Sword God in a World of Magic

When confronted by death, many people would think about their life and reevaluate past decisions.

What were their regrets?

What would they have changed?

Maybe they shouldn't have been so strict with their children?

Maybe they shouldn't have broken up with their first love?

If they hadn't taken out that loan from those dangerous people, their children would have something to inherit today?

Naturally, Shang wasn't any different.

Should he have been more amongst people?

Should he have accepted the Sweeper's confession?

Should he have spared Jerald?

Shang thought about all of these things.

And he acknowledged something.

He would be happier if he had someone with him.

It would feel nice not to be alone right now.

Everything was so painful, exhausting, dark, and lonely.

Shang knew that he would feel better if he hadn't been so brutal and inflexible in his past.

However, did this mean that Shang would have changed his past actions if he could?

No.

If he hadn't killed Lash, the Grandmountain Kingdom might have killed him.

If he hadn't killed Jerald, he would have eventually caved in and told someone.

If he hadn't declined the Sweeper's advances, Shang wouldn't have had enough time to comprehend his form of Void Casting or the Concept of Twilight.

Yes, he felt lonely, and he wished that someone was at his side.

However, Shang knew that this luxury would come with a price he wouldn't want to pay.

And then came another thought.

So what?

Since everyone would die, it didn't matter what one accomplished in their life.

Might as well die happy and surrounded by loved ones, right?

However, that was only true when death was a certainty.

At this moment, Shang kept putting in effort.

Shang still had hope.

if there were

feel horrible by watching

to give up

Shang

Probably.

barely hanging on as it was. Any person that told him to just rest might tip

a loved one at his side

his likely

believe that this was

was his

right to fight

was glad that there was no loved

He didn't want them.

He didn't need them!

would

he was

he would

body, and

But he kept breathing.

He kept fighting.

One more year passed.

And another year passed.

lifespan of someone at the Fifth Realm, and any other person would

wouldn't give

He would never stop!

him, it

More years passed.

Shang became 1010

muscle in the last

skin had already split at multiple locations, and the Death Mana in his

that was

He couldn't do anything.

couldn't even feel

But he wasn't dead.

waking moment was agony, but he still

Was this living?

to most people's

be

to Shang, this was

his consciousness still existed, he would

long as he could think, he

Shang couldn't interact with the

entire perception was confined

wasn't doing more than

Was it life?

No.

Was it death?

No.

something between

neither alive nor

It was limbo.

Or Purgatory.

This was Purgatory.

Shang had been

this state, Shang had gained a

could only be understood by people that went through the same thing