Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 403: Flower of the Blood Sea (3)

Time and time again.

Time and time again.

From birth, they are like walking corpses, following the master of this life through everything he experiences.

How many people are there now?

One, two, three, four...

I'm not entirely sure how many people there are.

But I am certain that the total number of lives I have consumed so far is far less than I expected.

We're still far from it, whether in terms of strength or anything else.

It's unstoppable.

Faster, faster!

Rushing towards the next blood-red humanoid, the next life.

Press it down, open its crooked mouth, suck, and swallow it--

My name is Erwin Sladen. I was born in the coastal Zheminai Province, and I'm an ordinary cargo ship stevedore. My first wife was the daughter of a wealthy local businessman. Although her father strongly opposed our marriage, we married because she was pregnant. Afterwards, her father put constant pressure on us, making life very difficult. At first, we believed that love could overcome everything, but that was ultimately just wishful thinking. Under pressure, we eventually divorced, and the child stayed with her family. My second wife—

My name is Milina, and I am a Divine Spellcaster under Saintess Liu. Saintess Liu has always been renowned for her bravery and skill in battle, and Liu Province is the most rampant province of Heretics, so I often accompany her to quell rebellions. I am always deeply captivated by the sight of her charging into battle wielding her beautiful Holy Sword; she is so powerful and beautiful, and even I, as a woman, am captivated by her unparalleled charm—

My name is Shar Joshua, and I am a teacher. I always work diligently and prepare my lessons carefully, but my students still don't listen to me, so my grades are always low, and the head teacher has scolded me many times for it. But my husband is a very gentle person; he always comforts and encourages me. Although we've had disagreements because of his extramarital affair, now we—

My name is John Miles, and I--

No, wait, John? I should call him Schar—

Shal? Who is that?

It wasn't her, it should be Jennifer... wait...

Wait... I... I should be...

It should be?

I--should--

"I am..."

I came to my senses again.

It was like experiencing an extremely long dream, as long as a person's entire life.

Here it is...

"Blood Sea..."

I should have been lying in my hospital bed, watching my incessantly nagging spouse.

But what about now?

Where is my illness? The illness that caused me unbearable suffering in the last few years of my life? Why am I so healthy now? Looking down at my hands, I find them delicate, almost like a woman's, and I even have a pair of remarkably high and perky breasts. Everything is so perfect, but countless tiny thorns protruding from my skin ruin it all. Is this the legendary rebirth?

"No... that's not right..."

It's not a rebirth, but a return.

My name is Ye.

The me that exists here is the true me.

I experienced someone's life again... no, I experienced the lives of many people.

Just now, I swallowed all four blood-soaked figures at once. Then, so many things exploded in my mind, causing me pain and madness, instantly pulling me into that endless, despairing cycle of reincarnation. Having swallowed four people's worth at once, their lives were chaotically intertwined, like a giant whirlpool, leaving me disoriented. Sometimes I was a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes an infant, sometimes an old person, sometimes noble, sometimes ordinary... constantly shifting, constantly rewriting.

It was rewritten to the point that even the concept of "self" became blurred.

"It really is... just as he said..."

No matter how many different lives I've lived, no matter how many times I've despaired, no matter how many times my memories have been rewritten, I still remember those bastard words, that bastard surnamed Yu.

"Blood is the vessel of life, the currency of the soul."

"The act of exchanging blood has been a ritual for concluding a contract since ancient times."

I see...

Taking another's life through blood means taking on everything that belongs to them.

Only by possessing the mindset, magnanimity, and strength to bear the weight of others' lives can one be considered a master of blood, and only then can one find meaning in plundering the lives of others through blood.

"--To hell with it!"

Bearing everything about the other person? Their emotions, memories, and life experiences—all of it?

Who wants all that mess!

All I want is life... life... I want your lives...

"Give it to me!!"

You are people of "blood".

Since it is blood, since it is the liquid that sustains life, then there is no reason for it not to obey me! I roared, and the surging blood forcefully broke through the encirclement of metal spikes, spraying in all directions, mixing into the Blood Sea, mixing into every blood-humanoid! The raging waves were indiscriminate, drawing in all the blood in the entire Blood Sea! Sucking, devouring everything—

It surged in, surged in, life surged in! Abandoning the safety of absorbing them one by one, it squeezed hundreds of blood-soaked figures into pure liquid all at once, gulping it down like a whale! That familiar feeling returned, as if a bottomless vortex appeared in my mind, tearing my consciousness downwards! Images, some clear, some blurry, flashed continuously, simultaneously oppressing my spirit! There was no escape, no avoidance—

If you can't escape, then face it head-on!

The life experiences of over a dozen people flooded my mind simultaneously, each beginning the same—first darkness, then a mixture of warmth, tightness, and suffocation, followed by the instant of birth! The air, far too cold for the warmth of the womb, washed over my body. The midwife cut the umbilical cord and cradled the frail body in a soft blanket! The newborn life cried out for the first time in the delivery room, born into the world—

No! I was born from the Blood Sea of blood, its stench overwhelming! What enveloped me wasn't a blanket, but thick, sticky blood! What approached me wasn't a midwife, but countless blood-soaked figures! This frail body couldn't contain my spirit and will; this monotonous first moment of life couldn't hold me back! Don't look! Don't think! Others' lives, others' emotions, others' experiences are all unnecessary garbage, the residue left after filtering clear water, only forcing me to experience their boring, tedious, and pathetic lives again and again! I am a transmigrator, I am a traveler, I am the writer of the story, I am a pioneer moving forward with my own will, and even Yusuo Zai, this all-controlling hand, cannot stop me! If he wants to make me a pawn in his grasp, then so be it! His will is irrelevant to me, his goals are unrelated to me. You can control my actions, but don't try to control my will! My heart!

"Look at him... so small, wrinkled, so cute..."

"... Come, madam, it's a healthy baby..."

"Wipe his body carefully, don't use too much force..."

Screw your cuteness! Screw your pampering! I am not a baby curled up in bed waiting to be slaughtered; I am a powerful being who can crush you with a flick of my wrist, a trial-taker hesitating in this Blood Sea!

Let's give her a name...

"... I'd thought of this a long time ago, I even wore out a dictionary..."

"Let's call her Geo." "Arena sounds good." "How about Lily? She's so cute." "We should make her name beautiful and melodious..."

I don't need you to give me a name. I've always had only one name! My name is Ye! Not anyone else!

I stepped into the school for the first time with my new schoolbag on my back.

No! I'm racing through the Blood Sea, seizing and devouring every blood-soaked person I can see!

I gazed longingly at the girl/boy I liked, wanting to strike up a conversation, but hesitated to approach her.

No! I'm grabbing the metal branch sticking out of my eye socket and yelling as I break it off by the roots!

I looked at the conscription notice on the bulletin board / I was baptized in church / I took my vows at a wedding / I stole in the street / I was --

No! I am rapidly digesting the hundreds of lives I have devoured, turning them into my power! This growth is obvious; I can definitely feel myself becoming stronger!

I started a family.

Yes, yes, go and make it your home.

I was kicked out of the Paladin Order.

Yes, yes, you really deserve it.

I discovered my wife was having an affair behind my back.

Yes, yes, you're really pathetic.

I am the richest antique collector--

Yes, yes, you're really amazing.

Whatever happiness, sadness, joy, regret, failure, or achievement you've experienced, none of it matters to me! Utterly boring! My life is more exciting than all of yours combined!

I increased the amount I absorbed; all the blood was converging on me, countless lives surged into my body through my blood, and everything of countless more people pressed down on me! The world shattered, like broken cathedral glass or disassembled jigsaw puzzle pieces, each piece a life, each a cycle of reincarnation. Countless fragments were reflected in the Blood Sea, turning crimson in the reflection of the blood-red light—

Turning blood red?

Even so many people's lives can only be stained with red.

Blood is the vessel of life, the currency of the soul.

If each of these cycles is a manifestation of life... then it must also be contained within the blood, right?

If we consider each cycle of birth and death as part of life, encompassing it all within our blood and digesting it—

"Oh? You've already managed to avoid getting caught up in your own personal lives so quickly?"

Yusuo Zai watched the girl on the broken TV with great interest, raising his eyebrows.

"This is truly a pleasant surprise, Mr. Ye. You are far more capable than I imagined. How many more surprises will you give me next?"

Now we must re-evaluate the value of both chips.

Jili, He Ye.

Jili's power is undeniable. He should have grown to the point where he can recreate a planet-destroying catastrophe by now, right? But Yusuo Zai didn't care about that. To him, destructive power was meaningless—no matter how powerful he was, could he be more powerful than his little pets in the human world who could swallow a fragment whole? He only cared about the possibility, and only the possibility.

As for Ye... I have to say, this person, whom I initially thought was just a rather special anomaly, has given me far too many surprises. Her potential is truly astonishing, not to mention the added bonus of having a fragment of the Blood King... It's really, amazing.