Defying Fate: Bao Chi's Desperate Choice

Two years ago during the Avacasta expedition...

**Bao Chi** spoke with an anxious expression, "Brother, however much you jest, that is not an ability anyone has ever wielded."

**Tatsuki** shook his head in response to Bao's reaction and with a slight hint of a smile, he replied, "Right! Then how did you even hear of it if no one has ever used it?"

Bao Chi was dumbfounded; his thoughts circled back and forth, but all he managed to come up with was, "That's... Because... because..."

Tatsuki made an annoyed face and provocatively said, "You must be joking! Haha! How funny... It was really funny, hahaha."

Bao Chi, with his head staring at the ground, responded, "Forgive me, brother."

Tatsuki replied, "You're apologizing this quickly? That's no fun!"

Bao Chi stood his ground, snorting like a little child, as he said, "Would you at least take me seriously for a second?"

Tatsuki, feigning an expression of fear as he mocked Bao, replied, "Okay, sir! Just look at you, ordering me around, how cute. You don't even fear the fact that I might kill you now, and since we are in here, that is completely possible."

Now the real fear was felt by Bao Chi, and he quickly diverted Tatsuki's attention to his question while his tongue stuttered, "Bro... brother, so you were about to tell me about the perpetual time leap?"

Tatsuki's eyes widened as he was reminded, and he cheerfully responded, "Oh yeah, I totally forgot. Thanks for reminding me."

Bao Chi took a breath of relief, thinking to himself, "Safe, safe, safe."

Tatsuki began the explanation of the ability. "In simpler terms, we are trying to defy the world by using two different laws in a coherent and simultaneous form, where immutable and fragments of time are both forced to exist. However, the price of that will be nothing short."

Bao Chi exclaimed, "Brother, that does not make any sense. How are two different laws supposed to exist at the same time, and even if they do, what will it accomplish?"

Tatsuki continued with his explanation, "We are going to use it to make my body immutable and yours semi-immutable. After that comes the harder part, utilizing fragments of time. If we had enough time, I would have gone with a safer option. However, that is not possible for us. We must dive deeper to make it work."

Tatsuki continued, "I'm going to form two layers of fragments of time, one that will accelerate time around it and one that will move back in time. With both working together, I will achieve the unison for you to get rid of mana intoxication, as well as compensate for the decades of time needed for the intoxication to be over with. However, I'm not omnipotent. It will still have some side effects, which even I'm unaware of. I just wish it would be something bearable."

Bao Chi was stunned; suddenly, the information was too much and completely out of what he had ever believed. His thoughts were raging, and many questions arrived in his mind. Yet still, he felt as if everything had blanked out; he could not speak, and suddenly Tatsuki began again.

Tatsuki chuckled a little as he spoke, "If that's got you thinking so much, how will you comprehend what I'm about to say now?"

Bao Chi's eyes swiftly turned towards Tatsuki, no longer filled with curiosity but rather asking for mercy. Seeing this, Tatsuki spoke gently, "I understand that it is difficult to understand, but I can't do it if you don't understand the process as well, so bear with me."

Tatsuki explained further, "Think of it like this: there is a stone lying on the ground. How much time will it require before it turns into dust? It would be hundreds or thousands of years, but if its surroundings change and take a turn for the worst, it may happen in just a few decades. Now, consider your body as if it's that stone, and your surroundings are the poison. How long do you think it will take for you to turn into dust?"

Bao Chi could no longer divert his mind or eyes from the truth. Tatsuki's question needed to be answered, but doing so would require him to accept that his demise wasn't much further in the future. He could not muster the courage. All he did was stand there with his fist clenched and eyes that showed helplessness.

Tatsuki could see Bao Chi's thoughts clearly. He did not want to pressure Bao Chi any further, but without breaking Bao mentally, he couldn't progress any further. He sighed and spoke to Bao Chi, "Seven years, give or take. That's all the time you have. With every passing year, breathing will become shallower, your organs will stop listening, intoxication will become more potent, and at last, you will depart in a painful manner."

Tatsuki approached a despaired Bao with eyes filled with malice. They were squinted, his face hiding a light grin, his ears perked up as he asked Bao, "I could assist you with all my might. However, with all your cultivation lost, what will you do? How will you exact revenge? What will happen to your clan? What about the humiliation your grandfather suffered? What about the painful life your father had? Are you willing to throw all that away to get rid of the intoxication? Do you have the courage, Bao?"

Bao Chi's last line of hope seemed to have been cut off. He was sure that his brother could do a miracle. But what he was hearing now was completely different from his belief. Tatsuki's words had a deep impact on his previous belief. He started to question himself. How stupid of him to believe that he could just start over from scratch. Others won't wait, time won't wait, the empire won't wait. Nothing will wait for the weak, meek, and pathetic trash, Bao Chi of the Integral Ki Clan.

Tatsuki had finally succeeded in his endeavor. Bao Chi's willpower was at its weakest. He had nowhere to go, no hand to hold. In the midst of his worry, Tatsuki chose to play the messiah. In the back of his head, words resounded, "Son, break before creation, so it would lead to complete domination. Utilize this to its full extent since you are so..." Tatsuki quickly came back to the present. He took a few steps back and spoke in a gentle voice, "Bao, it's not like there is nothing I can do, but I don't know if you would be able to bear it."

There it was, the miracle Bao was longing for. At that moment, those words were exactly what were supposed to be said. And without any hesitation, he screamed, "Brother, I can bear it. I can bear anything. I can do it, brother, for my clan, my forefathers

. I'll go through anything."

Tatsuki turned around, facing away from Bao. Tatsuki was in his moment, feeling ecstasy as he gazed toward the cave ceiling as words resounded in his mind. Bao, oh Bao, you are so naive to break this easily just from that much. How will you ever go against the world, cruel as this?

Tatsuki, after living his short moment of satisfaction, steeled his gaze and turned back toward Bao. He spoke, "If that is your resolve, I'll do my utmost. If you have any thoughts about backing out, you have a week's time since it will take around that long to mark scripture and engrave inscriptions around. I would have also utilized runes; however, that is not possible as of now."

Bao Chi hastily inquired, "But why, brother? What is difficult about it?"

Tatsuki sighed in disbelief as he stared towards Bao Chi. "Just how much mana coal do you think I have? It's already going to take me a week to prepare other things, and you want me to use runes too? How shameless are you?"

All the uneasiness from the environment had vanished in an instant. A small spark of laughter had been lit in Bao Chi's face as he chuckled before speaking, "Forgive me, brother. Your demeanor and knowledge far outshine your cultivation, so I keep forgetting how weak you are. Even at that age, you are merely at the 1st-grade bronze level. I think I'll have to try harder to remember that."

Tatsuki retorted, "You are already hanging in the middle. Do you want me to push you to the afterlife that badly?"

Bao Chi trembled at the mere thought, shivering, he looked at Tatsuki's plain expression. One thought crossed his mind. "He looks so dangerous, even with that plain face. What power."

Tatsuki began the preparation. He started mustering up mana from his surroundings. He swirled up all his mana into his hand, which he raised up and condensed it all in his palm. He then smashed it to the ground. The condensed mana, instead of causing an explosion, simply started to flow around the ground. After a moment of flowing, it formed a small sigil on the ground.

Tatsuki fell on his buttocks, huffing and puffing, out of breath. Finally, the first step is done. "Oi, Bao, come sit in the middle of this sigil so I can engrave inscriptions on you."