Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Godslayer explained in vague terms what needed to be done—vague only because he himself wasn’t sure about the exact process.

He understood one half better than the other. The merging of two spirits was something he knew how to do from his memories. Apparently, the more developed the spirits were, the harder the chances of them merging.

Given the current situation of the two spirits—Godslayer being weakened to a point where he wasn’t even sure if he could retain his intelligence, and Midnight, who had lost his intelligence—the chances of success were quite high.

Even if there was a failure, there was no danger to Midnight himself, as Godslayer was going to expend all of himself in the attempt. Even if he failed, Midnight would still end up stronger in the end.

On the other hand, the task of merging a soul into an Origin was something completely outside the wheelhouse of even the Artifact God. He had never in his life heard of something similar being done.

But with desperation pushing him to the edge, Godslayer was willing to take the chance. And for the sake of his life-long friend, so was Alex.

Even if one of his Origins was ruined in the process, he was perfectly fine with it.

“Alright, kid,” Godslayer said. “This might be the last time I speak as myself. If I succeed, you will gain my memories. If I fail…”

“You won’t.”

Godslayer paused for a moment after hearing Alex speak. A soft snicker came from the crystal. “You have a lot of faith in me, faith that I don’t have in myself.”

“No, I just trust you not to fail.”

Godslayer’s snicker turned into a light chuckle. “Whether I fail or succeed, I will not be the same anymore. As such, I feel I have to speak these thoughts out right now.”

Alex waited for Godslayer to continue.

“Consider these my final wishes, if you must. I have two of them.”

“I never had the chance to give my disciple a proper farewell. I was hoping to do so now, but I suppose it would take us forever to find out where she is and meet her. So, if you ever meet her again, tell her I am proud of her. I am proud of what she’s become and what she’s accomplished. That girl needs to hear that.”

“If I succeed, you will gain my inheritance, so you will also gain techniques that only I would know. I was hoping to pass it along to her when she was older, but I never got the chance. Pass it along to her.”

Alex watched the black flame within the crystal flicker in a weak but regular pattern. He nodded toward the flame, accepting its wish.

“That’s the first wish,” Alex said. “What’s the second one?”

“Kill Purplerain!” Godslayer said.

Alex couldn’t help but grin upon hearing that. “I would’ve done that even if you hadn’t asked me to,” he said. “I have my own swords to clash with that man.”

Godslayer laughed. “If I become your sword, maybe I’ll get to kill him myself.”

“Alright,” Alex said. “Kill Purplerain. Is that all? Wasn’t there someone else to kill?”

“A Death Sage, yes,” Godslayer said. “But I don’t know if he is alive or not. I don’t even remember who it was, so you can’t help me.”

“I’ll ask around. Is there anything one can identify him by? Maybe a name or an artifact?” Alex asked.

“Nothing like that,” Godslayer said. “If anything, he is one of the Slayers, so maybe that could help. But the Slayers have kept themselves hidden for quite long. I also have a vague memory of him being a subordinate to the Death God, so maybe search there too.”

Alex nodded for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “The Death God?” he asked, a memory flashing through his mind of a long dark corridor with torches on the side. A memory of a hall with a beautiful woman inside a coffin. Dead. A broken scythe lying next to her.

“A female Death God?” Alex asked.

“I believe so,” Godslayer said with a perked-up voice. “What was her name? Duskcorpse? Try finding her if she’s alive. Otherwise, I don’t know who else can help you.”

“This Death God… I believe she’s dead already,” Alex said.

“Is she?” Godslayer said with a sigh, not really sounding surprised. “I guess she could only live for so long with a body like that.”

“What sort of body?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know the name of her constitution, but it constantly generated Death Aura. She was forever at the edge of death, so it isn’t surprising that she’s dead already.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t help but wonder why such a person would be in his memories—in the Alchemy God’s memories. Would he learn more if he visited her tomb?

“I will see what I can do,” Alex said in the end. “I will find this Death Sage too if I can, and deliver justice, or revenge, whichever one it is you require.”

Godslayer paused for a long time before speaking again.

“Thank you.”

Alex gave a curt nod. “Anything else?”

“No,” Godslayer said. “I have said what I wanted to say. Now, it is time for me to do it.”

Alex waited for Godslayer to start.

Godslayer floated in the center of his Spiritual Sea, with the Origin floating right next to him. He didn’t do anything for a short moment, and Alex could hear a short, derisive laugh.

“Look at me,” he said. “I’m scared to even do it. I’m a coward, afraid of dying?”

“To fear is to be human,” Alex said. “And the fear of Death is the most primal of all fears.”

“Is that so?” Godslayer asked. “Well then, here’s to no longer fearing. To no longer being human.”

The crystal spun as the black flame expelled out of it with sharp force.

“Goodbye, kid, and never forget me,” he said at last. “For I was the mighty Godslayer.”