Chương 72: Judgment

Ch 72 - Judgment Evan studied the man in flowing hanfu, taking in his unmistakably Asian features and strikingly colored hair. Given his appearance and the fact that Evan had been pulled into this unknown space after the phoenix unleashed its final attack, there was little doubt that this was the very same being. After reading countless cultivation stories, Evan wasn't surprised that the phoenix could take on a humanoid form. What puzzled him was why the man spoke as if they already knew each other.

"Nothing to say to me?" the man asked.

"Then again, after what I did, I suppose I can't blame you."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Evan asked.

"I wonder how long it's been." The man lowered his head, fingers idly brushing over his sleeve.

"Decades? Centuries? Or longer? I don't know anymore. I stopped keeping track a long time ago." Evan frowned.

"Sir, could you at least tell me where we are... and who you are?"

"It's probably better that I don't remember," the man murmured.

"Better not to know how long I've been trapped here, with nothing but my own thoughts for company as I live and die over and over again." Oh, heck no. This guy was one hundred percent unhinged. Evan wrinkled his nose, considering whether to make a run for it. The problem was, he had no idea how to escape this strange place. Worse, if this space truly belonged to the man, there was nowhere Evan could hide. What if the man could see everything that happened here? Running might be completely pointless.

And, for all Evan knew, there might not even be an exit.

"Ah, but where are my manners? This is no way to greet an old friend, is it? Heh, if I can still call you that. Come, let's have some tea." The man shuffled away, and a large mansion rose from the ground, dark, ink-like ripples unfurling across the earth beneath it as though the ground were a canvas. After a brief hesitation, Evan followed him into the grand mansion. Dark wooden pillars lined the spacious halls, while winding stone paths stretched through the courtyard.

They soon settled at a table beneath a blooming paulownia tree, its violet flowers swaying gently in the breeze. Despite his unease, Evan took the empty seat across from the man. Without a word, the man lifted the already-filled teapot and poured two cups of steaming tea, offering the first to Evan. Evan accepted the cup. He knew little about tea, but even he could appreciate its rich, mellow flavor. As he took another sip, he turned over everything that had happened since arriving here.

The man sitting across from him was clearly unstable, speaking to Evan as if he were someone from his distant past. Judging by the Quest, whatever had happened between them, the blame seemed to rest squarely on the man. Being imprisoned within the Secret Dungeon appeared to be his punishment, and somehow, Evan had been brought here to pass judgment on him.

"They say things are better when shared," the man mused.

"But who would want to share anything with the filth of a traitor? Heh... heh... heh..." Evan broke into a nervous sweat. He half expected the man to snap and attack him at any moment, yet the eerie laughter continued. He kept his gaze fixed on his teacup, afraid that even looking up might draw the man's attention. Then a thought struck him. Hold on... this tea isn't poisoned, is it? No, that couldn't be right. They had arrived at the table together. The man hadn't touched the teapot until they sat down.

Then again, this entire space seemed to belong to him. Who knew what he was capable of here? Evan silently cursed himself for drinking the tea without thinking. Spitting it out now seemed like an even worse idea. What if that offended the crazy guy?

"Sir, could you please tell me who you are?" Evan asked. If he wanted to complete the Quest, the least he could do was learn the man's identity. He had to be the owner of the room Evan had passed through on his way to the Chief Warden. Had the entire dungeon been shaped by this man's psyche? The man absently traced a finger along the rim of his teacup, leaving Evan to sit in uncomfortable silence.

"My name...?" he murmured.

"A name... yes. I do have one. It's been so long since anyone asked." A bitter smile touched his lips.

"All they ever call me now is 'the phoenix'...

'the boss'...

'the monster'... and a few more colorful curses." He didn't remember Evan calling him fire chicken, did he? It was the heat of the moment. Honest.

"But I never expected you to be the one asking me that," the man continued.

"Do you despise me so deeply that you've even forgotten my name? Or perhaps... that was part of your punishment. If so, I suppose forgetting me was the kindest punishment of all. Lian Zhelan. That was the name my parents gave me, though I doubt anyone remembers it anymore. They say a person dies twice: once when they draw their final breath, and again when their name is spoken for the last time." Zhelan's voice grew distant.

"So now that even you have forgotten my name, tell me... when will I truly die? People say all living things yearn for immortality, but now I understand that some fates are far worse than death. You cannot imagine how unbearable it is to be denied even the comfort of death, until eventually, even oblivion slips beyond your reach."

"Tell me... haven't I suffered enough? When will you finally let me go...?" Zhelan asked.

"Fu Xinyi?!" In an instant, he lunged across the table and seized Evan by the collar. The peaceful courtyard dissolved. The house and blooming paulownia tree scattered like mist, and the ground beneath them vanished. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. They plunged through an endless void before crashing onto solid earth. Evan pushed himself upright and froze.

A vast, blood-soaked plain stretched across the horizon, filled with countless shadowy figures charging across the battlefield. Swords clashed in every direction as cries of rage echoed through the air, silhouettes colliding and vanishing as another wave of warriors surged forward. The earth itself seemed stained crimson from the endless slaughter. Evan barely had time to process what he was seeing when instincts screamed a warning. He raised his weapon just in time to block Zhelan's strike.

Steel crashed against steel. The man's yellow eyes burned with fierce intensity, no longer dull and lifeless but overflowing with hatred.

"Fight me!" Zhelan roared. They broke apart only to collide again. Evan struggled to keep up with the relentless assault, but Zhelan proved himself a true master of the sword. His movements flowed seamlessly from one strike to the next, graceful and fluid like a dance, yet each carried deadly intent. Reid had taught Evan a great deal, but he had only just begun learning to fight. Against someone whose blade moved like an extension of his own body, the difference in skill was overwhelming.

Evan's attacks were deflected with ease, leaving Zhelan in complete control of the battle from start to finish.

"Come on!" Zhelan shouted as Evan barely ducked beneath a slash that would have taken his head.

"You're better than this! Why are you holding back?" I'm trying, okay? I really am! No matter how hard Evan tried, Zhelan always seemed one step ahead. Every attempt to anticipate his movements ended in failure, and soon, shallow cuts covered Evan's arms and shoulders. Breathing hard, Evan tightened his grip on his sword. Should he use his barrier and healing? But what if Zhelan later brought out some ultimate technique that could finish him in an instant?

If the man decided to pull out something like that, Evan would need to have his own trump cards ready. For now, he'd have to keep fighting without them. Evan's thoughts scattered as Zhelan moved. A sharp flick of the man's wrist knocked Evan's blade from his hand. He barely had time to react when Zhelan's blade flashed toward his throat. Evan jerked back, but the edge still caught against his skin.

"I don't know whether you're mocking me or pitying me, Xinyi," Zhelan said, his voice growing cold.

"I'm not Fu Xinyi!" Evan protested. If he could convince the man that he'd mistaken him for someone else, maybe he'd stop attacking him.

"This is the first time we've ever met!"

"Xinyi..." Zhelan murmured.

"You know this won't end until one of us dies. Not after what happened between us." This damned madman! Evan activated his ability and vanished from sight. Drawing his dagger, he slipped behind Zhelan and slashed at his neck. Zhelan raised an eyebrow, then knocked the dagger from Evan's grasp with a single motion.

"So you've finally learned to fight dirty." He chuckled and covered his face with one hand. Evan leaped backward, putting as much distance between them as he could. His sword lay only a few steps away, but there was no way he could reach it without giving Zhelan an opening. He slipped a hand into his back pocket and pulled out the two magic crystals he had left. They weren't nearly enough to deal with an opponent like this. Zhelan advanced at an unhurried pace, his weapon hanging loosely from his hand.

Evan tightened his grip on the crystals, feeling the mana pulsing within them. One contained wind magic, while the other held earth magic. He could use the earth crystal to throw off Zhelan's footing, then follow up with the wind crystal and make a desperate grab for his weapon. The plan went out the window when Zhelan crossed the distance between them in an instant, appearing directly in front of Evan.

He loomed over him with his blade raised, and Evan's breath caught as he imagined the sharp blade slicing through his neck. Yet instead of striking, Zhelan turned the weapon around and offered him the hilt. Evan stared at it in confusion, only for Zhelan to push the sword into his hands.

"I think we've played around long enough," Zhelan said as he stepped back. Still clutching the weapon in confusion, Evan's jaw dropped as Zhelan slowly lowered himself onto both knees, his back perfectly straight.

"It's time to end this..." Zhelan said.

"I'm tired..." Is this guy asking me to kill him? Evan thought. [Quest!] [Objective: Deliver judgment upon Lian Zhelan] [Time Limit: 00: 29: 04] [Reward: ■■■■■■] This is insane. Evan didn't follow a strict no-kill rule, but neither was he someone who took lives casually. Slaying monsters or cutting down crazed demonic arts practitioners who tried to sacrifice him was one thing. Executing a man who seemed broken beyond reason was another.

"Hold on. Can't we talk this through?" Evan asked.

"I still don't understand what you're talking about, and like I said, I'm not this Fu Xinyi you keep mistaking me for!"

"Fu Xinyi... Fu Xinyi..." Zhelan muttered with a bitter smile.

"I thought you had finally learned something, yet your soft heart remains unchanged. You should know better than to show mercy to your enemy... and I am yours." He surged forward, and Evan instinctively brought the sword up to defend himself. He expected Zhelan to knock it aside, just as he had earlier. Sshlk! Evan's eyes widened in horror. Zhelan had driven himself onto the blade still clutched in Evan's hands.

"Heh..." He grinned as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"As gullible as ever..." With those final words, his body slumped forward, driving the blade deeper. Evan's grip loosened as Zhelan collapsed against him for a brief moment, then slid to the ground. Evan could only watch as Zhelan's body crumbled into countless specks of starlight. They rose into the air, slowly fading until nothing remained. Evan struggled to process what had just happened. When he entered the Secret Dungeon, he had fully expected to kill the boss waiting at its end.

Yet now that he had done exactly that, he felt no sense of triumph. Maybe it was because the enemy he had faced hadn't been a mindless beast, but a man capable of speaking and suffering. A man trapped in this dungeon, forced to relive the same cycle of death and rebirth each time it reset. Maybe... dying by Evan's hand had been the mercy Zhelan had been seeking all along. [Congratulations!] [You have completed your mission!] [Perhaps this is the only way things could've ended between you two.] [Reward: Vermilion Flame Core ×1] A crimson crystal no larger than a fist appeared in his hand, flames swirling endlessly within its translucent depths. Resting in his palm, it radiated a gentle warmth that seeped into his bones, yet the comforting heat couldn't dispel the strange emptiness lingering in his heart.