Fates Parallel Chapter 386 - Unified Spirits (Patreon)

During her time as a cultivator, Yoshika had often meditated on what it meant to be a spirit, or an elemental, or even a fiend. The nature of existence was a mystery that Yoshika didn’t think she’d ever solve, and each time she gained a glimpse of insight into the way of the world, it only served to highlight how little she truly knew.

There was, however, a single truth she had learned which hinted more strongly than any other at the deepest mysteries of reality. That truth was undoubtedly the same one which had made the God-Emperor of Qin the single most powerful cultivator on the continent, despite Jianmo’s doubts.

Spirits were the purest form of life.

To know it was one thing, but even those with whom the secret was shared did not truly understand its meaning. Yoshika had known the secret for almost as long as she’d been a cultivator—it was right there in the awakening stone, enshrined in Emperor Qin’s divine essence.

In Goryeon colleges, magical beings were split into three categories—spirits, elementals, and fiends. Yet spirits stood apart from the others. They did not form cores, their elements did not follow the rules of mana theory, and without a medium to channel through they could not take physical form.

Yoshika had learned that spirits were nascent gods. Beings of pure concept born from the thoughts and feelings of human souls. In that way, the God-Emperor was right about ascension requiring one to essentially become a spirit themselves.

But it was missing something. What was a human? Why did their collective thoughts give birth to spirits? And if spirits didn’t fit in with elementals and fiends, then what did?

These were the answers Yoshika needed now. She needed to understand where she was coming from in order to determine where she was going. If she didn’t understand who and what she was now, then she wouldn’t be able to take the form she needed to ascend.

Elementals were beings of pure mind, essence given thought, devoid of physical or emotional needs. Fiends were beings of pure body, ruled by instinct until they ascended unless they were lucky enough to be born to parents already blessed with souls. What, if not spirits, was the being of pure soul?

What else, but the very things that gave life to the spirits in the first place? Humans were always born with souls, and it was their soul that defined them more than anything else. Their bodies were weak compared to even mortal animals, and Iseul had easily demonstrated that elementals were capable of greater intellect.

It was emotion that defined humanity, and it was those emotions that gave rise to spirits, and thus gods. They formed cores when they became demons or tennin—or even just spiritual cultivators, who formed golden cores of qi deep within their dantians.

Yoshika had them all.

It wasn’t a perfect theory. Not all demons came from humans—though the only exception she knew was Jianmo—and humans weren’t the only ones who shared their souls with their offspring. Was a born fiend a human? They must be—at least as much as a half-spirit.

Imperfect or not, it felt right. Closer to the truth than she had been before. Close enough that she could already feel the heavens churning above—eager to strike her down for her trespass.

Once again, Yoshika recalled Emperor Qin’s words—his decree that the one true path to divinity was to strip away the body and mind, until all that was left was a pure soul, the very essence of humanity.

That was not Yoshika’s path. It was a way to power, becoming a pure spirit of humanity, but to do so was tantamount to abandoning the things that made a person a person. Besides, each path was unique, and to tread the path of another was to make yourself a part of it.

Yoshika understood Qin’s heavenly host, now—those strange brainwashed soldiers. Unfathomably powerful, yet lacking in individuality. They were the ones who had perfectly followed in Qin’s footsteps, ultimately becoming one with his path—part of his domain. They were avatars of his will, stripped of everything else they had once been.

It might have made her sick to think about before, but that was the path they’d chosen, and they could never have walked it without understanding it.

Qin’s spiritualists weren’t the only ones who could ascend, of course. Goryeon mages had also found some spark of that truth, seeking instead to achieve a purity of mind. It tended to leave them driven towards single-minded pursuit of their obsessions, often becoming abrasive and unempathetic in the process.

For Yamato’s martial artists, purity of body had proven nearly unattainable. It wasn’t because they were wrong to seek it, but because of how difficult and restrictive the path of bodily perfection through martial mastery was. Knowing what she did now, Yoshika wasn’t certain that the ascension ritual that Master Ienaga Yumi had undergone was necessary, nor whether it would even work for anyone else.

All of those were valid paths to power, but they were missing something fundamental. Yoshika couldn’t yet grasp exactly what, but she could see the core of it—the first kernels of what would ultimately become her true path.

It all came back to spirits.

Yoshika tapped into the memories that Heian had shared with her. The raw emotional power of the being that had once been Shadow. The world had once been presided over by gods—great spirits that watched over the young mortals. The veneration of spirits practiced by the Yamato people was an artifact of that time.

In other words, spirits didn’t become gods—they already were. Incomplete and fragmented, but inherently divine.

A spirit was a living domain, and individual spirits were all just parts of a greater whole. Jia’s spiritual ancestor, the panther spirit that had given her Heian, and even the Bai clan’s spider spirits were all pieces of a greater spirit of Shadow. Heian had been too, before she was changed into something else.

That was what Yoshika had to become. Not purity of body, mind, or spirit, but purity of Yoshika. She had to become her domain in body, mind, and soul. A spirit of Unity and Cooperation, of Love and Friendship, and of Family and Community.

She already knew it would be impossible to do it all at once. Yoshika was far too much of a mess, and there was only so much she could address. But with her direction set, she could at least walk the path.

There was so much to do, and she could feel the power of the tribulation gathering against her. She’d crossed the point of no return, now. Yoshika took a deep breath and focused inward.

She started with Jia and Eui. So much of her existence had been defined by their relationship with each other. Not only their intimate connections, but the ways in which they balanced each other out.

Jia was optimistic, where Eui was cynical. Jia loved to be around people, while Eui preferred her quiet solitude. They could always forgive each other, even as they struggled to forgive themselves. When Eui had developed a demonic core, Jia had offset that hunger with a tennin core of her own.

It was their union that had created the first sparks of her domain, their love that had fueled her, and their balance that kept her grounded.

But it wasn’t perfect. Nothing was. There was a push and pull between them that created friction. Jia gave of herself freely, while Eui wanted Jia entirely to herself. Their conflicting desires didn’t always lead to an easy compromise, and when the balance had to swing one way or another, Jia’s headstrong nature tended to win out.

No matter what happened, Jia and Eui would still exist. Their union would always be an integral part of Yoshika, and while she doubted it was even possible to strike a perfect balance in their relationship, she would make an effort to strive for it anyway.

She could feel her cores resonating with the thought, the essence between them circulating through her bodies as they intermingled. It wasn’t in the tennin’s nature to take, nor was it in the demon’s nature to give, but it was in Yoshika’s nature to do both.

Yoshika reached deep down within herself, beyond the cores, beyond the mana in her aura, the ki in her body, or the qi in her soul. Further and further, into the depths of her being, past her divine spark and through to the very origin of her soul. Something primordial and incomprehensible.

She reached for that fundamental piece of existence, and it reached back. As they touched, it changed her, and she changed it in return.

The divine spark within her soul ignited, and the essence within her began to transform into something greater.

As the divine essence suffused her, the pressure on her soul eased. She held the thoughts and feelings of those she’d connected within her, giving her strength as she kept them safe. The borders between her body, mind, and soul began to blur, transforming her into a single unified being.

It wasn’t enough. The essence within her was strong, but she needed more divine essence to complete her ascension. More than she had—more than she could have ever hoped to produce.

How did anyone ascend like this? The formations her friends had created for her were useless. Nothing she could have made would prepare her for the demands of her divine transformation. Had she been too greedy?

A rumble from above interrupted her rumination, and though it was the herald of her impending demise, she felt strangely serene.

Yoshika stared up at the ceiling. They really shouldn’t have done this inside, not that it would matter. She could sense the tribulation more acutely now, and in an instant she understood.

The divine lightning was more than just a punishment. It was the vehicle and the fuel for her ascension. An unstoppable force of purification that would strip away everything but the core of her existence.

She held up the barrier talisman Ja Yun had created for her. With her divine essence, she’d be able to cast the spell to block the bulk of the tribulation, but now she knew that would be a mistake. To stop or avoid the tribulation would be no different than leaving her transformation unfinished.

Yoshika put the talisman away within her dimensional ring, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the first strike.

As if sensing that she was ready, the first blast obliterated the hut, the formations, and most of Yoshika’s body. She dropped to one knee and coughed up a lungful of blood. The divine essence of the tribulation rushed into her, aiding her transformation as she had hoped, but just the first blast had already left her on the brink of death.

She’d hoped that the divine seal’s perversion of the tribulations would be counteracted within Chou’s realm, but if anything that first strike felt even more malicious. She wouldn’t be able to complete her ascension without harnessing the power of the tribulation, but she wouldn’t survive another head-on strike like that either.

Far above, she felt the cloud of power swirling as it gathered itself for another blow. The first had been nothing but a taste. A warning. It hadn’t diminished at all.

Her mind raced as she tried to find an answer. Could she block just part of it somehow? She remembered the formations she’d used in her first tribulation, and the way the Sky Hall recycled the power of tribulations in order to power its formations.

Those wouldn’t do. She needed that power—as much of it as she could get. If only it wasn’t killing her in the process.

Another bolt came down, and Yoshika had no choice but to block it. She held her hands up, and channeled her essence into a shield of Destruction, hoping to convert the power into her natural affinity for Warmth.

The lightning overpowered her shield and slammed her into the ground, turning the earth around her molten. Only a tiny trickle of divine essence remained, and she’d barely managed to defend herself. The worst of both worlds.

Yoshika heard the cries of dismay from her friends, but she put them out of her mind. She wouldn’t fail. She couldn’t.

Rising shakily back onto her feet, she stared up defiantly at the heavens above. There was no visible cloud, but she could feel the power in the air, mocking her. It reminded her a little bit of herself. Purification and destruction, help and harm, yin and yang. It would transform her into an immortal, or destroy her in the process.

If only she could split the two aspects, somehow. But Yoshika’s nature was to join, not to separate. She could not use Ienaga’s Soul Severing techniques.

Yoshika froze. Her breath hitched in her chest, and even her heart stopped as she found her answer. She did have a technique like that. Eui’s Star Sundering Slash!

She held nothing back—bringing out the finest artifact sword that the Flowing Purewater had bestowed on her. It wouldn’t survive, but her technique needed a medium, or the backlash would destroy her as surely as the tribulation would.

Yoshika’s body hummed with raw destructive power as she focused herself into a singular purpose. Destruction, refined and controlled to absolute precision. The element resisted such discrimination, but Yoshika’s core flared to life and brought it to heel.

In her mind’s eye, Jia and Eui’s hands overlapped hers, and as the next bolt struck, Yoshika struck back.

Sacred Art: The Sixth Arm of Asura—Star—

The artifact shattered in her hands, unable to withstand the power. The Destruction essence backfired, rampaging throughout Yoshika’s body and leaving her defenseless as the tribulation’s bolt landed.

Flesh and bone alike were rendered to ash until Yoshika wasn’t sure there was even anything left of her. Yet she remained conscious. As a small mercy, the Destruction essence had guarded her against the worst of the Lightning ravaging her, and while her body was nearly obliterated, her soul remained intact.

No wonder Xiantian cultivators were so hard to kill.

Still, alive though she may have been, Yoshika was on death’s door. She wasn’t sure how she would survive the next moments even without the tribulation.

Yoshika felt Heian wrapping around her soul, reassuring. She trusted Yoshika—knew with absolute conviction that she would find her way. If Yoshika needed a form to take, then Heian offered hers.

She stood once more, no longer a physical being, but still Yoshika. Still incomplete. Still facing the greatest trial of her life. The tribulation brimmed with power, but Yoshika had already wasted too much. She needed every last bit of what remained.

Her only chance was a technique she couldn’t use. Nothing in her arsenal could withstand its power, and if she tried to use it unarmed now it would obliterate her and Heian. When she’d created the technique, she had envisioned Jianmo, both as a mentor and as a weapon.

But Jianmo’s blade was sealed, their core destroyed, and only Qin’s power could release whatever remained of the sword demon.

Yoshika paused. Qin’s power? Sovereign Chou’s words echoed in her mind—then make him do it.

There was no time to waste—she took Jianmo out of her dimensional ring, then produced something else. Something that had brought her nothing but trouble from the moment she’d first used it. An artifact that had never been meant to find its way into the hands of someone like her.

The Awakening Stone.

Only a handful of them existed, each having been made by the God-Emperor of Qin, and each one containing a tiny mote of his divine power. They were artifacts of purification, designed to forcibly open the meridians of the users even if it killed them.

It was a precious item, and one of the only pieces of leverage she had against her most dangerous enemies.

Yoshika crushed the stone in her palm and seized the essence within, redirecting its purifying intent towards Jianmo’s seal. If Qin’s power was sealing the sword, then let Qin’s power unseal it!

As her divine spark touched the essence, the world froze. Yoshika felt an overwhelming presence reaching out across time and space. For a moment, she thought her soul would shatter just from being observed by the domain that touched hers.

It never happened. The presence was curious, intrigued, perhaps a little amused. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it withdrew and the seal disintegrated.

Yoshika gripped the blade and flooded it with her essence. A tiny presence stirred within the blade, but there was no time to acknowledge it. The next bolt was already descending and the world moved in slow motion as Yoshika swung Jianmo up to intercept it.

Her lips moved on their own, guided by the spirit within the blade.

Divine Art: The Sixth Arm of Asura—Star Sundering Slash.

The technique instantly drained her of divine essence, and for just an instant Yoshika worried that she had made her final and most grave error.

Then her attack met the lightning bolt and tore right through it, spitting it down the center. The slash continued upward, rending reality itself in its wake. The cloudless sky above split in two, and the tribulation’s power shuddered.

The air trembled as the fabric of reality began to fall apart, then all at once, everything snapped back together.

The rush of divine essence was almost too much for Yoshika to handle all at once, but like when she had first been born under the pressure of Jianmo’s trial she refused to let any of it go. The power flowed through her as fast as she could process it, changing the very fabric of her being and solidifying her existence as a fundamental rule of nature.

The tribulation tried striking again, but Yoshika’s sword practically moved on its own, intercepting each strike and adding its power to her own.

When it finally finished, Yoshika felt whole again. She was Unity, she was Strength, she could feel her friends and family near and far, sense their emotions, hear their worries. She wasn’t perfect, especially after the tribulation had left her so weakened, but she’d taken her first real steps on the path to becoming the spirit of Unity she envisioned.

An echoing voice resounded in her mind, coming from Jianmo’s blade.

“I don’t hate fashionably late girls like you, but that was one hell of a wakeup call!”