Chapter 243: Shenzhou Broken Sword Record, Concluded
At the absolute critical moment, the overwhelming pressure of Li Sushang's Taixu Sword God descended upon the battlefield. The colossal astral blade shattered the two opposing Wushuang swords into a shower of fractured light, finally forcing Red Kite and Cheng Lingshuang to cease their mutual destruction.
Silence fell over the scorched earth. However, the price of survival had already been paid. Because Red Kite had forcefully drawn upon the Fenghuang Down to burn her own Remembrance, her already unstable Sword Heart could not withstand the backlash. It shattered once more. Though her life was spared, her spirit suffered a devastating blow. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into the ash-covered dirt, completely unconscious.
A few paces away, Li Sushang swayed on her feet. Pushing her mortal body to manifest the Taixu Sword God for the first time had placed an unimaginable burden on her physical form. Her vision went dark, and she crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.
Rovel knelt beside the young girl, gently pressing two fingers against the center of her brow to inspect her internal condition. Beneath her skin, he could feel the faint, ancient pulse of a Stigmata beginning to awaken. Yet, the progress was agonizingly slow. Based on a conservative estimate, it would take roughly five hundred years for it to fully mature.
He shifted his gaze to Cheng Lingshuang. Her condition was far from ideal. The left side of her body was marred by severe burns, the flesh scorched black by the intense flames of her master's desperate assault. She breathed heavily, leaning against her sword for support.
As the dust settled, only Rovel, Cheng Lingshuang, and a battered Otto remained conscious on the ruined battlefield.
It was, by all accounts, a failed battle. Su Mei had achieved her ultimate goal: Red Kite's Remembrance had been burned away, and her Sword Heart lay in ruins. Yet, as Rovel looked at the panting swordswoman beside him, he found a silver lining. Cheng Lingshuang had survived.
"Senior Brother..." Cheng Lingshuang abandoned her sword and stumbled to Rovel's side, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle, trembling embrace. "At least... I truly changed something."
Rovel returned the embrace, a soft smile gracing his lips. A perfect Stigmata Awakened possessed a nearly infinite lifespan. Cheng Lingshuang would have more than enough time to heal her physical wounds.
"The timing is about right," Rovel murmured, gently stroking her silver hair. "I should be leaving this place now."
"Senior Brother, where are you going?" Cheng Lingshuang stiffened. An inexplicable, terrifying void suddenly opened in her chest. Realizing what his words meant, she tightened her grip around his waist, refusing to let go.
"...I never belonged to this story in the first place," Rovel said softly, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy. "Now that the tale has reached its end, it's about time for me to make my exit."
As he spoke, a faint, ethereal glow began to emanate from his skin. Slowly, from his fingertips upward, his body started to dissipate into motes of golden light.
A sudden wetness splashed against Rovel's cheek. He blinked, his eyes widening in genuine surprise as he looked down. Cheng Lingshuang, the emotionless prodigy of the Taixu Sword Sect, was crying. Silent tears streamed down her soot-stained face.
"...This is the first time I've ever seen you cry, Lingshuang," Rovel said, his smile widening into something incredibly tender. "But... I suppose this, too, is a part of 'Entering the World'."
He turned his fading gaze toward the blond man resting against a shattered boulder in the distance. "Otto, I'm leaving Red Kite in your care. Remember, you owe me a massive favor for this."
Otto looked up, wiping a streak of blood from his chin.
"If Red Kite wakes up and has lost most of her memories, don't call her 'Red Kite'anymore," Rovel instructed, his tone turning serious. "Change her name to'Fu Hua'. It suits her much better. And although she likely doesn't possess the specific answers you're looking for, her existence should still be of some help to your research."
Otto remained silent for a moment before giving a solemn nod, sealing the promise.
"Take Sushang with you as well," Rovel added, glancing at the unconscious girl. "I won't have the time to look after her."
"I am coming with you."
Cheng Lingshuang's voice cut through the air, completely devoid of its usual detachment.
"Lingshuang, what are you doing?" Rovel looked at her in confusion. The golden light dissolving his body was beginning to spread to her as well.
"Last time, you left me behind and departed all alone," Cheng Lingshuang said, a breathtakingly beautiful smile touching her lips. "This time... I am going with you."
Before Rovel could protest, she leaned up. Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall of moonlight as she pressed her lips gently against his.
In that instant, her physical form began to dissolve entirely, transforming into a brilliant stream of flowing light. Cheng Lingshuang willingly converted the entirety of her Stigmata power, channeling her very essence into Rovel's body. By binding her soul to his, she would follow him across the boundary, straight into the world where he truly belonged.
The transition was seamless. Rovel opened his eyes to find himself standing in a boundless, pure white space. He looked down at his hands, realizing with a start that his body had reverted to how he looked when he was thirteen years old—the exact age he had been when he first arrived at Mount Taixu.
A gentle tug at his sleeve drew his attention. Cheng Lingshuang stood closely by his side, holding a gleaming Xuanyuan Sword, her expression serene and content.
"Junior Brother, everyone is waiting for you."
A familiar, warm voice echoed through the white expanse. Rovel looked up to see Lin Chaoyu approaching. She had cast aside her aged, burdened appearance, returning to her former self—the gentle, beautiful Eldest Senior Sister who had always looked after him.
"Waiting for me?" Rovel's lips curled into a mysterious, knowing smile.
Lin Chaoyu gestured for them to follow. After walking a few steps through the ethereal space, the horizon shifted, revealing a gathering of familiar figures.
Su Mei, Jiang Wanxi, Jiang Wanru, Ma Yanqing, and Qin Suyi—the latter of whom he had never actually met in person during this era—were all standing together, waiting for him.
"Second Senior Brother, I won this time," Su Mei announced, stepping forward with that familiar, infuriatingly playful smile on her face.
"And?" Rovel gave her a flat, disdainful look, completely unimpressed by her gloating.
"And so..." Su Mei's smile softened into something far more genuine. "...please take our place and witness Master's future. We know the mistakes we made are irreversible. The blood on our hands cannot be washed away. But at least in this moment, this is my—no, our—final wish."
She blinked, tilting her head as she smoothly slipped back into the persona of the quirky little witch he remembered. "Second Senior Brother, surely you wouldn't refuse even this tiny, insignificant request from your poor junior brothers and sisters?"
Before Rovel could answer, Cheng Lingshuang suddenly stepped forward and offered him the Xuanyuan Sword she had been holding.
"This is..." Rovel took the heavy blade, looking at her in puzzlement.
"This is my Wushuang Sword," Cheng Lingshuang explained softly. "As a gift of gratitude, please accept it, Second Senior Brother. Of course, if you don't want to use it, you can just keep it as a decoration."
Not to be outdone, Su Mei reached out, her hands glowing as she produced two elegant longswords. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"At least you have some self-awareness," Rovel muttered, making a firm mental note that he would absolutely never use her weapons in combat.
Su Mei didn't look disappointed in the slightest. She simply tossed the blades into the air. The longswords dissolved into flowing light and shot directly into the Xuanyuan Sword in Rovel's hand, merging with it flawlessly.
"This is my Luo Wuzhe. I'll leave it in your care, Senior Brother." Jiang Wanru stepped up, offering her bow and arrow. Like Su Mei's weapons, they turned into radiant light and sank into the Xuanyuan Sword.
"Sister, it's your turn." Jiang Wanru nudged Jiang Wanxi with her shoulder.
"...Hmph. This is my Wind-Clear Willow. Take it, Second Senior Brother." Jiang Wanxi averted her gaze, though a faint blush dusted her cheeks as her weapon also dissolved into the growing light.
"Senior Brother, this is my Crimson Absolute Shadow." Ma Yanqing stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "I believe it is only worthy of being wielded by a true hero."
"And this is my Ink-Dyed Fragrance, Senior Brother!" Qin Suyi rushed forward, her eyes wide with earnest panic. "Also, if you ever see Sushang out there, please take good care of her for me! Don't let her eat too many sweet snacks, make sure she dresses warmly, and remember to tell her to practice her swordplay diligently every morning, and..."
Qin Suyi launched into a rapid-fire, long-winded lecture about childcare.
A massive drop of sweat formed on Rovel's forehead. 'What can I even say to that? As expected of an overprotective mother...'
"Then, finally, my Willow Light Dust..."
Lin Chaoyu stepped forward, a soft, flexible sword slipping from her sleeve. Instead of offering it, she condensed a sharp blade of Taixu Qi in her free hand. In the very next second, she struck her own weapon. With a sharp crack, Willow Light Dust was split perfectly in two, falling to the white floor in broken pieces.
"Does Senior Sister mean to cut ties with me?" Rovel raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the action.
"Of course not. It's just that this sword doesn't suit you," Lin Chaoyu said, shaking her head slowly. A bittersweet smile touched her lips. "I always wanted to hold onto something. But in the end, I held onto nothing at all."
She looked down at the broken pieces. "Master, my fellow disciples, the Taixu Sword Sect, my own students... not a single one remains. Only at the very end did I realize that the things I so desperately wanted to keep were always right by my side, yet I was the one who pushed them away."
She looked back up, meeting Rovel's gaze. "But you are far wiser than I am, Junior Brother. You surely won't make such a foolish mistake. Naturally, you don't need my Willow Light Dust to remind you of what truly matters."
She took a step back, her form beginning to fade into the white expanse. "So, goodbye, Junior Brother. Take good care of Lingshuang."
The tenderness in her eyes remained unchanged, even as she vanished.
"Senior Brother, can I ask you one last question?" Su Mei suddenly jumped forward, her fading form shimmering like a mirage.
"...Ask away." Rovel hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding.
"Do you regret saving that two-year-old girl from the claws of that Honkai beast all those years ago?" Su Mei gazed at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of hesitation.
"I have never regretted it," Rovel replied, his voice calm, steady, and absolute.
"Senior Brother..." Su Mei's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, hiding whatever complex emotions swirled beneath them. "...you really are too gentle."
She took a step back, joining the fading silhouettes of the others. "Well then, Senior Brother. Goodbye."
Su Mei waved her hand. Beside her, Jiang Wanxi, Jiang Wanru, Ma Yanqing, and Qin Suyi all raised their hands, bidding Rovel and Cheng Lingshuang a final, silent farewell before dissolving completely into the light.
[Special Dungeon 'Shenzhou Broken Sword Record' concluded. Exiting dungeon, calculating rewards!]
Volume Three, Concluded
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