one.
There was no distinction between Occluncy, Legilincy, and Constant Breathing in this Transformation as these three were the sa.
And he had only one blind chance to attempt it, with only one thought in mind —
— If he succeeded, then he would co out as the winner, and if he didn't, then he would die a bitter death.
Shockingly, he had done it at the very last mont.
... But what of it?
***************
AN: You guys are supposed to get three Chapters today. But, I will upload only one Chapter today and only two tomorrow. All the pending Bonus Chapters, may it be 7 or 8 or 9, depending on Power Stones, I will release enmasse after tomorrow's Chapters at the sa ti.
Also, many readers are keep asking will Kai have the sa strength after 3rd Stage....
As I always say, Trust the Process. If at any point you aren't connecting with Novel anymore, you are more than welco to leave. I am heartly thankful for all the support, but have so patience. When was the last ti you rember I nerfed Kai?
60 Chapters ahead of Webnovel are on Patre0n. With each Tier, you will get ALL Monthly Uploads as well. You can also access all the backlog Chapters, with Images and Gifs, enriching your reading experience, while simultaneously supporting the work.
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapter and 1 Bonus Chapter for every 20 Power Stones above that
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