Absolute Choice
chapter-462

At the instant the Shell of the Black Turtle shattered, Dawn slashed out the Sword Soul she had readied.

This time, Shi Xiaobai managed to appreciate the immensity of the Sword Soul from close proximity. He could not help but feel a longing for this third realm of sword techniques.

The moment the Sword Soul landed, white light immediately filled the world in front of them. Tragic wails resounded through the clouds but it only lasted for a moment. The might of the strike had vanquished at least a hundred monsters, while a path had been blasted forcefully from the interior zone.

Logically speaking, the power of the Sword Soul should have consumed a great deal of Dawn's mental energy, but it did not stop her from immediately charging out after the slash.

As the opening she had forcefully blasted open would very quickly be filled by the surviving monsters, every second was crucial. Every second determined the outcome of their survival.

Dawn's flash motion technique focused on speed, and when compared to Shi Xiaobai's Crab Steps, its dodging ability was slightly inferior, but its speed was clearly much faster. And even more remarkable was that instantaneous burst of speed she could muster. Its impressiveness took Shi Xiaobai's breath away.

Even though she was carrying him, Dawn was able to rush out to the periphery of the encirclement in the blink of an eye. The surrounding monsters did not even manage to react in time.

Shi Xiaobai finally understood why the gargantuan had been beheaded in one strike. Other than underestimating the amount of power Dawn's strike had, a very important reason was that her instantaneous burst of speed was just too sudden.

However, rushing to the periphery of the encirclement did not indicate their safety. It only meant the beginning of their escape.

As the white light dissipated, the monsters began to react. The monsters in the inner ring immediately surrounded them from the back, while the monsters in the periphery roared while attacking them from the front. The monsters that were circling the skies charged down as they issued sharp screeches.

The monsters inundated them from every direction like a flood. Their overwhelming killing intent seemed to signify the apocalypse.

However, Dawn demonstrated her stunning strength and state of mind at that instant. Her extreme calmness prevented the threat of death from binding her. Amid the densely-packed monsters, she would keenly detect the fleeting cracks in between the monsters. Finally, with a tremendous burst of speed, she would tunnel through them.

If she were to encounter a monster blockade that had monsters being shoulder to shoulder, she would determine the weakest point of the blockade in the shortest possible amount of time and use the power of her Sword Truth to break through the blockade.

And what impressed Shi Xiaobai the most was how she would ingeniously use the monsters she attracted as meat shields against the black beams of light that she was dodging. It sounded simple, but it needed massive amounts of observational and improvisational abilities.

This girl, who grew up to become the Hero King, had been deemed to be the strongest person in all of human history. She had perfectly demonstrated the outstanding comprehensive qualities she possessed—fast speeds, impressive bursts of power, mental state of mind that were nearly nonhuman, accurate judgment, excellent observational skills and improvisation.

So despite carrying a person, it was because of all these qualities combined that allowed her to dart through the monsters that filled the world like there were none at all. At a stable pace, she proceeded towards the periphery where there were fewer and fewer monsters grouped together. Gradually, she pulled a gap between the monsters that were in hot pursuit.

Shi Xiaobai was able to acutely sense how powerful she was by being carried by her. He was secretly awed by her. Although he had once traversed a sea of demonic beasts, he had used the dodging and confusing traits of Crab Steps to make his breakthrough. Furthermore, he had used wine with aphrodisiac to cause confusion by making the demonic beasts to go into heat. As for Dawn's method of progress, it was as smooth as flowing water. She was like a sharp sword that tore straight through the encirclement of the monsters.

All Shi Xiaobai could do was try his best to lower his body and ensure that he would not affect the girl under him. Then, he would silently shout the numeric thumbs up, '666'.

Due to Dawn's excellent performance, the escape process became surprisingly successful. They quickly penetrated the most densely-packed interior and middle regions and came to the periphery were the monsters were relatively scattered apart. However, the monsters in front of them did not seem to have an end. After passing batch after batch of monsters, they failed to see an end to it. It was as if the entire world was filled with monsters that were gathering towards them.

There was a steady flow of monsters streaming in front of them while there were monsters in hot pursuit behind them. There was no time for her to rest.

Shi Xiaobai could not help but worry over the girl's stamina as he whispered, "Put This King down. The periphery is already safe enough. This King will be fine alone."

"There's no need."

Dawn responded in a firm manner, "If you are worried about my stamina, your concern is unnecessary. This bit of expenditure is nothing to me. Your weight does not have any effect on me. The problem you worried about in the beginning about dodging has been resolved. If the inner circle failed to stop me, there is no need to worry about the periphery. If you find it embarrassing to be carried by a girl, why don't...you carry me the next time?"

Dawn's voice sounded more energetic and bright than Shi Xiaobai had expected. She did not sound exhausted at all and it made Shi Xiaobai heave a sigh of relief. From the looks of it, he had underestimated Dawn's stamina and endurance. Maybe carrying him really did not affect her much.

Shi Xiaobai decided to abide to her decision this time. He said, "This King will abide to your decisions for now, but try not to force it. If you are tired, honestly tell This King. This King's strength is about to recover as well. When the time comes, let This King carry you instead."

"Alright!"

Dawn responded with a clear sense of joy in her voice.

"It's so boring. Shall we chat?"

Suddenly, she turned her head and said a single sentence. Although she turned her head back the next second, Shi Xiaobai had managed to see the yearning in her bright ice-blue eyes.

"Won't it distract you?"

Shi Xiaobai inquired softly. Having a chat in a land fraught with dangers would be considered quite an oddity, but Shi Xiaobai did not mind. However, he was a bit worried that it would affect the girl who needed to focus to dodge the monsters and the black beams.

"Of course not. Although I'm unable to triple-task like you, I'm still able to dual-task. If you keep looking down on me, I'll turn angry. Let me ask you again, do you want to chat or not?"

Probably because they were getting more familiar, Dawn began to demonstrate the feminine side of hers to Shi Xiaobai. Her tone had a little emotion in it, and a little willfulness, but it was mostly the coquettishness of a girl.

Shi Xiaobai naturally did not reject her as he said with a nod, "Alright, what do we chat about?"

Dawn pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I always wanted to know what is the name of the final strike you produced during that battle with me?"

Shi Xiaobai faltered for a moment.

The final strike during the battle?

Wasn't that Excalibur?

Come to speak of it, the strike's appearance and name were an imitation of the blond woman's slash with Lucifer's Sword in his mind. And that blond woman was the grown up Dawn Li.

The feeling was somewhat strange when the creator asked about the sword technique he imitated.

However, it was clear that Dawn at her present age had yet to create the real 'Excalibur'. This strike was still a strange and mysterious one to her.

Just as Shi Xiaobai was hesitating to reply, he heard the girl mutter, as though she was in reverie, "That strike was really pretty..."

It looked like she really liked that strike.

Shi Xiaobai chuckled to himself and said, "That strike's name is 'Excalibur'. The meaning behind it is to 'use every bit of strength to produce the final strike that would clinch victory'. The general principle is..."

Shi Xiaobai unreservedly described his understanding of 'Excalibur' to her. Dawn listened in relish and quickly understood Shi Xiaobai's thoughts. She even began giving her own suggestions.

The clever girl was no doubt a sword genius who had created the 'Three Thousand Li Sword' at the age of eight and the improved version of the 'Hundred-eighty Thousand Li Sword' at the age of nine. Her understanding of swords was much higher than Shi Xiaobai's, so she immediately pointed out several flaws of Shi Xiaobai's Excalibur as well as where it could be improved.

Using Shi Xiaobai's line of thought when he created Excalibur as the foundation, Dawn was able to constantly add her own ideas to it, making the technique approach perfection.

Shi Xiaobai was left in shock. His ability to comprehend was equally stunning, but he lacked the relevant knowledge when it came to sword techniques. With Dawn pointing it out, he immediately understood how his Excalibur was indeed a flawed copy.

But, the chance of perfecting it was right in front of him!

Shi Xiaobai was also not one who would resign to playing second fiddle. As he listened to her suggestions, he began retorting the mistakes Dawn had pointed out in a logical manner. At times, he would leave Dawn at a loss for words. The two of them seemed like they were working together to improve the technique, but they also looked like they were engaging in an intense debate.

"It may be so, but you are too adamant when it comes to the pursuit of power. It makes it overly perilous.

"It's indeed perilous, but This King believes it's the final strike, so peril doesn't matter."

"In short, why should it be the final strike?"

"A last-ditch effort can raise your courage to its limit, but Excalibur does not only have one goal. Most of it is will, the will to attempt a desperate final attempt just for victory."

"Although it's great to use all your strength for victory, a method that does not allow any leeway for defeat would appear too stiff and inflexible, if you were to use all your strength every time. I believe that a sword technique with a multitude of transformations while it being a combination of forcefulness and yielding is necessary."

"Yes...what you say makes sense. Indeed, transformations with a combination of forcefulness and yielding will be more flexible. However, a sword technique with extreme might should not be abandoned. It is critical for the reversal of a dangerous situation. It looks like there is a need to seriously consider the trade-offs between forcefulness and yielding."

"That point needs to be perfected in actual combat through trial and error. Let us discuss the next problem. The theory behind the compression of energy actually has its limitations. As the limit to the amount of energy compressed depends on the sword's hardness, not everyone would have a holy sword like Lucifer's Sword. We can't guarantee that we won't be disarmed or have the holy sword snatched, so there is still room for improvement for the usage of Excalibur."

"What about changing the conduit's energy node?

"That's not a simple matter. It requires further research."

"Compared to the limitations of the sword, This King is more concerned about the speed at which energy can be compressed, as well as letting different energies merged together perfectly."

"Hey, aren't you being too greedy? This sort of problem is not one that can be solved overnight!"

"It's because it can't be resolved that's why we need to discuss it, isn't that so?"

"Well, that makes sense. Then let's continue discussing..."

"..."

The boy and girl ignored the monsters that were everywhere. They treated the roars and yelling around them as thrilling background music as they engaged in an intense debate regarding 'Excalibur'.

With the passage of time, they gradually managed to perfect 'Excalibur' to as far as it could go from theorizing. Although there were still many problems that could not be discussed, they had already enhanced 'Excalibur' by several stages. Furthermore, they had determined the basic direction in which it could be enhanced.

Shi Xiaobai was extremely excited to the point of him forgetting that he was being pursued by monsters and that he was in a world fraught with danger at every turn.

It was probably because of the vigor that filled Dawn's voice and how she did not seem exhausted in any way. Furthermore, her footwork was getting smoother and more natural, as if she was as light as a feather. This finally relieved Shi Xiaobai.

He was planning on forcefully changing the setup they were in at the moment Dawn showed any signs of fatigue. He would flip around, and carry her on his back, as the proper script would go.

But from the looks of it, Dawn's stamina and endurance had really far exceeded his imagination. She did not seem affected at all despite running while dodging constantly for more than ten minutes.

As she promised, she could last a very long while.

If this world truly had an end, they might very well be able to reach the ends of the world.

After the end of the discussion, Dawn said softly, "Although I'm a bit unwilling to admit it, your 'Excalibur' is the most beautiful sword technique with the most possibilities. I look forward to its future."

Her voice exuded anticipation, but she was feeling a bit bitter as she probably realized that she no longer had a chance to see the boy she liked very much to produce Excalibur again.

When Shi Xiaobai heard that, he shook his head and said, "You are wrong. This is not This King's Excalibur, but...our Excalibur!"

Dawn's eyes widened as she could not help but ruminate over the words that made her heart stop.

"Our..."

Really?

Is that really so?

She had already left traces of herself in that technique?

That technique was one they possessed together. Furthermore, it was a sword technique that only the two of them had.

Then, when he produced that technique, would there be an instant when he would recall her name, and think of how she had once existed in his life?

At that moment, the girl could not help but laugh. Her laughter was as melodious as a wind chime. It sounded like heavenly bells ringing amid the monsters' roars.

Then, without the need to muster her courage, the girl shouted out to the sky in a very natural manner.

"Shi Xiaobai!"

"I like you!"

A direct confession which was filled with deep emotions was mostly pure and innocent. It was a part of her heart that she had never revealed to anyone. She finally took the first brave step of revealing the purest and most real emotions of a young girl.

Shi Xiaobai was somewhat dumbfounded, but he could not help but feel happiness from the bottom of his heart.

Shi Xiaobai had received three confessions in the past. The first time was when a school belle who he did not know very well suddenly confessed to him before he crossed worlds. Back then, he was somewhat confused and did not think too much about it.

The second time was when facing Sen Senyuan's Demon Calamity Gun. The heavily injured Sunless stood by his side and whispered "Like" to him. Back then, he was extremely touched. It reaffirmed his intentions of protecting her, but he did not plan on responding to her affections.

But this time, Dawn's proclamation was still echoing in the sky. Even though it was drowned by the din of roars, he simultaneously felt a joy and horror from the bottom of his heart.

He knew that he could not face it in silence this time!

He had to respond!

That was because the monsters that surrounded them could tear them apart at any time. And she was still running towards the ends of the world that might not exist.

She had given all that was beautiful and happy to him, so how could he be so cruel as to remain silent?

However, just as Shi Xiaobai opened his mouth and was about to respond, he heard a soft voice enter his ear like a gentle breeze.

"Promise me, you must live on."

Shi Xiaobai felt like he was struck by lightning as a strong sense of foreboding filled his heart.

"Slam!"

Just as he feared, the girl's running posture collapsed finally when she said her last sentence. Her momentum caused her to slam to the ground ahead of her.

Shi Xiaobai, who was pressing down on the girl, was immediately consumed by horror. He called out the girl's name as he turned the girl's head.

He saw that beautiful face that was filled with fatigue. Her eyes were tightly closed and her eyebrows were deeply knitted. Her nose was moving slightly as she maintained a very weak breathing.

The girl had fainted.

Just a second ago, the voice was still filled with vigor and it did not show any signs of fatigue. Nothing seemed amiss about the girl that was running at full speed forward. But now, she had fainted and she looked completely exhausted.

Shi Xiaobai's pupils dilated as hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

Fool!

Idiot!

Her energetic and relaxed behavior of her not looking exhausted at all was all faked. It was just to make you feel at ease.

Why did you not notice it at all?

After having used the power of her Sword Soul for three consecutive times, her mental energies were definitely nearly drained. To focus her mental energies, observation, judgment and improvisation for such a long period of time, to the point of dual-tasking, don't you know how much mental energy was consumed?

Why didn't you think of such a simple logic!?

It was unknown when she had reached her tipping point, but she had forcefully pretended to appear relaxed. Do you understand how much pain she had endured?

Why did you not realize your stupidity until the moment she collapsed?

Even the strong and determined Shi Xiaobai had his weak moments. At that moment, his reason was shattered by the girl's sentiment. He fell into an abyss of remorse. His heart was in pain.

"Promise me, you must live on."

Suddenly, that voice that was more gentle than a breeze echoed softly in his mind.

Shi Xiaobai was jolted awake as he looked up to survey his surroundings. He returned to the harsh reality from his despondent fantasies. The monsters that continuously surged at him had surrounded him once again. They bared their fangs that stunk and flashed their sharp claws. They approached in a ferocious manner.

Shi Xiaobai immediately wiped the tears off his cheeks and reached out to carry Dawn.

Now was not the moment to wallow in remorse.

That was because he had told her to live on and head to the ends of the world.

That was because he still owed her a response to her confession.

That was because the girl was still tied tightly to him using the crudely made rope she spent half a minute to make.

Shi Xiaobai carried the unconscious girl in his arm as his eyes were firm and gentle.

"This time it's This King's turn to protect you." IChooseDogLeading (我选择狗带) when read in Chinese sounds like I Choose Go Die. It was a meme that resulted from a former member of famous Korean boygroup, EXO, TAO (Huang Zitao). At a concert, there was a part in a rap that where he said "", but due to a mispronunciation, it sounded like he will not easily choose to be led by dogs. This phrase now means 'I'd rather die/I choose death'.