Chapter 45: Ascendance (5)

Absolute silence engulfed Arov's soul, shrouded in the shadow of destruction.

I woke up.

I looked around and found nothing but endless darkness.

I tried to take a step, only to realize I was standing on something warm.

I looked down and saw a headless corpse.

I glanced around the area, only to be greeted by a sea of corpses as far as the eye could see.

I felt a bit nauseous, but when I noticed the missing heads of the bodies, I swallowed my vomit back down.

The heads were severed, detached from their bodies. Their faces were blank, their bodies dismembered without mercy, and their frozen blood formed strange patterns on the ground.

In the midst of this ocean of horror, a massive guillotine stood unchallenged.

Its blade, shimmering with an undefinable material, reflected a cold light from an unseen source above.

The sound of blood dripping from the blade created a monotonous rhythm, making my chest tighten as if marking the dwindling remains of time.

The surrounding darkness wasn't ordinary—it didn't just exist but moved, breathed, and whispered in a language I couldn't comprehend.

Headless shadows formed from the cracks of the darkness, dancing with disjointed but deliberate movements.

Movements impossible for the anatomy of the human body.

Each motion resembled madness, steps that felt like an ancient ritual defying every law of existence.

Music began to play, not from instruments but from the void itself.

The tune was low, reverberating, and alien, echoing in this infinite space.

Every note pierced my mind like a spear, forcing me to confront absolute solitude.

"Xue Shaoran."

Each word I uttered felt like it strangled my throat.

"I know you're here."

My gaze shifted to the massive guillotine, the source where all these troubles began.

Above.

At last, I saw the true, undistorted form of Xue Shaoran.

A red mist veiled the top of the guillotine, where a figure of a vampire in a long cloak swept the floor.

The cloak was made of satin or velvety fabric, its color predominantly dark black with a faint sheen of crimson on its surface.

The edges were adorned with intricate embroidery in a gothic motif, inscribed with mystical symbols.

Beneath the cloak, he wore a silk vest with a classic geometric design. The vest was silver, just like his long hair, and small gemstones decorated each button.

His shirt had a high collar adorned with fine, simple lace. The lace on the cuffs peeked out from beneath the vest's sleeves, adding to his aristocratic air.

His trousers were made of suede, soft yet sturdy. The cut was neat, accentuating Xue Shaoran's slender figure.

The leather boots he wore gleamed, decorated with buckles and tiny mystical engravings.

Underneath his shirt, a pendant rested against his chest. It resembled an inverted drop of blood, as if symbolizing that blood wasn't something he took lightly but something he consumed.

On his index finger, he wore a black ring engraved with a magical circle. Occasionally, flickers of purple and black light alternated on its surface.

Reflections of light danced around his figure, making him seem like the protagonist of a grand tale.

"Is it over?"

Xue Shaoran sipped blood from the glass in his hand.

"I'm quite surprised that a Stupid Monkey could grasp my sense of fashion."

Arov lowered his head slightly, offering respect.

"It is an honor for me to witness your magnificent presence."

"Ahahahahaha…"

He laughed, and I didn't know why.

"You must be wondering why I'm laughing."

Yes, he could read my thoughts. As I suspected, he wasn't an ordinary Quasi Realm.

"The artifact in the form of a talisman you possess won't block my perception. I'm just like the members of the Yggdrasil race you've encountered. We've both reached the pinnacle of the Warrior Realm and are on the verge of breaking through to a new peak."

I wasn't surprised by his words.

"I want to ask you one thing."

Xue Shaoran smiled warmly.

"Go ahead~"

"What... do you really see in me?"

Minerva and Isolde had never answered this question, as if they were hiding something.

It felt like they were maintaining a barrier between me and themselves—not just them, but the other Quasi Realms seemed to be doing the same.

Before we entered Palana Port City, I sensed several Quasi Realm auras, but it was as if they disappeared the moment their gaze fell upon me.

"What a peculiar question."

Xue Shaoran's expression hardened.

His eyes bore into mine with a mix of disdain and pity.

"For the second time, I'll say it again. Come closer."

The headless shadows that had been dancing in the background suddenly froze.

They all turned toward the guillotine, their bodies stiffened into grotesque postures that defied normal anatomy.

They pointed at the blade, as if signaling that the guillotine was the epicenter of everything—madness, fear, and chaos that now ensnared Arov.

I didn't want to, but I had a reason to move forward—to seek the truth. Now, an opportunity lay directly before me.

The light that had previously illuminated only the guillotine shifted, shining directly on Arov.

His own shadow reflected among the corpses, but something was wrong.

The shadow… was headless.

This isn't real.

That's what he thought.

Arov tried to convince himself, to suppress the strange fear creeping into his mind.

But the echoes of his thoughts twisted into piercing laughter, ringing incessantly in his head, making him dizzy.

The shadows began to approach, slowly but inevitably, dragging darkness along with them.

Each of their steps made the air heavier, as though the gravity of this world was crushing Arov under immense pressure.

He wanted to move, to run, but his feet were rooted to the ground, as if invisible tendrils were holding him in place.

When the shadows finally reached Arov, one of them raised its thin, cold hand and pointed toward the guillotine. The gesture was clear: Arov had to walk toward the execution device.

My legs stiffened, but small, hesitant steps began to guide me toward the guillotine.

Every step felt like thousands of needles piercing my feet, but some unseen force compelled me forward.

Underneath the guillotine, a shadow began to form.

But this was no ordinary shadow.

The figure slowly shaped itself into a silhouette—Arov, without a head.

The guillotine was meant for him.

And as the blade suddenly lifted with a horrifying screech that echoed through the void, the music transformed into endless screams.

The headless shadows resumed their dance, mocking Arov's fate, celebrating the collapse of his mind in this infinite darkness.

Finally, the truth revealed itself—the blade of the guillotine fell.

The figure in the shadow displayed the silhouette of Arov's severed head.

Whether it was death or a new beginning, no one knew.

Only Arov and himself understood, holding onto a fragment of truth as fleeting as a handful of water in an endless sea.

What had truly happened didn't matter—whether his past was revealed or not. What mattered was who Arov truly was.

That was what Xue Shaoran saw.

An existence destined to be deceived in a cycle that endlessly tormented him.

As if he were an anomaly, trying to break through his own limitations.

But he had a hunch. That when everything was revealed, only one answer would remain.

The destruction of everything.

Slurp~

"Haha, perhaps I should be asking myself."

Xue Shaoran looked at his calloused and scarred hands.

"Should I abandon the Path I've built at the cost of countless lives, or remain trapped in a lie forever?"

He gazed at the light source in this world, closing his eyes as if in pain.

"In the end, I'm the only one left in this vast universe..."