Is This Your First Time Dying?

Within the murky, dim white fog over the Black Sea, two figures suddenly burst out of thin air. The young girl had black ram horns, blond hair, and jade-green eyes. Panicked, she rode on the back of the black-haired young man gripping twin swords. He was covered in blood and grime, riddled with wounds; his tailored clothes were torn to shreds, a gory hole marred his shoulder, and fresh blood trickled down his well-defined collarbones. Yet his expression remained calm, as relaxed as if he had merely finished a light jog. He turned his head to cast an inquiring look at the girl. The blond girl shook her head to show she was unhurt, and the restless anxiety in her heart smoothed out as well. These two were, naturally, Yaxiu and Feili. The quietly flowing Black Sea suddenly surged with fury. Ripples ignited into azure flames, churning into a literal sea of fire as waves blossomed everywhere like fiery lotuses. A dark purple Foxlantern Dragon leaped from the sea, spitting hovering, homing bubbles of azure flame that chased Yaxiu and Feili, bursting like fireworks! A streak of sword light sliced through the air, popping every bubble. But by then, the azure-flame Foxlantern Dragon was already crashing down toward them, its massive tail descending like a sledgehammer to pass judgment on this shameless, solitary pair! Phoo. Yaxiu exhaled a turbid breath. His sword-hued sorcery power drained rapidly as his sorcery spirits steadily constructed the spell structure, joining him to face the raging tempest. Miracle: Sword Retainer! He charged straight toward the plummeting Foxlantern Dragon like a bird flying into a falling meteor. The moment they made contact with the beast, Yaxiu and Feili abruptly vanished for a split second before reappearing—his twin swords slicing through the Foxlantern Dragon's flesh like a knife through butter! Slipping into Observer Mode and instantly returning to reality not only allowed him to avoid the direct kinetic impact with the Foxlantern Dragon, but also enabled his twin swords to emerge from inside the creature—as if, when two splotches of color were about to collide on paper, Yaxiu had taken a pen and punched right through the area of paper where the Foxlantern Dragon was! As Yaxiu brushed past the Foxlantern Dragon, he carved two shocking gashes across its beastly form. The enormous, burning monster wailed as it crashed into the Black Sea, and a torrential shower of blood fell amidst the white fog, making the ocean even murkier. Roar! Suddenly, two deep-blue mudfish dragons shot out from above and below at the same time, hurtling toward Yaxiu like cannonballs. Amid Feili's gasp of fright, Yaxiu dodged their charge by a hair's breadth. Just as the two monsters seemed on the verge of colliding with each other, both vanished without a trace. This was precisely why Yaxiu dared not simply hide in Observer Mode—these two deep-blue mudfish dragons could also enter that higher-dimensional world made only of lines! The Void Realm creatures in the white fog were constantly evolving and learning. Igola's Mind Shriek, Harvey's flames, Yaxiu's swordsmanship—as time passed, all had been mastered by these beasts. But Yaxiu had never expected that the sorcery spirit ability he obtained through the demon Feili, Observer Mode, would also be copied by them! Although the mudfish dragons had to wait fifteen seconds to exit the world of lines—unlike Yaxiu, who could enter and leave at will—the mere fact that they could lurk in that line world meant Yaxiu no longer had a safe retreat. In fact, the world of lines was even more dangerous than reality. Because in the world of lines, Yaxiu could not use any sorcery spirits, nor could he even condense his Sanctuary! The principle was simple: just as paint could only be applied to physical surfaces like paper, tables, or walls in the real world, the world of lines was akin to empty air. Hiding inside kept Yaxiu free from being stained by any paint, but he also couldn't hang paint in thin air! Without sorcery spirits or a Sanctuary, a sorcerer was no different from an ordinary mortal. Yet before Yaxiu were deep-blue mudfish dragons buffed to the Ruby Mountain tier! What was the difference between this and a level-one minion trying to fight a six-slotted hero? Thus, Yaxiu could only flee during the window while the mudfish dragons waited out their cooldown. But once he reappeared in reality, other Void Realm creatures would surround and intercept him, which had even drawn the attention of a second deep-blue mudfish dragon. The wound on Yaxiu's shoulder was from being ambushed by both mudfish dragons in the world of lines. He hadn't dodged in time and was bitten; had he not immediately jumped back to reality, his entire shoulder would have been torn off. Compared to reality, going into the world of lines was like bumping into your creditor at a public bathhouse—there wasn't even a shred of cover from the trouble. Dodging and fleeing this way, Yaxiu drew closer to the center of the white fog, yet his breathing room shrank by the moment. Howls echoed one after another through the white fog. Yaxiu knew that Fishcleaver Dragons, Waterfang Dragons, and Shark Dragons had caught up, and there were several roars he had never heard before, indicating his "fan club" had gained a few more obsessive stalker fans drooling over him. Now he couldn't even retreat. These Void Realm creatures would hound him relentlessly; his only chance was to press forward and search for an opening to break the deadlock. And yet... Seeing the dark silhouette of a two-headed Fishcleaver Dragon loom in the white fog ahead, Yaxiu crossed his twin swords in an X. Unable to maintain his calm, detached aura of an expert, he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry." Feili said nothing, making no show of bravado. Ultimately, she was just an ordinary college student under twenty; the most terrifying thing she had ever encountered before was being harassed by thugs. Facing the ultimate dread between life and death, the fact that she hadn't wet herself was already proof of remarkable mental fortitude. The blond demon clung tightly to Yaxiu, trembling, her face buried against the nape of his neck. "Will it hurt?" she asked. "Much as I'd like to comfort you," Yaxiu said, "being chewed up and swallowed by a monster will probably hurt a lot. Just like the pain a potato chip feels when you crunch it." The little lamb shivered at his words. "Will you die too?" "I'm not Vichy. I only have one life to squander. Of course I'll die." "Won't you return to the parallel world?" "No." "Then that's... really..." the little lamb murmured, "...wonderful." The two-headed Fishcleaver Dragon did not charge immediately. It circled not far from Yaxiu, seemingly familiar with the deep-blue mudfish dragons and waiting for their cooldown to end before launching a coordinated assault. The Void Realm creatures behind them did much the same, hovering at a moderate distance, poised to strike at any moment. Even in this state of extreme tension, Yaxiu couldn't help snorting with laughter. "Hahaha! We really corrupted you, didn't we!" Facing what seemed like certain death with no place to be buried, Feili shed some of her shyness and found a bit of courage. "Couldn't it just be that I was bad to begin with? I'm a demon, you know!" "Yes, yes, yes. The demon of our house is a great big villain riding on my back." "Don't patronize me in that tone," Feili pouted. "Aren't you scared, then?" "How could I not be? Of course I'm scared. I still have so many regrets unfulfilled, so many things left undone. I really don't want to die so soon," Yaxiu said softly. "I just won't show it in front of you." The blond girl's voice suddenly turned subdued. "Is it because I'm not someone you can rely on? If Sword Princess were here, could you..." "No, I'd hide it even more," Yaxiu said. "You're all people I want to protect. I'm supposed to be the one you lean on, to soothe your anxieties, not let you see my weakness." Feili asked, "Then can you only bottle it up inside?" "Not at all. Usually I share my joys and sorrows with Igola and have a professional therapist give me counseling." Yaxiu blinked. "I show him my soft underbelly, and he becomes my armor." Hearing this, Feili felt something was off. "Then who understands you better, Sword Princess or Igola?" "Emotionally, Sword Princess. Daily life, probably Igola." "Then who will you live with in the future?" "With Sword Princess and Witch, of course. Why on earth would I live with Igola?" Yaxiu said. "Though Igola and Harvey will probably be my neighbors. I wouldn't feel easy leaving those two on their own; taking them outside without a dog leash feels like disturbing the peace." The little lamb wore a peculiar expression. She didn't even know whether she should be jealous of Sword Princess and Witch, or jealous of Igola... It seemed only Harvey's position was something she might contest. Hiss. The hissing and snarling of the Void Realm creatures drew nearer. The little lamb instinctively clamped her legs tighter, almost wrapping them around Yaxiu's waist. "Yaxiu, why can you stay so calm?" "Maybe because I'm a sorcerer." "What is a sorcerer?" Yaxiu was startled. Asking such a profound metaphysical question at a moment of life and death? Thinking carefully about it, no one seemed to have ever defined what a sorcerer was. Aside from the literal meaning of "a master of sorcery," there was no further definition. Unlike professors, nobles, farmers, or therapists, which demanded professional ethics and competence, sorcerers had never had moral requirements (the Divine Lords themselves were running social experiments using the Six Nations), let alone standardized qualifications (anyone, from grave diggers to stargazers, could become a sorcerer). Yaxiu had met many sorcerers and read many sorcerer handbooks: those chasing power, those chasing romance, those who fished, those who explored, gourmands, the greedy, the lustful... almost everything under the sun. Biodiversity was displayed to the fullest in the world of sorcerers. If he truly had to define a sorcerer... Looking at the two-headed Fishcleaver Dragon stirring beside them, Yaxiu suddenly realized the true reason he could remain calm—he had been through too much. From the Knowledge Sea to Ruby Mountain, from the Blood Moon to the Bright Stars, the life-and-death adventures he had endured were more than he could count on two hands, and his thrilling death matches were beyond numbering. Even if other sorcerers hadn't lived through a life as tempestuous as his, as long as they stepped into the Void Realm, they inevitably had to venture into the unknown, tangle with Void Realm creatures, and fight tooth and nail against sorcerer projections. No one needed to define a sorcerer, because it was a self-evident truth. "A sorcerer is an adventurer who is always on the road." Yaxiu tightened his grip on the hilts of his swords, his mind settling into stillness. "Though we fear death, we have long since steeled our resolve for it, and in our everyday lives, we rehearse for it." "This isn't actually my first time facing death," he smiled. "Is this your first time? It's completely normal not to be used to it." "Yes," Feili paused, then couldn't stop herself from speaking her heart: "But hearing that you and I will die together, I'm not that scared anymore. In fact, I'm even a little happy." "Ha, Igola and Vichy definitely corrupted you." Clang! With two sharp cracks from bladed tails, the Void Realm creatures launched their coordinated assault! Fishcleaver Dragons, Waterfang Dragons, and Shark Dragons leaped from the water, cutting off every angle of evasion. The two deep-blue mudfish dragons also abruptly surged from above and below; if Yaxiu dared dive into the world of lines, they would instantly switch channels to devour them whole! A strange thought suddenly surfaced in Yaxiu's mind: perhaps this was a sorcerer's true daily routine—surrounded on all sides by enemies, with nothing to rely on but the blades in his hands. Fail to carve a way out, and you were merely a sorcerer. Carve your way out, and you were... A legend! In an instant, Yaxiu slipped into the world of lines to bait the deep-blue mudfish dragons back in, then snapped right back to reality. Unleashing the Sword Retainer miracle with all his might, he streaked like a startled swan toward the most heavily wounded Foxlantern Dragon! Switch, switch, switch, switch! Yaxiu flickered ceaselessly between the world of lines and reality. His twin swords danced in a spiral; the Foxlantern Dragon's scales and flesh melted before his blades like butter against a searing knife, carved right through to leave a gaping hole in its chest and belly! As a fountain of blood erupted from the Foxlantern Dragon's back, the pair broke free from the encirclement! Yet what greeted them ahead was not open white fog, but a colossal shadow lunging out of the Black Sea. Clang! The two-headed Fishcleaver Dragon's bladed tails, shaped like shears and pincers alike, struck with thunderous speed, ready to crush them both in the next instant. Switch! Yaxiu was forced to duck into the world of lines, but the moment he entered, he heard a hungry sigh rumbling from deep within a mudfish dragon's throat right behind him. "Yaxiu!" At Feili's scream, Yaxiu dodged forward while wheeling around with his swords. He narrowly saved the blond girl from the mudfish dragon's kiss, but in doing so, he fed his own arm into the monster's maw. Hiss! Yaxiu could barely hold his sword. More than half of his forearm, flesh and bone together, was literally mashed away by the mudfish dragon's lips; his hand hung connected to his arm by barely a strip of flesh. Just like lips pursing against melting ice cream, the mudfish dragon's terrifying power had instantly pulverized Yaxiu's flesh and bone to mush. Before Feili could burst into tears, Yaxiu switched back to reality. But things had not improved in the slightest; they had only worsened—they emerged right in the middle of a swarm of Void Realm creatures. Two-headed Fishcleaver Dragons, Foxlantern Dragons, Shark Dragons... especially the Foxlantern Dragon, whose yellow eyes were now turning bloodshot; Yaxiu suspected it wanted to hold him in its mouth and let him dissolve slowly. Even if Yaxiu could sustain his Sanctuary, against such a frenzied onslaught his sorcery power would soon run dry, and with the deep-blue mudfish dragons lying in wait to snack on them in the world of lines, they had no chance left. This was the end of the line for them. Even so, Yaxiu still erected his Sanctuary and said softly, "Hold on to me tight. Don't look up." "Okay." In the next instant, roaring waves and screeching howls drowned out their voices. The fastest of them, the two-headed Fishcleaver Dragon, had already opened its bloody maw— Boom! A fiery halberd smashed the massive dragon head straight into the Black Sea, while a flaming whip swept around Yaxiu and Feili's Sanctuary, pulling them away from the other monsters' snapping jaws. Before Yaxiu and Feili's astonished eyes, a pink-haired maid bathed in raging flames flashed a radiant smile: "Master, your most loyal Vichy has arrived."