Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 398: Why do you want to become stronger?

"Main Quest: Save Nymeria’s life.

Deadline: 24 days, 15 hours, 16 minutes."

Since I had entered this dark dimension, the deadline time had slowed down tremendously. This meant that once I finished this training, I would return around the same time I had entered here.

Due to the unchanging environment here with no day or night, it was difficult to analyze how much time I had spent here. But judging by the deadline timer, where one minute decreased after about a day here, a total of 120 minutes had dropped by now, meaning I had been here for four months.

For this entire time, I had been sparring against Aruma using Sword Aura. I shouldn’t even call it sparring since I couldn’t exchange more than ten moves against him.

For the past four months, I had been killed by Aruma and revived by Hana again and again. I lost count after dying five thousand times.

Each time I died, I felt my soul being ripped apart and pulled out of my body. After reviving, I would lose a part of my inner self. Fear, excitement, sadness, happiness, anger, and love. Slowly but surely, I had been losing all of them. My eyes had lost the life within them, and I was turning into an empty husk, a machine without emotions, designed with the sole purpose of killing.

However, I did earn a benefit from these deaths.

My Unshakable Mind skill had reached its maximum level.

"You know you can stop here," Hana said, joining my torso and lower body together, which had been cut in half in the last spar. "If you continue like this, you will lose everything."

"I cannot stop," I said, grabbing my sword and rising to a standing position.

Because of multiple vital injuries, Hana’s spells did heal my body, but after some time, scars began to remain on my skin. Across my forehead, a horizontal mark had been engraved, an X on my left cheek, and a vertical slit running from my lower lip to my chin.

Similar marks were engraved over my forearms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen.

"Let’s continue," I said, unleashing my Sword Aura.

Aruma, who was standing before me with his arms folded, stared at me with an unreadable expression.

After a brief pause, he asked, "Why do you fight?"

"To become stronger."

"Why do you want to become stronger?"

"Why do I want to become stronger?" I murmured inwardly. This was a question I found hard to answer. If he had asked me before, my answer would have been instant. To get revenge.

But now the reason felt hollow to me. My hatred toward the Emperor had vanished. Forget hatred. I felt nothing.

Aruma let out a sigh upon seeing me remain silent and said, "Let’s have a talk."

The request seemed strange. Nevertheless, I obliged and sheathed my sword.

---

"You might not believe it, but during my prime I was revered as the Battle God," Aruma began the conversation as the two of us sat on the floor side by side. "I was the only being of my era who earned the title of God without even reaching the Divine Beast realm."

"Well, I am already aware of your title as the Battle God," I replied.

"Oh, haha, you must have heard about me from tales and ancient books," Aruma laughed, a hint of pride hidden in his voice.

"No. I looked into Ume’s memories."

"..."

"..."

"Was it by her permission?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

"You punk! You aren’t even hiding it anymore!"

"There is no use hiding it. She will know right away," I said, pointing at Hana. "Besides, what could you do? Kill me? I have already died plenty. One more time will not change anything."

"Ugh! I just can’t like you no matter how hard I try!" Aruma muttered, the veins on his forehead bulging in frustration. "Your personality has become even worse."

"Guess whose fault that is."

"Control yourself.... Aruma. You must not kill him," Aruma muttered, barely restraining himself.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, his voice serious now.

"I do not know the current condition of the world, but during my time the world was split into three kingdoms: the Human Kingdom, the Beast Kingdom, and the Demon Kingdom."

"Huh? Where did this random history lesson come from?"

"Listen carefully," Aruma snapped before continuing,

"The three kingdoms were always at war for dominance over each other. But then an internal rebellion occurred in the Demon Kingdom. A new Demon Sovereign emerged and sealed the demon empire, cutting all ties with the outside world.

However, the struggle for dominion still continued between humans and beasts.

Those were the darkest days of Vyoman. Each day, hundreds of thousands died on both sides, yet neither side was willing to admit defeat. During that time, I was one of the commanders of the Beast Army.

From the moment I was born, I knew nothing but endless suffering and death. Just as you are now, I had become hollow, losing every sense of emotion. That was what awakened my Death attribute.

Holding the power of death in my hands, I slaughtered thousands of humans every day, earning the title of Battle God."

With a smile appearing on his face, he asked, "Do you know what prevented me from being consumed by death?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, pointing at Hana, who was sitting on a rock a few feet away.

"It was her. She became the light in my dark life.

However, the death energy formed from the resentment of the countless souls I slaughtered was overwhelming the life I had found with Hana.

Then, when death was slowly corroding me, Ume was born. She was so tiny and fragile, barely the size of my palm. Yet the strength she brought me was greater than anything I had ever possessed. Her birth awakened the Life attribute inside me, making me a legendary Life and Death Divine Fox."

I listened to his story with an unusual excitement on my face, and once he finished, I concluded,

"So you mean that to suppress the death energy consuming me, I should also become a parent? I wonder if Ume would agr—"

Slash! 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Before I could finish my words, my head rolled onto the ground, severed before I could even sense anything.

---

"Wow. He just killed me for a simple joke," I murmured, opening my eyes with no expression on my face.

"Perhaps you should not joke about Ume in front of him," Hana sighed, my head resting in her lap. "Besides, do you even understand why he shared his story with you?"

"Hmm. Somewhat," I replied, rising to my feet.

Turning to Aruma, who was still glaring daggers at me, I said,

"To protect my family."

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You asked why I want to become stronger. It is to protect my family."