The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 658 - 658

Before the brass wall."Save Artoria first."

Merlin, surrounded by light, spoke to Eiji.

"(←_←)"

Eiji didn't speak, only giving him a look to interpret himself.

Do you have to be so obviously biased?

You want me to abandon my mother to save Black Saber first?

Are you even making sense?

Besides, I'm the one going in. Only I, as the BUG, can enter. You can't even get in. Can't I choose whose mental space to enter first?

"You've misunderstood."

Merlin shook his head and explained.

"Miss Raikou and that unnamed Heroic Spirit over there are likely the keys we and Roa used to enter successively. That means both of them have been here for less than one night."

Eiji nodded.

That was true.

Raikou came in with them, while the other unnamed one was probably the key Roa grabbed when capturing Arcueid to enter the cyberspace.

"But Artoria has been captured for a week already. She's probably on the verge of collapse now, at risk of failing to awaken at any moment. Desperate times call for desperate measures—I hope you can enter her mental space first!"

Merlin explained with a serious expression.

Whenever Artoria was mentioned, his demeanor completely differed from his usual frivolity, his composed attitude unconsciously vanishing.

"Well, since this side is more urgent, let's start from here then."

Eiji compared both sides.

Although both were asleep, Minamoto no Raikou's expression remained peaceful, while Black Saber was frowning tightly, looking extremely haggard.

"Thank you."

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Alright, get ready. I'll send you in immediately!"

Following his instructions, Eiji stood before Black Saber and was enveloped by the light Merlin released.

Soon, Eiji felt dizzy.

"Remember, injuries in the dream won't carry over to reality. I'll help maintain your mana at its peak, so you can go all out. You must save Artoria..."

Merlin's voice quickly grew indistinct.

Suddenly, Eiji's footing gave way.

Startled, before he could do anything, he abruptly fell into the bottomless abyss beneath him.

"What's going on?"

During the fall, Eiji stared wide-eyed at his surroundings.

Everything around was pitch black and empty. Looking up, there was no exit, only a dim light flickering far below.

"Strange, why isn't the falling speed increasing?"

Eiji quickly calmed down, muttering to himself.

He could feel that his falling speed remained constant, not accelerating due to gravity at all.

"So this is what entering a mental space feels like?"

Recalling Merlin's spellcasting process, Eiji understood.

"What's that sound? Music?"

His ears perked up suddenly as he looked around in surprise.

"Dun (three) dun (one) dun (three) dun (one), dun (four) dun (two) dun (three) dun (one)... This BGM is really uncomfortable!"

With a pained expression, Eiji fell toward the bottom of the bottomless pit.

...

As if trapped within a black hole.

Beyond the hundred-meter radius beneath her feet, everything else in her vision was plunged into utter darkness.

To put it in perspective, it was like standing on a circular floor tile floating in the cosmos—nothing existed beyond what was underfoot. Darkness enveloped everything around her, and an endless tide of loneliness and desolation washed over her, nearly suffocating her.

Here, there was no need for food or sleep.

No matter how many times her limbs were severed, they would rapidly regenerate.

All she possessed was a single sword.

Beyond that, she had nothing.

And she was tormented day and night by her opponent.

She had long lost count of how many times that pitch-black sword had pierced her body.

At first, she had kept track, vowing to repay the pain a hundredfold, but as the numbers grew, she grew numb, and the desire for revenge faded entirely.

Because her opponent was utterly unreasonable.

"Hah... Hah..."

Heavy breaths escaped her lips, her mouth filled with the taste of blood.

Even though the concept of physical exhaustion didn't exist here, she still panted heavily.

If she didn't, she feared she would have long lost her sense of humanity, becoming as numb and lifeless as a corpse. Only by consciously maintaining human habits did she keep her sanity from slipping away.

Even so, she was nearing her limit.

The sword in her hand remained unscathed.

But her spirit had been shattered.

"Ah... In the end, how could I possibly defeat such an opponent?"

She simply lay down on the ground, her dull, lifeless gaze falling upon the distant figure of her adversary.

Clad entirely in black armor, the figure appeared to be female based on the skirt-like armor covering the lower body. Slightly petite in stature, her height and build were strikingly similar to her own. However, a mask concealed the opponent's face, leaving her features unseen.

In her hand, she gripped a black knight's sword, adorned with several neatly arranged crimson circular patterns. The entire blade radiated an overwhelming sense of ominous foreboding.

It was that very sword that had severed her body countless times.

Then, she would regenerate, only to be severed again, enduring this torment over and over.

Incidentally, the sword in her own hand was of the exact same design.

The reason for this, she did not know.

Nor did she care to know anymore.

How long she had fought, she could no longer recall. How many times she had been pushed to exhaustion, she had long stopped counting.

All because of a single night's lodging, she had been captured by some inexplicable entity and forced to experience such a wretched fate.

She no longer had any desire to fight.

It was only her stubborn refusal to admit defeat that had kept her going until now. But the gap in their strength was immense—she was no match for her enemy. Her will had been whittled away time and again, and the fire in her heart had long burned out.

Even the cruelest training grounds in the world would feel a hundred times warmer than this place.

Her will to fight had been stripped away, replaced by a spirit on the verge of collapse.

Death would be better.

The last flicker of light in her eyes gradually faded, and a dark aura began to seep from within her.

"Unknown virus detected. Unknown virus detected. System is under intrusion. Activating emergency antivirus protocol... Antivirus protocol startup error. Error. Unknown malfunction occurring. Repeat, unknown malfunction occurring. Administrator intervention required immediately..."

An alarm suddenly blared.

The voice was sweet and cloying, yet it carried a cold, merciless tone.

"What is that?"

Lying on the ground, she slightly widened her eyes.

A familiar figure appeared in the sky, growing from a small dot into clear view as it descended.

He landed gently on the ground beside her.

"..."

She was momentarily struck speechless with shock.

"Wow, you look terrible!"

The moment he appeared, he stared at her with exaggerated surprise.

His very first words were so irritating!

That familiar mocking tone!

Suddenly, an inexplicable fury surged from her chest, making her glare fiercely at Eiji.

"None of your business!"

Miraculously, the feeling of exhaustion gradually faded away.

Her parched spirit seemed to be nourished, revitalized with renewed vitality.

It was like grasping the only lifeline while severely injured and nearing death.