Chapter 736: 36. Barrier
“Buzz.”
A feeling of bliss erupted from the crown of his head, cascading down like a waterfall, gathering into a flowing stream that poured forth, filling up the nearly dry riverbed, creating a river.
This overwhelming surge came like a floodgates opening, fierce and rapid, but ultimately there was an end to it. Unaware of how much time had passed, it finally settled into a void, leaving behind a lingering sense of reluctance.
As the tide receded, Fisher’s consciousness finally stirred awake, and at that moment, his heart did not feel empty; instead, it was filled with a sense of fulfillment and comfort.
He stretched lazily, his eyes trembling as they opened, and what met his gaze was still that faint, water-like glow.
It was moonlight.
“Hmm.”
Fisher sat up and realized he was utterly clean, lying atop what seemed to be a tangible glow, suspended in an unknown quiet void.
At this moment, there was complete silence, which made Fisher’s thoughts particularly active, bringing him peace of mind.
This was a good time to think about “Who am I? Where am I? What am I going to do?”
“Are you awake?”
Hearing a familiar and friendly voice from behind him, Fisher came back to reality and turned his head to look back. Renee’s embodiment was approaching, smiling, and she was completely unclothed, merely surrounded by a faint moonlight, such that one could only discern the outline of her body.
“Renee.”
Recalling that previous rush of bliss, Fisher found it endlessly reminiscent, but a doubt surfaced in his heart.
They should have been together in that way, right?
But if that were the case, how had they ended up in that situation?
Fisher didn’t know, but instinctively felt as if he had entered a realm of integration that humans could hardly imagine; he just couldn’t articulate what kind of state it was, only able to describe the delightful outcome.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
However, the first question Renee asked when she approached Fisher only deepened his confusion.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Ah,” Renee became somewhat shy, her voice lowering, “because it seems we might have overdone it yesterday.”
Only through Renee’s words did Fisher’s thoughts barely escape that feeling of pleasure, recalling last night. Perhaps it was last night; time was strange in the Spirit Realm. In any case, it was a fragment of memory from that time.
He remembered instinctively wanting to get closer to Renee, wanting to possess her to a greater extent, and then in that disordered and emotional situation, Fisher truly touched the essence of authority for the first time, nearly fainting from it.
Fortunately, he felt quite good now, which seemed to indicate that his previous training with Renee had been effective, and he had adapted to the influence of authority.
However, recalling more fragments of the memories from that wild time, Fisher’s expression became a bit peculiar. He couldn’t help but raise his head to ask Renee,
“Wait, so are we now in…”
“…”
The moment this was mentioned, Renee’s face began to blush slightly. As she grew shy, Fisher felt the light of the entire world he was in start to dim and brighten erratically, as if there was a faulty lightbulb in the sky.
“…Am I still inside your body?”
Looking at the strange scenery around him, Fisher opened his mouth and confirmed this statement.
Renee pouted, embarrassed, and said, “You lost consciousness at the time, and I couldn’t move around recklessly, so I could only maintain this for a while.”
“Maintain this?”
An ominous premonition crept into Fisher’s mind, and when he saw Renee nodding again and then gently raising her index finger, everything before his eyes shattered like bubbles, revealing the true scene before him: fine, numerous, nearly uncountable semi-transparent tentacles tightly enveloping him. Until he opened his eyes, those tentacles gradually receded, like a shy maiden’s hair being pulled from a pillow.
Damn it, Fisher’s mind was inexplicably filled with this comparison, but honestly, he didn’t find Renee’s real form before him at all unpleasant.
The soft, semi-transparent, endlessly glowing tentacles surrounding him seemed to be the true source of the moonlight emanating from Renee’s essence, as their light was faint, appearing genuinely bright and cool as if reflecting the sunlight like the moon.
At the end of the ocean of tentacles, Fisher suddenly saw a black hole that appeared to absorb all light, continuously generating black feather-like substances while also ceaselessly consuming them. It was like an endless road, an uncountable series of numbers, as close yet unreachable, a shore that could never be touched.
That was Renee’s authority, [Infinity].
Fisher opened his mouth and felt the countless transparent tentacles caressing his skin while sending him out of her body, making Fisher increasingly distant from the infinite authority.
“Boom!”
Renee’s immense body, containing mysteries, unfurled the black feather-like substances that enveloped her body, sending the swallowed Fisher back to the outside of the Spirit Realm.
A massive rumble echoed around him as Fisher clutched the soft tentacles, dazedly leaving that mysterious place. When he came to his senses, he looked at the tentacle he had gripped tightly, which had turned into Renee’s embodiment dressed in a classic black gown without him noticing.
“Thud!”
They slowly landed on the surface of the Sea of Souls from where they had previously departed. As soon as they landed, Fisher felt his body soften and collapsed onto the surface of the Sea of Souls, dragging Renee along with him.
“Are you still uncomfortable?”
Holding Fisher’s hand, Renee looked at his profile with concern and asked.
Fisher stared blankly at the sky for a moment, then turned to look at Renee beside him, shaking his head in a daze.
“No, I feel too good.”
“…”
Renee opened her mouth, then blushed and punched his shoulder, hurriedly sitting up, pouting without being angry. Suddenly, while lost in thought, she began to giggle foolishly.
“Hehe.”
“…”
Fisher opened his mouth, sitting up as well, and said to Renee, “Why do I feel like you’re quite scary now?”
“…Not scary at all,” Renee turned away irritably, but the corners of her mouth still couldn’t be suppressed. She scanned Fisher’s body up and down, her face growing even redder. “I just suddenly thought of something happy.”
“…”
Fisher always felt that she was likely recalling the confrontation with Hela before.
Seeing her expression, Fisher thought it was some sort of “eat” grin, but Renee’s words seemed very cute.
“Baby. Baby.”
Fisher sighed, shaking his head. Turning his head, he noticed that the little Chaos Races had popped up again from the Sea of Souls, each with Fisher’s clothes and pants on their little heads, appearing to have taken care of them after being removed earlier.
“Thank you.”
“Baby. Baby.”
Fisher accepted the clothes they handed over but pretended not to hear their suggestion to return.
Given the current situation, even if they returned the property’s nature to the sea, the matter would not end so simply. Thus, the little Chaos Races’ suggestion of “going back” seemed quite naïve.
Fisher changed his clothes, and he had also somewhat adapted to authority. At least he had successfully touched Renee’s authority without harm, which should indicate that he had initially gained the ability to inherit Hamon Hamon’s authority.
“Are you done? How is it? Can you get closer to the authority now?”
While Fisher was reflecting, all the little Chaos Races around him shrank back, and Sister Teresa’s warm voice sounded at the same time. Turning his head, he saw Ramastia had arrived.
Renee floated up, crossed her arms, cleared her throat, but said nothing, showing that she had nothing to discuss with Ramastia.
Ramistia didn’t mind, simply smiling at Fisher.
“I should be able to give it a try now. I have touched Renee’s authority.”
“There is still a significant gap between mere contact and truly grasping authority, but it hasn’t been long since we started. This is already quite rapid progress; there’s no need to rush.”
Ramistia, who had Teresa’s appearance, spoke gently, much like a truly patient mother.
She merely raised her finger slightly toward Fisher’s back and said with a smile, “It just so happens, let’s take a look at the place where the deities of our world and infinity have been stationed for years. Thanks to you, the many beings within the world, and the help of the kind Trans, the situation is now clear. I will also tell you about it and the following plans, so you can make the final decision based on your opinions.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Ramistia smiled slightly, speaking candidly,
“For a long time, even we regarded this situation as a certain dead end. According to the contributor of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, this is a ship that is about to sink, and as its captain and leaders, all we can do is watch it drown. All other efforts, though they have been made, fate does not lie in our hands; otherwise, infinity would not have become desperate enough to entertain ideas of running away.”
Renee bit her lip, and Ramastia had no intention of blaming her; she only gently said, “But you are different, Fisher. Like those Trans, you come from beyond, entering the game yet seeming to stand outside it; moreover, you are the gateway to destruction, the sin we have committed. Whatever decisions you make, we will accept the consequences, and it could be seen as a repayment for the karma of thousands of years ago.”
“…You know very well that I have people I care about in this world and cannot accept its destruction, so there’s no need to feign such sincerity in expressing repentance. You owe me nothing; you stole the treasures of the ocean, but I am not its treasure. I fear I am just another thief, like you, who holds on to precious possessions.”
“…Is that so, Fisher?”
Ramistia smiled, not pressing further, merely pointing again at the distance and softly saying, “Let’s go, Fisher. Our essence is waiting for you at the breach of the barrier, [The Ultimate].”
Fisher and Renee turned their heads toward that depth, listening to Ramastia’s whispers, whose figure was gradually becoming ethereal.
“All remaining secrets, all conclusions are waiting to greet you, Fisher.”
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(This chapter ends)
