The 1000th Reincarnation

Zephyr gets transported back to the void realm but this time the realm gets stronger, much stronger. Zephyr felt like he was being ripped apart as his skin started to rip off his body from the winds, the coldness freezing his body, and the void made him sink deeper and deeper into the black mud. 

It was pain beyond anything Zephyr experienced. The lower he sank the more hopeless he became. 

It hurts, it hurts so bad. It's truly hopeless, there's nothing I can do. 

As Zephyr sinks deeper and deeper, countless memories flash by. Memories of his past lives, the journey he went through with his comrades, and every death he experienced. But then he thought about the goddess's face. The face that brought him here time, and time, and time again. The face he wanted to smash with his fist and keep pounding until it never regenerates back. 

There is no way in hell I am going back to see that wenches face again.

Zephyr's mind started racing. What abilities did he have, what powers could he use to escape this situation? Qi couldn't do anything to help the situation, he hadn't learned any cultist's sword arts yet which still would be useless and he couldn't use any of the abilities he'd already learned from his past lives. But then it clicked. He remembered what happened after he absorbed the divine energy stone. 

Wait the divine energy stone! It gave me so much divine energy!

Zephyr still didn't know what this mysterious black energy was but using divine energy was his only option. Closing his eyes, he felt a hot energy radiating through his abdomen, Zephyr tried his best to envelope himself in this energy until a yellow aura completely encapsulated his entire body. With this power, his skin started healing, he started to feel warmer, and the black liquid started pushing him upwards as if it was rejecting the energy around him. 

When Zephyr got to the surface, it was nothing like what he pictured. There were three massive pillars on both sides holding up nothing when he looked up. Instead, there was a faint light that allowed him to barely see in the dark abyss. Right in front of him lay a throne, a massive throne nothing like what he'd ever seen. Sitting on it was a massive giant in a dark, eerie black robe. 

Even if I was as strong as I was in my last life could I beat it?

After giving it some thought, he shook his head no. Being as experienced as he is, he instinctively gauged how large the power gap between them was. And the gap of power between him and the giant was beyond anything he'd ever seen. 

Zephyr's body instinctively stepped back but he forced himself to move towards the giant. 

"HAHAHA, how amusing," the giant's voice echoed through the void his hand slapping the armrest of the throne, "Using the divine energy you obtained from the divine energy stone saved you, hm? Looks like the Goddesses 'blessing' unintentionally saved you."

Zephyr was going to ask who he was, but he felt that something was a little odd in this dimension. Zephyr felt like he was there but felt like he wasn't at the same time. 

"Can the goddess see us in this place?" Zephyr asks.

"No, this is my plane of existence, besides, I would never let that wench spy on me." 

"Am I... really, here?"

The giant's smile disappeared, ignoring the question, and instead gave two options for Zephyr, "It seems that we have the same ideals, Zephyr, so I'm going to give you two options. Either you give me your fine body and you can be a spirit living with me, or I can take your body and you can be reincarnated again watching me save the world."

Zephyr already knew the giant's real intentions. He wasn't going to save the world, after he does he'll just take the world for himself, and Zephyr wasn't going to let that happen. Zephyr had no way of beating such a monster, but after the giant ignored his question he already knew the secret to this dimension. 

Pretending to look submissive, he let his head go down and slowly approached the giant. As soon as he approached 5 meters away from the giant he channeled as much qi as possible to the soles of his feet and leaped, unsheathing his sword and aiming to slice the giant's head in half. 

"HAHAHA, how bold of you Zephyr, knowing you can't beat me yet you leap aiming for my head," the giant looks unfazed, as he stares at Zephyr without reacting to him. 

Ashen Mirage Slash, verse 10

After realizing that the Goddess couldn't detect him here, Zephyr realized that with his body not limited by Divine Energy Stones controlled by the Goddess, he could use every ability he remembered from his past lives. Zephyr's body starts statically glitching as ten more flaming Zephyrs come flying from every direction attempting to slice the giant's head. The ten swords come into contact with the giant's massive neck, unable to make even the smallest dent. 

The giant slowly lifts his finger swatting every single fake Zephyr until he gets to the real one that made a one-centimeter deep cut on his neck, flicking his finger into Zephyr's body sending him flying into one of the large pillars. Zephyr's eyes roll to the back of his head, losing consciousness. Determined to stay alive, Zephyr stabs himself in the leg, his eyes gaining back focus. 

I need to just survive a little bit more, come on. 

Leaping from the pillar Zephyr channels the rest of the qi into these last two techniques. 

Verdant Shroud

Using an ability from the Verdant Sky Pavilion, he leaps from pillar to pillar, using the strongest cloaking technique known to man. 

"A technique to completely shroud yourself, huh? What a fun technique, too bad you can't hide the darkness within you."

Zephyr ignores the unnecessary comment putting all his qi into this last technique. 

Flamefang Thrust, verse 10

Leaping as close as he could to the giant with the Verdant Shroud, he disabled it putting as much qi as he could into the Flamefang Thrust unleashing a ten-foot-long fire shaped like a blade as sharp as obliviron, a metal that could cut through almost anything. 

The tip of the blade started to pierce the giant's throat but in a millisecond, Zephyr could no longer feel below his torso. 

"AHHHHH," Zephyr screamed, losing track of his qi but making sure his divine energy was still attached.

Just a little bit longer, please!

"I haven't seen anybody put up such a valiant fight in over a hundred years. Looks like you'd maybe stand a chance if you reincarnated a thousand more times but that won't happen this time around." 

Zephyr reaches for his sword, and the giant reaches his hand over to grab Zephyr and finish him off. 

"Even with your imminent death you still won't give up, just give up now Zephyr it's not worth it."

Just fifteen more seconds!

The giant lifts his right finger using his nail to slice Zephyr's neck. Zephyr's head rolls onto the black mud, immediately sending all of his divine energy to his head. 

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU GIVEN UP? GIVE ME YOUR BODY!" 

checkmate

The giant lifts his two hands from the armrest, releasing five tendrils from inside his sleeves. But Zephyr smirks knowing he's already won. The "dimension" starts to crack as the tendrils rapidly approach Zephyr's head. But it was too late for the giant, Zephyr had returned back to his residence. Zephyr, falling backwards, touched his neck and torso making sure they were still intact. He had done it, he had gambled it all and escaped the void's grasp.