Chapter 215 - 172.2 : The Chains (2/2)
The Earth Spirit wanted to insist but knowing Arthur's attitude, he gave up and went back to his sleep, unaffected by what happens outside.
This wasn't the end for Arthur, when the burning effect from the chains disappeared, he felt that he could break them and finally be free of their restraint and when he was going to, he found himself standing in an endless space which belonged to the ARK.
”We meet again, Arthur.”
The lame copy of Arthur stood before him, however, this time he wasn't as cheerful as usual and he even had a serious expression.
”What do you want?”
The lame copy started walking around Arthur, inspecting the long chains then he replied
”It's not what I want but what you intend to do.”
He didn't even give Arthur enough time to talk before he resumed
”You know.... a very long time ago, there was a person named 'Moria', this Moria was very skilled in Shadow Magic. He had an ability similar to yours and could gain the power of others through their shadows, and as you may expect, he became strong, very strong, enough to be called the Shadow King and live for countless generations without anyone matching his strength... but he ended up dying despite having no one who can kill him and being practically immune to aging. Now, Arthur, you're a smart person, how do you think he died?”
Arthur contemplated the matter for a few seconds before he gave his answer
”Must've been suicide? Maybe loneliness and the lack of equally strong people made him want to end his life.”
”That's the only plausible answer but it's wrong. The Shadow King didn't kill himself, neither did anyone kill him, he simply led himself straight to his death, too much power can kill someone. He consumed way too many shadows, his power was really something to look up to despite the fact that he didn't acquire it himself. It's quite unbelievable for an eternal king to die due to obtaining more power than he could control.
In such a case, you and he are more similar than you think. You might not be blinded by gaining power, but becoming stronger is necessary to protect what's dear for you and I totally get that but remember this, Arthur, there is always a limit to what a borrowed power could do.”
The copy crouched down and grabbed part of the chains, feeling it while he continued speaking:
”You do know why those chains are restraining you, right?”
”My physical body is much stronger than what my Mental capacity could handle and my Realm is too low.”
”That's only the main points. Your body's strength has exceeded the necessary boundaries, if you break the chains.... then yes, you'll get unimaginable power, a physical body that kills Gods with a flip of a finger, and you could also travel to Earth through sheer strength, however, everything comes at a cost. I can assure you that when you break the chains yourself, you would die within twelve hours at most and nothing could save you, not even that skill of yours.”
Arthur was tempted when he heard the first part but was forced to give up when he heard that his death is imminent if he breaks those damnable chains.
”Don't think of them as a restriction, they are saving you from self-destruction. Even if it's not exactly like the death of the Shadow King, the way you would die will be a bit like his, through obtaining more power than one could process and use. As for when the chains will break, it'll be when your Mental Capacity is high enough, but at such a pace, I don't think it'll happen anytime soon.”
”Do I need to reach a specific number of Mental Power to break them?”
With a precise number to reach, Arthur thought it'll be easier for him to determine how far he is.
”Mental Power? That's only one side of the coin, Mental Capacity isn't only numbers that are increased through cultivation, then again, if you could understand its entirety then you wouldn't be struggling in such a world. If you want a number then I would say five hundred thousand? Perhaps a million? Numbers are everything yet nothing. They are the basics, a number can't always be precise, and I think you know that well.”
Arthur remained silent for an unknown amount of time, pondering about many things. His copy only gazed at him without uttering any more words, he seemed to be content after saying that and now that he had nothing important to say, he patted Arthur's shoulders and said
”Remember well, Arthur Bilgart, a heart bleeds, a man weeps, a soul burns, thence comes the darkness to consume, yet even in the depths, the flames endures.”
The copy vanished after saying that, leaving Arthur alone in the endless pace, still deep in a daze, thinking about all the things the copy has just said.