[Vol. 5] Chapter 153: The World After Death
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had drastically changed.
Beneath his feet lay a vast field of crimson flowers, blooming as if stained by blood. The sea of flowers surrounded a winding river, misty and foggy, flowing into the distance and disappearing into the haze.
Under a sky devoid of sun or moon, the world was dim, bathed in a soft light resembling dusk, spreading a sense of gloom and sorrow throughout every corner.
“Where is this…”
The figure known as ?Dead Soul? fell into deep thought.
Earlier… he should have been on the snowy peaks of the St. Bergen Mountains, battling that ancient and powerful entity known as the ?Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden?.
Just one move, that’s all he had to withstand.
But in the instant he drew his sword, the sudden ringing of the silver bell and a soft lody seed to choke him, as if an iron grip had seized his throat. He couldn’t even breathe, his mind blank. By the ti he regained consciousness, he had already ended up here.
To be honest, he couldn’t fully comprehend his current situation.
If he had successfully withstood her one move, no matter what, he should still be on the snowy peak. Even if he failed, death extinguishes the fla of life—how could he still be thinking like this?
Instinctively, ?Dead Soul? glanced at the thumb on his left hand.
There, he should have been wearing his family’s heirloom treasure, the ?Immortal Jade Ring?. This sacred artifact, usable only by his bloodline, could unlock the full potential of the immortal power within, allowing its wearer to recover from injuries.
When pushed to its limit, even if the wearer dies from external forces, the power contained in the ?Immortal Jade Ring? could restore the body, granting a second life.
This was why he had the confidence to withstand the ?Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden?’s single move.
After all, no matter how powerful the enemy or how overwhelming the attack, the worst outco would be death. Although the ?Immortal Jade Ring? wasn’t omnipotent and Mr. Dead Soul couldn’t fully unleash its potential, there wasn’t any deep-seated hatred between them. Surely, Miss Dawn wouldn’t crush him to dust, right?
But now, it seed the result had entirely exceeded his expectations.
The jade ring, his family’s heirloom, was no longer on his left thumb. In fact, his entire “hand” appeared to be sowhat translucent and ethereal, as though it was made of mist, ready to dissipate at any mont.
“So, what is this place, and what exactly is my situation right now…?”
“Brother, you’re already dead, just like .”
“Whoa!”
The sudden voice startled the swordsman out of his thoughts. Almost instinctively, he reached for his sword to strike, but when his hand touched his waist, he realized it was empty. There were no weapons for him to use.
“Hey… there’s no need to get so worked up. We’re all dead here. No matter how strong you were in life, it’s useless now. You might as well stay calm and wait to be guided.”
The voice spoke again, this ti with a hint of exasperation. Mr. Dead Soul finally snapped out of his shock and, though still filled with confusion, managed to steady himself and look around.
In front of him stood a figure that was also sowhat ethereal. From the figure’s outline and facial features, it appeared to be a young man clad in snow-white armor. The key detail, however, was the armor’s familiar style. ?Dead Soul? had seen far too much of it recently.
“Are you… a Holy Knight from the Church of the Goddess of Light?”
The young man seed about to say sothing, but when Mr. Dead Soul spoke first, he blinked in surprise.
“Oh!? I didn’t expect that, brother! You’re from the sa place as , and you even recognize the Holy Knights?”
After coughing lightly, the young man—who seed to be a Holy Knight from the Holy Empire—placed a hand on his chest and offered a standard greeting used by the followers of the goddess. He then continued, eagerly introducing himself.
“Praise the Goddess. My na is Bowen Bernard. In life, I served at the Church in Sacred Star City, in the Savo Province of the Holy Empire. How should I address you, brother?”
“Ah… oh, just call ?Dead Soul?…”
“?Dead Soul??”
The young knight who introduced himself as Bowen was montarily taken aback, and his voice turned noticeably odd.
Even though his face was already sowhat obscured by his helt, making his features unclear, the swordsman could still sense that Bowen was likely frowning.
“Brother, I understand it’s hard to accept that you’re dead, but even so, there’s no need to call yourself sothing strange like that, right? The teachings say that a na is chosen by our parents, witnessed by the Goddess, and is an essential part of who we are, bestowed by the world. It shouldn’t be changed lightly. So, I suggest you…”
The swordsman hurriedly waved his hand, feeling a mix of amusent and helplessness as he explained.
“No, no, no… you’ve misunderstood. My na really is ?Dead Soul?. Due to certain circumstances, it’s basically my real na. I’m not giving up on life or anything like that. Honestly, I still have no idea where this place is…”
Stare…
Bowen Bernard gave ?Dead Soul? a long look, as if questioning, “Are you sure?” Though ?Dead Soul? felt a bit awkward under that gaze, he could only spread his hands in resignation, showing he was being truthful.
Seeing that his expression wasn’t joking, Bowen still seed sowhat doubtful but decided not to press the issue.
Instead, he raised his hand and pointed toward the misty river flowing in the distance beyond the sea of crimson flowers, then gently explained like a ntor or soone who had already been through it all.
“Alright, alright, you see that river over there? It’s called the ?Sanzu River?, also known as the River of the Dead. It’s the final destination for the souls of the deceased. There, souls from all over the world are cleansed of their impurities and pasts, turning into pure ?Void?, and rejoining the cycle of the universe.”
“The Sanzu…? Wait, does that an I’m really dead!?”
Startled by the delayed realization, Bowen sighed deeply, placing his hand on his forehead in exasperation.
“Brother, were you hit on the head before you died? Are you even listening to what I’m saying? This is the River of the Dead, do you understand? The River of the Dead only exists in the underworld! If you were still alive, how could you have ended up here?”
“Ahaha…”
The swordsman awkwardly laughed, but then his soul seed to fully grasp the situation, and he sighed softly.
“Sorry, I just didn’t expect that after dying… I’d still be able to, well, think like this. It’s taking a mont to sink in. So, I really couldn’t block that attack after all… just one move… I should have known. The ?Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden? truly lives up to her na. My master’s warning was spot on, and once again, I overestimated myself…”
Sensing the faint sadness and resignation in the swordsman’s words, Bowen, the knight, gradually softened his previously irritated expression and nodded with a sigh.
“Seems like you’ve got your own story too, brother. Well, there’s not much else to say. eting here after death is sothing like fate, a sign of the Goddess’ guidance.”
“Let’s just chat for a bit and wait. The ?Ferryman? should be here soon.”
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