Xinxin swung her sword at Nazin. But, just like how his sword failed to meet her, Xinxin's blade didn't connect.

It was one thing if it was due to technique and skill. She could accept that. But the shell in front of her wasn't like Wang Tian or her Sifu who had trained with the blade... Well, her Sifu likely stole the techniques from a swordmaster's memories.

But regardless, the fact remained that he wasn't avoiding out of skill.

Xinxin would have attributed it to luck, but the fact that he had dodged half a dozen blows by now-

"Wind! Gather and tear!" A shout, followed by screeching wind spears.

Xinxin brushed them off and stepped forward again. But when she did, a pair of glittering emerald swords cut towards her side. Titania.

She clicked her teeth, planning on ignoring the attack. But the moment before they did, her instincts flared and she quickly brought her sword around to block instead.

A clash of steel. However, unlike with Nazin, the blades didn’t spark as they collided. Instead, the emerald long swords bit into Xinxin’s qi blade. It wasn’t much, only a hair’s width before she restored them, but it was significant.

She pushed the elf away and then examined the blades closer. As she did, she frowned. ‘Fragments of the World Tree?’

They were blades forged with divinity, fragments of the world's Order.

Xinxin didn't know where this fake Titania got them, but she had to reassess the threat that the elf posed as a result. In this half-weakened state where Xinxin couldn't use her whole abilities without being rejected by the world, it was possible for her to be wounded. And against those blades that enforced the world’s Order, against her who was treated as an enemy-

A barrage of swords, forged from light and dark aura flew towards Xinxin.

She clicked her tongue and bent space, dodging the attack. But the moment she reemerged, a sword of white light cut towards her body.

She quickly parried, bringing her sword up to intercept the attack. But instead of stopping it, her blade shattered.

Xinxin’s eyes widened and she quickly stepped back. But it wasn’t fast enough, causing a thin red line to form along her chest, drips of blood from a wound against her pristine skin.

She frowned and quickly healed it. But as she did, she quietly stared at Nazin, who had attacked her.

The man was cautious, not pressing the attack. Instead, he observed her just as she did him.

Xinxin reformed her sword and then said, "I see. You aren't actually skilled. You're just bending time and karma."

The attacks and counters weren’t something that could be read ahead of time. At least, that man wasn’t a skilled enough fighter to act like that. Instead, it was like he read the future directly and intervened with that knowledge.

Nazin tightened his grip on his sword. "So? I can beat you like this."

Xinxin sighed. "A fool that doesn't realize the breadth of the world or that he's even being manipulated."

"I should say that to you." Nazin narrowed his eyes and said, "Why are you following that guy? He killed millions of people! Just for a little bit of strength!"

"You would know if you cared to think at all. But just going along with the strings of Fate and losing yourself in shallow affections... Tch." Xinxin glanced at her sword and then dissolved it, replacing it with the sword Wang Tian gave her. Swinging that down, she narrowed her eyes and said, "I should end you here and now."

The threads of karma and destiny were all bound up in that person, tying down a portion of her Sifu's soul. The outer shell, filled in with divine light and order... He didn't even realize it.

At first, she thought just killing him would be enough, but with that ability, it wouldn’t end.

That was where the sword from Wang Tian came in handy. If it could sever her Sifu’s remnant karma, then the man in front of her who was but a shell…

Nazin narrowed his eyes. "Why are you even here? Why couldn't you just stay over at that place? Why did you have to try to ruin things for me here?!"

"Again, you can't see the bigger picture... There's more at play then- No. You wouldn't even understand."

It was a waste of breath. And time.

Xinxin quietly observed the battlefield.

Elio and the demons were fending well against that Demon Lord.

The elves were in a bitter fight with the Braves and the Imperial soldiers.

The other Titania, meek and hesitant, was watching from the sides.

And then there was that other 'fake', the one donning the guise of that woman her Sifu saved.

At the same time, the karmic bond between her and her Sifu was getting weaker. And the reason why...

'Ah.'

She understood now what that goddess was trying to do.

Turning the fake into the real, the lies into the truth...

This was a world in between, one that existed out of technicality, anchored in place because a fragment of her Sifu's power remained.

So, to return and reunite with her Sifu...

---

Titania charged, swinging her swords at the woman's neck.

It wasn't enough. Nazin could see that it was too slow the moment that Titania advanced.

That woman was on a different level completely, breaking beyond even his stats from killing the Wrathful Sin Dragon.

But for some reason, she was cautious of Titania's weapons.

So there was an opening.

In the gap between her dodging and stepping to the side, Nazin acted.

Jumping through space, he appeared behind the woman and stabbed with his sword. Since she was using darkness, he used Light's Order again.

But she vanished, reappearing behind Titania and piercing her heart.

The moment before that happened, Nazin narrowed his eyes and remembered.

Time spun back and this time, instead of stabbing, he faked it before moving in front of Titania to parry.

Light and dark clashed.

The woman with dark hair narrowed her eyes and pushed him back. "You and your cheap tricks, abusing his power like that...!"

Nazin gave a cheeky grin in reply. But on the inside, he couldn't help but worry.

The woman in front of him... she gave off the same impression as Serena did. At least in terms of 'pressure.'

While he was sure that she wasn't a goddess, there was no denying the fact that she should have been too much for this world.

So then... where was Serena?

"Hmph." The woman stepped back and dismissed her sword.

Nazin stared at her and said, "Giving up already?"

"No. I'm simply changing my tactics. If you keep bending time and karma to avoid it... then I'll have to just eliminate those abilities."

Suddenly, a surge of darkness spread out. Following it, the mana in the air distorted, thrown into complete chaos. Light itself was blacked out, turning everything an eerie shade of violet, all the warm colors drained away.

At the same time-

[An overwhelming power denies Absolute Memory!]

[Time Recollection is disabled!]

[Spatial Leap is disabled!]

[Ability Memorization is disabled!]

[All Titles are sealed!]

"Wh...at?"

Nazin collapsed to his knees, pressed down by the weight of the attack.

The woman didn't waste time, charging at him.

Nazin grit his teeth and forced himself up, raising his sword to try and desperately block.

But she didn't attack him.

Instead, she blurred, leaving only an afterimage. Then, off to the side, there was the sound of shattering steel and a clean cut.

Nazin's eyes widened and he turned to the side. Just in time to see Titania collapse to the ground, blood spurting from her chest like rose petals.

"Lord Na-"

Another slash, and her words were cut off.

"TAAAANIIII!" Nazin felt something break inside of him and he ran towards the woman.

But he was too slow.

"Get it together Na-! Dammit!" Aria cursed, frantically avoiding the woman who appeared in front of her like a shadow.

"Die, you imposter." Three words. With those, a crystal sword cut through the violet world.

Aria's eyes widened and she jumped back, using wind to accelerate.

But the woman moved as well, the sword never straying from its path.

A moment frozen in time. Was it because of his powers, or because of the distorted space.

Nazin saw it. The sword, biting into Aria's pure white neck, crimson droplets forming along the crystal blade.

A scene of pure powerlessness and despair etched into his very being by virtue of Absolute Memory, one he couldn't forget.

One that he couldn't change.

[Chaotic Darkness responds to Absolute Memory, changing to Darkness of Despair.]

But he didn't want that.

[Light's Order responds to your emotions.]

If his power decreed that it was unchangeable. That such an event occurred in the first place.

[Yggdrasil's Blessing denies the darkness.]

If Absolute Memory wasn't enough to save the ones he held dear...

[Darkness of Despair binds to Light's Order creating a new power.]

Then he didn't need it.

[Absolute Memory splinters from the user's denial, becoming Fragment of Infinity.]

Time spun back to the moment before the scenes were etched into existence.

The woman let out a surge of darkness, but Nazin slashed with his sword, shattering it.

"What? This... No. You broke karma?" The woman's eyes widened.

"Lord Nazin?"

Did she detect a change? Titania called out in a timid voice.

Good. That meant she was alive.

Then-