You Will Be Consumed by This Sword

Feng Buzhi acted quickly. First, he gathered some rotting Goblin corpses to feed the Weird inside him, then he and Pei Chao took their tools to a desolate courtyard in the northeastern part of town.

Earlier, when they had dug a large pit on the southern side of town to store Goblin heads, he and Pei Chao had used weapons supplied by the Goblins to make two crude iron shovels.

But now, only Pei Chao was using a shovel. Feng Buzhi dug with his bare hands, which were covered in [Steel-Hardened Keratin].

Their physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. In less than half an hour, the two of them had dug a three-meter-deep pit.

Apart from the occasional stone, the earth below was all ordinary soil.

"Are you sure the place binding me is here? Why can't I feel anything?" The shadow watched Feng Buzhi and Pei Chao digging, his face full of confusion. He really couldn't feel a thing. "Did you dig in the wrong place?"

Feng Buzhi said, "It should be about twenty meters underground. You can pass through solid objects, so you could go down and check."

"Go underground and check? Right, how could I forget I can pass through solid objects? That works, too. It'll save you two the trouble."

The shadow started toward the ground, but suddenly stopped halfway through the soil.

"Huh? Why can't I go down?"

The shadow drifted back to the surface in confusion, then tried other places. He could easily pass through the buildings above the town, and he could sink into the ground farther away from here, but as soon as he reached the spot where Feng Buzhi was digging, he couldn't pass through the soil.

The shadow felt no obstruction, but still couldn't get through.

"Why can't I pass through? There's clearly nothing in the way."

The shadow kept trying. He even floated high into the air and plunged downward, but whenever he descended near the hole Feng Buzhi and Pei Chao were digging, he inexplicably came to a stop.

"Why can't I get through?"

The shadow asked Feng Buzhi in confusion.

After a moment's thought, Feng Buzhi said, "There's nothing outside you obstructing your way. It looks like you're stopping yourself. You probably have some kind of psychological problem, perhaps caused by something traumatic.

"Considering your memory loss, I suspect you haven't actually forgotten. You just don't want to remember that part of your past.

"In theory, some psychological counseling should help alleviate your symptoms.

"But that would probably take a long time. It'd be faster to just keep digging. We should be done in about three hours.

"Sometimes you have to break through to make progress. There are things you have to face."

At Feng Buzhi's words, the shadow froze again.

Feng Buzhi's actions over the past few days had left him stunned many times, but this was the first time it had been about him.

The shadow soon came to his senses. "You two should stop digging. Wait a little. I think... I might not be ready yet."

Feng Buzhi didn't pause for a moment. He quickly scooped the loosened soil into a wooden basket and tossed it up. Pei Chao emptied the dirt, then lowered the basket again.

As he dug, Feng Buzhi said, "We've already planned out the schedule.

"Digging normally should take about three hours, but something unexpected could happen and slow us down.

"So, four or five hours altogether. It'll be dark by then, just in time to catch that Tiger Man.

"If all goes well, you should be able to appear in the dark by then. You can join us in capturing the Tiger Man and take care of reconnaissance."

"You..."

The shadow gazed at Feng Buzhi with a wounded look, but Feng Buzhi was unmoved.

The tunnel grew deeper and deeper. When it reached five meters, the shadow seemed to remember something. He clutched his head in pain, as if there really was something buried underground that he didn't want to remember, just as Feng Buzhi had said.

After that, the shadow shut himself away.

He crouched near the ground, clutching his head and sitting completely still, his body trembling faintly from time to time.

It wasn't until Feng Buzhi had dug eighteen meters down that the shadow stopped shutting himself away and suddenly darted to where Feng Buzhi was.

The shadow cried out sharply, "No! You can't dig any farther. It's too dangerous down there!"

Feng Buzhi said, "So, you've remembered?"

"I remembered part of it. I always thought I was human, and that something had turned me into what I am now. But I'm not entirely human. I was born when a fragment of a human soul fused with a Weird object."

Feng Buzhi said, "So, a Weird object is buried below? And you're something like a weapon spirit?"

"To be precise, I'm part of the weapon spirit. It's been devouring me all these years, so I've grown weaker and weaker. It probably won't be long before I disappear completely."

As the shadow spoke, he gave a somewhat pitiful smile.

The shadow continued, "That weapon is too dangerous for you as you are now. It'll control you and devour your consciousness, then take over your body and turn you into a Weird monster."

"I admit you have great talent, and you might achieve great things in the future. But this weapon is too much for you right now."

"Even if you won't think of yourself, at least think of the people in this town. If that weapon controls you, it'll be a disaster for them."

"You..."

The shadow broke off and quickly drifted in front of Feng Buzhi, trying to stop him, but it was no use.

Feng Buzhi's digging suddenly sped up. There were only two meters left, so he stopped putting the soil into the basket and dug continuously, sinking his body straight into the earth below.

Amid the shadow's constant cries and attempts to stop him, Feng Buzhi grabbed the hilt and pulled out a long red-and-black sword.

It was a strangely shaped sword, not made of metal. Its blade was very light, covered in a fine pattern of hexagonal scales. The tip was conical, giving it a needle-like appearance.

In an instant, Feng Buzhi heard a shrill, piercing sound in his mind. The sword in his hand shook violently, and a sharp pain spread from his palm.

At some point, his right hand had turned dark red. The color crept upward, and soon, dark-red hexagonal scales appeared on his arm.

"Let go! It's not too late to let go now. You'll be consumed by this sword! You..."

The shadow tried to keep warning him, but Feng Buzhi cut him off.

Feng Buzhi gave the sword a light swing. "No, it won't consume me. Your resolve and will might be a little stronger than Pei Chao's, but you're still far behind me."

"If this sword still hasn't managed to devour your consciousness, how could it possibly devour mine?"

As he spoke, Feng Buzhi's right arm suddenly swelled. He broke through the limits of his right arm, and crimson channels of light flowed across his skin.

As the Demon Sword corroded his body, he directly absorbed the Weird corruption eating away at him as nourishment, using it to temper the Weirdness in his skin...