Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 1808: A Forbidden Path

The middle-aged man stared at Max in silence for a long while. Then, for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Good answer."

But then his expression became regretful.

"However, did you know that Emotion Severing Path is one of the very few forbidden cosmic paths out there?"

Max’s expression changed. "What do you mean by forbidden? Am I walking some evil path?"

The middle-aged man lowered his sword slightly.

"Forbidden does not mean evil," he said. "It means dangerous. Emotion Severing Path is forbidden because it is too strong, too unstable, and too volatile."

Max narrowed his eyes.

The middle-aged man continued, "Most severing paths have a fixed target. Some sever space. Some sever karma. Some sever fate. Some sever life and death. But Emotion Severing Path is different. Emotion exists inside everything a living being does."

He looked at Max seriously.

"Before a person kills, he hates. Before he protects, he loves. Before he runs, he fears. Before he climbs higher, he desires. Emotion is connected to will, memory, attachment, karma, and even the reason a person continues existing."

Max remained silent.

"That is why this path is dangerous," the man said. "At first, you sever fear so you can fight calmly. You sever hesitation so your sword becomes decisive. You sever pain so you do not collapse. This makes you stronger."

His eyes became colder.

"But if you fail to control it, the path will not stop there."

The chamber became quieter.

"It will begin severing emotions on its own. It will cut too much fear and make you reckless. It will cut hesitation completely and make you unable to stop. It will cut pity, mercy, regret, and restraint."

He paused for a moment.

"When that happens, the user goes berserk."

Max’s gaze sharpened. He recalled the last few times he remained in his Emotion Severing state for a longer time than he intended because he simply couldn’t get out of that state. He wondered if it was because of this reason.

The middle-aged man said, "A berserk user of Emotion Severing Path may not roar like a mad beast. Sometimes he becomes completely calm. Too calm. He kills without anger. He cuts without hesitation. He no longer knows the difference between enemy, stranger, or ally."

His voice turned heavy.

"At that point, he is no longer a swordsman. He is a killing machine."

Max’s grip on Dragonheart tightened.

The man continued, "That is why ancient forces feared this path. It can sever an enemy’s fighting intent, courage, hatred, loyalty, obsession, and even the emotional foundation behind karma or fate. But if it loses control, it can also sever the user’s own heart."

He looked directly at Max.

"If you cannot control it, one day it may sever the very emotions that make you who you are."

Max was silent for a few breaths.

Then he asked, "So that is why it is forbidden?"

The man simply turned and waved his hand again. This time, an image appeared in the darkness. It showed a battlefield filled with countless warriors. They were not dead, but they stood frozen, their weapons lowered, their eyes empty.

Some had been charging forward with rage only moments earlier. Some had been protecting others with desperate courage. Some had been fighting for revenge. But after one silent sword passed through the battlefield, all of them had stopped.

"They did not die immediately," the middle-aged man said. "That was the first time the world called my path forbidden. I severed the hatred of an army, the loyalty of its generals, the courage of its vanguard, and the despair of its prisoners. The war ended in one sword. Everyone thought that was mercy at first."

His eyes became distant.

"Then they realized the survivors could no longer live properly. The soldiers who lost hatred also lost the reason they had sharpened their blades for centuries. The generals who lost loyalty no longer cared for their kingdoms. The prisoners who lost despair no longer cared whether they were freed. Fathers looked at sons and felt nothing. Lovers held each other and felt nothing. A kingdom survived the war, but it became hollow."

The image faded.

Max’s fingers slowly tightened around Dragonheart.

The middle-aged man looked at him. "That is why this path is forbidden. Because when Emotion Severing Path is used carelessly, it does not only defeat enemies. It hollows out worlds."

The chamber remained silent for several breaths.

Then Max asked, "If it is that dangerous, why did you continue walking it?"

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. "For the same reason you chose it."

Max’s gaze sharpened.

The man said softly, "I also wanted to sever everything that blocked my path. I wanted a sword that could cut through fear, regret, fate, karma, and the chains of the heart. At first, I believed I could control it. I believed my will was strong enough to decide what should be cut and what should remain. And perhaps, for a time, I was right."

He paused.

"But the more powerful the path became, the quieter my heart grew. That is the second reason it is forbidden. Emotion Severing Path does not only sever the enemy. It also tries to sever its owner."

Max’s eyes changed.

The middle-aged man tapped his own chest lightly.

"Every time you use it, you draw the blade across your own heart first. You cut away fear so you can move. You cut away hesitation so you can kill. You cut away grief so you do not collapse. You cut away anger so your sword remains clean. You cut away love so your enemies cannot use it against you. At first, it feels like strength. It feels like clarity. It feels like freedom. But one day, if you are not careful, you will realize that you did not master the path. The path mastered you."

The darkness around him rippled.

His voice became lower.

"You will stand above the corpses of your enemies and feel nothing. You will see the people you wanted to protect and feel nothing. You will remember your hatred and wonder why it once mattered. You will remember your love and find only an empty shape where warmth should have been. And if that day comes, your sword may become sharper than ever, but you will no longer know why you are swinging it."