Chapter 63: Episode 60

Disclaimer: I don't own Nasuverse or any other franchise that can be found in this fanfiction.

Words Count: 5162

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read 24 Episodes in advanced.

p a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

A/N: Goddamn, today was good. I did wonderfully on my final, I was making good progress with the Eps, I was even winning 4 out of 5 games, then my fucking relatives happened and now everything’s shit and I’m fighting with my mom. Seriously, what the fuck is up with relatives, how fucking hard is it to stay out of people’s business?! Damn nosy fucking cunts.

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My Spells, [Ansuz] and [Finn Cannon] splattered harmlessly against Gabriel’s shiny new exoskeleton. Well, I supposed that’s an exaggeration, it did in fact spill some blood, but with her current size, it probably felt little more than a mosquito-bite to the witchy Giantess. ‘Hmmm… Wonder if it itches?’

‘Probably not. Mosquito-bites itch because they inject their saliva into the wounds, causing an–’ I blinked downwards, a trail of petals fluttering behind me as I dived further to avoid being crushed by her hair-tendrils. I slashed at another of the wiggling, pulsating fuckers and blinked near her eyes. If before, actually harming Gabriel was a challenge, then now it’s a fucking achievement.

She’s like a relentless Tank, knowing not of exhaustion and pain. The closest I had come to hurting her was the slash on her stomach I delivered a few minutes prior, and that shit was already gone without a trace. I let the auto-pilot kick back in as the Umbral Giantess screeched like a banshee, her hand swatting as though she was attacking a particularly annoying flies. ‘You mean mosquito?’

‘Yeah, that’s too.’ I replied patiently at Angra’s bored tone. Guy might be the Daemon King, but he did know how to get a chuckle out of me. ‘Well, as I was saying, their saliva causes an immune response, which is why the bumps are itchy.’

What? I was bored, alright. Having a larger size didn’t just mean anything I could do to Gabriel could only hurt her for a tiny-teeny bit, it also meant she was far too slow to hurt me. Don’t get me wrong, she’s as fast as a normal person, which was quite the feat seeing as she was the size of two Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other, but for someone who regularly broke the Hypersonic Barrier, she might as well be a giant practice target.

It’s even worse, since coursing through my veins was the Elder Blood. You know, the Blood that granted Temporal and Spatial abilities?

We were in a stalemate… Had been in one for almost an hour now.

Pretty sure I saw O’Dimm gnawing on a roasted chicken nearby, about twenty minutes back. He's gone now. Apparently the fighting had gotten so repetitive spammy and overall tedious that even the Man of Glass couldn’t stand to watch anymore.

Yes, I hadn’t been able to deal noticeable, lasting damages to her, but the Umbral Bitch was fighting with less grace, and more rage. To put it simply, she’s acting like a brat throwing a tantrum when her parents refused to buy her that one pretty little dollhouse she wanted, and it was getting old real fucking fast. It’s like all her rationality went straight out the windows. I supposed that’s what happened when you fused with a literal horde of Lesser Demons.

As for Ciri… My favorite Witcheress had been gathering Mana for the portal.

I’d occasionally ask [Future Calculation] if it’s enough, the answers had been pretty negative thus far. Seriously, how could the Last Boss be worse than Eredin! Guy was a Beast and all, but his Stats were leagues beneath mine, a handicap that the Umbral Witch did not have, yet she still managed to disappoint! “What are the chances of–”

‘Careful, Leo-tan. Her Mana is being focused at the back of her throat, I think little Gabby’s trying a new trick.’ A disdainful smirk crept on my face as I snorted. ‘Her mind and the Demons’ are tearing one another apart, what trick can she even conjure up? It’s probably just a Mana Blast.’

‘You should never underestimate your foes, Leo-tan.’ I laughed loudly, blinking on the crown of exoskeleton sitting regally atop Gabriel’s head to rest for a bit. Floating about was really taking its toll on me, maybe not physically, but mentally, I was kinda tired. ‘Careful Angra, you keep saying things like that and I might actually think that you care.’

‘Of course I care! Without a big, strong Hero like yourself, who will take the World’s Evils off our frail, frail shoulders?’ The Daemon King practically swooned as I rolled my eyes. ‘Alright, fine. I give up, you win. If you say you’re No.2 in shamelessness, then nobody will dare claim they are first.’

‘It’s good that you know, but you should probably watch out–’ He did not get to finish when Gabriel opened her mouth so wide it reached her ears. My instincts blared like a siren, screaming at me to get away. I obeyed, blinking into the distant as what I could only describe as a Psychic Scream tore through Reality. “This is–!”

I fell from the sky, clutching my ears in a futile attempt to stop sounds hammering away at my eardrums. The screeches slowly changed to a weird, haunting and mournful melody, like what you would expect from a harp, if Satan himself was playing it and all the Demons in Hell were singing along. I slammed face-first into the sea from thousands feet up as pain ravaged my body.

Still, that pain was nothing, not even a tenth of the Soul-Rending, excruciating agony trying to imbed itself into every fiber of my being, Body and Soul. I was frozen to the bones, the invasive pains penetrating me from skin to marrows. It put such a strain on me that I instinctively entered Slowed Perception Mode, something I would soon regret seeing as that only made whatever I was experiencing that much clearer to my senses.

Whereas before it was a blur of everything blending together, like I was watching someone swirl and mix every color all at once through a dirty lenses. Then now it felt like I was being forced to accurately distinguish each of those color, to somehow separate them drop by drop. Problem was, I was succeeding, only my reward was not the usual sense of achievement, but pains stacked on top of more and more pains…

And it wouldn’t stop. “Ciri- Ciri! Gotta- Gotta help her…!”

If I was having such a big reaction, then the Witcheress must be… Fine? I stared in disbelief at the stationary, ashen-haired woman a few miles South from where I landed. Only then did I realize the Sonic Waves did not affect anyone, or anything for that matter, beside me. The sea was calm, there was no thundering lightning above, yet the noises were so clear to me. ‘How is this possible?!’

Visions wormed their ways into my mind, visions of all kinds of atrocities and violations that could ever be conjured up by the human mind.

‘Ang- Angra! What the fuck is happening to me?!’ Unexpectedly, the talkative Daemon King didn’t reply. No, no. He did in fact respond to my question. Just that he was replying in manic screams maddened howls, and inhuman squeals, like a pig in a slaughterhouse. ‘What’s happening to us?!’

I gritted my teeth, straining to push the agonizing torment to the back of my mind and focus on my gradually slipping control of my Magic Circuits. Whatever was going on, it was affecting me far more than it should. I had been hit by Sonic and Sound-based Spells before, but this was simply in a league of its own. Analyzing the Spell should be left for later, escaping its range was the priority, I told myself.

That sense of urgency permeated and touched on the most primal parts of my brain.

Everything felt so unimportant, so completely and utterly inconsequential in comparison, even Ciri’s safety which I was worried about before. I hastily reached inside the depth of my Soul yanking, pulling on the Elder Blood and with a flash, I blinked blindly forwards. There was no concrete destination in mind as my sight blurred, I just knew that if I did not manage to get away, my demise was almost certainly a guarantee.

I did not realize how far I had gotten, at least not until I could see the shores of a smaller Island, or were those just the debris from the one Gabriel had appropriated for her use and essentially smashed to floating pieces and bits? Don’t know, don’t care.

I hurriedly raced to it, hugging the ground like a lifeline, which I supposed it kind of was? Coughs wracked me as salty water spilt from my mouth, I hadn’t even noticed the belly-full I had drunk. On the brighter side of things, the pain had somewhat subsided, to a point where I no longer felt the desire to end my own misery anymore. “WHAT– *Cough– What the Hell was that? Seriously, what the fuck?!”

The Daemon’s own cries and screams too had subsided, though I could hear his frail and breathless sobs. What could have possibly hurt him so much? He was the World’s Evils, he’s the very embodiment of everything Evil, every crimes and atrocities that have been, are being and will be committed by the Human Race!

‘That- That was All the World’s Evils, an inferior version of it–’

He answered, yet there was not a hint of the usual humor in his tone, the sarcasm that I must admit I had grown the least bit fond of. Taken aback, I demanded, hissing angrily, partly out of pain, partly out of fear, but mostly out of sheer and utter disbelief. “What?! Then why were you under its influence as well? Explain yourself, you slimy little bastard!”

‘To embody Evil itself is to take on the burden of the victims…’ Angra said cryptically, yet that alone could not distract me from the fatigue in his tone. Pausing to let out a shaky breath, the Daemon continued, voice uncharacteristically grave as the effects faded. ‘Now you understand why Angra Mainyu– The other Nameless Martyrs and I are so desperate to get rid of the Endless Curses. It’s not ‘cause our feelings were hurt–’

I heard his lips smacked against each other. ‘It’s because the pains and sufferings inflicted on all Humans are transferred to us as well. We– I…’

He corrected wearily. ‘I’ve learnt to ignore it, usually the sufferings are buried beneath the constant chattering of the other Nameless Martyrs anyway. But, it’s still there, ever present under the surface, the Spell simply brought all of it to the forefront of our minds. I wasn’t prepared for it and was caught off guard, it will not happen again.’

My mind couldn’t help wander back to pact I had with Angra. That pain, that sense of imminent Doom, all that desperation and fears and anger. Was it truly something I wanted to deal with, and likely for life at that too?

‘Is that why you talk constantly, to distract yourself? Is that what I have signed myself up, to suffer for the rest of my life if- When I take the Curses unto myself…?’ A feeble, hollow laughter escaped Angra as he snorted in contempt. ‘Oh, but that’s nothing compared to the genuine article.’

He chuckled wickedly. ‘Regretting your decision, Leo-tan? There’s still time, you know? You can still leave that responsibility to your Little Ember. A self-sacrificing Martyr with steel-like determination, it’s like she’s born to be the ideal Vessel for the Curses.’

I could lie and say I objected to the notion instantly, that I did not even entertain the idea, but the truth was, I was genuinely tempted to agree, and I fucking loathed myself for even allowing the thought to cross my mind. I made excuses and reasoned that Shiro, for all her goodness and qualities, was batshit crazy anyhow, and that she would make a better, more rational Vessel for the Curses than I could ever hope to be with her warped and distorted mentality.

These were all valid points, only… None could justify making an unstable, mentally-unwell girl the Vessel for the Evils of Humanity, to subject her to the vilest thoughts and feelings, making her victim to the cruelest acts of brutality and savagery. Hell, I doubted any argument I made could, and that’s the problem. Maybe I could hoist that shit on Kirei’s head? That might work out beautifully if the fucker wasn’t an insane Doomsday Cultist.

‘When will it happen?’

‘After the Fifth War.’

I knew Angra was being truthful, he had no reason to lie after all. The deal had been made, the pact sealed and in effect. I could not reject it, unless I was ready to let Shiro take on the burden. I sighed in relief. ‘So basically, I have a decade left to find a solution?’

‘Uh-huh…’ Angra confirmed, much to my relief. ‘Oh-Kay, that I can handle, I should be able to figure something out within that period, as implausible as it might sound.’

Gabriel chose that moment to roar, this time what came out of her gigantic maws was not the silent, Psychic Scream like it was before, but an actual bellow, as though she’s trying to announce her loneliness for the entire World to hear. “Damn needy old Witch-Bitch…”

I thought, about to jump back into the fray now that Umbral Giantess had stopped her irritating, incessant Psychic Screech, only to be stopped by a grunt from Angra. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you. From what I could see, the Scream affected those who are Evil, or at least those who believe themselves are, which’s likely why your little Witcheress has remained unaffected thus far.’

He continued after letting loose a chuckle. ‘ I might have disrupted the connection between us to spare you the pains, but as long as you’ve done wicked deeds in your life and are aware of the inherent evil of your actions, you’ll still be subjected to her Spell.’

‘Are you calling me evil?’ I asked with mock offense as the Daemon sneered. ‘Leo-tan, Leo-tan, can you confidently say you’re not?’

He threw the question right back at. Try as I might, I could not find a way to refute him. Since my Rebirth, I had done all kinds of shits, yet even I wasn’t delusional enough to say everything I had done was warranted. Just my most recent crime, which was summoning the Wild Hunt to Novigrad, had indirectly caused the deaths of thousands that night.

But I did not regret the act, right? Those were just nameless mass! Hell, half of them were probably bastards who would gladly look on and gloat while Ciri, Triss and I all burnt alive on pyres. It’s a shame people like the old man and his now-deceased wife were made victims, yet ultimately it was a necessary sacrifice! There’s no such thing as a peaceful, bloodless revolution.

My actions might have left behind thousands of corpses, but- But it’s–!

‘Keep lying to yourself, Leo-tan. Just know the Spell does not care for your lies. Unless you can completely convince yourself that what you did was out of pure goodness…’ Angra trailed off, a shiver-inducing and throaty laugh tearing its way out from his lips. ‘Then what are you suggesting? We leave Ciri to deal with the problem alone?!’

“ShOw thYself, Leonis!” Like a dog trying to chase its own tail, Gabriel turned left and right, madness consuming her expression, that’s when she spotted Ciri and made to approach the unmoving Witcheress. “HoW lonG wiLL thEe bE aBlE to hiDe, My CHIld? CaN thOu liVe With THyseLF, knOwing ThY lIttlE LOver’s in DanGer?!”

Gabriel screech, lumbering near Ciri. I couldn’t keep still any longer as I blinked towards them, blades drawn and ready. Thankfully, due to her size, Gabriel couldn’t effectively move through the sea-floor, dragged back by her constantly shifting water and her weight. “Get your filthy tendrils away from her!”

Ignoring the Daemon’s ramblings about caution and my own safety, I blinked next to the motionless, ashen-haired Witcheress just in time to deflect the massive tendril angrily smashing down at her, bolting up as I performed the familiar, iconic technique of the [Sword God Style]: The [Longsword of Silence].

I felt immense resistance as Invictus and Infernal Iris clashed with the unsurprisingly tough tendrils.

What was unexpected though, was the fact I managed to divert their trajectory, throwing them just slightly off-course despite Gravity not being on my side. The tendrils did not hit me, nor did they hit Ciri and the floating debris she was on, but it did send us floating away with the surging waves. This was good, really, really fucking good in fact.

Before I was so focused on Gabriel, I failed to realize regardless of what I did, she simply remained in the same spot, unmoving, rooted as though the Witch had been bound to where she stood.

It's because the Umbral Witch couldn’t move! Or, she could but at an incredibly slowed pace thanks to the water-resistance. Like this, she wouldn’t be able to catch up to us, and I could stall for time more effectively. I grinned wickedly. Having her movements restricted as a trade-off for her massive increase in STR and END truly was not a wise decision on her part.

That shit didn’t even work out for the White Titan– A Planetary Threat who regularly kicked the Gods’ asses and basically brought about the decline of the Age of Gods singlehandedly! Gabriel was a Magus from Nasu too, she must know of this story, of how the Sephyr, whose sheer size was able to dwarf the fucking sun itself, was eventually humbled and repelled by a human wielding the Excalibur.

Why in the ever living Hell did this dumb bitch think it would for her?

Sure, I did not have the Strongest Holy Sword in hands, but I refused to believe I couldn’t wear her down. Logically, Gabriel would need a frankly absurd amount of Energy to maintain this form, and the longer she stayed in it, the more the risk of her being lost in the minds of her hordes grew. Not to mention Ciri’s preparation for the Grand Blink was almost done too! Time was on my side, not hers.

And if she planned to use that Scream for a second time, I could just… Flee, run far and far away, out of its range and return once the Spell was in Cooldown. I had noticed there was a few seconds period needed to charge that Spell, I could take advantage of that definitely. “You’re losing your touch, Gabriel! What would your parents say if they could see how pathetic you are?!”

My voice wasn’t too loud, yet it still broke through the crashing of waves, and given how Gabriel reacted seconds after, sweeping her gigantic hands at the sea in a rage, she must have heard it too.

“LeoNissss!” D’Leoncourt’s shriek was almost funny, if not for the obvious loss of Humanity the Witch experienced every time she lost control of her emotions. Not that I cared, but it was a shame to see those pretty features twisted into something so absolutely inhuman and monstrous. “I’m GoiNg to End thOu!”

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I answered laughingly, eyes shinning with mock amusement as I blinked in the opposite direction of Ciri, hoping to pull Gabriel’s attention towards me instead of the unavailable Witcheress. “What? You going to spank me, mommy? I’m so scared.”

Gabriel jumped. It’s not a punch, or a kick, or even a Spell, bitch didn’t even bother with those shiny hair-tendrils of hers, she just straight jumped on me, trying to squash me like a bug. Unfortunately, as I had mentioned, being that size made moving around really, really hard. Rather than jumping, it looked more like she had tripped on something and was falling face-first in my direction. “A bit clumsy aren’t you, mommy?”

I appeared on top of her head, resting my legs on the exoskeleton-made horns as she stumbled forwards. Could the Witch even get up if she fell? It’s not like there was anything she could grab onto to steady herself and got up. If there was, I doubted whatever it was could support her… Pardon my words and rudeness, thick ass. Using her horns as a leverage, I burst through the dark clouds, allowing Gravity to carry me down as I landed on a small platform of condensed Space under my feet.

I quickly pushed off the platform in one breath, accelerating my descent with [Petal Burst] and [Mana Burst]. My perception again slowed as I watched Gabriel smash into the sea, sending a gigantic, thirty feet wave shooting up like in all directions, it’s almost as if I was being given a front-view of one of those nukes-testing footages the US liked to show off. Only, I was seeing it for real and not in a screen…

Speaking of screens, maybe I should take a loan from Gil to buy Apple, Samsung and Google stocks once I was back in Nasu? It’s doubtful those companies would grow as large as they did in my past life, what with Magecraft existing and all that, but at the very least they should reach half of the heights they achieved, right? It’s still 1994-1995 in Nasu too!

Technology wasn’t as developed and those companies were in an infantile stage at this point in time, buying their stocks now would be incredibly profitable…

‘Will you fucking focus, Leo-tan?! Think about your scheme for World Domination through the economy later, you have a bitch to slay!’ I blew a puff of air from my mouth, knowing he was right to remind me. I really needed to stop letting my thoughts wander during battles, lest that habit fucked me over one day. ‘Right, right. Got it, no more unnecessary thoughts.’

‘Blink away…’ Suddenly, Angra told me. I tried to ask why, but Gabriel soon answered that question when Mana collected in her head once more. ‘Is she seriously gonna use that Spell again?!’

I thought, I’d really rather she not spam that shit the entire fight. Far from me to blame someone for spamming their Spells, but it’s going to be beyond annoying if she kept using what I had dubbed Psychic Scream. Then, seeing the flash of colorful lights shooting from her face, I realized I was worrying too much. Gabriel was indeed focusing her Mana to use another Spell, only it wasn’t Psychic Scream, it’s a… Mouth-Beam?

My lips twitched as the Witch slowly rose back up, using her own mouth like a jet-propulsion. “Why does this look so familiar…?”

I questioned, mind wandering to those old Godzilla films. “Fuck, this bitch’s jacking Godzilla’s style?! Toho Corporation’s gonna fucking sue us!”

‘What the actual fuck are you on about?! Fucking. Focus! I swear, if you make me go through that fucking shriek of hers again, I’m going to lose my damned mind, and trust me–!’ Angra spat, his tone dark and heavy with anger. ‘Neither you, nor I are going to enjoy it, I can promise you that.’

“Fine, fine! I’m focusinggg–!” I landed on her head, my momentum so fast I ended up creating a shockwave that tore the outer-layer of her exoskeleton like a cheap paper-towel. Invictus flared with flickering lights as [Phantasmal Edge] activated. Not to be outdone, Infernal Iris’ Enchantments instantly switched on too. With the outer-layer of the exoskeleton that made up her horns gone, I was able to bury my blades deep inside her brain.

‘That sounds wrong on so many levels…’ Angra muttered wearily. I did not show any outwards acknowledgement of his words, but internally I was agreeing with him. I probably should never, ever say stuffs like that again. On a side note, thanks to the impact from my landing, plus the blades stuck in her skull, witchy Gabriel couldn’t quite force down the pained howl bubbling up her throat.

Obviously, seeing as the Witch was propelling herself up with her mouth, that proved to be a problem. The instance that shockwave-inducing howl ripped its way from of her throat, the Mouth-Beam ceased, making her fall flat on the ocean surface. I was ready to celebrate the small victory, insignificant as it was, but Gabriel, angered by the pain, began imbuing Demonic Mana in her voice for a second time.

This wasn’t like that Mouth-Beam, there’s a distinct sense of foreboding, one that had been practically carved into my mind after that brief experience with her Psychic Scream.

‘RUN, YOU IDIOT!’ I did not need Angra to tell me again, blinking away in a panic as terror consumed my thoughts. ‘I know, stop rushing me! Your panicking is making me bloody panic as well…!’

It took me mere seconds to blink miles from where I was.

That wasn’t enough.

I wasn’t sure why, nor did I know how the range of the Psychic Scream suddenly increase so much, but all I knew next was misery.

Previously, her Psychic Scream was painful, it’s agonizing, but ultimately that pains came from Angra’s supposed crimes and evil deeds. This, this was different. It felt personal, like I was being made, forced to witness, to experience, to go through all the sufferings, the agonies I had inflicted upon others, be it directly or indirectly. “’Fuck, fuck, fuck! Make it stop!’”

Angra’s and my voices aligned, or were we saying completely different things and my fucked-up head was just filling in the blanks?

It felt like I was being beaten up, cut open, dismembered, burnt alive, frozen to an icicle, whipped, slashed, punched, kicked, molested and raped, and all of it was happening at the same fucking time. It was undoubtedly, most definitely the most horrible, terrible feelings I had ever gotten the displeasure to undergo.

A second stretched to a minute,

A minute stretched to an hour,

And an hour stretched to an Eternity.

Something speared through my lower-spine and stomach as I crash-landed on another piece of debris. The physical temporarily snapping me from out of the haze I fallen into. With great difficulty, I forced my head back to get a good look at my mysterious assailant, only to find the Angel-looking bastard– “A- Abel, you- you backstabbing fucker!”

I spat with as much venom as I could possibly muster, my hands stretched towards his neck, as though wanting to strangle the Demon. Well, I supposed ‘as though’ wasn’t quite necessary, I indeed wanted to strangle the Demon with his own intestines, would have too if I hadn’t lost all feelings from my waist to my legs. I could have sworn I saw the Demon’s lips edge up the slightest bit in contempt.

My vision darkened as I shakily aimed my fingers at his face, pulling on my Mana to little success. “Wha- What- What’s go- going on?!”

As if he sought to taunt me, Abel yanked out his silver spear. All of a sudden, I could feel my Mana again, but at the same time, I could feel the Psychic Scream’s effects taking hold once more. I was almost tempted to beg the Demon to stab me. Thankfully, for my Pride that was, I needed not voice it for Abel to oblige. Clearly, he wasn’t stupid enough to let me use my Magecraft. He batted my clenched fist away, spearing my right shoulder next.

I groaned in pain as his bird-like foot stomped on my left arm, pinning it to the ground.

The Demon smirked challengingly, doubtlessly finding loads of amusement in my sufferings.

The sadistic bastard… ‘I can’t fucking move!’

My legs had lost all strength, I couldn’t even feel or wiggle my toes! Granted, that might be due to the stiff boots I had on though.

Glaring at the Demon, I began. “W- Urgh- Why don’t you and I have a one-on-one, you cowardly cunt?!”

Now, you might think it stupid to provoke the literal Demon currently holding my life in his hands, but if there’s anything I had learnt after spending an entire week slaying Demons, then it’s these shitheads were prideful as fuck. Sure, my plan might be overly simplistic, but in my defense, without my legs and Magecraft, I didn’t exactly have a lot of options to deal with him.

Beside, even if it failed to achieve my objectives, it should buy me time to regenerate.

Sadly, the Demon did not fall for my trick, the cold smirk on his face telling me all I needed to know as he yanked out his spear and tilted his head, spear silently resting over my neck. “You fuck– Urgh, blerg–!”

I felt blood pool in my mouth as I choked, the words I had prepared dying inside my throat.

I couldn’t breath…

I couldn’t even feel the rest of my body,

He had apparently severed the nerves connecting my brain to torso and subsequently, the lower half of my body.

I could only watch on in anger as my HP slowly ticked down.

81%

76%

...

30%

18%

0%

[You’ve Died]

I opened my eyes to the familiar, endless Darkness of the Void, something I had once been fond of, something I had once sought, but memories of Rin, Gil, Shiro, Ciri and Triss made me want to rage!

Fuck, just when Life was getting good and I no longer felt miserable, it just had to be robbed from me, didn’t it?! “Why am I still conscious anyway, just fucking get it over with!”

I screamed, looking in every direction to find someone, anyone that might have been responsible for my Rebirth and transformation into a Gamer, until I finally saw a pair of feet split open the Darkness. Those boots, they were mine! It’s the exact same pair I had taken to the battle against the Umbral Witch, who–?!

The words were caught up in my mouth as Leonis– The real one walked in to face me… Or was it something different? Those eyes weren’t Leonis’ green orbs, they were more an endless Abyss. Beyond the physical differences, there was also an odd sense of… Familiarity.

“You-! Who are you?” He simply looked at me, head tilting like an animal, before shaking his head in disappointment.

“It’s not your time yet.” He mouthed, and I couldn’t help finding it weird that I could read his lips so easily. Supernatural senses only went so far, I couldn’t just read somebody’s lips without any prior training, or at least I was fairly sure I couldn’t anyway, never tried it…

With one last shake, his gaze moved behind me. I hadn’t even realized there was gentle humming coming from there until I saw him look. I turned back, faced with a familiar-looking UI.

[Skill: Second Wind • Fight For Your Life Has Activated]

[Resurrection Imminent In:]

3…

“W- Wait-!” I stuttered, turning to Leonis to find him missing.

2…

The Countdown continued, disregarding my opinions. “Are you him? Are you the real Leonis?!”

I screamed into the depthless Darkness, getting naught but silence in response.

1…

[Resurrection Initiated]

[Welcome Back, Player No.12]

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