Chapter Title: The Sword's Heart — Path of Desire
Damn you, Foolish Exalted One of the Sky! Are you trying to deceive the readers of this book?! Why won't you tell me about the other stage?!
He began to see another round... The place was pitch-black, drenched in shadow. He couldn't wake up... clearly, his soul was trapped. So what solution was left for this man to escape?
He began thinking. The look in his soul's eyes was harsh yet calm. Then he remembered what he had read — The Exalted One, Reader of the Skies, was once an ordinary man. A struggler. Persistent. A great man despite his failures. And yet, he rose and learned. The Exalted One had heart and sword as one... a single entity: The Heart of the Sword.
Clark had lived his life as a fighter... The sword was his path, and his salvation. If so—then this is my place, he told himself. And from deep within, a point ignited in his heart—dim flames and sparks flickering—while the "Zzz" of autumn echoed across the horizon.
Fragments of light began to appear... Spirits? Memories? They were blurry. He saw kind faces welcoming him. Battle memories... beautiful moments that comforted his weary heart. His face was stunned, a confused smile spreading across his features, as his eyes filled with bewildered nostalgia.
But suddenly, everything changed—a massacre!
All were dead. A blood-soaked field. The sky changed color. Birds fell lifeless from the sky—not from darkness itself, but from the stench of rotting blood.
Clark lay among the corpses... among them, unclear faces that stirred longing in his heart. He didn't know who they were... but his heart remembered. Then he saw himself—a gentle soul, calm, balanced. She laughed, greeted him kindly. Clark's face grew distorted, his brows furrowed, and tears trickled down unconsciously.
"Is that... me? Must I kill her?" he asked himself.
And this... was the third trial of aura:
> "Kill any trait of your heart that hinders your path to Aura—and to the Heart of the Sword."
Now Clark had reached a deep stage. One few humans ever reach.
His heart was scattered, his mind confused. He saw himself happy, loved, joyful... then glimpses of death, of loneliness, of his own corpse! And he didn't know what to do. Should he kill this happy self? Let it go?
His face was drowned in conflict. He held his head, breath quickening, lips muttering unconsciously.
Then suddenly—a sword formed in his hand... He didn't even know how! He simply thought of a sword, and it appeared in that strange place. The faces remained vague, but the memories were beautiful.
He was with a girl... It was obvious he loved her deeply. She kissed him. But she wasn't alive. None of them were alive. They were merely... the memories of a foolish man.
A soft yet swift swing from Clark... clean, decisive—and he beheaded them all.
Everything became fast, strange, horrifying. A flicker of guilt showed on his face... then vanished. A sword manifested—an aura blade, black and heavy, forged from his emotions—hatred, bitterness, and the rejection of any "righteous" life.
> "From now on, anything that brings me closer to knowing myself—whether good or evil—I'll follow it."
And this... was one of the Paths of Aura, known as:
> "The Path of Desire and Greed."
There are other paths: the Path of Emotion, the Path of Virtue, the Path of Ambition... but Clark chose—the Path of Desire.
His sword now, dark and heavy, sliced through chains like soft cotton. The sky opened. The sun rose—fierce, stronger than that of the weak aura wielders.
A system appeared before him. His name was displayed. His physical stats were clear. Among his skills:
Extreme Speed
Blackening (the black sword skill)
Black Flame Blade (a rare ability)
And he possessed a very rare skill:
> Seeing two seconds into the future—within his sword.
An incredible power. When he checked his age and level, he saw:
Age: 25
Level: 2 only!
Despite this, his physical capabilities were higher than someone with maxed-out strength, agility, flexibility, and mental quickness.
Mind and faith mattered for mana, but he didn't need to focus on them. Even if he tried, he wouldn't reach high levels unless he obtained:
"The Inheritance of the Exalted Sky Reader."
A tremendously powerful inheritance. Even with half of it stolen, it was ranked as:
> A+
But... there was a stolen key. Without it, he couldn't reach the Great Tree.
> "The key alone is ranked SS."
This inheritance unlocks once every thousand years. How do we know it's near? When the first Blood Moon appears.
And it had already appeared.
Only the second Blood Moon remained. Meaning the timing was—tomorrow.
All monsters will align—because the Sun of Madness (Clark's enemy) controls them. But she's also useful, being a powerful core that would aid his future evolution.
She feeds on monsters when activated, then falls into slumber for the next millennium.
> "I'll use Blackening against her... and force her into instant slumber—after she's full."
Clark said this with a sly grin, a wicked glint flashing in his eyes.
All of this... had been prepared in Clark's mind—ready for everything.
But something was still missing:
> "The Great Vein."
He needed it to unlock his full power—for now, he was only at half capacity.
He must win. He must acquire the inheritance. He must claim the core of the Exalted One's magic.
Clark, his voice deep, his eyes drifting to the horizon, said:
> "It's not hard—not yet. But if we go deeper... it will be. Right now, I'm incomplete. I need to finish evolving. That's... the inheritance.
So I must stay there. No one must know.
And it's a blessing... they'll all die.
Let them.
Perhaps they'll die never knowing the secret of this emperor."
---
Meanwhile, Jin was drowning in his thoughts. His brows furrowed, lips tense with anxiety.
He had done some crazy things—things that might destroy his life and reputation. Even if he survived this hellish battle, someone might discover what he had done to that girl... and that corpse... Fern's corpse. He said he was a noble... So it wouldn't be hard to destroy me.
---
In the midst of the battle, Jin watched everything with wide, trembling eyes—terrified, drenched in cold sweat that sparkled on his forehead.
Despite performing well in the fight, fear gnawed at him from the inside.
Clark noticed. His face was expressionless. His eyes sharp like blades.
> "They were all somewhat stable... rational—even complete. Except for Jin... a rabid dog trembling."
Clark thought coldly:
> "I must use this fool. Why? Because he's a rabid dog. I must grip him by the neck to make him obey. I need to find... what terrifies him this much."
---
On the other side of the field, Alyssa was drenched in sweat, breath ragged, eyes locked on the never-ending stream of enemies.
She held the jaw of an orc trying to bite her, gritting her teeth, face tense:
> "Damn it! Their numbers won't drop... They won't back down until we kill that filthy king! The Goblin King!"
Clark heard her. A small smirk curved his lips, blood splattering his face.
> "Once that fool of a king dies, the real event begins... the true dance."
He thought slyly:
> "I'll kill two birds with one stone... unnerve Jin, crush his pride, and utterly shatter him."
---
Clark's piercing gaze swept the enemies before him—armed goblins, hulking orcs, and bomb-throwing archers in the rear.
He charged like an infernal wind. Dodged a swing from an orc aiming for his head, rolled under it, bounced up with stunning agility, and leapt onto the giant orc's staff—driving his sword into its heart in a flawless thrust.
He grabbed another and began punching it savagely—black sparks erupting from his fists.
The Black Flame skill was burning inside the orc's body, devouring its brain in terrifying silence.
This skill only activates through physical contact—Black fire generated within the enemy's body, igniting it from the inside out.
But it doesn't work easily on strong warriors—especially those whose bodies are refined by the Will of the Heavens or the Sanctity of the Light King.
---
Clark killed anyone who stood between him and Jin.
From a distance, Alyssa watched with wary eyes.
> "What's with those two? This isn't the time for personal grudges."
Clark approached, his steps light despite the blood soaking him.
He pushed his hair back—eyes half-lidded, staring at Jin.
Jin looked far worse—drenched in more blood than Clark, panting, eyes vacant, forehead drenched in sweat.
---
Clark moved closer, whispering softly, as if dropping words into Jin's heart:
> "Hehehe... so, you're afraid? Afraid of death?
There's something you don't know, Jin... something called the false truth—and the lie our minds believe.
You... which of the two do you belong to, h..."
"You curse inside… why? Isn't that right? Your heart is trembling now, because I struck your core, didn't I?"
---
He added with a cold smile, his eyes fixed on Jean:
"Maybe you killed… didn't you? Maybe… you raped? Maybe, maybe, maybe… So many possibilities."
"Me? I'll enjoy digging into what you've done. Do you hate me, Jean?"
---
Jean's face turned pale, his eyes wide open to their limits, as if his heart had burst from his chest. His breath was rapid, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Clark smiled, saying inwardly:
"Yes, it's time for the killing blow. It might be a lie… but in his current mental state, he'll believe it for sure."
He said in a voice broken with false emotion:
"I recovered my memory… Guess who ruined my life? It was you, a mangy dog like you. You were the reason for my destruction. The reason we were brought here."
"Look around, we're in a world where no one knows us. Outcasts. Are you happy?! Because of you!"
"You killed the ones I loved in our world. You killed women… everything. Maybe you blame me, or that fool who told you: come with me… but it doesn't matter."
"You are the reason. So find a solution… or fight like a madman."
"Or is your heart… afraid to die?"
---
Jean's gaze widened even more, his lips trembling, his hands shaking, and inside his eyes… there was no mind left.
Clark was smiling inwardly, enjoying it… He had just forged a new tool for killing.
---
To be continued…
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