"How utterly arrogant."
The Goddess's massive form leaned forward, blotting out the sun and casting a shadow that swallowed the entire plaza.
Those eyes, with their strange pupils, fixed intently on Amber's figure. "You're merely human, a pitiful race facing imminent destruction."
Through the Fenghuang Down, Amber could sense the other's indescribable malice.
This malice wasn't directed at her alone, but at the entire concept of 'humanity' she had spoken of.
Baseless kindness and baseless malice were both strange things. And Amber remembered her friend saying that Tiamat was supposed to be quite fond of humans.
She couldn't see any trace of that fondness on this Monstrous Goddess's face.
Dismissing the possibility that the goddess before her was some alternate form of Tiamat, Amber lost all interest in wasting more words on her.
'Celestial, your account.'
Fu Hua: '...I brought you here to use the Sword God.'
'?'
Use the Sword God? How could I use the Sword God? I don't know the Sword God at all!
'I have already taught you the incantation and the essentials.' Fu Hua's tone was placid, as if discussing some trivial matter. 'Now, you need only attack with the Sword God.'
Huh?
Amber was breaking out in a cold sweat. She didn't know why Fu Hua had suddenly lost her mind, actually expecting her, a novice who had barely studied the Taixu Sword Qi for just over a week, to use the Sword God.
Was that something you could just do after being taught the incantation and essentials? Did she mistake her for Kiana? Some kind of speedrun to mastering the Sword God?
'The Sword God is not as difficult as you imagine.'
Fu Hua took the opportunity to correct Amber's misconception. 'Over these days, you have already gained a rudimentary understanding of Taixu Sword Qi. So you should understand that its five facets are not sequential steps, but mutually reinforcing and complementary.'
'In essence, the Sword God is no different from the Sword Heart or Sword Form.'
'Well, coal and diamonds aren't fundamentally different either!' Amber retorted.
'It is precisely because of that line of thinking that you have been unable to use the Sword God,' Fu Hua stated.
'You misunderstand the Sword God as some kind of [ultimate move]. But in reality, it is not so inconvenient a thing. From a small green bamboo shoot to a great mountain peak, all can be the Sword God.'
She thought for a moment, offering an example. 'It is like the Sword Form. It can cut paper, and it can cut steel. The difference lies only in the amount of Qi used.'
'This is how Kiana was able to wield the Sword God.'
'...But I...' Amber still lacked confidence. Of course she wanted to learn and use something so incredibly cool, but she had failed many times already.
'That is because you are within the Fenghuang Down.'
Fu Hua decided to offer some encouragement. 'You now possess all the necessary conditions to use the Sword God. The final one is your own heart. If you do not even believe in your own sword, then the sword naturally cannot reach the divine.'
Her master had put it that plainly. Even though Amber's heart was still tangled in knots, she forced herself to calm down.
Think carefully. Don't think about how difficult it is. Imagine how incredibly cool it is.
Amber stopped paying attention to the Monstrous Goddess's taunts and hatred. She stopped pondering how despicable Kingu was. She focused her entire mind on guiding the Qi around her.
She remembered how to use it. Not just because Fu Hua had taught her the incantation and essentials, but also because this was Fu Hua's body. And the Navigator had once used this very body to execute the Sword God right before Amber's eyes.
"Are you preparing something?" The Monstrous Goddess could tell at a glance how serious Amber looked, could even see that Amber was now ignoring her very presence. She let out a cold sneer.
"Unlike Kingu, who possesses unparalleled Battle Continuation but can still be wounded by attacks..."
The mockery on her face deepened. "...This body is the Genesis Mother, Tiamat. All your attacks, before my 'Divinity', are nothing more than an ant trying to shake a mighty tree."
"The Divine, the ultimate of change, wondrous to all things, cannot be defined by form."
A vast and incomprehensible pressure suddenly throbbed in both their hearts.
Kingu looked up sharply to see an intangible sword, thousands of meters long and composed of golden light, already hovering above their heads, its arrival unnoticed.
A bright golden glow filled Amber's eyes. In those indifferent pupils, utterly unconcerned with everything around them, was a threat that made the Goddess's heart palpitate with dread.
Yet, in the next moment, that very dread gave rise to an even more hysterical fury and hatred.
"Useless! An attack like this!"
Those purple magical eyes instantly gathered magical energy. Several of the giant serpents that had been eyeing Amber menacingly simultaneously opened their maws, aimed at the intangible sword in the sky, and shot up into the firmament.
She had a Noble Phantasm, but it happened to be particularly ineffective against inorganic matter. Rather than pin her hopes on that, it was better to use sheer force to tear this giant sword apart.
However, whether it was her magical eyes or those giant serpents, when they made contact with the colossal sword, it was like stones thrown into water—they merely created ripples, but offered no hindrance whatsoever.
Kingu gritted his teeth. The Chains of Heaven shot forth from his hands, but he could only watch helplessly as they passed right through the sword.
"It's useless." Amber let out a soft breath. "This sword is not a physical object. This sword fills space. This sword is space."
"To try and stop it is like a man trying to resist the air, a fish trying to block the sea..."
"Kingu! Get away from here!" the Monstrous Goddess shouted.
Kingu had already intended to leave. Although he valued and cared deeply for this 'mother' of his, all his feelings had to take a backseat to his original plan.
Yet, hearing her personally urge him like this, he felt a twinge of guilt.
But quickly, he cast the feeling aside. As he had thought moments before, his life was not his own alone. Everything must yield to that greater, grander purpose.
Thinking this, Kingu pressed his lips together tightly, then swiftly departed from the area.
Watching Kingu's retreating figure, Amber's expression did not change in the slightest.
The Taixu Sword God is a strike that cannot be dodged or defended against. Once locked on, it matters not where the target flees afterwards.
But... remembering the look on Kingu's face just now, Amber didn't press the attack to its absolute conclusion.
As the intangible golden giant sword descended, the matter was settled.
Ignoring the goddess standing rigidly in place, her gaze vacant and dull, Amber turned and flew beyond the city walls, retracing her path back towards the fortress she had come from.
The five facets of Taixu complement each other. Among them, Sword Intent is the facet that most directly influences the Sword God's destructive effect on reality. In that last attack, Amber had not used Sword Intent.
It was merely a strike against the spirit. Thus, although the Monstrous Goddess had fallen into silence, she was not dead.
As for her eventual fate... best to leave that for brainiacs like Merlin and Gilgamesh to figure out.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.