Sword God in a World of Magic

Nobody said anything for a while.

Jerald put the letter to the side, and Shang summoned it back into his inner world.

"Are you telling the truth?" Jerald asked. "Will you do your best to stop the Abominations?"

Shang nodded. "The reason why Lucius failed is the God. The two of them have battled each other, and the God won."

"I don't plan to lose against the God."

"Lucius didn't know what he was up against, but I do."

Then, Shang looked towards the ceiling. "And maybe that is one of the reasons why the God has sent me here."

"There hasn't been another God in a long while, and the God probably wants someone he can fight with. He certainly didn't try to dissuade me from hating him."

"I don't know the origins of the Abominations, but I'm sure that the God knows of their origins. Yet, he didn't tell anybody, and he didn't do anything to stop them."

"In fact, he even gave me this Affinity, knowing fully well that the Abominations will become more powerful."

"Nevertheless, I want to kill the God and get rid of the Abominations. That's my goal."

Jerald didn't answer for a while.

"What if stopping the Abominations requires sacrificing your life?" Jerald asked.

"I don't know," Shang said after a couple of seconds. "When I have killed the God, I would have already reached the peak of power. By that point, there would be no more way to grow more powerful."

"I don't know what I would do then. Would my life be empty? Would I feel fulfilled?"

"One thing is clear. I am not someone that survives just because I want to survive. If there is nothing but emptiness and aimlessness in my life, I might be okay with sacrificing my life for the world."

"But first, I want to achieve my goals, and I won't entertain any thoughts for after I have reached my goals."

Jerald remained quiet for several seconds as he struggled with himself.

"How can I trust your words?" he asked.

"Jerald," Shang started, "you said that I am cold, selfish, and apathetic."

Jerald didn't answer.

"Then, tell me…"

"Why did I not flee towards the outside world during the civil war?"

"You wanted to kill the Council no matter what. You wanted revenge for Mattheo and George."

"Yet, you know very well that I view my own goals with the highest priority. Staying in the Skythunder Kingdom to fight the Council was an unnecessary risk."

"I could have simply gone towards the south, past the Storm Eagle Zone, jump down the Abyss, and enter the outside world."

"But I didn't."

"Why?" Shang asked.

Jerald looked at Shang.

of his hostility had vanished, replaced by concern

of me," Jerald answered after

world die. I didn't want to see you lose your life while

never gone against you, Jerald. I

of other people, but you can see their actions, and my actions have said that I

knowing my secret change the impact

the fact that I risked my life for you and that you risked

Silence.

only looked to the ground

didn't answer for

to hear your side of the story first,"

of Calamity. For several days, I couldn't think straight. The one friend that had been by my side the longest is

can value your own power over

the entire world is dead and empty? You might as well be the weakest human at that

a tool, not a goal. It is a tool

of person

simply called Relon, you would be dead within

an answer as to why you were choosing yourself over the world, I still trusted

anything, I wanted to

your justification before doing

I was afraid

and I

I would need

with eyes filled with regret and

I didn't want

"So, I simply waited."

came out of training, I would

just

contact you. For, if I contacted you, I would need to

I even blocked out

you would

on

"I remarried."

"I had children."

"I led a Kingdom."

of dreading another encounter with you

my Communication

nightmares have become

I dreaded ultimately arrived, and I couldn't run

day where I would

Shang didn't react.

Jerald sighed.

CRACK!

previously invisible Mana Shield around Jerald appeared, and it broke

to die to you

appear weak to

into Shang's eye, a relieved