Chapter 221: The Corpse Starts Laughing
Damian’s body swayed.
Cassandra’s hand tightened around his arm. "Damian?"
He tried to answer, but blood spilled from his mouth instead.
The wound across his chest suddenly released a pale white sword light.
HUMM...
Cassandra’s expression changed.
The remaining power of [Radiant Execution Sword] was still inside his body.
It had not disappeared.
It was cutting him from the inside.
Damian looked down at his chest and clicked his tongue weakly. "Damn... that pretty-faced bastard’s final attack was stronger than I thought."
Cassandra’s face turned pale for the first time. "Stop talking."
She pressed her palm against his chest, pouring Metal Sword Qi into him, but the pale sword light immediately tore it apart.
SHING!
Blood sprayed again.
Damian caught her wrist. "Don’t. You’ll only hurt yourself."
Cassandra’s eyes shook. "Shut up."
Damian smiled faintly. "You’re really cute when you panic."
"Damian."
"Fine, fine." His breathing became weaker. "Cassandra... I probably can’t be saved anymore, so I have some requests."
Her voice became cold, almost desperate. "No."
Damian laughed softly, but it quickly turned into a bloody cough. "You didn’t even hear them yet."
"I know they will be stupid."
"Maybe." He looked at her with dimming eyes. "Kiss me one final time."
Cassandra froze.
Damian’s fingers slowly loosened around her wrist. "And later... join my harem group."
Her lips trembled. "You are dying, and this is what you say?"
Damian smiled. "A man should stay true to himself until the end."
Cassandra stared at him.
For once, she had no sharp words.
No cold answer.
Only silence.
Damian raised the [Queen Sword] with difficulty. "One last gift."
Cassandra’s eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
Damian only smiled. "My sword intent... it seems the [Queen Sword] really likes it. She can even absorb it from me."
The [Queen Sword] trembled violently.
HUMM!
Damian looked at the blade and smiled. "So I’ll just gift it to her."
Cassandra’s expression cracked. "Stop."
Damian’s voice became softer. "Eat all you want, good girl. I’m dying anyway."
Silver-black light wrapped around Damian’s arm.
His sword intent flowed into the [Queen Sword] like a dying flame being swallowed by metal.
Cassandra grabbed his hand. "Stop!"
Damian shook his head. "This will make her stronger. It will make you stronger."
His eyes slowly closed halfway. "Use it well."
Cassandra’s breathing became uneven.
For so many years, she thought her heart had already become cold enough.
She thought betrayal had broken everything soft inside her.
She thought she would never again care if someone stood beside her, bled for her, or disappeared from her life.
Yet now, watching Damian give away the last of his sword intent with that stupid shameless smile, something in her chest cracked so painfully that she almost could not breathe.
"Damian..." Her voice was no longer steady.
Damian looked at her and smiled weakly. "Don’t make that face. You’re too beautiful for heartbreak."
"You idiot."
"Handsome idiot."
Cassandra leaned down and kissed him.
This time, it was not quick.
It was long, trembling, and filled with emotions even Cassandra herself could not describe.
When she pulled back, Damian smiled faintly. "Worth it."
His hand fell.
The sword mist became silent.
Cassandra stood there for a long time, holding the [Queen Sword] and staring at Damian’s body.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt until they turned white.
She tried to hold back her tears.
She failed.
The tears fell silently down her cold face, one drop after another.
The [Queen Sword] hummed softly at her side, now carrying a trace of Damian’s sword intent.
HUMM...
Cassandra gripped the sword with trembling fingers, turned away, and walked into the mist alone.
This time, her voice was not cold.
"I promise... I’ll keep your harem safe."
---
A few hours later.
Inside the silent [Core Sword Domain], Damian’s "corpse" suddenly twitched.
The surrounding sword mist froze.
Several Royal Grade swords nearby trembled faintly, as if they had seen something absurd.
HUMM...?
Damian’s fingers moved.
A second later, his eyes slowly opened.
He stared at the gray sky above him, blinked twice, then sat up while rubbing his chest.
"Damn... that actually hurt."
The nearby swords shook harder.
HUMM!
HUMM!
Their sword intent seemed to scream the same question.
"The hell? Weren’t you dead?"
Damian looked around, saw the shocked sword domains, and slowly grinned.
"Hehehe... as expected, I am the best actor."
The swords became silent.
For some reason, even they seemed disgusted.
Damian clicked his tongue. "What? Don’t look at me like that. In the cultivation world, acting skills are also survival skills."
He stretched his shoulders, then hissed slightly from the pain.
The wound from [Radiant Execution Sword] was still ugly, but the remaining sword light inside his body had already been suppressed by his Chaos Qi.
He had not truly died.
He had only pushed his condition close enough to look real.
Very real.
Even Cassandra believed it.
Damian immediately opened the system and checked Cassandra’s favorability.
The moment he saw the number, his eyes shone.
---
[Target: Cassandra Valeria]
[Favorability: 71/100]
---
Damian’s eyes lit up.
"Holy shit. It really increased that much."
He almost laughed out loud.
Heartbreak.
Final kiss.
Dying speech.
One last gift.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Damian rubbed his chin with deep satisfaction. "As expected, dying really is a great act."
Then he checked the gift reward.
---
[Gift Target: Cassandra Valeria]
[Gift: King Grade Metal Sovereign Sword Intent]
[Multiplier: 200×]
[Extreme Multiplier Reward Triggered]
[Return Reward: Complete King Grade Sword Art - [Five Elemental Sovereign Sword Scripture]]
[All Chapters Obtained: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Additional Reward: 10 Years of Peerless Comprehension of Five Elemental Sovereign Sword Scripture]
---
Damian froze.
A second later, his grin slowly widened.
"Just... damn."
All of this reward came from one "death."
One fake death had raised Cassandra’s favorability, given him another extreme multiplier reward, and completed an entire King Grade sword art.
Damian slowly covered his face and laughed under his breath.
"Hehehe... as expected, dying is always the perfect act to heighten emotion."
The nearby swords trembled again.
HUMM...
This time, their sword intent felt even more disgusted.
Damian lowered his hand and looked around. "What? Don’t judge me. It worked."
The sword domains remained silent.
Damian clicked his tongue. "A bunch of old swords, yet you still don’t understand romance."
One sword domain released a sharp cold hum.
HUMM!
Damian raised both hands. "Fine, fine. Maybe it was a little shameless."
He paused.
"No. It was very shameless."
His smile returned.
"But effective."
Damian stood up, dusted off his torn robe, and looked in the direction Cassandra had left.
His eyes became bright again.
Cassandra had cried.
Cassandra had kissed him.
Cassandra had promised to keep his harem safe.
Damian rubbed his chin. "That last one is a bit strange, but still touching."
He imagined Cassandra coldly protecting his women while holding the [Queen Sword], and his mood became even better. "Damn. A cold sword beauty guarding my harem after thinking I died..."
His expression became deeply satisfied. "What a beautiful scene."
The surrounding swords seemed to tremble from pure disbelief.
Damian ignored them.
His smile became shameless again. "Cassandra, Cassandra... you really are a priceless treasure chest."