“Mr. Sword Emperor.”
“You probably still think that you could have saved your teacher. You may say that the First Wave went where she wanted to go, and you accept that wholeheartedly. Still, you have to convince yourself of that every morning when you wake up. Don’t try to deny it. I’ve watched you wake up many times.”
I sighed. “You’re right.”
By now, the mirror was almost clear, but no matter how clear a mirror was, it couldn’t show what lay beyond it. I was still unable to see the Sword Emperor, so I just gazed at my own reflection.
“Every morning when I wake up, I think about it,” I said.
“Hmm.”
“Every time I feel the cold wind, I think about my teacher. When I walk down the street with Bambolina and the Viper, eating the ice cream we bought, I think how nice it would be if Teacher were alive. Perhaps I can revive her right now.”
“I know.”
“In the end, I always decide not to, and I still think that’s the best way to honor my teacher. But when I wake up again, the thought returns. ‘The dead can’t wish for anything, so is leaving them dead the way to honor them? Isn’t that just for my own satisfaction?’”
“Yeah, I know you do,” the Sword Emperor replied.
“‘If I brought Teacher back to life, she wouldn’t forgive me, but I’m the only one who has to suffer when I actually do it. Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.’”
If she were alive, if she were still here, she may be able to find happiness again someday.
“Even while I held the nine realms in my heart and gave my Nine Bows at Teacher’s grave, I kept thinking about it. It’s hypocritical and pathetic. As long as I live, I’ll probably never be able to stop thinking about it.”
“It’ll only grow stronger with each passing day. As you mentioned earlier, you’ll now also think of the Gray Spider every morning when you wake up, right?”
“Yes, I probably will.”
The Sword Emperor sighed. I looked through the keyhole in the mirror. There was only one left.
With a thud, a blade thrust through the keyhole. I recognized the blade. It was the Sword Emperor’s weapon, too big to be called a mere sword.
The huge sword, resembling a sunfish, twisted to the side, and the thin mirror cracked and broke apart, as if sensing the mood had shattered. The falling purple glass fragments revealed the Sword Emperor, who aimed his sword at me and said, “Who else but a demon would harbor such a wicked heart demon within themselves?”
“You’re just cold, like the Righteous Path follower you are.”
“I’m nothing but a cool, big bro by nature. I’m so cool that seeing a guy moping gives me the urge to crush his head.”
I grinned. “Do you think you can do that?”
“It’s finally possible now.”
Despite the mirror falling, the ninth keyhole stayed in place, and so did the Sword Emperor’s sword.
The Sword Emperor beamed. “Let’s go for a round.”
I…
“Is that really needed?” I asked.
“I don’t need it, but you do. You see, I was impressed with you from fairly early on.”
“I admit I am immensely talented.”
“Yes, so much so that no amount of ironing will get rid of your flaws, but even with those flaws, there was something about you that truly impressed me. You gave those children a requiem. ”
What he had said and I had done on the tenth floor flashed in my mind.
“That was an idea I never thought of. If you hadn’t shown me, I would still not have been aware that there was such a way. Do you know how I felt when I saw that?"
“How?”
“‘Ah, is this how my teacher looked at me?’”
Confused, I tilted my head, but I soon looked up in shock. The Sword Emperor’s face showed a look I was familiar with yet would have never imagined to see from him.
“I was jealous.”
I couldn’t believe that he could look jealous. The Sword Emperor smiled once more, but the lingering jealousy clung to his lips like an echo.
“But, if you can do it, I should be able to do the same.”
“Mr. Sword Emperor.”
“I’m the best when it comes to the sword. If I’m going to do something, I should do it with a sword, should I not?” The Sword Emperor flicked the tip of his sword. “Come on. I’ll give you a proper requiem.”
Not knowing what to say, I blurted out, “You’re the one who was a ghost.”
“Not anymore, and saying I’ll comfort you will make me cringe.”
“What’s so wrong with that?” I grumbled.
“Gong-Ja, I’ll console—”
“Aaaaaaaaagh! Cringe! Criiiiiiiiiiiinge!”
“I warned you.”
“Darn it…”
The wind blew. The petals belonging to flowers I didn’t recognize scattered.
Beyond the broken mirror and across the ninth keyhole, the Sword Emperor said, “My title is Sword Emperor. I’m the sword forged in the depths of the Mooncave and One True Sun’s disciple, carrying the Righteous Path’s will. Like that, I’ve been certified as the strongest in the world known as the Ten Thousand Sword Realm.”
Title: Sword Emperor
World: Ten Thousand Sword Realm
Status: The strongest in the realm
Affiliation: The Righteous Faction
He smiled. “I would like to challenge you.”
I remembered the look I had in the mirror before it broke. It was definitely a pathetic look that would make the Sword Emperor want to punch me. The expression would probably be gone by now. No, perhaps it was even worse. Honestly, I didn’t know. I tried to smile, but it was hard. People cried not only when they were sad but also when they were happy.
My voice croaked a little as I said, “My title is Scream-Gathering Sky. As the one who will soon run the Tower’s underworld, I’m also called Nether Sky. I’m also the Moon of Ivansia, the White Lion of the Lion Realm, the guardian god of Asuras, the Heavenly Demon’s rightful heir to the Heavenly Demon Cult…”
No, this wasn’t right. I corrected myself.
“I lead the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
Title: Heavenly Netherdemon
World: Lion Realm.
Status: The strongest human in the realm.
Affiliation: Heavenly Demon Cult.
I smiled back. “I accept your challenge.”
The duel commenced.
✦ ✦ ✦
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