Chapter 564 - Kiss
Lilith gave him some time to let Bai Zemin finish processing what she had just revealed to him in order to make it easier for him to explain how he had obtained his UNIQUE skill. However, Lilith had no way of knowing that in reality, he simply had no idea how he obtained this skill.
"Is your skill somehow related to the Barbarian King?" she asked after they were both in silence for almost 5 solid minutes.
Lilith's voice was a bit heavy as to begin with, any kind of skill related to a legendary existence such as the Barbarian King had once been and who was still respected for his strength despite being dead for millions of years definitely could not be taken lightly.
Bai Zemin looked at Lilith with weird eyes when he heard her question.
She asked if the UNIQUE skill he had just learned was related to the Barbarian King...? Far from being related, according to the records Bai Zemin had received Magic Break was a skill that belonged to the Barbarian King, and after hearing the story of that existence Bai Zemin judged it to be the basis of the Anti-Magic Domain.
He smiled bitterly and let himself fall onto his back in a way that his whole body relaxed on the comfort of the bed. As he looked up at the ceiling free of decorations, he said quietly, "A little less than two and a half months ago I thought I knew myself perfectly well. Now, a little less than two and a half months later, I realize I don't even know myself."
Just as Lilith occasionally asked, Bai Zemin also wondered whether he was human or not despite knowing the answer to this question.
How was it possible that so many incredible things happened to him one after another? Sure, it felt awesome to know and feel his strength soar higher and higher. However, just like any other living being, Bai Zemin feared the unknown.
It was not easy for him to adapt to so many changes; changes that not only affected the world but were literally transforming who he once believed he was.
Some struggled tens, hundreds, thousands of years to achieve something he had achieved in months..... How could such a thing be considered normal? Far from normal, Bai Zemin accepted that he was worthy of the title 'Irregular' that the Soul Record bestowed upon him just over a month earlier.
"... Are you okay?" Lilith looked at him with worried eyes.
As she spoke in a voice as soft as a mother speaking to a small child trying not to scare him, she slowly moved such that the white sheets rustled softly with each movement before lying down on her side next to him and looking at him carefully.
Bai Zemin sighed softly and wordlessly extended his left hand to his side.
"I know what you will see now will shock you, you might even be frightened.... But I'm sorry, Lilith. I don't want to hide anything about me from you nor do I have the strength to slowly explain all the strange stuff that happened to me lately." He said wearily.
Even though he had woken up about an hour ago, Bai Zemin felt as if an eternity had passed.
The feeling of not knowing oneself was much heavier than many would imagine; this was especially so for someone who less than half a year ago was nothing more than an ordinary human in the midst of a society governed by rules that overnight collapsed.
Lilith looked at the hand in front of her, waiting to be taken. However, she hesitated whether she should take it or not.
Even though that big hand was the same hand she had taken on over a hundred occasions to link part of her soul to his, somehow now it seemed to be different. This was the first time Lilith saw Bai Zemin having such an exhausted look in his eyes and for a second she even thought that he might collapse and give up completely.
The hesitation of Lilith only lasted for an instant before her eyes flashed with resolution. Whatever the reasons why his spirit was so low, she was sure she would find out once she took his hand. Only then would she be able to help him.
Now, Lilith only hoped she wouldn't get too scared.... Because even she, who was one of the most powerful existences under the vast firmament, could no longer be so sure of the surprises that the little man lying next to her would bring her.
Even so, Lilith was an existence that had experienced many ups and downs in her life despite being relatively young. She, who had seen light and darkness, knew that stopping and stagnating was the most horrendous way to expect to be devoured. Therefore, she needed to move forward.
Lilith and Bai Zemin's hands joined as she took his, forming a great anatomical contrast between them.
And so, as she lay down beside him and joined him in staring at the ceiling, he linked the parts of his soul that contained the important records he wished to share with the woman who had been there when he needed warmth the most.
Void Fist (Third Order skill)... Brilliant Mind... Savior of the World... Destroyer of Destroyers... One VS Millions... All For One (Third Order UNIQUE skill)... God of War's Will (Third Order skill)... Blood Pact with the Endless Blue Lotus Flame, one of the flames once found among the few God-grade natural treasures...
One after another, the most astonishing records that Bai Zemin had achieved were reflected in Lilith's pupils and for every second that passed the expression on her face became harder and harder to read; when disbelief reached a certain point, the brain automatically cut off many emotions to avoid a possible collapse from overload leaving nothing but indifference.
In such a short time, Bai Zemin had received a special title which allowed him to learn skills and develop them as if it were nothing, he obtained a title related to salvation and another to destruction which were extremely rare, he developed by himself several UNIQUE skills which even Higher Existences did not necessarily possess, he even formed a Soul Pact with a legendary flame that could spread to the ends of the universe and burn everything.
Among these records were also the incredible feats that Bai Zemin had accomplished in Oblon World when he decided to invade in order to break the invasion of the asura race.
From annihilating armies of millions to massacring over 200 Second Order existences along with the direct killing of 2 Third Order existences; all the most important details of Oblon World flashed across Lilith's pupils.
She even detected slight traces of combat against Fourth Order existences there, which even if they were not enough to grant Soul Power would definitely serve to make Bai Zemin's mission of advancing to the Fourth Order slightly easier since with these records the barrier from the Third to the Fourth Order would be easier to break through.
However, what made Lilith's heart almost stop was one record in particular; one that she never expected to see here.
Blood Berserker's Wrath (UNIQUE skill)...
Lilith clearly felt her heart clench tightly as if a pair of invisible hands were trying to crush it and she had to tighten her precious teeth to prevent any sort of sound from escaping her mouth.
She wanted to look Bai Zemin in the eye and ask him how it was possible for him to have that skill. However, what little reasoning she had left after all the things she had just seen reminded her that even if she asked him he wouldn't have the answers she wanted.... It wasn't easy for Lilith, it wasn't easy for her to keep her composure within reasonable limits.
However, Lilith's mentality was still the same; if a woman one day wanted to become the partner of an existence that was undoubtedly destined to become the most brilliant of all if he did not fall young just like Bai Zemin, then that woman first needed to understand and support him.
Now that Lilith understood the reason why Bai Zemin felt overwhelmed, she preferred to swallow her own pain and fight the fears that threatened to drive her to madness in order to support him. Because unlike a young girl, Lilith was a real woman with a lot of experience in life.
She was the type who once her heart began to love a man preferred to be secretly pricked by a thousand needles than to let a single one cause pain to her loved one.
Lilith still clung tenderly to Bai Zemin's hand when the link between her soul and his was broken. She lay beside him, silent as she looked up at the ceiling with dazed eyes.
Maybe, feeling the warmth of the woman next to her.... Maybe, it was thanks to that exquisite scent of roses that soothed him. However, as the seconds passed to turn into minutes, Bai Zemin felt his own insecurity begin to settle until it reached an acceptable level.
After a long time, he said quietly: "Crazy, don't you think?..... Perhaps to you or others it may be strange that I, who wishes to become the most powerful being in the universe for the sake of my current loved ones and those I will love, actually feel insecure just because I am getting stronger even without being able to assimilate more Soul Power temporarily."
Bai Zemin made a pause and Lilith stayed silent, focused solely on listening to him while inwardly trying to calm her fears.
"Yes, I want to be the strongest. But at what price? At the price of losing myself?" he thought in a voice low enough to sound like a whisper but loud enough for the woman beside him to hear.
"Is all this strength really mine? Am I that Bai Zemin I always knew? No, to begin with... Who am I? Rather, what am I? At this point, even if I'm just a human I refuse to believe that I'm a normal human like the rest."
Identity problems... These were problems Lilith had seen in many existences and had even experienced for herself in the past when her life became a living hell after the apocalypse came to her home world. After all, the abrupt changes were too great to take them all in with a smile on the face as if nothing happened.
However, the identity problem that Bai Zemin was experiencing at the moment was much, much greater than anyone else's. But Lilith knew that this was perfectly justified given all the mystery that enveloped not only him but also the world he was born and raised in.
Take the second most powerful person in the entire faction, Shangguan Bing Xue, as an example.
The current Shangguan Bing Xue was strong enough to turn a smaller sized city into a frozen hell at will if she completely broke free, which was insane considering that just a little less than two and a half months ago she was nothing more than a college student.
However, if Bai Zemin broke free completely and without restriction.... Then possibly life on Earth would end unless the world evolved first.
Each and every one of Bai Zemin's skills, including his treasures, strangely matched each other perfectly; turning him into something that could no longer be categorized as a monster. So, it was normal to not know himself.
It was by no means easy to accept a new self and not know your former self that had been with you for 20 years; even less so when it seemed that everything was destined, as if your movements had been thought out in advance by something superior and was controlling you without you realizing it.
Maybe, it was to help calm him down, or maybe, it was to calm her own heart. However, before Bai Zemin could come out of the dazed state he was in, Lilith moved gently and in a tender and seductive movement she put her red lips on his.
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