Villain Simulator-Chapter 121: One Sword!

[Advance confirmation received.]

[Retrieving Information...]

[Pre-recorded orders are being executed...]

[Villain Simulator! Activating the sense of the soul for the host...]

The system prompt came, and instantly, a refreshing chill swept over my body.

Similar to when I soul bonded with Daisy, my soul senses expanded, granting me the ability to perceive my surroundings and perform tasks beyond the limitations of my physical body.

Even so, I had no interest in relishing this newfound sensation.

’Soul sense.’

Right away, without waiting a millisecond, I used Soul Sense. Leveraging on the little sense of self I’d recovered from the system’s intervention at the moment Rachael’s love reached a breaking point, I returned my awareness to my nervous system.

’Finally!’

Life returned to my vacant eyes.

’Phew! Everything is proceeding as planned for now.’

Rachael had not disappointed me.

’Now, not only have I acquired the Chaos energy needed for the final attack, but I’ve also exceeded the requirement for Rachael’s Soul Bound Contract.’

That said, even if everything had not gone according to plan, I had contingency orders in place for the system to simulate an ability to guarantee I could salvage the situation at a later cost if necessary.

But dwelling on what didn’t happen served no purpose.

Moreover, the Chaos energy was still raging within me.

Therefore, after a quick assessment of my condition, I swiftly used my regained consciousness to break another tablet of condensed elixir hidden behind my gums with my teeth.

Boom!

In an instant, a violent surge of concentrated life force and mana erupted from the shattered tablet in my mouth.

I channeled it in conjunction with [Mana Affinity (A)], [Soul Sense], and [Chaos Medium] to funnel all the Chaos energy into the [Evolution Sword].

Despite the assistance of Chaos Medium, the process was excruciatingly painful as the Chaos energy had already seeped deep into my body.

Nevertheless, I pushed through the agony, relying on my traits.

Simultaneously, I retrieved the Book of Spells and cast another spell.

"Guardian’s Sanctuary!"

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With a resounding cluck, the cocoon-like barrier, on the brink of dissipation, was reconstructed just in time, granting me another 12 precious seconds.

However, my mana reserves were once again depleted to nearly 25%.

’Fortunately, the condensed Elixir and Daisy still have some fuel left. I should...’

"Adrian!"

My train of thought was abruptly interrupted by Rachael’s scream, and I turned to look at her.

Tears were falling down her cheeks, and she appeared relieved that I had regained consciousness.

"Adrian, are you alright?"

Her voice trembled with concern as she reached out to gently cup my face.

But I paid Rachael no mind; I turned my head and stared at the Chaos monsters all around us, not even bothering to look at her or answer her.

My indifferent, dismissive attitude caused Rachael’s eyes to widen in shock.

She struggled to comprehend my actions, her heart sinking as she reached unsettling conclusions.

Was I disappointed in her?

Was I angry at her actions?

Did I no longer love her?

The questions echoed relentlessly in her mind, each one intensifying her sense of guilt and shame.

"Adrian, please listen to me."

She pleaded, her voice choked with emotion, as she attempted to apologize and explain her actions.

"I am really sorry; I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what came over me. I..."

But her words fell on deaf ears as I silenced her with a curt command, my tone cold and distant.

"Stay back. Don’t come close to me."

My words pierced her heart like a dagger, and she understood that I was guarded against her.

Like how she had been on guard against me that morning when she thought I had raped her.

That being said, she had nearly killed me with her actions, unlike in her situation where I hadn’t raped her.

These realizations washed over her, leaving her feeling as if the ground had shifted beneath her feet and she was abandoned and alone in the world.

Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do but watch in dismay as I rose to my feet, my body swaying unsteadily from my obvious injuries and exhaustion.

"No, stop Adrian!"

Once more, she rushed to intervene, fearing I was about to take an extreme risk.

"Please…"

Her voice trembled with deep sadness and guilt.

"I said stay back, Rachael. If you trust me even a little, just stay back."

But I brushed her aside once again.

I didn’t have much time left.

The Soul Sense was temporarily opened by the Villain Simulator for me to complete the Soul Bound Contract, and it would stay that way until I completed the process.

But that didn’t mean I could use it forever.

There was a limit.

Once Rachael’s emotions cooled, the soul-binding process would become impossible, and the Soul Sense would be automatically disabled by the system.

Furthermore, using Soul Sense in my current state was draining on my soul and not sustainable in the long term.

Though that wasn’t my worry,

’Since I am going to be on bed rest for some time anyway after this stunt, I might as well add a few more days.’

My actions were intentional; being a good guy was always not good.

’Life is so ironic. Sometimes, it takes sadness to know happiness, noise to appreciate silence, and absence to value presence.’

I sighed in my heart, then shook my head and removed all the conflicting thoughts from my head.

"Leave it to me."

Saying that, I pushed Rachael behind me.

Now, she was no longer my concern.

Lifting the sword and closing my eyes, I quietly activated the skill and forgot all the sounds and presence around me.

I was just focused on the sword in my hand.

[Skill Activated: One Sword]

Immediately, darkness enveloped my vision, and when it receded, I found myself standing in the middle of someone’s backyard.

Before me stood a man, immersed in practicing the most basic of swordsmanship techniques.

Repeatedly swinging his sword down, one swing after another.

It was a pure strike without any finesse.

Yet, for some reason, it was so mesmerizing that I couldn’t turn my gaze away.

Time flowed, seasons shifted, and years passed, but the man continued to swing his sword.

The prime of his life passed, and old age came.

His hair turned gray, and he was now an old man with only bones all over his body.

From the initial hundreds, to thousands, to hundreds of thousands, and even when he reached a number in excess of a billion, the man didn’t stop swinging down his sword.

Until today, when suddenly...

Swoosh!

The old man who seemed to be about to die made a simple swing, and as soon as I saw it, goosebumps ran through my body.

For an instant, the world went dark.

It was as if the sun illuminating the world had disappeared.

"What...?"

I involuntarily rubbed my eyes and wondered if I had seen anything wrong.

But even after looking around, as if I had been mistaken, nothing changed.

The sun still bathed the scene in bright light, its rays casting long shadows across the backyard.

However, the old man was no longer swinging his sword.

Looking closely, I noticed that at some point, his sword had disappeared and was nowhere to be found.

Though, as I gazed at the old man’s body, I had a peculiar feeling, as if the old man had himself become the sword.

Unknowingly, I approached the old man.

From close, he looked like a simple village fool, looking up at the sky, but I knew he couldn’t be treated carelessly.

That last simple swing of his sword was stuck in my mind and heart like an unforgettable memory.

I was the author who wrote him, but even though I knew who he was, I feigned ignorance of his identity.

"Who are you?"

"I… don’t know."

His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been split, giving off a feeling of desolation.

He was still looking up, not even bothering to look at me.

But I could see his legs trembling helplessly.

The old man had no life left and was on the verge of dying now.

Perhaps that move was the last swing of his life.

Thump-!

Suddenly, with a soft thump, he settled onto the ground, closing his eyes as if preparing for his imminent demise.

But I couldn’t simply let him fade away without answers, so I posed the question that begged to be asked.

"That last swing of your sword. What was that?"

"...."

For a few moments, silence hung in the air, until the old man’s mouth parted slightly and his eyes, clouded with age, flickered with a dim light.

"One Sword."

He raised his index finger, pointing towards the sun hanging high in the sky.

"... If the blood in my heart could be condensed on the blade of my sword, I could have even split the sun with that One Sword. Unfortunately..."

The old man’s voice trailed off at that moment, and he passed away without explaining any further.

In the corner of this dying expression, there was a subtle satisfaction.

Nevertheless, it didn’t bother me because I already knew what he wanted to say.

Following his death, his body disintegrated into wisps of dust, dissipating into the atmosphere.

Left behind was a translucent, silver-looking sword.

Even though he couldn’t split the sun himself, he entrusted the task to others.

Let his legacy not be buried with him.

He passed on the One Sword that he was only able to create with his dying breath, embedding it within the very blade he wielded throughout his existence.

"The Evolution Sword."

I murmured, reaching down to retrieve it.

But as my fingers closed around the hilt,

Crack!

The world around me shattered like a mirror.

Smash!

In an instant, I found myself back in the dungeon, as if no time had passed at all.

Nonetheless, this mysterious phenomenon or the approaching army of countless Chaos Monsters were none of my concern.

My attention was solely fixed on the sword in my grasp and the inexplicable connection I felt with it.

Everything that I couldn’t understand earlier became clear at that moment.

The sword becomes me, and I become the sword.

Similar to that old man before his death, I was in the realm of unity between the man and the sword.

I was one with the sword, not only in body but also in spirit.

Like an extension of my body, I opened up a new pathway with the sword.

’That’s it.’

Tapping into this newfound pathway, I channeled the Chaos energy surging within me into the blade.

The spread of Chaos energy in my body receded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

However, the Evolution Sword took on a sinister hue of darkness; its once pristine surface was now as black as the abyss itself.

’At last.’

Eventually, when every last drop of Chaos energy was driven out of my body, I raised the sword up.

The sword was heavy, and it radiated such a dangerous creep that even the giant eye in the sky was focused back on us.

My heart thumped wildly, and my hair stood on end simply by meeting its gaze.

Bang!

With a resounding bang, the Guardian’s Sanctuary barrier shattered like fragile glass under the pressure of the creature’s malevolence.

I knew it was about to attack.

But I felt no fear.

Instead, a mocking smirk played on my lips as I defied the Chaos creature’s gaze.

There was a sense of exhilaration coursing through my veins, and I lifted the heavy sword high above my head and shouted.

"Stupid dog, how dare you look down on your master with that eye?! Today, I will let you experience the punishment a wild mut like you deserves for bearing its teeth against its master."

With that declaration dripping with arrogance, I finally swung the sword down with everything I had.

"One Sword!"