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 loved ones around

feel horrible by

him to give

would Shang do

Probably.

barely hanging on as it was. Any person that told him

a loved one at his side would take away all

would transform his likely death into a

him and believe that this was the right

was

right to fight for

that there was no loved one around

He didn't want them.

He didn't need them!

weakness would make him

what if he

he

on his body,

But he kept breathing.

He kept fighting.

One more year passed.

And another year passed.

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

he wouldn't

He would never stop!

death wanted to take him, it needed to

More years passed.

Shang became

muscle in

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

that was unwilling

He couldn't do anything.

couldn't even

But he wasn't dead.

agony, but

Was this living?

to most people's standards,

be considered

to Shang, this

his consciousness still existed, he would be

as he could

interact

was confined in his

alive, but in truth, he wasn't doing more than a stone lying at the

Was it life?

No.

Was it death?

No.

something

was neither

It was limbo.

Or Purgatory.

This was Purgatory.

Shang had been

in this state, Shang

understood by people that went through