3 bar menu

Return of the Fallen Volume 6 Chapter 41

Author: Blue_Rat

ch41

Danny wondered about that proposal.

“Dopping him from the top of his soul tree, you think that will work?”

Kai shrugged his shoulders.

“It should, I mean it’s worked in the past at least.”

Danny rubbed his chin in thought.

“How does dropping him in this place lead to his awakening?”

“Inside this place, the mind is aware of many things. One such thing is pain. That’s why whenever I hit little brother, he complains about the pain. The soul is connected to the body and mind just as the mind is connected to the body. So even if the pain isn’t real, inside here it’s hard to differentiate such feelings. Therefore when he’s dropped from the top of the tree, his mind will feel the feeling of weightlessness which in turn will be transmitted to the body. The sensation of falling will feel all to real and that should wake him up. Besides you saw how Abura usually awoke, that’s not something we can rely on.”

Danny had witnessed Abura’s memories and knew what Kai was referring to. When Abura’s mind was taken over by the calling inside his head, the first time he came back to his senses was accidental. Abura had been rampaging about, eating whatever was in sight and ended up taking a large fall off of a cliff knocking himself out completely. The following other times he was able to go in and out of this mindless state, Muteki his squad leader and somewhat of an older brother figure was there to knock him out. Abura would return to his normal state after he regained consciousness.

Abura was not invincible and in fact, his body may have been tough but only a few times better than a regular person. He, for a long time, was at the second rank, the Elemental Stage. Taking a fall down a cliff was more than enough to render him unconscious. Muteki as well was always much stronger than him and could knock him out when he went too wild.

Kazuki on the other hand was entirely different. He was already at the 4th stage, the mind-body stage. First and foremost, Kazuki was already much stronger than the average person and his ki only amplified that.

Besides the aftermentioned part, his body had also gone through several transformations. First inside the Karada cauldron back in the kingdom’s capital in Tresta. Then hundreds of times in Glacious’s own cauldron. Not only that, after the nameless technique began to take over, Kai and Danny both witnessed something unprecedented. In Abura’s memories, he never got stronger after consuming things, yet Kazuki, after eating bits of the monster’s flesh was constantly evolving and gaining inhuman strength.

Add to the fact that his body could already heal rapidly before the nameless technique and he was at the mind-body stage allowing him to go past his physical limits and endurance, hitting something hard would do very little to awaken him. He had literally been thrown and smashed into the side of a mountain by a being that was well beyond his own strength, yet even after being broken time and time again, he had yet to awaken. The impacts just weren’t enough to fully rob him of his consciousness.

Because of Kazuki’s extreme resilience, Danny had questions about dropping his form from the top of his soul tree. After all, if a fall from several thousand feet up in the real world was now not enough to kill him, how would a height of a few hundred feet up from the tip-top of his soul tree be enough to open his eyes. The answer to this though was simple. It was all psychological. In his mindless state, there was no fear, there was basically no remnants of Kazuki whatsoever, just a mad god of gluttony.

Inside the soul world though it was different. All of Kazuki’s thoughts and feelings were a part of his form here. The Kazuki inside here still had thoughts and feelings and with that also came fears. Kazuki had fallen from great heights many a time in the outside world and even at his calmest, there was still plenty of fear of going splat on the ground. GLacious had tossed Kazuki through the air for several miles over a forest and into a river, the feeling of being tossed like a rag doll through the sky was not something a first-timer like he would call a relaxing experience.

The real trauma though, clearly came from when he fell down this Abyssal trench. From the moment, he fell, Kazuki felt the fear of death. As his body accelerated time and again and the wind raced past his ears and the feeling of weightlessness took over, Kazuki’s heartbeat so fast and loud, he was sure it would explode out of his chest at any moment. The number of times he thought he would die in his life were plenty but falling into the never-ending darkness with no hope of survival was the closest he’s ever felt to death and it was this fall into the trench that left the biggest scar in his mind.

Danny thought it through and found this trauma was the best way to awaken him. The question now though was how would they get his form up to the top of the tree. With the nameless technique still activated, a hole at the base of Kazuki’s soul tree was like a small black hole, devouring anything and everything. The two were incapable of getting close to it without they themselves being pulled in. Were that to happen, nonexistence would be their only outcome.

Danny looked at the soul tree and Kazuki still in a slumber-like state resting at the bottom. He wondered why Kazuki’s form was not itself being pulled into the mini black hole.

(Could it be because this nameless devouring technique is something that is now a part of Kazuki’s soul. Is that why it doesn’t pull his form inside. If that’s the case what about other things that are a part of his soul?)

Without saying anything, Danny waved his hand. As he did this, a branch from Kazuki’s soul tree broke off and rushed almost 100 feet away and into his hand.

Kai looked at him for a moment in confusion. Only after a second did he understand when Danny then threw the branch at the hole but he said nothing as he watched to confirm his thoughts.

The branch flew in the air with a small arc and came right in front of the small black hole. Not even a second later.

*tok*

Just like Danny thought, the branch passed through the hole completely and hit the tree on the other side before it fell to the ground and laid right beside the tree.

Kai became excited and slapped Danny on the back.

“Bwahahaha, nice one Danny. So you plan to use the branch to take him to the top?”

Danny turned and gave Kai the evil eye. Kai knew immediately what he was upset about and removed his hand from Danny’s back.

“Sorry sorry, my bad. It’s a natural habit to express my goodwill and excitement in such a way. Don’t be mad.”

Danny snorted before retorting.

“Hmph, do you think you can keep using that as an excuse. How can someone who’s supposed to be a swordsman have so little control over their own emotions and body?”

Kai smiled.

“Maybe if I were alive those rules would apply. In here I’m just a fading spirit who’s trying to enjoy myself before I’m gone for good.”

Danny shook his head and ignored Kai’s deceptive smile. Focusing back on the objective at hand, he waved his hands in the air, directing a few more branches. Along with the branch on the ground, four more came flying off of the soul tree. Danny controlled them with precision and made them support Kazuki from underneath before carefully lifting him up and into the sky.

Danny and Kai both flew up a distance away so the suction force from the hole would not pull them in. Once they were at the desired height as to not be affected the two flew over next to Kazuki. Standing at the top, the two first looked down below at the ground.

“This is gonna work, I’m sure of it. You’re sure of it too, right Danny?”

Danny once more rubbed his chin.

“Hmm, it should. We’ve witnessed Kazuki’s memories several times over. We may not be him but we are capable of seeing everything he sees and feeling everything he feels. The moment he fell from the top of the Abyssal trench, you and I both felt the fear he felt as clear as day. Since time moves slower in here as well, we experienced it quite a bit longer. If that didn’t leave any after-effects on his psyche then what in the world possibly could. Besides… Are you even listening Kai?”

Kai shrugged his shoulders and pointed downward.

“Sorry, you talk too much, I already pushed little dummy off the top.”