Chapter 34 - Substitute Sorcerer Spirit
"Why don't you just commit suicide?"
When Valcas said this, it didn't mean that he was confident of winning. On the contrary, it was a signal that he was admitting defeat.
Suicide was allowed in the deathmatch arena.
Once you commit suicide, the deathmatch would end and the chip restrictions would be reactivated. Valcas wouldn't even be able to desecrate the corpse.
As long as Ashe left himself an intact corpse, the medics could use sorcerer spirits to communicate with the virtual world and pull his soul back into his body from the virtual world's fog.
When Ashe had dodged his first Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth miracle, he had already lost. His subsequent attacks were merely desperate struggles borne of wishful thinking. Even if he could win this deathmatch, he wouldn't be able to complete his mission of completely annihilating Ashe Heath.
Compared to failing his mission, the scene before him made Valcas feel even worse.
There was nothing more aggravating than watching a genius rise before your eyes. If there was, it would be becoming the stepping stone for that genius.
Even though Valcas was already a middle-aged elf of over a hundred years old, he still felt wronged by this situation - was this a joke? There were so many unlucky people in the world, why did it have to be him?
To be honest, Valcas was already tilting. That was why he directly revealed the express answer, hoping that Ashe would quickly end this nightmare.
"Why should I commit suicide? I haven't lost yet."
"You think you have a chance at defeating me?" Valcas laughed in anger. "Oh right, centuries later, bards will be singing tales of your glorious deeds on the streets. 'Ashe Heath, who had never learned swordsmanship, faced a tactless elf swordsman in battle and miraculously emerged victorious over the latter. This marked the beginning of his unbeaten, illustrious life.'"
"Ah, merciful Sir Ashe, this lowly Valcas begs you to mention my name in your future autobiography, so that I may stink for all eternity as a clownish villain. Would you be so kind?"
"So Valcas, when will you be publishing your book?"
Ashe strenuously raised his left hand to wipe away the blood flowing down his forehead, to prevent it from sticking to his eyelashes and obscuring his vision. He still had a smile on his face.
"I just have a reason I must defeat you, that's all."
"What reason?"
"I want to ask if you were sent by Sylin Dole to kill me, and if my imprisonment was part of some greater conspiracy."
Valcas flicked his sword lightly to shake off the bloodstains and debris.
"What does that have to do with you defeating me?"
"If I don't beat you, will you answer?"
"Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn't. Moreover, even if I answered, could you discern the truth?"
"I asked someone else the same question just now," said Ashe with a deep exhale. "He came to me to resolve a doubt. I said, if I lied, could you tell? He said he really could."
"So can you?"
"No, I can't. But I figured, getting the answer from you after beating you up would lead me closer to the truth than just asking you directly."
"I haven't heard such naive reasoning since I left the orphanage."
Valcas bared his teeth, revealing a hideous side for the first time since he had entered and started fighting - he had maintained an elegant demeanor up till now.
"But if you don't commit suicide, you really might die, you know."
"Then it depends on whether your sword is faster or my sword is faster."
"To kill you before you can commit suicide? Interesting, I accept this challenge."
"Ah, that wasn't really what I meant..."
Ashe tightened his grip on the sword hilt, every muscle in his body taut.
"After all, I don't plan on retiring here. If I can't even get past a stepping stone like you, what right do I have to leave this prison?"
"Bold nonsense!"
The already shattered earth split apart once more, invisible swordsmanship traced out fierce contours amidst the debris, like a giant sword thrusting out from the ground toward Ashe!
Ashe didn't even blink, exerting all his effort to avoid the sword qi and flying rubble, constantly dragging out the battle to allow his body to absorb as much swordsmanship experience as possible!
The swordswoman's swordsmanship experience was no joke. Ashe had started off unable to even see Valcas' sword clearly. Now he could predict Valcas' sword route just from the position of his shoulders. He might not be truly proficient with the sword yet, but at least he had mastered how to dodge swords.
He wasn't simply seeking death either. He truly had faith that he could defeat Valcas.
With the enhancement of the swordswoman's swordsmanship experience, the incomprehensible mess that was Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth had begun revealing slight exploitable flaws now that Valcas couldn't go all out!
It was like the final killer math question of a college entrance exam. Ashe suddenly discovered a wondrous auxiliary line that made him feel he had a chance at conquering this difficult problem!
Given a little more time, Ashe felt he could even locate defects in the striking surface of Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth, and break through to counterattack Valcas!
Just a little more time—
Boom!
Ashe let out a muffled grunt as arcane energy stirred up a cooling sensation in his mind again, forcing his reason to suppress the intense pain shooting up from his thigh as he barely dodged this Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth!
He glanced at his thigh with the corner of his eye, then didn't dare look down again.
"Your growth speed really is praiseworthy, but it's a pity. You're tired."
Valcas couldn't keep the regret out of his tone. "You've been bleeding since the start of the match, and gone through such intense combat. You've lost too much blood, to the point your brain is suffering oxygen deprivation and your strength is fading. So you're getting slower and slower."
"Even if you can force yourself to keep fighting despite the pain, your body can't fight any longer. I carved a chunk of flesh from your thigh, on top of all the earlier blood loss. It's already beyond my expectations that you haven't gone into shock immediately."
"Do you know why I'm saying so much to you? Because the longer this drags on, the more strength you'll bleed away. Your sword can no longer be faster than mine now."
"Thank you, Ashe. I'm sorry, Ashe."
Having said this, Valcas lunged forward, swinging his sword. Fierce sword qi once again ruptured the earth—Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth!
Is this the limit of my capabilities...?
Ashe sighed inwardly.
Even before Igor had told him about Valcas, Ashe had already expected the danger of this deathmatch. After all, no grudges or enmity, why would anyone challenge him, a newbie who had only fought one deathmatch?
When a stranger suddenly makes things difficult for you at work, it's definitely because of conflicting interests.
So why did Ashe accept the deathmatch?
He could have outright rejected it even before entering the arena. No one could have insulted or looked down on him; he had that freedom.
But Ashe didn't want to back down.
Firstly, he needed an opponent to digest the swordsmanship experience shared over by the swordswoman. There was no better place for getting beat up that was both dangerous yet safe than the deathmatch arena.
Secondly, you can dodge once but not forever. Even if Ashe rejected this deathmatch, sooner or later other troubles would find him.
Most importantly, as he himself said, he was trying to break out of this prison. If he couldn't even get past a mere stepping stone like Valcas, what prison was he even breaking out of? He might as well just lie down and retire!
But life didn't have so many miracles, and even if it did, they would be someone else's miracles...
Just as Ashe was about to slit his own throat and commit suicide, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the spectator stands.
It was the swordswoman.
"If it hurts, pretend you're someone else. That way it won't hurt."
In that instant, Ashe felt like ice in his mind had melted. Arcane energy was frantically swirling about, but was firmly confined by an invisible cage, completely unable to affect reality!
Arcane energy could be sealed away, but knowledge could not be locked up. Even with their hands and feet bound, knowledge would still sprout wings and take flight.
The previously dormant substitute sorcerer spirit suddenly began jumping and dancing about in Ashe's consciousness.
Ashe barely hesitated before choosing to charge at Valcas, brandishing his longsword!
"It's over."
Seeing the 'Ashe' being swallowed up by the sword qi of Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth, Valcas couldn't help but feel a tinge of melancholy rise up. As a swordsmanship master, in his hundred-odd years of experiences, he had never seen a more gifted swordsmanship pupil than Ashe.
If it were another time, another place, another identity, Valcas felt that even if he had to be the stepping stone... it wouldn't be so bad...
There was nothing more aggravating than watching a genius rise before your eyes. And nothing more invigorating than seeing a genius rise from up close.
Pop.
Hearing a sound like a bubble popping, Valcas instantly sensed something amiss. Taking a closer look, he discovered the 'Ashe' had dissipated upon impact with the sword qi, without even leaving behind flesh or blood—
It was a substitute!
"It's over!"
Valcas tilted his head slightly, only to find that in the blind spot of his vision, the Collapse the Mountain, Split the Earth sword qi had stirred up copious amounts of dust and rubble from the ground, enough to conceal someone heavily injured charging forth!
The moment Valcas' sword fell to the ground, Ashe's sword was already buried in the former's throat.
The unsharpened sword edge passed right through his throat!
Ding ding ding!
"The victor is Ashe Heath!"