"Why are you suddenly interested in my social relationships, Silver Lamp?"
Ash’s tone was light, "I want to fight back but I can’t, after all, you don’t have any social relationships."
After injuring his left shoulder, the performance of Ash’s left hand had notably decreased, but just as the high level of his Realm did not allow him to overpower Weiser, now, despite his injured left hand, he was still able to keep up in the fight without falling behind; it was just a little painful to move his left hand.
"Is there any aning in fighting back?" A light laugh ca from behind the fox mask, "The point is what you think yourself."
"If you are trying to sow discord or inflict a Spiritual Shock, then you have succeeded," Ash said. "I had never considered in the direction you ntioned, but upon reflection, it seems you might have a point."
"You Senluoians, under the extre oppression of Death, the lure of beliefs, and the scarcity of entertainnt, indeed everyone has the potential to be a philosopher."
Hearing Ash’s admission, Weiser couldn’t help but breathe more quickly, impatiently saying, "Changing the subject is aningless, as long as you accept this idea in your heart, the seed will take root and sprout. You will soon realize that you don’t actually have any companions—"
"I do."
Ash wrapped his left hand around Weiser’s right hand and swung his sword back toward her throat, "You make sense, but how are they not my companions?"
"You regard this parasitic relationship as companionship? Then the snail and its shell are companions as well."
"They can see themselves through my eyes," Ash stared at the eyes behind the mask, "because I am also watching them."
"Perhaps I am truly their vessel for self-projection, but am I not admiring them?"
Weiser clenched her silver teeth, and although she was overly exhausted, she forcibly mustered her energy, suddenly intensifying her attack pace, and primarily targeting Ash’s left hand, attempting to directly break him down.
However, Ash was still able to keep up with her combat rhythm, saying, "Although I yearn for an ordinary and peaceful life, do I not love those grandiose adventures? It’s impossible, even if I stayed at ho, I would still indulge in those explosive virtual gas."
"I admire them, Silver Lamp. Igula, despite his nasty and dominating personality, is just like , facing a twisted and bizarre order, he enjoys countering the world with grand jesting, and my bond with him might have started from such a grand prank."
"Harvey’s interests are far from ordinary, and although I’m nearly corrupted by him to the point I can understand him, a normal person could never accept him. But I admire his will, unloved, unaccepted, with his lineage severed, and in the harshest environnt, he complains not at all, even trying to lure us into the abyss... If he died in Senluo, he surely would beco a Great Skill."
"Ya Sha Jin as well, as an individual despised by the Void Realm, he accepted his ordinariness, but not the fate of the common man. The rcury Wooden Horse because of him dares not show his face, Silver Lamp, you fear his lethal blows, and we respect him as a peer in Combat Power... How could I not respect him?"
"And those like the Swordsman, yearning to beco a Shadow Actress, and Purple Moth trying to overturn Wonders... Even if their dreams are neither noble nor just, I still admire them."
"Whenever I see these people of unswerving determination, I feel..." Ash’s lips curved up, "I ca to this world, perhaps just to witness their colors."
"Boring."
Weiser spoke coldly, "Perhaps only soone as vacant as you could walk alongside those with various desires... You are just coincidentally strangers walking together, not truly comrades-in-arms."
"In this world, how many truly comrades-in-arms are there," Ash said, "Even if drears share the sa goals, they surely have different demands. Silver Lamp, you are too strict with your companions, but in my view, as long as we can respect and admire each other’s dreams, then they are companions."
"Because admiration is the wheel of bonds, leaving common traces on the journey."
Whoosh!
Ash swung his sword backward, slashing fiercely across the fox mask, yet the quality of the mask was surprisingly good, leaving only a faint mark, "For example, Silver Lamp, although I do not agree with your idea, I admire your determination."
Weiser’s offensive suddenly quickened, Ash parried each attack, "You keep everything bottled up inside, hidden in the tribulation Holy Temple, relying on the Four Pillars God Sect, only to leave the organization alone in the end. No one understands you, everyone is after your life, but you have never wavered in your will, never giving up even when setbacks occur."
"Sotis I feel like I’m the protagonist in a boring novel, no plans, no ideals, nothing, and yet I must stop you, who has great ideals, far-reaching plans, and a resolute will," remarked Ash.
"If we could have sat down and talked at the beginning," Ash said, "maybe you wouldn’t have had to go this far."
At that mont, Weiser suddenly rembered sothing the Illusion Mirror Dragon’s doppelgänger had once ntioned, about another tiline’s history.
In that tiline, she hadn’t destroyed the Holy Temple of tribulation, the rcury Wooden Horse hadn’t assassinated her, she hadn’t used the Dragon Blood cultivation system, and she had gained an ally...
But that was a story from another tiline.
As ti passed, Ash’s injury on his left shoulder grew worse and worse, the blood flow increasing rapidly, swiftly draining his strength, and the influence of the Blood Seed gradually increased. Although Weiser was also exhausted, Ash reached the critical point of not being able to hold on much quicker—
Snap!
Ash was kicked far away, and the sweet words and a hidden dagger that had flown up were caught by Weiser. Instead of pursuing imdiately, she took a deep breath; she was soaked all over with sweat, creating small puddles on the ground where she stood montarily.
Ash was similarly exhausted, every bone and muscle aching so much as he sat down, his cells protesting the overti. He barely sat up, looked at the Silver Lamp approaching step by step with the sword and said, "You were just so fixated on the keyword ’companion,’ I thought you were jealous of ."
Weiser didn’t answer, both hands on her sword, this ti she was clearly not going to be rciful.
"But I finally realized," Ash said, "you were actually jealous of how much I gave to them, weren’t you?"
In that instant, Weiser’s hand trembled, and Ash quickly seized the opportunity to grab her wrist and wrest the long sword from her, and then the two swiftly separated, standing off at opposite corners of the hall.
The four passages crossing the hall had quietly opened at so point, possibly unnoticed by them due to the intensity of their fight. Unlike the hallway at the Cicada Temple, which also had Light Gates, these seed to directly transfer elsewhere.
Ash and Weiser were staring across the empty space at each other.
At first, they both thought they could capture the other, but now, they just wanted to leave quickly.
Watching the Silver Lamp go through the Light Gate, Ash also sighed deeply and turned to walk through the Light Gate.
He imdiately felt soone beside him, so he reached out and put a hand on their shoulder, "Support , I’m really worn out this ti..."
"Okay."
Hearing the deliberately cutesy mature woman’s voice, Ash paused, his head stiffly turning around.
He saw a fox mask.
*
The mont Weiser stepped out of the Light Gate, she almost completely collapsed against the back wall. She held her wildly beating heart, trying through shallow, quick breaths to dissipate the heat from her body.
How could I possibly be jealous of him, let alone... it’s just that intense combat caused hormonal disarray... I shouldn’t overthink it...
Weiser quickly cald her thoughts, then turned her head and asked, "Your side—"
The next second, she froze.
There was the Heartless Swordsman, leaning against the corridor wall, coldly watching her.
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