Simulated Lives: The Sorrow of the Sword Maiden

Chapter 64 – Now I lack nothing

"Good morning, Krisa."

"Good night, Krisa."

"Good morning, Mentor."

"Good night, Mentor."

Daily morning greetings, nightly farewells.

Silently, time slips away in these simple exchanges.

A day, a month, a year.

While experiencing it, time feels so slow, yet looking back, decades seem to pass in an instant.

In an instant, the witch grew up.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Xi grew old.

At fifty-two, he hadn't truly reached the end of his life, but Xu Xi could already feel the decline and withering deep within him.

"Fortunately, there are still things to be happy about."

"After so many years of waiting, I've finally reached the limit once more, with the possibility of advancing further."

The realm of the Saint Domain Archmage was within reach.

To break through and advance.

Xu Xi halted his travels around the world.

He and Krisa stayed in the nearest city, continuously meditating to nurture their mental strength, striving to be in the best state for the breakthrough.

The city was called Laush.

It had a strong religious atmosphere, with many citizens being followers of the deities, and churches dedicated to the deities were everywhere, with divine emblems engraved all around.

Such as the Sun God's great sun emblem, the God of Blacksmiths' hammer motif, and the Goddess of Nature's vine patterns.

The most magnificent spectacle was a grand statue dedicated to the God of Light, embodying the craftsmen's dedication and the prayers of the faithful, standing in a sacred pose upon the earth.

"Praise the God of Light, praise the Lord of endless radiance."

"Great Lord, your humble followers pray for your protection."

"May the eternal light accompany me into my dreams."

"Oh, light above, the holy light shines upon me!"

The voices were devout, the attitudes humble, as mortals knelt before the statue, offering hymns to the God of Light with the most fervent posture they could imagine.

Xu Xi first observed the many praying believers.

Then he looked up at the sky.

In his view, the city of Laush was continuously producing golden threads of faith, endlessly reaching up to the heavens, converging where the deities resided.

But, compared to that devout faith, the presence of the deities was extremely sparse.

This indicated.

Despite the many believers in Laush, they had not gained the attention of the deities.

"Mentor, why do they do this?" asked the witch beside Xu Xi, puzzled.

"Krisa, some people can't survive on their own."

"They need a goal, a faith, to give their hearts a sense of security. Only then can their godless bodies move forward."

"This isn't about right or wrong, just different ways of living for different people."

Xu Xi said, his voice slightly deepened with age, carrying the marks of time and reflections on the world.

The witch felt she understood.

Because she was such a person too.

But, unlike those unfortunate believers who received no response, Krisa felt she was lucky, favored by fate.

Now, she stood beside Xu Xi, within the range of the "sun's" radiance.

Able to experience that precious light and warmth.

Filling her body and mind with warmth.

"Let's go, Krisa. We have much to prepare before advancing to the Saint Domain."

"Yes, Mentor."

Krisa quickly followed, her dark long skirt swaying with her steps, in the interplay of light and fire, in the symphony of wind and air, the witch closely followed her "deity."

...

[You decide to seclude yourself in Laush City for the breakthrough]

[This city is remote, insignificant in the eyes of the deities, you believe that breaking through here will cause less disturbance]

[The breakthrough to Saint Domain Archmage is an essential ascension, a grasp of the world's authority, within a specific range, you will possess unimaginable elemental control, second only to the deities]

[You hold 1000% vigilance towards the deities, believing they have more means beyond suppressing laws]

[Therefore, before officially advancing to Saint Domain Archmage, you have set up many contingencies]

"Hmm, let me see."

"Large-scale linked concealment magic generator."

"With the Shadow Orb as the core, paired with the water attribute siren skull, this temporary concealment array is complete."

"Plus the pre-conceived breath-hiding curse, to be used immediately after the breakthrough, should buy some more time."

"Besides these to conceal elemental fluctuations, I've also left some contingencies in other cities, which can create some disturbances to distract the deities."

Three days later.

On the outskirts of Laush City.

Xu Xi stood in the boundless wilderness, eyes closed in contemplation, recalling if there were any omissions in his arrangements.

Krisa stood not far away, holding the "Grey Rekindle" magic wand, expressionless, standing guard for Xu Xi, alert to anything that might interrupt the breakthrough.

"......"

Soon, as Xu Xi exhaled a deep breath.

The advancement to Saint Domain Archmage officially began.

The wind rose, clouds surged, the earth shook, fire roared.

Water surged, light intensified, darkness loomed, thunder rumbled.

Xu Xi controlled too many elemental attributes, naturally, the domain he condensed was also multi-composite.

"Gather!", the surging mental power solidified, following the wave of the magic wand, transforming into a sweeping tidal wave, instantly engulfing the myriad elements between heaven and earth.

Forcibly aggregating, forcibly piecing together, with an absolutely violent stance, smashing the different elemental attributes into one place.

"Again!"

Another mental wave bombardment.

Xu Xi's eyes glowed, his aura exploded, mental power overflowed and influenced reality, amidst the continuous buzzing of the air, mental power forcefully controlled over ten elements.

Compressing, condensing, finally exploding at an extremely small point.

Instantly expanding into a vast domain.

"Now, I lack nothing," surrounded by the power of more than ten elements, Xu Xi gently raised his hand, and the changes in the world caused by the domain instantly calmed.

With just a thought.

The vast ocean-like mental power restored the agitated elements to their original state.

"This is the power of a Saint Domain Archmage, second only to the deities," Xu Xi marveled at the strength of his new power, but he didn't experiment much, instead quickly taking Krisa away from Laush.

At the same time, the many arrangements previously prepared also unfolded in a brief moment.

Chaos.

Noise.

Terror.

Disturbances appeared throughout the Magic World, countless believers pleaded for the deities' protection, and many faiths were interrupted as a result.

The great powers from the heavens descended.

Not one, not two, but all the deities arrived.

Invisible wills collided in the high sky, quickly sweeping around Laush City, but after lingering for a long time, they failed to capture anything.

On the ground.

The citizens of Laush knelt devoutly, believing their day and night prayers had drawn the deities' favor.

They called out to the deities.

Praying for the deities' blessings.

But what responded to them was endless thunder, terrifying in momentum, almost world-ending.

That was the wrath of the deities.

"Find him, we must find him!"

"This world will not allow any new god to divide our authority!"