413 The true essence of Kai's Reality Marble (2)
-Know whiteness,- the yellow-haired being hissed, tracing a path from one star to another using its long finger.
As the Sword Spirit's hand traced that path, those millions of runes broke apart, combining to become a yellow path between the two stars.
This yellow path was straight, but it was not. It was curved, but it was not. It was bending here and there, but it was not as well.
Kai's mind felt muddled the longer he looked at it.
Just when the Sword Spirit's hand reached the second star, another boom reverberated. From the second star, another group of several millions runes exploded, every single one of them different from the last.
Kai could instinctively tell that these millions of runes were nothing but a restructuring of the previous millions of runes.
-Maintain blackness,- the Sword Spirit hissed, combining the millions of runes into another path of convoluted and mind-bending geometry.
The process repeated once again. The booms were followed by runes, which were followed by Sword Spirit's words, ending up in the appearance of the same, and yet different, yellow path.
-and be a model for all,- The yellow-haired being hissed after the second path.
-under heaven.- the words slithered into Kai's ears after the third path.
-By being a model for all under heaven,- the hiss echoed after the fourth path.
-Eternal integrity will not err.- these words melted into the sixth path.
-If eternal integrity does not err,- the Sword Spirit hissed, tracing the seventh path, and then looked at Kai.
The long, black hand moved from the 8th star to the pale yellow star into the hole in the sky, runes breaking, becoming another yellow path. -You will return to infinity.-
Know whiteness, Maintain blackness, and be a model for all under heaven. By being a model for all under heaven, Eternal integrity will not err. If eternal integrity does not err, You will return to infinity.
All the words appeared together in Kai's mind and a bang rang within him, his pupils trembling and his soul shuddering. Blood seeped out from the corner of his eyes as he kept looking at those yellow paths; those distorted parts of a hideous geometry. His ears and consciousness buzzed as all the words became sentences, pouring meaning into his mind.
Comprehension's nature was to be spontaneous, not to be imposed.
Yet, Kai had no say in this.
Kai closed his eyes slowly as if he was falling asleep, the Dementor's black cloak over him billowing noiselessly.
Suddenly, a yellow mist profuse from the blood ocean's surface as if the blood itself was vaporizing, gaining this sick color in the process. The 9 stars twinkled, showering white, blue, and a single stream of yellowness over the blood world.
All beings other than Kai were silent, rooted in their place as if the world itself wouldn't tolerate any disturbance.
Kai had already fallen into a mysterious state. Only this morning he had forced himself out of this situation when he was about to lose himself to the announced and heinous Comprehension of Luck. That could have resulted in his absolute death. No doubt. Yet, this time was no less different, either.
Sword Spirit's words, the stars, the constellation, the millions of millions of runes, the yellow path, and the missing tenth star, kept blurring in and out of existence in his dark vision and mind.
10 minutes…
15 minutes…
30 minutes…
Crack!
As the 60th minute passed, a gigantic crack appeared in the sky, running from one end to another.
The world was finally giving out. The horrifying powers brought out by Kai's Spiritual Awakening, and used by the Sword Spirit to create the Reality Marble, were failing to keep it intact.
Time was not in Kai's favor.
70 minutes…
Crackkk!
80 minutes…
Rumble!
120 minutes…
BOOM!
This was no mere crack anymore. A piece of the very sky had fallen, and black and blue bolts of lightning rumbled here and there, concentrating on the gap in the sky.
The Sword Spirit had already gone silent as if it would welcome victory or failure with the same expression; blank and ancient.
It was then, just as it seemed the sky wouldn't be able to take on the barrage of the bolts of lightning, that a sigh slithered into existence. It was like someone was trying to breathe more than air, its breath rattling.
Kai slowly opened his eyes, a strange understanding shining within his hazel pupils.
The chosen one of an entire world; the Contestant worthy enough to have a Glitch; the promised King. The Blood Demon… had once again shown the world why he alone could vie for the throne at the top of the peak of absolute power.
-So, it was like this… No wonder…- Kai hissed, his eyes looking at something more than the sky, more than paths, more than stars, and more than the broken world.
The Sword Spirit turned around and faced him, demanding an answer; the result of Comprehension, Epiphany, and Understanding.
-Limitless Blood Firmament- Kai hissed, looking the blood ocean, his voice cold and ethereal. -The part "Limitless" of my Inner World is this ocean of blood. This Blood Ocean incorporates the concept of Wuji; the Primordial Universe, the true Infinity.
-The part "Blood Firmament" of my Inner World is the vast Sky. This Sky; this Night; this vast blackness, incorporates the concept of Taiji; the Supreme Ultimate.-
Kai then again looked at the blood ocean, which rippled for none but him and the Sword Spirit. -Wuji also means stillness,- he hissed, his gaze moving up, landing on the great Firmament. -And Taiji represents movement and change. When Wuji becomes Taiji, Yin and Yang is generated, creating one cycle of creation and destruction. Limitless Blood Firmament is not a Reality Marble to resurrect the beings that I have devoured. Limitless Blood Firmament is a… Seal!!!-
BOOM!
An ethereal boom rang out from Kai as if some kind of shackles were breaking under the might of Kai's understanding.
But the Sword Spirit had yet to look away, and Kai had yet to finish as well.
Kai lifted his head and looked at the constellation in the breaking sky. His eyes traced the yellow paths, his gaze deepening, along with his epiphany. His mouth opened and closed as if… he was reading something, mumbling to himself.
With every next moment, the previously convoluted yellow paths in his eyes become strokes; the strokes of a brush. And if they were strokes of a brush, then the brush naturally followed the rules of a script.
Kai raised his arm and pointed at the sky, just like the Sword Spirit had done before. Then, using his hand as the brush and the Sky as the paper, he wrote, creating another stroke just overlapping the two yellow paths in one go.
-Know whiteness, Maintain blackness,- he hissed.
And the two paths vanished.
-and be a model for all under heaven,- Kai continued. -By being a model for all under heaven, Eternal integrity will not err. If eternal integrity does not err, You will return to infinity.-
As Kai kept hissing, writing over the yellow paths, they kept vanishing. Kai's hand looked to be moving straight, but it also looked like the tip of his fingers were slithering… like a snake.
-"Limitless" is the ink and the "Blood Firmament" is the paper,- Kai hissed, power rippling around him, the unknown shackles loosening even more.
-And where is this Ink?- the Sword Spirit intervened for the first time.
-In the 10th star of my Tree of Life,- Kai answered, looking at the constellation.
-Then, where is the 10th star?-
Kai's head slowly fell. But it was not in contemplation. His eyes were still open, bright light glinting within them.
Kai's gaze moved down the pillar and fell upon the blood ocean. In that blood ocean, there was the reflection of the hole in the sky over his head.
And in that hole, a pale yellow star was twinkling bloodier than ever.
-The 10th star…- Kai hissed, his tone profound. -… is in my heart! The ink is my Demonic Will, and like this blood ocean, my Will, too, is Limitless. When my Will touches the Blood Firmament, Yin and Yang originates. The origin of Yin and Yang creates a Script, sealing everything under heaven. This Script… is the true essence of my Reality Marble; my Inner World.-
-And the Script is…- the Sword Spirit asked with a touch of admiration in its voice.
Kai lifted his hand and pointed at the breaking sky. The lingering power of Spiritual Awakening, still infinitely vaster than his own, got consumed by his Will.
And then Kai wrote, his finger tracing a distorted, hideous path that was neither straight nor curved.
All the bolts of lightning vanished, the gap in the sky closed up, and the world regained its silent dullness; sealed under the might of a single stroke.
-Parselscript!-
Crack!
The unknown and unseen shackles seemed to have shattered. Suddenly, just as Kai said Parselscript, a brilliant light erupted from his forehead.
This light was almost similar to the starlight falling from the pale yellow star, but it blinded everything and everyone.
A Sign manifested on Kai's forehead, between his brows. This Sign was hideously beautiful, and there was a sinisterness about it, enchanting and disorienting all eyes.
To some, it looked like the number 3, written in a broken, twisting serpentine form. To others, it looked like a round beast, flailing its long tentacles.
This was the Yellow Sign; a seal placed over him by the Rinnegan-user in the Primordial Tower. The same Yellow Sign, which the white being had proclaimed to be the source of all languages written or spoken. The same Yellow Sign, which Kai had theorized to be the key, belonging to an Old One — Hastur!
The Yellow Sign between Kai's brows wasn't yellow, though. It was almost colorless as if it was just a transparent ink; hidden from all gazes.
Yet, the moment Kai said "Parselscript", one of its three arms shone. The blinding starry light had originated from this arm.
Little by little, starting from the end of this curved arm, the Sign began gaining color. And only when it reached half the length of this arm did this coloring stop from advancing. By then, a full half of one of its 3 twisted arms was glowing yellow, hinting ancientness.
Strangely, this half a length looked exactly like the stroke Kai had drawn over the sky to seal it. This half a length also looked like the 8 yellow paths that Kai had erased out of existence.
And this half a length also looked like the slither of a serpent.
When the Sword Spirit saw this yellow stroke on Kai's brows, it broke out in a feat of an evil cackle, the entire world booming under its hisses.
This was indeed Parselscript, the true essence of Kai's Inner World.
Seal the beasts, Seal the man, Seal the earth, and Seal the heaven…
This was Limitless Blood Firmament...
.... a Reality Marble that could Seal the entire Universe.
