I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1173: The Sword King’s Cursed Destiny

Northern was silent, looking as though reality had suddenly become too difficult to process. One moment, he was fighting a trusted subordinate whom he’d assumed was being controlled by Chaos Prince—but the next moment, that same subordinate was laughing.

’Aoi?’

[He was certainly being controlled.]

’Was? Then he’s free.’

[I suspect he must’ve broken out of control during the battle.]

Northern frowned subtly.

’He did? And kept playing with me?’

Thinking about it, Northern did feel it was the kind of thing Bairan would pull.

The Sword King slowly walked over to him with a laid-back posture, glancing at his shoulder where Northern had torn his cloth.

”Ah! As expected of the one I chose to serve—you grew tenfold in a single battle. It was only a matter of time before you’d eventually take my head!”

He laughed with contentment and pride as he approached Northern, who was still staring at him, stunned and blinking.

Northern’s frown deepened, and he extended the Illusioned Hefter toward Bairan’s face. His tone was grim.

”What do you think you’re doing right now?”

Bairan stopped. His face dropped its jovial mask and became intense, serious.

He dropped to one knee and lowered his head.

”You should kill me.”

Northern gritted his teeth inwardly, biting down the rage.

”That is not what I asked. What do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted.

Northern’s tone rose with kindling rage.

”Is this a joke to you? If you broke out of his grasp, what stopped you from saying it earlier? Do you realize what precious time I just lost?! Time I could be using to chase that BASTARD?!”

Bairan said nothing. Instead, he remained there as the weight of Northern’s words pressed on him.

Northern staggered back, struck by immense pain—because he’d earnestly thought Bairan was being controlled the entire time. He’d even steeled himself to murder one of the people he respected and treasured.

And it all turned out Bairan was toying with him?

The Sword King raised his head, his brows furrowed with regret.

”Please, my lord, look beyond my rash behavior and consider my intent. From the moment I attacked you, nothing was within my grasp. However, at some point I severed the thread controlling me. But it wasn’t that simple. A while ago, a great deal of my memory came rushing into my head just before I lost connection with you. Certain truths were revealed to me from that memory, including the mistakes every single one of us made.

”I have a cursed destiny—one that binds me to the sword of those I teach. I’m sure you know about Prince Phainon. He wasn’t the first. I’ve had seven students before Phainon that I had to kill myself. When it came to Prince Phainon, I was tired of running from fate. I was sick of my cursed destiny, so I didn’t want to win anymore. However—I hate to say it—I thought I was helping the Prince. Instead, I merely aided in his doom and the mistake that fragmented the Echo Realm.”

He looked at Northern’s face, a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

”As much as I want to blame the Origin for what happened to us, each and every one of us had a decision to make—and whether directly or indirectly, that decision played a hand in the ultimate mistake that broke our perfect world. It was a decision that came from a point of greed. The Origins weren’t the only greedy ones. We all were. Whether our greed was justified by good intentions or self-conceit, it doesn’t change the fact that our actions destroyed the world once.”

He gritted his teeth, suppressing painful memories, but they somehow reflected in the look on his face.

”I just didn’t want history to repeat itself. There was no better moment than now for me to end you—or be ended by you. So, my lord, it wasn’t a test. If you’d slipped, I really would’ve killed you. That was how strong my resolve was.”

Northern looked at him for a while and was continually speechless. He couldn’t even find words.

All he knew was that he was suddenly exhausted—his eyes heavy, his back aching like hell—and he wanted to collapse and sleep for the next month.

However, he glared sternly at Bairan.

”Then why did you stop?”

Bairan met his gaze.

”Because I realized.”

He dropped his eyes a little lower.

”You’ve survived every one of my attacks—somehow, even when you shouldn’t have. You slipped through my sword. And maybe this is me just being hopeful, but with your last attack, I realized—if anyone can reach them, it has to be you. It will be a long and arduous journey. They don’t fight in conventional means. Even I can’t compare. Kryos was merely a child’s tantrum compared to the power they wield. That’s talking about the Firsts. However, if there are other Origins aside from them, I can only say we’re asking for more than we can handle.”

Northern was silent for a while, then let out one heavy, relieving sigh.

Then he looked up at the sky. The moon was getting farther away, and the golden lights were lining the horizon where sky met sea.

”Your expectations—I advise you to keep them to yourself, so they don’t become disappointments. I’m not a hero, and I act purely out of selfish interest. I’ve been selfish from day one, and I’m still very selfish now. It’s just that my selfishness has taken on a grander scale. Which is fine—with one’s rise in power and status rises every other aspect of their life.”

He looked at Bairan.

”We do have much to discuss about your memories and the First Civilization. But please, Bairan, you’re a free man now. If you want to follow me purely out of expectations, I suggest you leave me and be on your own.”

The Sword King suddenly laughed—short and subtle.

”Just the response I expected from you.”

His face grew more serious as he looked at Northern.

”It doesn’t matter to me where you stand. You gave me a chance to live and breathe, but more than that—you gave me a family, a home. It’s difficult to leave that. Forgive my words just now—they were burdens of an old soul. But let this lowly swordsman belong to you again.”