Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Autumn Residue.

Sunset on the ancient road.

”What is this place?”

Akame stood there, looking at Fang Zheng beside her. Just moments ago, after Fang Zheng finished that sentence, he waved his hand, and then Akame and Fang Zheng appeared here.

”This is a memory.”

Fang Zheng, hands behind his back, gazed at the sunset on the ancient road ahead, and the man standing there.

”He is Yan Shisan.”

”... Him?”

Akame frowned as she looked at the man not far away. She was about to walk over, but Fang Zheng stopped her.

”This is a memory. You and I can only watch. After watching, decide if you want to learn the Thirteen Fatal Swords.”

”.......” Akame said nothing, just quietly stood next to Fang Zheng, watching a man in peculiar opulent clothing walk over to Yan Shisan. He stared at Yan Shisan, then sneered coldly.

”Yan Shisan?”

”Yes.”

Yan Shisan nodded slightly, while the person across continued to ask.

”Is your Thirteen Fatal Swords truly invincible in this world?”

”Not necessarily.”

Yan Shisan’s expression did not change in the slightest. Akame had noticed that till now, he had no expression at all. However, it wasn’t like she found it difficult to express emotions, but rather an aura of someone who seemed already dead... She didn’t know how to describe it, but in Akame’s eyes, the Yan Shisan in front of her seemed like a walking, living corpse, giving off a sense of eeriness.

At this moment, the voices of the two were heard once more from afar.

”I am Gao Tong, the Heart-Piercing Sword Gao Tong.”

”...Are they going to duel? Why?”

Standing beside, Akame listened for a long time, finally understanding that this person named Gao Tong was here to kill Yan Shisan, and Fang Zheng just shrugged.

”Keep listening, and you’ll understand.”

Soon, as Akame turned forward again, she saw Yan Shisan speak.

”You’re not the only one who wants to kill me.”

And Gao Tong also nodded, laughing coldly.

”Because you are so famous, just killing you can bring instant fame. It’s not easy to gain fame in the Jianghu, only this method is relatively easy.”

”... Just for this?”

Hearing this, Akame’s eyes widened in surprise, and her usually expressionless face showed a hint of confusion. She had killed people before, but they were always deserving of it. She never thought someone would want to kill another just because they were famous. To Akame, this was completely illogical.

”In life, it’s either for fame or for profit. Isn’t it the same for your Night Raid? You are well-known in the Imperial City, and anyone who can kill even one assassin from Night Raid would be immediately esteemed by the Imperial Family, enjoying high-ranking positions, riches, and endless glory. If your Night Raid only killed some second-rate petty thieves, how could you be wanted?”

”........”

Hearing this, Akame slightly furrowed her brows. She had always killed for missions, never considering this possibility.

”What you say seems to make sense.”

”Perhaps it does, perhaps not. But really, it doesn’t matter. Well, it begins now.”

Before Fang Zheng’s voice had even fallen, Akame saw that person named Gao Tong draw his sword from its sheath, stabbing directly at Yan Shisan’s chest.

But Yan Shisan’s sword was faster.

As Gao Tong’s sword was thrust out, Yan Shisan’s sword tip had already pierced his throat.

”.......”

At that moment, Akame involuntarily held her breath.

Yan Shisan’s sword was fast, but that scene was not just about speed. Akame, also a swordsman, could tell it wasn’t a mere question of speed; speed was not an issue in their eyes. It wasn’t like a 100-meter dash, racing to see who was faster, who could reach the finish line earlier.

Because for some people, the finish line is right under their feet.

They don’t need to warm up, don’t need to prepare, don’t even need to start running. Just one step, and they can reach the finish line that ordinary people can only reach with all their might.

Akame stood there watching, watching Yan Shisan kill the first challenger, the second, the third, then spared the fourth person’s life, and left with the fifth person. That person was named Crow, who also came to kill Yan Shisan, but he did not take action. He just followed Yan Shisan because Yan Shisan had an appointment, and he wanted to witness this meeting.

”Is he going to duel?”

”That’s right.”

Hearing Akame’s inquiry, Fang Zheng nodded.

”Is that person called the Third Young Master very strong?”

”Very strong, he is known as the number one swordsman under the sky, meaning among those who use the sword in this world, he is the strongest.”

”So Yan Shisan wants to challenge him? Does he want to become stronger?”

”Hehe...”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly.

”If you’re asking this question, it means you’re still not strong enough.”

”......?”

Akame looked at Fang Zheng in confusion, not understanding his meaning.

”Every swordsman has their own way of surviving. They firmly believe their will, their convictions, that everything they have is correct. This is also the reason they are invincible in battle, so to confirm this, they must keep moving forward. You’re the same, Akame, sooner or later you’ll perhaps have this thought, but now... it’s still too far for you.”

They continued forward and then encountered a woman, a woman with a grudge against the Third Young Master, that woman entrusted Yan Shisan with a task, which was to kill the Third Young Master. Because he deceived her, and not just once.

”I hate that person.”

Akame silently spoke, although she didn’t say who, Fang Zheng understood her meaning.

”Indeed, a man who can’t even pacify a woman is a failed man. Frankly speaking, in this regard Li Xunhuan and Xiaofeng Xie are both scoundrels; I rather admire Lang Fanyun more.”

Speaking of which, Fang Zheng shook his head. He wasn’t very fond of those so-called ”freely and unrestrained” knights. Their carefree ways are fake, only seeking their own happiness while leaving women sobbing bitterly. They behave as if all famous knights are treacherous, heartless fools with zero emotional intelligence.

In this regard, Lang Fanyun does very well; Fang Zheng also admires his philosophy, only those who excel in passion can excel in swordsmanship. He also has someone he loves deeply, and his beloved departed early, but Lang Fanyun did not become desolate because of it and instead loves life, enjoys living. Unlike Li Xunhuan, who is so pretentious, he ends up self-destructive; it leaves people speechless.

From this point of view, Xiaofeng Xie is the same. No matter how great his achievements in martial learning are, when it comes to romantic relationships, he is an ultimate failure.

Or perhaps, all the male leads in the Ancient Dragon System share these traits.

The woman demonstrated a move of swordsmanship to Yan Shisan, whom understood it, but Akame did not. In her view, the woman was merely holding a withered branch and gently extending it forward, appearing neither powerful nor skillful, seeming like an ordinary move, but Yan Shisan’s expression suddenly changed.

The man, who remained unfazed facing so many people wanting to kill him earlier, completely changed his demeanor at this moment.

Akame felt she couldn’t comprehend, her understanding of swordsmanship with that of Yan Shisan seems to be on completely different levels. She was very sure that the man called Yan Shisan is an exceedingly powerful existence, which is why she continues to observe him in this stretch of memory, wanting to see what kind of person he is.

But what puzzled Akame was that Yan Shisan not only didn’t diligently refine himself, he seemed entirely undisciplined. He drank heavily in the tavern, ate large bowls of meat, hugged women and laughed heartily. At this moment, Akame could not see this unrestrained man as the same swordsman who had killed, only feeling he was no different from those corrupt officials she had seen before in the Imperial City.

Meanwhile, Yan Shisan was drinking, eating, hugging women, and chatting with a crow. They even discussed a famous saying circulated among swordsmen.

To become a superior swordsman, the first condition is to be cold and unfeeling. Especially before the decisive battle, one must not let anything affect their emotions — even if your wife is sleeping with another man beside you, you must pretend not to see.

Hearing this, Akame silently nodded, contrastingly Fang Zheng coughed, lowered himself to Akame’s ear.

”Uh... just pretend you didn’t hear this sentence.”

”?”

Akame looked at Fang Zheng in confusion, while Fang Zheng only smiled awkwardly.

”Because I was the one who spread this saying, but it’s something I made up...”

”?”

Faced with Akame’s inquiry, Fang Zheng chuckled without responding. Of course, he wouldn’t tell Akame; he spread this saying only to make things easier for himself.

After all, when one gets caught, having time to dress is certainly better than running around naked, right? Furthermore, those so-called Jianghu knights roam around justly but neglect their homes. Leaving even their young and beautiful wives uncared for. To prevent these women from descending into darkness out of love, Fang Zheng comforted their lonely bodies and hearts.

So it’s said that all those martial arts heroes are just lunatics. As the saying goes, if you can’t clean your own house, how can you sweep the world? If you can’t even take care of your wife at home, how are you always thinking about becoming a Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch or a Noble House member; isn’t it all nonsense? Fang Zheng watches over and cares for his little girls very well, loves them, takes them on dates and shopping outings, after all, he’s a Time Dragon, and time is cheap here.

Saving the world and building a harem don’t conflict, wouldn’t you say?

Of course, Fang Zheng understands that such logical reasoning will not be heard by those knights.

Thus, he’s always chased everywhere.

But thankfully, after spreading this saying, fewer people chase him around, and more find him for duels, which gives Fang Zheng some relief.

At least duels certainly require dressing properly.

After this, the memory continues, Akame watches as Yan Shisan makes a resolution to die. He arrived at the Divine Sword Manor, stepped into the manor, and saw the sword he came to challenge.

But he did not see the person he came to challenge.

Because that person was already dead.

Even Akame didn’t expect this, all along she was watching Yan Shisan’s memory, seeing him experience everything, arriving here. She also anticipated seeing how formidable the man called the number one swordsman under heaven really was, how terrifying his swordsmanship was, enough to make even someone almost invincible in Akame’s eyes like Yan Shisan tremble with fear.

But now, everything is over.

Because the person Yan Shisan wished to challenge, is dead.