Dancing on the golden ashes

Chapter 227 227: I know that person…

The rage consumed me. I felt the hot blood pump through my veins; each rotation brought more and more strength to me. My scythe screamed with power as it began to radiate immense darkness, so potent that it absorbed all the light as it traveled with me through the air.

I was fast, but for some reason, no matter how much energy I wielded, no matter how much closer I got to the creator, he was still the same distance away. Just what the hell was happening? I decided to attack from afar then if close range did not work.

A massive black hole formed at the center of my scythe, hungrily devouring everything around it before I hurled it toward the person I despised most. I wanted him to disappear, to stop existing entirely, to become a silent testament in this universe that I, Lee Gaon, was the strongest, that I would seize my own fate and break this system. I didn't even want to use the system skills against him; it was purely soul energy supporting me, the stage I had reached after many years, and the memorial of all those who fell by his hands in the past.

But no matter what, the black hole could never reach him. It traveled far and wide before vanishing into thin air. All I could see was the extended hand of the man I despised so much; something was swirling in his palm. It was dark and resembled stars, like the universe itself. Then he pointed at his eyes, grabbing my attention, and the moment I looked into his gaze, my body started shaking. I wanted to fight that sensation; I rushed at him again—I had to stop him, whatever he was trying to do.

Those eyes, dark as the cosmos, gave me the feeling as if I was being pulled into them, as if the boundless universe had wrapped me in a warm embrace, and I felt the world around me turn dark. To be frank, I was used to darkness. I could see well in it as if it were daytime, but right now, everything was truly black, something I hadn't experienced for many years now…

When was the last time I feared the darkness? I think I was around five or six years old, sleeping in my bed, believing I had a friend beneath it that scared me every single day. Eventually, I grew up, and childish fears went away, but something had stirred them back just now. I knew it was just an illusion—or was it?—but the dread remained, halting my movements completely.

"Gaon, what are you doing? Run!" I could hear the eerie voice inside me scream, yet I could not move. What was going on?

"Fuck! You're so useless sometimes… I'll do it myself." The same voice echoed in my mind, and the blank state I was experiencing was replaced by a thundering boom. I felt my body rush through the air at lightning speed. The immense pain that stretched from my toes to my face made me understand that I had been hit by something hard and wide—but what was it?

BOOM!

The sound of rocks and dirt meeting my back entered my ears. Yet, it was not as painful as I had anticipated. Still, why couldn't I move? Was I reckless? Did he strike me so hard that I lost all senses? That could have happened. Where is he?

My eyes opened with difficulty, as if I was lifting heavy castle gates alone. Everything was red. I think I'm bleeding a little… The crimson color was all I could perceive. I felt weak at that moment, like a deer on its last breath, caught in the jaws of a wolf. I knew my life would end soon, but there was hope, wasn't there? Usually, there isn't—that's the harsh reality all of us need to come to understand. But why not struggle a little more? Perhaps my strength could overcome this; perhaps I could live to see another ray of sunlight hit my eyes, something I used to hate so much.

"Your life force is leaving you. Fuck, I don't know if I can save this…" I could hear the eerie voice again. I wondered what it was talking about. Who does it want to save? Me? But do I need saving? I'm fine, see? I looked at my own hand, but I could not find it. Huh? Where did it go?

This whole situation felt so hilarious to me that I started laughing uncontrollably—at least on the inside. Outside, I wasn't even sure if I was breathing anymore. The lungs that were responsible for producing air were not working, not at all—can you imagine? Haha, wait… who am I even speaking to? I think I'm going nuts, hahaha… this is the end. Fuck… How could the gap be so big between us? I couldn't even hit him once; before I could reach him, I was already defeated, hahaha! This is hilarious. I think I went crazy at that moment…

"He's coming. I need to act fast. Fuck, what do I do? We'll die. No, no, fuck—this useless thing lost her reason before I could infuse her with power. Shit, the same mistake again, like in the last life, fuck!"

Last life? Whose last life? I couldn't understand anything it was saying. I think I'm hearing things now.

"Not again, this time, I-I… I'm afraid to die for real… but… I think I must…" Sadness washed over me. I could feel the most sorrowful emotion hit me like a tidal wave. A vision of the person standing above the world once again appeared in my mind. It was the same woman; this time, I could see her clearly. She somehow appeared very familiar to me, as if I'd seen this person somewhere before. The black hair, black eyes, all of that seemed so familiar—that pale face, overly slim body—yeah, I knew this person. My heart almost stopped as I came to the realization—