novelraw Chapter 210: Protagonist vs Protagonist (Two-in-One, Extra Chapter for Alliance Leader)
Chapter 210: Protagonist vs Protagonist (Two-in-One, Extra Chapter for Alliance Leader)
Fisher and Jasmine had just settled down. The Black before their eyes, however, wasted absolutely no words. His right hand dragged his great sword forward while simultaneously raising the flintlock in his hand, aiming at Fisher and Jasmine.
"Bang bang bang!"
Seeing Black firing his gun without regard for martial virtue, Fisher grabbed Jasmine's shoulder, dragging her backward to retreat.
The surrounding treasury walls were constantly seeping out large amounts of groundwater. Although the ground had already produced obvious cracks due to the monster drilling out from underground earlier, the water surface still quickly reached Fisher's knees. If they waited any longer, it wouldn't be surprising if the entire treasury was completely flooded.
Although Jasmine's consciousness had recovered quite a bit, her pupils still obviously had large amounts of black water streams surging. Her originally beautiful, long blue hair also hadn't reverted yet, instead maintaining an ink-like pitch-black hue.
She was still angry, except this time, the executor of revenge absolutely had to be herself.
Amidst the water current, feeling burning with anger, Jasmine twisted her body bounding toward Black. Fisher also raised his Fluid Sword, following closely behind Jasmine.
"Truly immense courage, Fisher Benavides. Come, let me see just how exactly someone favored by Elizabeth differs from the me back then?"
Electric light constantly flickered across Black's aged face. Seeing Jasmine attacking, his hands braced against the heavy sword in his hand, allowing Jasmine's attacks to entirely land upon that rust-covered iron sword. He himself also shouted loudly, pivoting with a beautiful footwork, transferring the movement that dispersed Jasmine's force into a method for his next attack on Fisher.
It was strange to say; when attacking Jasmine, the lightning on Black's body slowly extinguished, but when it came to Fisher, that lightning poured out as if his life depended on it.Fisher was bare-chested. Although his body ached incomparably because of Jasmine's action of extracting lifeforce earlier, it seemed precisely because of this pain that Fisher's body became more stimulated and agile.
Seeing the change in that lightning, Fisher's expression changed slightly. His body and the Fluid Sword split into two paths; one dodged the heavy sword, and the other attacked along the top of Black's head. But as expected, that attack was blocked down once again by Muxi's Blessing.
Observing the subtle changes in that lightning, Fisher nonetheless suddenly understood something. His gaze fell upon the peacefully sleeping face of Muxi at Black's chest.
Whether Whale-kin's Blessing or Curse, both were mobilized relying on their own emotions, just like flowing water. Even if Black had implanted Muxi's flesh and blood, he still shouldn't be able to use it.
But right now, that lightning actually automatically weakened when attacking Jasmine?
Meaning, Muxi's consciousness still existed upon Black's body?
And at this very moment, she was actually still willingly using her Blessing to shelter Black?
Fisher's movements swiftly bypassed Black and arrived beside Jasmine. Clenching her teeth, Jasmine wanted to continue advancing, but Fisher pulled Jasmine's shoulder, stopping her action,
"Jasmine, your aunt still has consciousness, otherwise her Blessing wouldn't appear upon Black's body. She is willingly sheltering Black..."
"Why?! He's just a damned demon!"
"Jasmine, calm down. Black will suffer his due punishment, but before that, we need to make Muxi give up sheltering Black, thereby rendering his protection ineffective. Leave it to me, I need your help."
Clenching her teeth, Jasmine looked at the Fisher before her, hesitating for a second before nodding.
After this round of exchanging blows, Black gazed at the flickering lightning behind him. Feeling something, he smiled, and then those eyes full of piercing light looked straight at Jasmine,
"Your aunt rarely mentioned the situation on the seabed to me. Even when I discovered her true identity, it was already a very, very long time later. If it wasn't for that letter of yours, I wouldn't have known there would be other Whale-kin coming ashore..."
"It isn't until this very moment that I discovered your aunt and you are not alike at all. Muxi was cheerful and passionate, amiable yet possessed courage, whereas you are merely a coward who only knows how to hide behind a man."
The black water streams within Jasmine's eyes began surging anew. She angrily pointed at Black, roaring furiously,
"Shut up!"
Fisher's gaze shifted slightly. Just before Jasmine was about to attack, he had stepped ahead and dashed toward Black. Passing through this period of adjustment, the coordination between the Fluid Sword and Fisher had become extremely harmonious. That weapon from the ocean was manipulated with ease by him as if it were an extra hand belonging to Fisher.
"Do you feel you possess the qualifications to mention her aunt in front of Jasmine?"
The Fluid Sword was struck by the great sword, but in the ensuing moment, it transformed into a ring-shaped circle securely gripping Black's great sword. His great sword was a relic, but apart from decreasing the weight of the great sword, it had no other specific efficacy. Just as Fisher manipulated the Fluid Sword to control his weapon, he felt the weight of this weapon was very light.
"I'm not qualified?"
Upon Brian's aged face, within his two eyes resembling profound caves, fury was ignited by this single sentence,
"I'm not qualified? I dedicated my entire life to Muxi! My everything, my feelings were completely and selflessly gifted to her! I could discard all worldly power. The Pioneering Company repeatedly invited me to enter the board of directors for decision-making. I originally possessed countless opportunities to command countless human vessels to explore further places. Rather than like when I was young, relying on hot blood and a wooden ship whose engine always liked to stall, sailing amidst unknown dangers!"
"For Muxi, I was willing to live incognito in Saint-Nazareth. I was willing to be unknown to the public lacking social interaction, fearful and worried of her being discovered. As long as she could be happy, wherever she wanted to go, whatever she wanted, I would satisfy her! I could even refuse a piece of invitation paper from the princess for her!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. Ferociously applying force to the great sword in his hand, he broke free from Fisher's Fluid Sword. Carrying a chest full of fury, he raised his sword and hacked toward Fisher,
"What do you know? Do you think standing here sprouting a few high-sounding big words can prove how noble you are? Fisher Benavides, you, like me, are capable of being together with Demi-humans without fearing worldly gazes. You, like the young me, equally love lives that are not human..."
"But have you ever really thought about just what exactly is the difference between humans and other races?"
"Have you ever experienced exactly how much Muxi wanted a child? Have you ever gazed at her eyes going from disappointment to calmness time and time again?"
"Have you ever endured society's mockery? Do you possess the courage to resist all of human society because you sheltered her?"
The bolder Black swung his blade, the more streaks of Muxi's thunder transmitted upward along the water streams, striking Fisher's body until it was numb and agonizing, yet Fisher still deadly watched the hysterical Black before him.
Examining his own conscience, what if the young Fisher had met a beautiful Demi-human without the Demi-Human Completion Handbook?
They would be incapable of bearing offspring for a lifetime because of their Life Ranks. They would be forced to live incognito due to lifespan and outward appearance.
Examining his own conscience, what if no other human, including pioneers like Black, could accept Demi-humans?
Would he possess the same courage as Black to devote his entire life to a Demi-human woman?
Fisher was greedy and loved ladies; even the young him couldn't possibly be as loyal as Black. Those streaks of lightning continuously leaning down along with Black's emotional venting felt as if it wasn't pain, but rather washing and questioning Fisher's soul.
Black gave a fierce shout but didn't hack again, because the nearby Jasmine had already fiercely smashed a punch onto Black's face. He ate this punch without evading in the slightest, yet his body remained motionless, merely pausing in place panting,
"Fisher Benavides, when the years slip away, when time ages you, when you are too old to walk properly, when you are so old your memories blur, yet the person you adore remains youthful and beautiful, and still has a long road to walk, what kind of feeling is that?"
He silently stretched out his hand, looking at those robust muscles. The lifeforce within belonging to him was already very sparse; only Muxi's lifeforce was left supporting his advance,
"I convinced myself to peacefully accept death, but every day I was in extreme pain, especially when Muxi was by my side. Every time she looked at me with her still-youthful face, I didn't dare raise my withered hand to caress her. She still had dozens of years left, whereas I had already reached the end of my life."
"I additionally remember deeply, when she lowered her head to look at dying me, her gaze was simply like that higher-ranking life mocking my incompetence!"
Slightly raising his head, Fisher fixedly looked at Black before him, and that still peaceful, motionless Muxi,
"So, you killed her just like this? Desecrating her beauty into the current twisted and terrifying appearance?"
"I always remember her most beautiful appearance! Her visage, I remember every inch of her skin!"
"But are you still the appearance within her memory?! Are you still the Black Vassili she once deeply loved?"
Fisher fiercely raised the Fluid Sword in his hand. That mercury-like sword blade reflected Black's current appearance. That deformed, terrifying humanoid creature was completely reflected exactly like this before the eyes of that slumbering Muxi,
"Muxi! Do you still not understand? He has already stepped into madness, transforming into a monster without a bottom line!"
Perhaps that hideous appearance was something even Black couldn't accept anymore; one saw his aged face fiercely become ferocious. He raised the great sword in his hand aiming at the Fisher before his eyes. But the instant before he was about to hack outward, Jasmine gritted her teeth and pinned down his arm. Exploiting this instant he was unable to move, the lightning behind Black became extremely turbid.
And Fisher also fiercely seized this timing. The Fluid Sword in his hand rapidly transformed into a spiral weapon akin to a drill. He would use the most violent offense to attack a single point; only like this was there a possibility of breaking through the Blessing sheltering Black's body!
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
That Fluid Sword rotated at high speeds, piercing toward Black's neck. Amidst his shocked gaze, ear-piercing sparks erupted between the blue watermark shield before his eyes and the Fluid Sword.
"Ahhhhh!"
Raising the Fluid Sword with both hands, Fisher continued advancing. Black also didn't sit back and await his doom. His right hand was deadly pinned by Jasmine, yet his left hand fiercely slapped toward Fisher's lower abdomen. However, gritting his teeth, Fisher forcefully ate this strike, watching helplessly as Black roared in pain, piercing those giant fingers into Fisher's lower abdomen.
Fresh blood and a feeling of compression constantly transmitted along his muscles, but Fisher no longer cared.
His legs pushed backward, forcefully pressing the fluid drill to advance.
"Crack!"
In the very next second, the protective shield in front of Black's throat was suddenly pierced open by Fisher's attack with a tiny crack. A crisp shattering sound resembling glass rang out. The tip of the Fluid Sword had already touched Black's muscles, but it simply couldn't pierce any further. Drops of fresh blood spread downwards along the drill of the Fluid Sword; Fisher already had no surplus strength left.
Black's palm penetrated Fisher's skin. Drops of fresh blood trickled down along Fisher's trousers. His vision drifted, yet the Demi-Human Completion Handbook at his chest began to turn blistering hot.
"Buzz buzz..."
Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes. Yet in the next second, wisps of cool sea breeze transmitted from his surroundings. His world spun around in this instant, as if time stagnated, and the flow of time produced a change.
"There seems to be a Demi-human Race ahead! Goodness, it's actually a half-human, half-horse Demi-human!"
Unknown voices continuously transmitted over. By the time Fisher opened his eyes anew, he was already viewing from someone's perspective.
At this moment he was standing by a broad seabed. Beneath the distinctive giant trees and the vibrant birds singing and flowers giving forth fragrance by the shore, a half-human, half-horse Demi-human looked toward "his" direction panic-stricken.
This is the Southern Continent?
And beside "him", there were two extremely excited sailors who were raising flintlocks aiming at that Centaur looking toward this side panic-stricken,
"Goodness, this truly is a major discovery. Let's make him into a specimen and bring him back!"
"Hurry! Hurry, he's about to leave!"
"He" had just prepared to stretch out a hand to stop them, but behind those two people, a large hand stepped ahead of "him" to cover that flintlock. The instant the flintlock fired, he fiercely pushed that flintlock away, causing that sailor to miss.
That Centaur was frightened by the unfamiliar gunshot sound and ran away anxiously, while those two sailors also looked panic-stricken at the person beside them who stopped their action.
Looking from this perspective, beside those two sailors stood a handsome Naris man wearing an untidy white shirt and a black captain's hat.
He possessed a head of slightly curly blond hair. Mighty and powerful arms tightly gripped that sailor who fired the gun. Subsequently, he waited a second or two before lowering the gun in his hand with an unfriendly expression.
"Captain Black..."
"Mr. Captain..."
"We came here to record new navigation routes and new discoveries, not to be butchers. Having the accompanying scholars document these kinds of Demi-humans and bring that back is enough for you guys to make a fortune; there's no need to kill him... Alright, follow me to see what exactly is on the new continent. Also..."
That young Black turned his head to look at "himself", gently reaching out to toss the flintlock at his waist over,
"You being a lady, should still take a tool for self-defense, lest some accident occurs."
"...Thank you, Black."
"It's nothing worth thanking for; also, call me Captain."
Fisher abruptly realized he was currently experiencing Muxi's perspective!
But with the situation being urgent right now, who had the time to watch Muxi's story? He somewhat wanted to return to the battle in reality, yet that perspective fundamentally didn't listen to his commands, changing continuously.
Here, from Muxi's perspective, he completely viewed her and Black's story.
From the start of pioneering the Southern Continent, they steered the sailing ship to travel via different navigation routes. Throughout this process, Black had always been a qualified captain.
He was amiable yet carried unquestionable majesty. He took the lead; he loved life, willing to share the ship's scarce fruits with the other crew members to eat, while his own gums bled and his complexion paled due to the lack of fruit supplements.
Muxi was protected very well by him, never having suffered any injuries, thus she had never exposed she was a Whale-kin.
During such a long journey, they developed mutual affection. Muxi was moved by his courage and decisiveness, resolving to stay ashore to adventure with Black.
The perspective shifted once again, swiftly letting Fisher see a pitch-black territory enveloped by dark clouds. From Muxi's perspective, she and a group of crewmates were retreating outward.
This was the Stormsea.
"Rumble rumble!"
"The Stormsea is expanding! If this continues, none of us will be able to leave! Muxi, you take the crew and leave first!"
When Muxi had just turned her head back, she saw Black, who brought up the rear, abruptly having his body suppressed by countless pitch-black dark clouds, attempting to drag him back.
Seeing all the crewmates wanting to come back and save him, he shook his head and roared at the crewmates, telling them to decisively abandon him.
Under these circumstances, after sending the crew back, Muxi chose to go alone to rescue Black. It was also at this time that she exposed her identity as a Whale-kin in front of Black for the first time.
Originally, she thought he would be exactly like other humans, feeling disgusted toward unknown Demi-human creatures, but Black was not like that. He was merely somewhat surprised, and then looking at the whale tail behind Muxi, he smiled,"
"I should have guessed it long ago. Since you started eating three times the amount of other crewmates for a single meal, I knew there was something wrong with you."
"Huh? So you have an objection?"
"How could that be? Rather I should say, I'm quite happy... Say, could you quickly bring me out?"
Black was as bright as a sun.
He was selfless, passionate and kind, possessing all the most beautiful qualities of humanity. After countless adventures, he and Muxi finally decided to return to Black's hometown to get married, deciding to settle down and live and work in peace and contentment there.
Although Muxi could only conceal her identity in human society, and she would occasionally get jealous of Black's romantic luck, Black truly did very well.
He refused the king's request of an arranged marriage, refused all women who tried to hook up with him, and in a hidden church, gifted the ring symbolizing their oath to her, fulfilling the heroic undertaking of marrying a Demi-human, and making their marriage vows there.
The first time humans and Whale-kin came into such deep contact, those years were Muxi's happiest, most beautiful times.
But as time marched on, everything was changing.
Black also gradually turned from a handsome youth to an old man who couldn't walk properly. Although Muxi's visage wouldn't change, in her eyes, he was still the handsome captain with an indomitable spirit from before.
He cared for Muxi with meticulous attention to detail, keeping her as happy as she was in the past years...
In order to help extend Black's lifespan, Muxi established the Healing House, attempting to have other human scholars research methods to treat humans. But evidently, in the end, they gained nothing.
Even using however much healing magic, even applying however much medicine, it was to no avail. The over-a-hundred-year-old Black had reached the end of his life; his lifespan was already the limit for humanity.
Only on such an oppressive, predetermined-ending path, Black, feeling hopeless toward life, seemed to suddenly become crazy. He was crazy enough to want to use other lives to extend his own lifespan, crazy enough to want to use other lives to complete wicked experiments...
Muxi couldn't help but question herself,
Was this truly the true nature of the person she had worshipped for so many years?
Could time truly easily destroy a human's strongest will?
Even if he was Captain Black, someone who was once so dazzling...
Fisher's perspective rapidly rewound. All of this, everything Muxi had seen, was seemingly compressed into a single second. But by the time he regained his senses, Black had already sent him and Jasmine flying backward, while that blue watermark shield also condensed anew.
Water currents constantly splashed in midair. From Fisher's perspective, absolutely everything seemingly slowed down in this instant. The blood from his lower abdomen continuously surged out, blossoming like a flower as it collided with the surrounding water currents.
His eyes shifted slightly, yet seemingly saw the complex faces of countless biological creatures through those droplets of water, as if the bizarre sight of countless faces mingling with lives akin to a gust of cold air darted into Fisher's mind.
That was, the gaze of the God of a Hundred Faces!
In this moment, Fisher finally knew why Ramastia wanted to gift the Fluid Sword to himself via Reinar. He was actually able to see Muxi's past experiences through the Fluid Sword...
In the next second, he fiercely adjusted his body, landing onto the ground.
"Haha..."
Fresh blood continuously trickled down Black's neck; evidently, he had been wounded by the Fluid Sword earlier. Muxi's blood flowed down along that Fluid Sword.
Fisher's arms and lower abdomen also sustained multiple injuries, yet he still pinched the Fluid Sword in his hand.
"Fisher, I'll help you..."
Seeing Fisher's extremely pale complexion, the nearby Jasmine hastily came over preparing to help heal Fisher. But the life energy within her body wasn't much either; if she wanted to heal him, she could only use her own lifeforce. Therefore, Fisher shook his head and rejected her.
"Jasmine, help me support the sword..."
Looking at Fisher's folded-back right hand, Jasmine hesitated for a second before reaching out to grip that Fluid Sword as well. Enduring the pain, Fisher latched onto Jasmine's hand.
"Black, you are too old, so you've remembered many things wrong..."
Fisher and Jasmine gripped that Fluid Sword with both hands. Panting, Muxi's memories flowed within his mind as he simultaneously looked at Black clutching his body before him.
"You dedicated your life to Muxi, so you take it as it should be, feeling that at the end of your life she ought to pay something... but you haven't forgotten, have you? The oath made within the church back then to love and protect the other party for a lifetime was an oath you two made together!"
"You only remember how she looked at you, misinterpreting her glance as mocking and despising how short your life was, yet you don't remember how she looked at you when she awoke while being lifted onto the operating table by you."
"She didn't resist, watching helplessly as you sliced the blade into her body to seize her flesh and blood, letting you use this twisted method to extend your own life! You reneged on the oath before death, yet she upheld the marriage promise until the final moment, loving you until the final moment!"
Black's pupils constricted slightly. Had he not seen the look in Muxi's eyes when lying on that operating table looking at him back then? Then why did he use a cloak to conceal the ugly and twisted traits upon his body?
He always knew, always remembered, it was merely that all people like to evade. In this respect, what qualifications did he have to accuse Jasmine?
"Shut up!"
The lightning behind him brightened to the extreme, as if enraged by Fisher's simple sentence. Disregarding the wounds on his own body, he charged furiously towards Fisher and Jasmine.
Fisher cast a glance at Jasmine, and subsequently sucked in a deep breath as well. That airflow entered his body as if possessed with shape, awakening the potential within Fisher's body anew,
"You are right, Black. The me, Fisher Benavides, truly cannot compare to the young you. But if it were the young you, seeing your current ugly and terrifying appearance would also spit on you and kill you!"
"Shut up! Benavides!"
Now is the time!
Fisher and Jasmine tightly gripped the Fluid Sword. When Black arrived before them, their eyes narrowed slightly, seizing the timing to abruptly wield the sword blade in their hands, hacking toward his neck.
That action was clearly not fast, but in Black's peripheral vision, within the reflection of that mercury-like Fluid Sword, he vaguely saw a young gentleman wearing a captain's hat looking at himself with a face full of fury.
His own gaze was invariably filled with disgusted resentment, as if disdaining such an ugly self.
At this moment, Fisher and Jasmine seemingly transformed into the version of himself and Muxi from decades ago. Their figures perfectly overlapped, making the actions exactly as he envisioned.
Looking at the two people before his eyes whose figures overlapped with the past, Black actually lost his focus in that moment. His movements also paused slightly, missing the best time for a counterattack.
Oh no!
By the time Black reacted, that youthful "Black and Muxi" had already grasped the blade in their hands securely bracing against his neck. Amidst a violent clashing akin to metal, his neck strangely suddenly felt a chill.
"Buzz!"
That sharp blade represented the most resilient will of Fisher and Jasmine at this very moment, easily crushing the will of the current him and Muxi.
One saw that Fluid Sword extend forcefully all the way up Black's great sword, mingled with the violent sounds of friction sparks, sinking straight into that water-like protective shield.
"Crack!"
Jasmine and Fisher exerted force simultaneously. Unable to resist any longer, that protective shield shattered apart. That Fluid Sword instantly thoroughly penetrated Black's neck, neatly sending his head flying backward without being stained by a speck of blood.
"I..."
Black's eyes were full of astonishment. In midair, his head continuously spun, not until his own still standing body and the giant whale tail appeared within his line of sight, did he seemingly become clear-headed as if gaining liberation.
Boundless darkness and deathly stillness constantly surged over his vision, but he felt no fear, just like when facing the vast ocean when he was young.
He was merely confused; he had clearly maintained his love for Muxi unto this day, why did he become crazy to this extent?
"Muxi..."
Following this weak, repentant murmur, his head landed into the water without obstruction. It was as if the illusory sound of a chain snapping transmitted into his impending mortal consciousness.
The First Pioneer, perished here.