492 Death's Creation - Resurrection

Kai didn't have a physical body. Of soul, he dared not think of breaking it. And his mind was his power, if there was such a concept after dying, anyway.

How could he, after going through so much, contemplate sacrificing these things? Still, he knew Death's words, though simple, hid something grand, mystic, and cryptic within themselves.

[You don't have a Body.] Death's voice rattled Kai's thoughts as if accepting his worries and doubts. [But you have something that can represent it in its entirety. Can't you think of anything that portrays the same meaning as physical strength?]

Kai brooded over the words, his expression calm, but his heart racing.

"Even I know this, doc!" the Cartoonist exclaimed, mocking. "Look. I am holding it."

Kai looked over his shoulder. There, sitting upright on the beach chair, the Cartoonist was lifting dumbles as large as the man himself. The rabbit-eared man smirked at Kai.

Suddenly, his hand slipped, and the dumbles fell on the floor. The moment they hit the white sand, they popped like soap bubbles.

The Cartoonist looked at them, the corners of his lips twitching at odd angles.

Kai's eyes lit up. "Experience," he answered, bringing his head forward. "One's experience can also be a measure of one's physical strength."

[Brilliant.] There was no brilliance in hearing Death's praise, Kai felt. [It is indeed so, my Scion. Just like you accumulate experiences, you also accumulate physical strength. Coincidentally, you have an experience that even more accurately represents your physical strength.]

I knew it, Kai thought, closing his eyes. So be it. "Selfless Breathing Ability."

[Ah. So that's what it is called. Yes, that's the one. I can tell that this Ability of yours not only shows an accurate measure of your physical strength but also shows your comprehension related to it. Isn't that so?]

Kai hated it already. "Will I have to Sacrifice my Ability?" Like hell he would!

[Huh? Hahaha!] The laugh rocked on the other side like a mighty ship amid a black storm. [No. You have spent thousands of years in this Tournament of yours, training your physical body to the point you are one with the Breathing (-Kai knew Death was talking about Constant Breathing now-).

[I will just need that accumulated physical strength, worth 100 years. Your Comprehensions are yours, but your progress will drop by a negligible amount. Of course, you can retrain your body to this One-with-Breathing level. It will just take another 100 years. A small price to pay for the Resurrection and the Tournament's Rewards, my Scion.]

"Just?!" Kai barked. "100 years are just?"

[Yes. Just.] But Death had more to add. [If it was anyone else, it would have taken an instant. You, however, will need 100 years.]

"Why?" Kai asked, knowing he would be answered with silence only.

"Haha!" the Cartoonist laughed, biting the carrot. "100 years aren't that long, my gullible friend. You can't even calculate, I see. What a waste of a main… Cough!"

Kai ignored the choking on the other side and thought over the words again. Now that he thought about it… 100 years were indeed nothing. Not in the eyes of truly strong, at least.

Yes, think of the rewards and return for now, Kai told himself. It's not like I am losing the Ability itself. Though it will affect Joyless Slaughter, as I need Constant Breathing to undergo that transformation. Hmm. Price, indeed.

"What about Soul?" Kai demanded. "The only reason I haven't gone after creating Horcruxes is that I don't believe in breaking apart my Soul. Even if it means resurrecting, I will not do otherwise."

"Damn!" the Cartoonist cursed. "Cough! Cough!"

[Breaking one's soul according to the Horcrux Creation spell is indeed a powerful magic.] Was it mockery that Kai heard in Death's tone? [But those who dare to do so, are destined to make an enemy of myself.

[You did right by not pursuing this spell, my Scion. Or I would have annihilated you when you arrived in your current Timeline. It is not in my nature to be merciful toward your kind. Especially when one, such as you, is a candidate for becoming an Outer One.]

"WHAT?!" the Cartoonist shouted so loud that Kai, who himself looked shocked, had to pull away the handset from his ear. "You have Outer One Title, too?! Pluck my long ears, and call me a rat! Damn! How many Cosmic Authorities do you have, doc?"

Kai licked his lips. Could he get an answer about this mysterious Title, finally? "What is an Outer One?"

Silence.

The Cartoonist chuckled but didn't answer.

[The Sacrifice I need is more of a division, like Cell Division. Consider your Soul as 10 parts. You will Sacrifice… No. Borrow, yes, that's the word. Let me borrow 1 part of your Soul as the price, the ingredient. In return, upon creation, the Homunculus will have the same amount of parts as your leftover Soul. 9 parts, in essence.]

This?! Was he hearing this right? No. He must make sure. "So," Kai began, still not believing it, "by offering 1 part of my Soul, I will gain 8 parts in total?"

As the Homunculus would be a part of Kai himself, despite being an Item, his Soul would remain in-tune with his own. That meant both Kai and Homunculus would have 9 parts of their original soul, making the total 18.

And that also meant that by offering 10% of his Soul, Kai was getting a 180% boost instead. Was there even a logic in it? "How is this possible?" Kai asked, his breath caught in his throat.

[I am The Artificer, my Scion.]

Yes. That answer was sufficient. Kai just needed someone to remind him. He was speaking to Death, the Creator of the most absurd Artifacts in the Multiverse on a whim.

[It is not as amazing as you think of it. When one breaks a soul, according to the Horcrux Creation Spell, it empowers both the creator and the Horcrux. There is no such thing in this safe Division process. Haha! There are some similarities, too.

[If the Horcrux, and, in your case, the Homunculus gets destroyed, it leaves the original soul weakened. Nothing is perfect, my Scion. Hahaha!]

Kai didn't know what to say. What Death warned him of was true for just anything.

It was like saying if you got killed, then you would die. It was clear if one got the Power, there always remained the possibility of losing it.

It didn't mean that men would stop contending for power, authority, and knowledge. This was part of the thrill. Without it, was there even fun in playing this game?

"What about my mind?"

[That is the easiest part of the three. Three things represent the mind, but only one thinks governs it the most. Do you know which one?]

"Will I get another favor if answered?"

[Haha!]

That meant, No. Sigh! Kai took a deep breath and answered, "Thoughts, Memories, and… Emotions."

[Emotions govern hate, Emotions govern love. The two strongest kinds of magic, my Scion. I will need one of your Emotions to imitate the mind for your Homunculus. Temporarily, of course. You will need to imbue it with your consciousness by yourself. And I know you have the means to do so.]

The Blue Spider Lily, Kai recalled the Item. Yes, he did have the means to do so. But that wasn't the moot point now. "Which Emotion?"

[I can sense only one Emotion in abundance in you. Let me borrow your…]

Kai closed his eyes.

[Calm.]

*****************

AN: Shout-out to Antuwini for supporting the work and cheering me up.

If you would like to read ahead, too, then you can access up to 21 chapters ahead of WN on Patre0n and Ko-Fi.

Mass Release Goal Progress: 40% [Visit the Ko-Fi link in synopsis for more.]