Chapter 1323 - Path to Awakening (2/2)

“I see…”

Upon hearing the younger sister’s explanation, Rhode nodded. He finally understood why the loyalty and attributes of the card spirits would fall after this skill failed in the game. Because the Spirit Swordsmen failed to make his card spirit accept him, which was why it naturally rejected him. And even if it succeeded, card spirits were just data, after all. It was impossible for them to appear in tune with the player’s feelings or anything (of course, it was important to not invest emotionally in virtual characters). So, naturally, there wouldn’t be any other changes except for the card spirits becoming more gorgeous.

But reality and the game world were different, after all.

“So, in other words, all I have to do is use the awakening skill on Karin, pass through her subconscious, and I’ll be able to handle this tricky situation?”

That was good news for Rhode; at least, it was better than both of them having a hard time getting to know each other on a blind date.

“Yes. But Big Brother, I think you’ve also realized that it isn’t that simple… And besides…” The younger sister paused for a moment, looked at the crowd, and revealed a mysterious smile. “… Big Brother, I was hoping that you would use the awakening skill on all the holy sword cards at once.”

“… Huh?”

Upon hearing his younger sister’s words, even Rhode was stunned. But soon, he reckoned that this was indeed a good idea. In fact, in the midst of practice, he also found out that not only Karin, but he and the other holy sword cards also weren’t that compatible. However, their problems were within permissible limits, while Karin’s issues directly affected the construction of the barrier itself. That was why Rhode brought up Karin specifically. And if he could get through the subconscious of all the holy sword card spirits and get them to accept him, he could create the perfect barrier.

But…

“Is this going to take a lot of time?”

“The flow of time in the mental world is different from reality, Big Brother. It may feel like time passes very quickly in the mental world, but it actually moves really slowly in the real world. That is why even if you feel as if you’re spending years in the mental world, in reality, it’s only for a moment.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing her explanation, Rhode couldn’t help but nod and instinctively sweep a glance at Lize, who stood next to him. When she sensed his gaze, her face turned red instantly. Of course, she knew why he looked at her. Although she wasn’t his card spirit, she was the only one whose mental world was entered by Rhode. That happened a long time ago. Back then, Lize hadn’t confessed to him, but deep down, she was jealous of the intimacy between him and Anne. This led to her falling prey to the Mind Devil, sucking Anne and Rhode into her mental world. She also got so angry at them. However, Rhode managed to gain two cards in her mental world, which was a dark history that Lize could never forget. So up until that moment, Rhode didn’t use those two cards unless necessary. Or else, Lize might hang herself in shame when she saw the two card spirits.

Of course, awakening the holy sword cards wasn’t as simple as awakening the spirits of the card spirits because the holder’s spirit had to be projected into the spirit’s subconscious. That was why, during the process, Rhode was entirely defenseless and this sort of thing naturally couldn’t be done in full view of the public. As a result, he decided to do it at night in his own bedroom.

His younger sister would watch over him to ensure that his spirit wouldn’t be damaged or affected in any way. Of course, this would also require the consent of all the other holy sword card spirits. And if they disagreed, he wouldn’t have the permission to enter their mental worlds and would simply be ejected. Therefore, it was also very important for him to seek the opinions of the card spirits. Fortunately, everyone was well aware of what was at stake, so they didn’t complain much on that front, but quickly nodded in agreement instead.

And so, as night fell, the awakening ritual was about to begin.

“Are you ready, Big Brother?”

Looking at Rhode, who lay on the bed, as well as the 10 holy sword card spirits who were suspended in the air around him, the younger sister hesitated for a moment, before asking softly. And upon hearing her question, Rhode nodded.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

Under his younger sister’s narration, he also understood the entire process of awakening. The reason why she proposed to use the awakening skill on the 10 holy sword card spirits at once wasn’t solely for insurance purposes. It was due to the fact that the mental worlds of the 10 card spirits were interconnected. So by using the awakening skill on them at the same time, Rhode would be able to freely travel through their mental worlds without having to deal with them one by one.

Of course, in addition to that, the most important thing to note was that in the mental world, he would encounter more than one projection of the card spirits. Not only that, but the spirit projections would also have no memory of him at all. This meant that his existence was completely foreign to them. Only when he was fully acknowledged by the spirit projections would their memories be linked to their external body, thus restoring the part of their memory about him. And only after dealing with the spirit projections in the mental world, Rhode would be considered to have officially obtained the recognition of the holy sword card spirits and completed the entire process of awakening.

“I hope you can remember, Big Brother, that the spirit projections are likely to have a completely different personality from their actual selves. So you’d better not treat them with the same attitude. The mental world is the spirit projection’s home turf and if you infuriate them too much, there’s a good chance you’ll do damage to your own spirit. So you need to be careful to protect yourself and not get hurt or let anyone else get hurt.”

Even though the younger sister didn’t explain too much, Rhode knew exactly what she meant. The mental world was a fragile thing. Whether it was his own spirit projection or that of the card spirits, if his spirit projection was harmed, he would be hurt as well. If the card spirits received damage to their mental worlds, they would also face issues. In that case, any slight instability would most likely turn into factors that would cause irreparable damage to their original selves.

That was why this proposal from the younger sister could be said to be a beneficial, yet risky one. And if Rhode were able to complete the test flawlessly, the situation would naturally be perfect. But if something went wrong with him, no matter where the problem occurred, it was conceivable that the Holy Sword Barrier would basically be out of luck.

Despite the risks, Rhode agreed to his younger sister’s suggestion. Because he was absolutely confident in himself.

“Let’s start.”

After making sure that he was completely ready, Rhode took a deep breath, turned to his younger sister, and said. When she heard his words, she simply nodded, walked to the side, extended her fair, slender finger, and pointed at the holy sword card spirits in midair. Along with this action, a bright light emanated from the holy sword card spirits. In the blink of an eye, the brilliance connected the 10 of them, all of whom surrounded Rhode. Upon looking at this scene, Rhode muted his facial expression, continued to lay on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Shortly after, dazzling magical rays of light erupted with him at the center, forming a revolving summoning ritual circle that enveloped all 10 holy sword card spirits. Then, a blinding radiance flashed.

At the next moment, the entire room restored its serenity.

[1] An advanced transformation assumed by members and hybrids of the Saiyan race in the Dragon Ball franchise.