Chapter 288 - 241 : Dark Anguish (1/2)
”I'm sorry but you don't deserve to wield such a blade, at least not yet.”
The copy wasn't pleased on how things turned out, with Arthur's body in an unstable state, the bloody injuries he suffered and Makaze breaking after it overworked itself and unleashed the fifth wave.
As he gazed at the dark blade that was missing its half and looking miserable, Arthur let out a long sigh and remained silent, unable to retort as he had no right justifications for his actions.
”Now, about your body. I think I found a suitable solution, it may take some time to properly put it into action but theoretically, it's doable and beneficial to you.”
Arthur didn't expect his copy to find a solution already, from his tone back when he's fighting, it was apparent that overcoming this hurdle is impossible, how come a solution was found.
”Theoretically?”
”Indeed, I've never tried it on anyone, so I wouldn't know. Less words and more actions, follow my instructions and do not resist, also, disable the pain immunity, it's doing you more harm than good.
First, destroy your Dantian.”
Arthur thought he heard wrong at first and only when his copy urged him two more times did he come back to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he reversed the circulation of his Nether Energy which led to heavy damages to his Meridians and his Dantian becoming very chaotic. After a few more seconds, he started spitting a large mouthful of blood as the dark talisman that was floating above his Dantian vanished and an agony that almost made him crazy assault him.
Arthur started yelling loudly but since he was in the water, no sound could be heard, he was alone this dark place with no one to aid him but himself.
With his cultivation entirely gone, a lot of his skills became unusable but none disappeared, the red tattoos withdrew and vanished in a matter of seconds, all that was left was Arthur, yelling and holding his head as his body convulsed and rolled on the sand.
”The first step for success is suffering, endless pain is not always a bad thing. You must know what true hell really is and experience the consequences YOU caused. The torture you suffered unjustly before is nothing compared to what's about to come.
Arthur Bilgart, or should I say, Arthur MoonStar, you do not value your life, you prioritize your goals over your life, sometimes a wise decision but usually a reckless mistake that could be forgiven if it was done once, but if it's purposely repeated then one can only blame his own undoing. Arthur, once bitten, twice shy, before you save your wife or your friends, learn how to save yourself first or else THEY will meet the same fate as your partner. You have what others yearn for yet you do not use it efficiently, your Race is one of a kind, your acquired talent is far above any living this in this multiverse yet here you are wasting it, in my eyes, you're nothing but trash. Here you are always focusing on possessing any strong enemy you manage to defeat, it's nothing but pathetic! Sure, you've done the impossible and killed the four Divine Beast but at what cost? Think carefully about how you are, what you've done and how you should proceed, there is no third chance for you, Arthur.”
After saying that, the copy no longer paid attention to Arthur, he remained inside the ARK and kept his silence, totally ignoring the suffering Arthur, who could only whimper quietly as he lost even the will the fight against the pain or should loudly.
After a few days passed, Arthur no longer emitted any noise, he would roll on the sand and shake intensely the whole day, the pain had no ending and even after hours passed, it didn't diminish the least bit. Destroying his cultivation only made it worse as he could no longer control Nether Energy to decrease the agony.
No matter how many times he tried to activate a few skills to aid him in this never-ending torture, a needle-like pain that was even more terrifying than the one he was feeling would invade his mind causing him to fall unconscious and wake up a second after, this cycle would repeat for a few more times before it subdues.
Slowly yet surely, ten days passed, the wounds on his face and back no longer gushed massive amounts of blood, but they were still ugly to behold. Arthur no longer held his head and rolled on the ground, he would let his body shake on its own and convulse on the sand as he sat there, motionless and soundless.
A month passed, the convulsing stopped at last but the pain never ceased even for a split second. More than one time, Arthur thought of dying as it's many times better than experiencing this anguish. He understood the meaning behind his copy's words but his mind just couldn't handle the pain anymore, it almost became blank, devoid of thoughts, just like a soulless puppet.
If not for remembering his Wife and daughter that gave him a bit of willpower to resist, he would have become something that is no longer human, nothing but an empty shell on the bottom of the ocean.