The Heliobus, seeing Sylvia suddenly stop her movements, halted its own actions as well, fixing its gaze on her.
"Finally ready to give up?"
"No. More like, it's finally time to finish this."
As she spoke, Sylvia reached out and set Sushang down, positioning herself protectively in front of her.
And then... the clear blue sky began to shatter, layer by layer, giving way to a dim, gloomy world.
The lively martial arts stage was slowly swallowed by the desolate ruins, bit by bit.
Yet, in Sylvia's hand, a long blade, nearly as tall as a person, materialized.
Her snow-white hair bleached further, turning an ashen white, and even the flames that danced around her faded into a similar, colorless white.
Her clear, azure-blue eyes were gradually overtaken by a bloody crimson.
At the sight of this, the Heliobus let out a terrified shriek:
"Impossible—?! You're overwriting my illusion?! What gives you the right?!"
"Nothing's impossible. The moment you sensed the Heliobus within me, you should have been wary of me entering your illusion."
Sylvia's now crimson eyes stared at the Heliobus, a merciless smile playing on her lips.
If it weren't for the chance to overwrite and erode this very illusion like this, she wouldn't have bothered bantering with the Heliobus for so long.
She drew the long blade to her waist, adopting Acheron's signature stance for drawing her sword.
Sylvia herself still lacked that one truly devastating sword technique.
To truly subdue this Heliobus, so fond of its own swordplay, borrowing someone else's move was the only way.
And speaking of borrowing moves...
Having been relentlessly pushed by Acheron in daily life, experiencing the taste of Nihility countless times, and feeling the poignancy of that swordsmanship, she could, to some extent, mimic its essence.
The only sword style she could borrow was Acheron's.
Even though this was within an illusion, this was Sylvia's first real attempt.
She let the emotions take over, actively drawing from her own memories to truly experience, firsthand, the Acheron who was immersed in Nihility.
Along with it came the agonizing struggle of maintaining her sense of self while drowning in that very nothingness.
"Mei... so this is what you've been enduring all this time..." Sylvia murmured to herself.
This clumsy imitation probably wasn't even a tenth of what Acheron truly experienced.
When she got back, she really wanted to hold Mei tightly.
This Path... it's truly a difficult one.
With this thought, Sylvia suddenly smiled and said, "That one slash you wanted to witness so badly... why don't you experience it yourself?"
As she finished speaking to the Heliobus, her right hand moved almost imperceptibly, and the long blade was unsheathed.
A stark, bleached-white world flooded the entire illusion.
Thanks to Acheron's frequent use of Nihility's power to push her limits in training, while Sylvia couldn't truly grasp Nihility itself, she could simulate its sensation within an illusion.
In fact, it felt less like a simulation and more like she was directly wielding the power of Nihility.
Otherwise, the feeling of being corroded by it while desperately clinging to her own identity wouldn't feel so real, so profound.
"Aah—!"
Sushang, still under the Heliobus's guise, tried to scream, but her voice was cut off, as if strangled, plunging the entire illusion into a silent void.
Then.
A flash of crimson light slashed through the bleached-white world.
An aura of terrifying, absolute finality, carrying the power to annihilate all things, instantly swallowed the Heliobus's form, consuming the very illusion along with it. Everything in sight faded into nothingness.
--+--
Meanwhile.
On a small asteroid drifting through the far reaches of deep space, Acheron leaned against a rock, taking a brief rest, using the asteroid's momentum to carry her forward.
Just then, a sudden feeling stirred within her. She turned her head, gazing in a certain direction.
"Hmm..."
Her fingers unconsciously traced the ring on her ring finger.
She had a distinct feeling that Sylvia was up to something risky again.
Lost in thought, hazy images flickered before her eyes: a world of grey and white, a space defined only by stark white and blood red.
A long blade, a flash of bloody light, and a soul consumed by Nihility beneath it...
"...?"
The strange scene made Acheron pause.
Was this her own memory?
But it felt more like a scene transmitted from Sylvia's end.
Yet, how could that be possible? The distance between them was immeasurable in light-years.
Where Acheron currently was, the paths were clogged with Imaginary Energy, completely uncharted territory. Even if telepathy were real, it shouldn't be able to bridge such a vast distance.
"... Some things just stop being strange once Sylvia is involved," Acheron muttered to herself, alone, looking down at the ring in her hand.
A bright, genuine smile touched her lips.
For some reason, even though they hadn't been apart for long, she found herself wanting to hold Sylvia.
"Maybe I should find a planet with a signal to rest for a bit..."
Murmuring these words, meant only for herself, Acheron stood up again. In a flash, she vanished from the asteroid's surface.
--+--
The Luofu's Xianzhou, Aurum Alley —
When Sylvia opened her eyes again, she was back in Aurum Alley.
A pair of green, twitching ears were beside her. Glancing down, she saw Huohuo supporting her.
Up ahead, Stelle was catching her breath, still on guard against Sushang, who had suddenly stopped moving.
"Ugh..." Sushang groaned, clutching her head in discomfort.
"Get out! You wicked shopkeeper!"
Strands of orange-yellow flame peeled away from Sushang's body, coalescing in front of everyone into a single, bright flame.
The flame had no face, yet they all felt its gaze fixed on Sylvia.
"That slash... I admit defeat..."
"Huh? Big sister, what did you do inside the illusion?"
Huohuo, who had been on edge, was stunned by the Heliobus's words. She had thought it would try to escape.
Sylvia smiled and patted Huohuo's head. "Go on, seal it away."
"O-okay..."
Huohuo pulled out a gourd and stepped forward to contain the Heliobus.
Stelle, leaning on her bat, looked at Sylvia with an expression that clearly demanded an explanation.
Sylvia, however, simply walked over and steadied the slightly unsteady Sushang.
"Sushang, are you alright? Let's find a place to rest for a bit, and I'll explain everything to you all."
"Eh... ah, yeah. Sorry, sorry for all the trouble today..." Sushang's legs were still a bit weak as she leaned against Sylvia, scratching her head sheepishly.
Noticing Sylvia's amused gaze, Sushang blushed. Then, suddenly craning her neck, she brought her face close to Sylvia's ear.
In a small, embarrassed whisper, she asked, "So... um, about what happened... in the, in the dream..."
"You mean the Sword Champion Sushang, or the—mmph!"
Sylvia had just started speaking with a grin when a flustered, crimson-faced Sushang clamped a hand over her mouth.
Sushang's feet kicked weakly in the air, her eyes wide, looking like she was about to cry.
"Don't—! Please... don't say it, I'm begging you! Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to grab my Xuanyuan Sword and flee the Luofu tonight!"
Sushang was showing a rare side of shyness, a mixture of embarrassment and panic that made the already adorable girl even more endearing.
For a moment, Sylvia was almost tempted to tease her a bit more, just to see that flustered expression again.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.