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Tch. What a self-important way to talk. Does he really see himself as some grand figure? “If the form reflects the self, then I suppose you think of yourself as a creepy lizard?”

“Hmm? Me?” he replied casually, lifting his scaly right arm from where it had been propping up his face. The moment he flicked it, a chill ran down my spine. In an instant, the arm shimmered and shifted, reshaping into a smooth, human limb.

“You’re still new to this, so your form reflects your subconscious. But once you learn how, you’ll be able to change your appearance with nothing but a thought. Of course, stray too far from what you see as ‘you,’ and the self begins to unravel. Still, don’t you think it suits me? After all, it’s always the serpent who tempts mankind into ruin. There’s something poetic in that, don’t you think?”

“Heh. So you do admit you’re the one who leads humanity to ruin.” My sarcasm didn’t faze him. He simply let out another weary sigh, still wearing that same unbothered, sluggish expression.

“Was it really me who brought about the downfall? Or was I just the trigger? Who knows. Cause and effect is a pointless cycle to chase. I don’t have the answer. If destiny is real, then I’m just another gear in its hollow machine.”

He sounded like a man worn down by time.

“And you’re no different. Just one more piece on the board. You already made your choice about how this battle ends. Now, all that’s left is for destiny to carry out the rest.”

“Whatever. I couldn’t care less about cause and consequence.”

I rolled my shoulders and shifted into a ready stance, gripping «Gilles de Rais» tightly. As if reacting to my intent, Azure God rose from his seat and summoned a massive, double-edged sword out of the air, its blade a translucent shimmer.

“This isn’t just fate. It’s an inevitable outcome. We’ll fight, and in the end, you’ll lose. Your body, your will, all of it will belong to me. That’s the conclusion. You can’t escape it.”

“So all that philosophical babble was just you justifying your sick fantasies? I’ve got a better idea. Drop the sword now, I beat the crap out of you until I get bored, and we both move on. Simple, right?”

“You’re focusing on the wrong thing. You think time flows in a straight line: past, present, future. But it doesn’t. It loops. No matter how far you go forward or back, in the end, you always return to the same point. Once you’ve glimpsed the future, even for a second, it’s already fixed. Try to defy it all you want, but the cycle will bring you right back. So why waste effort on something doomed to repeat? Tell me, Hiyuki…do you still resist fate’s pull?”

“You’re telling me that vision I saw after choosing the Red Door is the future? Well, good news for you, I couldn’t care less.”

In the next instant, I launched forward at full speed, pushing my agility to the limit. My blade grazed his shoulder.

“Hmph—!” He grunted and swung back, releasing a burst of power that split the air. I kicked off the wall, then the ceiling, darting in a zigzag to evade the blast.

“And for the record, I’m seriously pissed that I wasted time listening to you!”

I slipped behind him and delivered a diagonal slash. It tore through his monastic robes, technically a toga, but not even a scratch marked the scales beneath.

“But why? Is it because I speak of fate and destiny?” Azure God asked as he swung his colossal sword, the absurdly overpowered weapon known as «Amadeus».

No doubt, the thing hit hard. But it was so massive that every swing might as well have come with a warning label. And to begin with, he was never a swordsman. He had power, not finesse. In a space this open and even, dodging him was almost effortless.

I moved in circles, weaving and darting around him, waiting for the right moment. As I did, I responded, “Well, yeah. But that’s not the real reason. I—”

I pretended to activate a Sword Saint technique but instead cast a tightly compressed light spell, detonating it in front of his eyes. The chamber was instantly drowned in searing white brilliance.

Azure God instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes. That was the signal. I dashed in and swung for his throat, pouring everything I had into that one strike.

“I’m angry because you’re trying to force yourself on someone you don’t even love! Just because it’s your duty, just because it works!”

The attack relied entirely on raw force. He’d probably nullify any skill I threw at him anyway. But this one connected, and the impact sent him flying. He skidded across the smooth, icy floor, crashing straight through the desk and chair as if they were made of cardboard.

I shifted into a ready stance, expecting a counterattack. Sure enough, he rose from the wreckage without a mark on him. With a casual motion, he ripped off the tattered toga, exposing his bare skin.

Standing tall and completely nude, he looked at me with mild admiration.

“I’m honestly impressed. I didn’t expect you to last this long. You might even be stronger than Lubbock.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever. But could you please put on some damn clothes?”

Fighting a nudist was never on my life goals list.

“Clothes are meaningless to me. Just decoration. I feel no discomfort as I am.”
“Well, it’s a massive problem for me!”

The words slipped out as I moved on reflex.

I closed the distance with a burst of speed that could’ve been mistaken for teleportation. Planting «Gilles de Rais» into the floor, I drew my arm back in a wide arc and smashed a backhand punch into his jaw.

His body twisted in midair from the blow, leaving behind streaks of afterimages as he reeled. Before he could fully recover, my fist struck again from the opposite side, sending him tumbling across the floor and straight through the remains of the broken desk, splinters scattering in all directions.

“Put. Some. Clothes. On.”

“…So uncivilized.” He muttered under his breath but complied, conjuring a deep navy-blue military-style outfit and dressing himself.

Well, most of it anyway. Why the hell did he leave the pants for last?

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