Every swing of his sword triggered a terrifying explosion. Yet what frustrated Chen Luo more and more was that... they would not die. Not a single Truth Phantom disappeared for good. Even when blasted away, pierced through by sword light, or left with bodies almost completely shattered, they would slowly get back to their feet.
Three hours. The battle had lasted for a full three hours. Chen Luo's breathing grew heavy as he stood amid countless traces of battle, his hair slightly disheveled and his clothes torn in several places. Yet the Truth Phantoms before him remained undeterred. Chen Luo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze sharp.
-"Something's not right."
He looked at the Guardian in the distance. The Guardian had barely participated in the battle directly from beginning to end. He simply stood there, controlling the fight, observing, and waiting. Chen Luo suddenly recalled the scene at the start, when the Guardian had waved his hand and the Truth-Seers had appeared in the air. Only now did he realize: "What I'm missing isn't power, but how to use it."
Chen Luo immediately turned around. The seven 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」 were still in his hands. Without hesitation, he threw all seven tablets into the air. Whoosh! The seven tablets rose simultaneously, and blue light burst forth at once.
The System spoke immediately afterward:
-"Congratulations, Host. You have successfully linked with 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」. You can issue commands through brain waves to control all Truth-Seers under your control."
Seven different interfaces appeared before Chen Luo at the same time, each displaying countless options. Chen Luo froze for a second, then the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.
-"So that's how you use them."
His fingers moved rapidly across the interfaces before him: Select. Confirm. Select. Confirm. No words were needed; he only had to think. Whoosh! The seven 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」 lit up together, and columns of blue light descended to the ground. Within that light, countless Truth Phantoms appeared—but this time, they belonged not to the Guardian, but to Chen Luo.
Boom! The two armies collided, and a continuous rumble filled the air. Every collision made space tremble; the Truth Phantoms on both sides repeatedly passed through one another as attacks exploded in midair. Watching the scene unfold, the Guardian laughed for the first time since the battle began.
-"Looks like you've regained your grasp of how to use them."
Chen Luo did not answer at once. He hovered in midair, with a chaotic battlefield beneath him where hundreds of Truth Phantoms were fighting, blue light filling his entire field of vision. He looked down at the Guardian.
-"I'm not sure. Maybe that's it."
Before the Guardian could react, Chen Luo suddenly vanished. Whoosh! The Guardian immediately turned around. Boom! The Myriad Extremes Divine Sword appeared right in front of him. He raised an arm to block it. Clang! A piercing impact rang out, forcing the Guardian back several steps.
Chen Luo gave him no chance to regain his footing.
-"By the way... I'm up here!"
Whoosh! Chen Luo charged forward again. Boom! A heavy kick slammed down. The Guardian raised both arms to block it, and boom! The ground beneath his feet immediately cracked. Chen Luo twisted in midair and brought the Myriad Extremes Divine Sword down in a follow-through slash. Clang! The Guardian leaned aside to evade, but a streak of sword light tore across his shoulder. The Guardian counterattacked at once, firing a stream of blue energy straight at Chen Luo's chest. Boom! Chen Luo was blasted away. He flipped in midair, and the instant his feet touched the ground, he charged back in.
-"Faster!"
Whoosh! Chen Luo unleashed a succession of sword strikes: one, two, ten, dozens. Each strike targeted a different weakness. The Guardian blocked while retreating, and the once-empty space was now covered in countless marks of battle. The Guardian was doing more than dodging; he had begun laying invisible traps. Whenever Chen Luo tried to close in, the space beneath his feet would suddenly light up. Boom! An explosion immediately hurled Chen Luo away.
-"Again?"
Chen Luo had barely steadied himself when the Guardian appeared in the distance.
-"You're too impatient."
-"Oh?"
-"If you keep chasing me like this, you'll be the first to run out of stamina."
Chen Luo looked at him. After a few seconds, he laughed.
-"Are you stalling for time?"
The Guardian did not answer. That brief silence was enough for Chen Luo to understand: "That's right. He's dragging this out." The Guardian kept retreating, changing positions whenever Chen Luo approached. Each time Chen Luo prepared a decisive strike, another trap appeared. It wasn't that the Guardian was vastly stronger than Chen Luo; he was using tactics to wear him down.
Chen Luo exhaled and slowly lowered his center of gravity.
-"In that case... I just need to move faster."
Boom! Chen Luo suddenly accelerated explosively. The Guardian immediately retreated, and a trap appeared. Chen Luo did not dodge; he stepped straight onto it. Boom! His body was blasted apart in midair. The Guardian froze for an instant. At that very moment, a figure burst out of the smoke—Chen Luo had used the explosion itself to accelerate.
-"Got you!"
The Myriad Extremes Divine Sword swept horizontally. The Guardian raised a hand to block it. Clang! Metal rang out, and he was forced backward. Chen Luo kept attacking, one streak of sword light following another, forcing the Guardian completely onto the defensive for the first time.
Just then... Clang! An extremely piercing metallic sound rang out. The Guardian suddenly stopped, his entire body seemingly locked in place by an invisible force. Chen Luo did not let the opportunity slip away; one final streak of sword light came crashing down. Boom! The Guardian was stunned by the blow. At the same time, all the Truth Phantoms under his control stopped moving. Their figures dissolved one after another into countless motes of light. The seven 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」 also went dark and fell to the ground. At last, the space fell silent.
Chen Luo leaned on the Myriad Extremes Divine Sword, panting. The Guardian slowly straightened up, his mechanical voice ringing out.
-"Well done, Traveler. I never expected you to defeat me even while at a disadvantage. The test ends here. You have won."
He looked at Chen Luo. As soon as he finished speaking, all the 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」 on the ground, along with those still floating in the air, turned into light. Whoosh! Streams of light flew toward Chen Luo, all returning to his body.
Chen Luo looked at the Guardian, still burdened with far too many questions.
-"Who are you, anyway?"
The Guardian did not answer.
-"Why do you call me that?"
Silence.
-"Who is Traveler #6676?"
There was still no answer. Only the endless white space responded with silence. Chen Luo sighed softly. As expected, he had already guessed that this person would not tell him so easily. At last, the Guardian spoke.
-"According to the agreement we made long ago, you have completed the test."
He walked toward Chen Luo.
-"I will enter your body."
Chen Luo immediately grew wary.
-"Enter my body?"
The Guardian offered no explanation.
-"It seems you don't remember us very well anymore. Very well, this is a gift from me."
A pure white light emerged from the Guardian's body. It carried no killing intent and exerted no pressure; it was simply strangely peaceful. The light slowly drifted toward Chen Luo. He instinctively tried to dodge, but it was too late. Whoosh! The light merged directly into his body. In that instant, countless images flashed before Chen Luo's eyes: a long corridor, unfamiliar figures, a vast organization, an empty chair, and a voice calling his name. But they appeared for less than a single breath. Before Chen Luo could make them out, everything vanished. The Guardian disappeared as well, without a farewell or any explanation, leaving only the empty white room behind.
Immediately afterward, the scenery before Chen Luo rapidly disintegrated, and he returned to the original room.
-"Congratulations, Host, on successfully completing the Guardian's test. You have received 「Memory Fragment」 x2, the skill 「Guardian」, and an additional 8 「Truth-Seer - Tablet of Truth」."
Chen Luo stood motionless, unable to react at once. His hand unconsciously rose to touch his chest. The Guardian... had really entered his body? Chen Luo frowned, yet he felt nothing unusual. There was only a strange, indescribable sensation, as though someone else were sleeping deep within his soul. He did not know whether that person was an ally or an enemy, nor did he know what the so-called "agreement" between them in the past had been. But he knew one thing: he would find the answer.
Chen Luo put away the Myriad Extremes Divine Sword and looked ahead. The surroundings had grown much dimmer, and the lights that had illuminated the entire organization were going out one after another. Only a narrow path remained, faintly lit. It wound through rooms and corridors, occasionally turning in a completely different direction. Seen from above, the place resembled a vast maze. Chen Luo did not know where he was going, but the illuminated path seemed to have been laid out in advance; he only needed to follow it. After an unknown length of time, he finally saw an exit ahead—a platform of ancient stone in the middle of the pitch-black space. The light beneath his feet gradually gathered toward it, as though bidding him farewell.
Standing at the exit, Chen Luo turned to look back. Behind him stretched the same endless corridor. A vast organization had once existed there, along with people he no longer remembered, an identity he had lost, and perhaps... another Chen Luo. He remained silent for several seconds, then turned and stepped outside. Endless darkness lay ahead, but this time, Chen Luo did not hesitate.