Volume 9, Chapter 11 – The Death of the Emperor

It was still the Underground World. In this city that Tianyin had once set foot in, a massive furnace burned slowly.

In front of the furnace, the short-statured Fortress Emperor lowered his head and hammered the scorching steel before his eyes.

“The process of forging weapons does not allow distraction.”

As he hammered the steel, the Fortress Emperor spoke.

“Distraction affects the quality of the weapon, because when you’re distracted, your mind can’t be calm. And if your mind isn’t calm, that means you can’t put your heart into forging the weapon you want to forge.”

“And these are not states a qualified transient should possess.”

The Fortress Emperor said in a deep voice, hammering down with force.

Clang-clang-clang.

The crisp sound of steel being struck rang out endlessly. The Fortress Emperor was extremely focused.

However…

Just as the Fortress Emperor was about to swing the hammer down again, the motion of raising the hammer suddenly stopped.

Because on the piece of scorching steel he was staring at, a tiny crack had appeared, almost imperceptible.

“Haha…”

Seeing the crack, the Fortress Emperor immediately tossed the hammer in his hand aside.

Reαԁ оո ΚαtReadіոgCаfe

“It seems my state of mind still hasn’t reached the level it should. How embarrassing… hahaha…”

Even though the forging had clearly failed, the Fortress Emperor still laughed heartily.

But as he laughed, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an expression of calm.

He raised his head and looked straight ahead, where a silver-haired girl stood alone.

“Little one… are you here to take my life?”

That’s right.

Just as the Fortress Emperor addressed her, the one standing there was Tianyin, who had returned to the Virtual Game world.

Although there were already hundreds of Throne-tier under Tianyin’s command, she had not sent any of them to deal with the Fortress Emperor. Instead, they were dispatched to isolate the surrounding area.

Even though she had already “abandoned” her emotions, Tianyin still subconsciously wanted to fight the Fortress Emperor one on one.

Even though, in Tianyin’s perception at this moment, the Fortress Emperor before her wouldn’t even last a single round in her hands.

“In my calculations, your existence threatens my plan. So in order to ensure the execution of the plan, you must be executed.”

“Execute me? That’s quite an arrogant thing to say, little one.”

In response to Tianyin’s utterly cold words, the Fortress Emperor shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

“I should have known long ago. Back then, your state was already wrong. That time was actually the best opportunity to deal with you, right? But at that time, I also didn’t expect you to become like this.”

Rеαⅾ оn KatReаⅾіոɡСаfе

“You didn’t have any intention of killing me back then. So even if time were rewound, there still wouldn’t be a situation where you would strike to kill me.”

Tianyin knew that the time the Fortress Emperor was referring to was what happened at the Northern Fortress. Because she understood exactly what he meant, Tianyin decisively stated a fact that the Fortress Emperor had no choice but to acknowledge.

“That’s right. If time were rewound, I wouldn’t be able to kill you back then. But if I had known you would become like this… the result wouldn’t be the same…”

“According to calculations, the probability of you knowing the outcome in advance is zero.”

In Tianyin’s supreme state, she had already analyzed the possibility of the Fortress Emperor knowing the truth beforehand.

Although Yunchou existed as a variable, the Fortress Emperor would not pay any attention to outsiders at all.

Because as a Throne-tier, the Fortress Emperor understood the essence of outsiders far more clearly. Compared to the Undead Grand Duke who devoted everything to the undead, the Fortress Emperor’s view of things was far more thorough.

The laws could change a Throne-tier’s cognition, but they could not change a Throne-tier’s thinking.

Not long after outsiders appeared, the Fortress Emperor immediately perceived their true nature. That was why, up until now, no player had ever been able to join the Fortress.

So Tianyin was not worried at all about Yunchou, this unstable variable, leaking information. Because the two were inherently opposing existences.

“Looks like you’re very confident, little one. Confidence is a good thing. But don’t forget, most of your fighting methods were taught by me.”

“There are many ways to fight. This world has all kinds of combat styles and schools. But different paths lead to the same destination. All combat methods essentially share common ground.”

Tianyin neither denied nor agreed with the Fortress Emperor’s words.

Reaԁ οո КatRеadіոgCafe

“Combat is just the process of swinging the sword and sheathing it. The process itself is very simple.”

Tianyin spoke in a voice without the slightest fluctuation.

Then, facing the Fortress Emperor who had already assumed a battle stance, she lightly swung her sword.

A slow sword strike. A casual sword strike.

In the Fortress Emperor’s eyes, Tianyin’s swing was as slow as that of a child who could barely lift a chicken, and there was no sense of power contained within the sword at all.

Yet this extremely simple strike, like a slow-motion replay, made the Fortress Emperor see visions that should not have existed on the blade.

He saw stars fall into extinction. He saw laws collapse.

He saw the world turn into nothingness, and also saw countless worlds endlessly being born and destroyed within chaos.

“Pfft—”

The vision ended.

Under Tianyin’s casual strike, the Fortress Emperor was defeated without the slightest resistance.

The blade never touched the Fortress Emperor, yet his body was covered in sword marks.

Blood slowly seeped out along the cuts, and the Fortress Emperor’s life force rapidly declined.

“Hahahaha… so that’s how it is.”

Rеaԁ оո KаtReаԁіnɡСаfе

Despite being defeated by Tianyin in a single strike, the Fortress Emperor’s face was full of smiles.

“So that’s how it is. So this world isn’t the only world. In your hands, you’ve already destroyed countless worlds, haven’t you?”

“A mission of correction… ridiculous. Compared to the Abyssal Lord, you’re even more evil. The Abyssal Lord may be a bastard, but you’re an even bigger bastard!”

The Fortress Emperor was clear in love and hate.

In his eyes, good was good and evil was evil. And Tianyin, who sought to destroy the world, had undoubtedly placed herself on his opposing side.

“Hahaha. To think I actually helped someone who wants to destroy the world… someone like me deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces. Being killed by you is the retribution I deserve!”

When the Fortress Emperor said this, his face looked like he was smiling, yet his tone was filled with clenched-teeth resentment.

“The End, the Supreme, Tianyin. So in your eyes, does the world deserve to be destroyed by someone like you?”

“…”

Tianyin did not answer the Fortress Emperor’s final question.

Because the moment he asked it, Tianyin swung her next sword.

In an instant, the entire world fell into dead silence.