2231 2231. Love

"Naïve and pitiful king of the ants," Euclio's voice echoed through the very void. "You dare to step on realms before obtaining the right to look at them. Now, you will pay the price for your stupidity."

Daniel inspected his surroundings, but he couldn't find anything able to answer his doubts. He didn't understand what was happening. It seemed that Euclio's voice was coming out from the emptiness around him, but the sinister aura didn't reveal any clue.

"You don't understand, do you?" Euclio continued. "Don't blame yourself. Your knowledge of the cultivation journey is good, but it doesn't quite involve the peak. You simply aren't there yet."

The sinister aura condensed at some distance from Daniel until a humanoid figure appeared. Euclio rebuilt his body, but his skin revealed far darker shades now. His edges were also blurry and felt on the verge of fusing with the void.

"Your idea wasn't bad," Euclio admitted as the sinister aura expanded once again and enveloped Daniel. "Using the innate features of my world to defeat me was smart. Your ability also suited the task perfectly. Still, you failed to understand that I already represent the apex of emptiness."

The explanation didn't clear Daniel's doubts, and the sinister aura didn't allow him to focus too much on those words either. His body started to turn ethereal again, but that change affected him deeply at that time.

"I imitate the void," Euclio announced. "However, rank 9 cultivators can't gain a complete understanding of this endless blackness since it belongs to a superior realm. I improved through Heaven and Earth's tools, but my mind has always remained limited by my poor level."

Traces of understanding finally dawned upon Daniel, but he decided to ignore the matter to focus on his ordeal. He felt his world was slipping away to reach distant locations that his mind couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"You know," Euclio continued. "Fusing with the void isn't actually possible for experts at my level. Even imitating it only leads to a weaker version. After all, the universe is stuff for beings past the cultivation journey, and you can't have a will while being empty."

Daniel struggled to expand his purity and assert his presence on the higher plane, but everything seemed pointless. Euclio's attack was simply unstoppable. It dealt with realities and dimensions that even Cursed Reality would have a hard time studying.

"The form I had was almost perfect," Euclio revealed. "I could still tweak some aspects, but it was the closest existence to the void that a cultivator at my level could create."

Plans and ideas flooded Daniel's mind, but he couldn't deploy any of them. He was exhausted, and his world barely had energy left. He didn't know if those tactics would work, but he couldn't even try them out.

"Then, you and your purity arrive," Euclio exclaimed. "The nature of your power forced my world to strive to a state that I couldn't reach on my own. I couldn't comprehend the realm that I had to obtain on my own, but you solved that issue."

<br/>Daniel could only give up on trying to escape the sinister aura. His attention inevitably went on Euclio and his explanation, which finally made complete sense in his mind.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Daniel sighed. "You managed to retain your power even after I turned you into the real void. I can praise your ability, but I won't blame my lacking knowledge."

"That's correct," Euclio smirked. "I only wanted to add some fun to this victory. Enjoy spending the rest of your life in my void."

Daniel briefly inspected the battlefield before closing his eyes. He had given his everything to reduce the number of casualties on his side, and he had even bought time for his stronger allies.

Euclio probably wouldn't have enough time to disrupt the balance of the battlefield. Daniel felt sure that Noah or someone else would stop him soon enough. That thought reassured him. He could consider his sacrifice as a success.

"Heartless until the end," Euclio commented. "Truly commendable."

Euclio stretched his hand forward to make his aura work faster. Daniel was about to disappear, but nothing affected his calm expression. He appeared at peace, but something eventually affected his emotional state.

Euclio couldn't avoid feeling surprised when he saw his aura changing direction on its own and flowing toward an incoming bright figure. The latter dispersed Euclio's power through its influence as it reached Daniel's left side and revealed its appearance.

"What are you doing here?" Daniel weakly scolded as the break from Euclio's attack allowed his world to shine again. "Your place is on the battlef-!"

Daniel couldn't finish his line since a slap landed on his newly condensed cheek. He didn't feel any anger after that gesture. Instead, faint traces of love and helplessness appeared on his face as he stared at the newcomer.

"I really hate this part of you," Faith announced as she delivered another slap. "You and your damned purity make you disregard your companions' feelings so easily."

"That's how my path works," Daniel sighed. "Now, go away. You are burning yourself only to survive under his influence."

Faith was only in the gaseous stage of the ninth rank. Her world could barely survive Euclio's pressure, but she was letting it suffer injuries without showing any hesitation.

"I refuse," Faith declared. "Do you think you are the only one who can throw his life away?"

"I'm sacrificing myself for a higher purpose," Daniel explained. "Adding your death won't change anything in the grand scope of the final battle."

"It will change something for me!" Faith shouted. "I know you understand this."

Daniel sighed again and took Faith's face in his gentle grasp. His purity didn't make him unable to understand human emotions. He actually couldn't ignore them in his weak state.

"I understand you will have a chance to survive if I do this," Daniel whispered.

"Can't I just decide to die with you?" Faith asked. "That's what my love wants."

"How did you even fall for me?" Daniel half-suppressed a curse. "I've been an awful partner."

"You can say all the lies you want," Faith giggled as she reached Daniel's hands on her cheeks, "But I know the truth. You could have left me long ago, and you probably should have. After all, I am your flaw."

Daniel couldn't stop the warm smile appearing on his face. His purity was at its weakest now, so he couldn't hide his emotions, and that reaction confirmed Faith's words.

Daniel was a being that strived for purity and pure selflessness. Someone like him couldn't have something as personal as a relationship. It would simply go against his nature.

However, Daniel had never shed away his love for Faith. He had the chance to do it countless times, but he had never done it.

"How could I see something so beautiful as a flaw?" Daniel eventually dropped the pretenses. "I'll accept a slow and flawed journey if that means making you happy."

"And you even wonder why I fell for you," Faith uttered in a sweet tone.

"Won't you allow me to die before you?" Daniel asked.

"No," Faith firmly rejected, even if her smile never left her face. "I can have you as my Daniel, without all the leader stuff. I can't think of a better final moment."

"I can't win against you, can I?" Daniel wondered.

"Oh, shut up now," Faith chuckled as she lowered Daniel's arms to pull him closer. "You are the only one I ever allowed to win against me."