Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Once the yellow fog devoured everything, Alex appeared back out in his own Spiritual Sea from where he had left. He stood a distance away from Godslayer, who had been waiting for it all to be over.

“What were you doing?” Godslayer asked.

Alex stared aimlessly for a while, still taking in the things that had just happened. “Just… getting some answers.”

Godslayer raised whatever counted for an eyebrow in his current form. “And did you get any?”

Alex nodded. “She was trying to do what she thought was right. Or rather, she was doing the only thing she could do as she was.”

Godslayer didn’t ask. “It is good that the danger is gone. Are you wounded?”

“No,” Alex said, checking on himself. “Are you?”

Godslayer shook his head. “It is fortunate I didn’t have to use much of my energy. Thank you for helping me at the end there.”

“No, thank you for helping me,” Alex quickly said. “Without you, I would have most likely died.”

“Perhaps.”

Alex took a closer look at Godslayer, trying to determine what he could about the spirit now. “Is this how you look?” he asked. “I feel like I can see your face now. How come I’ve never seen you look like this before?”

Godslayer looked down at himself. “This is not me. It’s merely the first form I ever saw. The first person I killed, as far as I can remember.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?” he asked.

Godslayer didn’t answer, instead choosing to inspect himself. “I took the form in a hurry. Do I look weird?”

“Aside from appearing to be made up of smoke? No. You look fine, maybe even a little handsome,” Alex said.

Godslayer seemed to like that. “Thank you.”

Alex continued staring at Godslayer, amazed by how he was. “You’ve changed.”

Godslayer nodded. “Of course, as I said, this form—”

“Not physically,” Alex added. “You’ve changed as a being, as a person. You are different from your previous self, and that is too big a change to happen in just a century. What inner demons did you have to fight to change this much?”

Godslayer remained silent, trying to find a way to put thoughts to words. “Change…” he began, “is perhaps the wrong word. I did not change, more so simply reverted to how I should have always been.”

Alex showed a curious expression.

“This is how I would’ve been, had I not been put through what I was. Had Death and Darkness not taken hold of my sanity,” Godslayer said, his words becoming softer as he continued speaking. “Had I not been consumed with a lust for vengeance against the gods the moment I was born.”

Alex remained silent for a moment. He could hear a hint of sadness in the sword spirit’s voice.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Godslayer thought for a moment and shook his head. “Not right now. I just woke up, so I need some time to gather my thoughts. There are some important things I need to think through.” He paused for a moment and said, “I haven’t been of much help in the past, have I?”

“What are you saying? You’ve been plenty helpful. There were many times where I would’ve died had it not been for you. Even just now, you saved my life.”

Godslayer’s smoke-formed face had a smile on it for a moment, one that made him look both happy and sad. “Yes, but I have only been helpful when you were in danger. That is no different from me acting to save my own life, since your death likely means my death as well.”

“That’s all I really needed, didn’t I?” Alex asked.

“No, there were so many situations where my input could have been helpful. So many issues that just wouldn’t exist had I decided to help you. It’s… it’s a shame that it took me this long to realize that.”

Alex smiled. “I’m just happy that you think as much. You’ve gained a lot of empathy now, and I think that is a good change.”

“I do so too.”

Alex pondered something for a moment and asked, “Do you want a different name now?”

“A different name?” Godslayer asked. “Why a different name?”

“You’re a different person from who you used to be,” Alex said. “So, I thought that you may want to be known as someone else too. You have a chance to be known as something other than Godslayer, considering you chose that name when you were still a corrupting force.”

Godslayer considered the proposal for a long time. A different name for a different time in his life made him want to do it. However, there was something else deep within him that shrank back from this thought.

“No,” Godslayer answered in the end. “At least, not right now. I want a different name, but I need to remain who I am. I need to remain Godslayer for a while longer, for I have a few more people to slay.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You still want to kill more gods?” he asked.

“No, not gods. Just the ones who hurt me. The ones who made me who I am,” Godslayer said.

Alex thought for a moment. He remembered Godslayer saying that he had killed a few of his enemies, like the Sword God, the Weapons God, and the Saber God, along with a few others.

“Do the people who wronged you still live?” he asked.

Godslayer nodded. “During the past however many years, I recalled my entire life, and I saw everyone I killed. I have killed many, many of whom I killed because of their association with godhood, but many who were my enemies.”

“However, there are two more that I need to kill.”

“Is the Sword God one of them?” Alex asked.

“Huh? No, I already killed him, remember?”

“No, not the one you killed. The one that captured you at the end,” Alex said. “You must be angry with him too, right?”

Godslayer chuckled for a moment. “Angry? I should be, but no. That person is the sole reason I gained my sanity. I am peeved, yes, but not enough to want to kill. In fact, it would be better if we stayed away until both of us are much stronger.”

“I’ll do my best,” Alex said. “I will warn you, though, the Sword God is right here in the tournament.”

Godslayer paused for a moment. “The tournament? It’s already started?”

“It’s about to end. There’s only one competition remaining, and the few gods that have come will be watching me in the tournament,” Alex said.

“Well, better not let them know I am here,” Godslayer said.

Alex smiled. “Well, if it’s not the Sword God you want to kill, then who?”

“A Sword Sage,” Godslayer said. “Or at least, he used to be. He worked under the first Sword God I killed. I do not know where he will be now.”

Alex thought for a moment. He did remember Godslayer saying something similar a while ago. He even remembered the name.

“As for the other one, it’s going to be slightly difficult,” Godslayer said. “Aside from the fact that he used the Dao of Death, I remember nothing else about him.”