Transcending Dreams

B2 - Chapter 101

As terrible as it sounded, he had forced himself to think of Kae as dead to stomach what he had to do. He wasnt concerned about the negative effect of the Soul Lotus on Kaes nonexistent future.

William was worried about the Soul Lotus boosting Kaes cultivation and the corrupted avatar having access to it. He might have already blundered by waiting too long and hesitating on what to do with Kae.

He hadnt been able to see Kaes basic status since the start, so he had no idea what level he was at. It was both a good and bad thing.

It put off an appearance that Kae was genuinely dead, which made what he was about to do only traumatic instead of devastatingly traumatic.

He was aware that Shitou was still speaking to the corrupted avatar, but the conversation was muddy. He knew what he had to do. He just had to do it without faltering.

Im sorry, Kae.

[-600 Spiritual Energy]

Violent crackling filled the hall as the Elemental Gauntlet on Williams right fist came to life. Lightning arced between his knuckles as he prepared to repeat what he did to the Mimic.

Shitou! Shield! The corrupted avatar screamed.

There was a fraction of a section when the air stilled before a lightning bolt burst from Williams fist and slammed into Kae. The light blinded him from seeing the result immediately, and a large part of him was glad for it.

The Elemental Gauntlet shut off after a few seconds, using up all the Lightning Qi he provided. The deafening sound of the lightning died, and so did the blinding light.

William still clenched his fist at the ready, converting more Qi into Lighting Qi for a redo. He didnt get an alert from the system for experience points. That could be because the corrupted avatar lied when she said Kae was still alivewhich he hoped was the caseor Kaes body hadnt been destroyed.

His stomach lurched when he saw a massive hole in Kaes chest. He had been targeting the entire upper body, but it seemed like he had overestimated the power behind the Elemental Gauntlet.

You destroyed it, the corrupted avatar hissed beside him.

William stared at Kae and comforted himself that at least this meant he had been dead all along. Good. Kae would have preferred his body destroyed instead of having it used like a puppet.

His breath was abruptly cut off. He choked as he was lifted in the air by a deathtrap on his neck. He scratched at the arm and was about to activate [Force Multiplier] before he forced himself to hold off.

The corrupted avatar had started to become corporeal, her arm fully opaque. The rest of her body was slowly following. William acting on Kaes bodyhis dead bodyhad worked as he hoped.

Williams next step was to somehow get rid of the corrupted avatar. However, he didnt want to activate [Force Multiplier] and then waste precious time waiting for the rest of her body to become corporeal.

Its fine, she said more to herself. I waited for millennia. What is a few more hours?

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He could feel her fingers digging into his neck, almost to the point of piercing the skin. However, her strength wasnt quite there.

Shitou, the corrupted avatar barked. Prepare the body for another Soul Lotus!

A dim, lethargic Shitou appeared on Kaes forehead. His body flickered like it was going to blink out of existence, but despite that, he trudged down to Kaes missed chest and melted into the cauterized hole.

I would applaud your conviction, the corrupted avatar addressed William. Willing to kill your friend for the greater good requires a special mindset. But this persistence is grating on my patience.

[-25 HP]

He choked as the clamp on his neck tightened. Again, he held back his impulse to activate [Force Multiplier]. He slammed his palm into her arm to try and weaken her grip with little effect.

Im still too weak in this state, the corrupted avatar growled in disgust. So be it. You crossed too many lines.

William finally thought she would call the Flesh Puppets into the estate.

Shitou, she called without taking her eyes away. Give me the spare petals.

There isnt enough, Shitous voice was a whisper, likely due to his weak state. The body will need everything to recover.

Then maybe I should have a backup just in case, the corrupted avatar squeezed her hand. Blame this on yourself, boy.

Williams eyes widened when he was unceremoniously thrown out of the estate through the window. He immediately went into survival mode, expecting to be besieged on all sides by the Flesh Puppets.

However, he found that they hadnt moved from their spots on the wall. He was second-guessing himself. Maybe it would have been better to take action instead of waiting for the corrupted avatar to become fully corporeal.

His goal had been to stay near Kaes body at all costs while also saving enough Spiritual Energy to survive.

It was a thin line to walk, and he felt there were no right decisions, only ones that would lead to worse or disastrous situations.

William felt that he might have pushed himself into the latter.

The corrupted avatar followed him out of the estate, around a quarter of her body now corporeal.

This is regrettable, she commented, her aura turning darker by the second. Your body would not have been needed if you hadnt interfered with your friends purification.

A Soul Lotus is used to raise cultivation, not purification. William couldnt help but raise that point, hoping to draw more information from her.

This was another reason he was hesitant to take action.

He only had enough Spiritual Energy to use the Elemental Gauntlet two more times, but that would also mean there wasnt enough for [Force Multiplier].

The initial attempt to destroy Kaes body was apparently unsuccessful since Shitou shielded the face, and their actions implied Kae was still usable even with the hole in his chest.

I created the Soul Lotus, the corrupted avatar spread her arms. I know what it is capable of.

William was taken aback at the revelation and even more so at the strange pose she was making. It was as if she wanted praise from him.

He had been confident that this truly wasnt Sophia, but she revealed bits and pieces of information that put some doubt in that confidence.

The corrupted avatar was like Sophia, except for some key memories that were taken away, which made her act like any other old monster. Any native with extremely high cultivation would likely act like this.

He had assumed that corrupted avatar meant evil. That wasnt the case at all.

She was just like any other cultivator looking out for her own interest. However, this was from his own observation, which was admittedly short.

William would still have to fall back on Lord Paddlingtons words that she had to be removed. Still, referring to her by who she really was made more sense instead of corrupted avatar.

If Empress Sophia had created the Soul Lotus, I would have easily found out when I was researching them. William noticed the air shimmering around her outstretched fingers. He was about to forget about any plans and just attack before it was too late.

So you knew who I was, Corrupted Sophia curled her fingers, yet you chose to be this obstinate.

The Flesh Puppets were finally moving. He decided it was now or never. He activated [Force Multiplier].

[-200 Spiritual Energy]