Xinxin stared at the man in front of her.

He looked the same as her Sifu, but he was different. Even so, it was close enough that the world was accepting him as 'Nowun', her Sifu.

But now...

Xinxin muttered, "I see. Tampering with the fragment left behind, modifying it with her own divinity and empowering it with Destiny..."

The Goddess must have planned for him to become her pawn and march to her tune. But he severed that of his own volition now, throwing away even the fragment that her Sifu left behind and that made up 'his' powers.

It should have been a foolish decision. After all, while not to the same extent, her Sifu's powers were capable of rising to the level beyond the Goddess.

But then...

'Is this that cliche? A 'Hero' awakening to a new power to save his lovers?'

An ominous strength flowed around that 'Nazin' now. Neither light nor dark, good nor evil, real nor fake. Taking advantage of the fact that the Goddess tried to enforce 'Destiny' and that he was a fragment of an Absolute Memory, he had somehow broken free of both while drawing from the two as strengths, forging a path that walked a middle road that shouldn't exist.

It was dangerous. While it might have been fine if she was at full strength, as she was now while facing the world's suppression...

A blur, and then a blinding sword raced towards her heart. An attack filled with single-minded killing intent.

Seeing that, Xinxin smiled.

The sound of clashing steel rang out and Xinxin spun backwards.

"You...! Stay! Still!" Nazin growled and blurred forward again, slashing at her neck.

Xinxin held her sword at an angle, blocking the strike. "How foolish. Giving up that ability for strength that you can't even utilize properly."

Nazin clenched his teeth and then lashed out, sending a dozen slashes in an instant.

A stacatto of steel.

As Xinxin blocked it, she also felt something else.

The bond that had been fading began to strengthen. Like a clear stream being dyed with ink, the karmic tie between her and Sifu began to crystallize.

"You...!" Nazin stepped in again with another slash, this time an attack striking three times at once.

Xinxin spun her blade in a single arc, parrying them all and stared at Nazin.

Sensing something off, he stopped, glaring at her.

As he did, she felt another sensation. The world's suppressive power strengthening.

Was it because the person before her was designated as the 'hero'?

Roars echoed from the distance, the Demon Lord fighting against Elio and the others. But it was growing weaker as well.

'A time limit...'

She felt it from the beginning, but now it was tangible.

Three- No, five minutes.

In that time, the result would be decided.

Whether the 'Hero' would run out of power from using it unchecked and untrained.

Whether the Emperor would cut down the Demon Lord and join the fight.

Or whether her Sifu would arrive in time the end this farce of a play.

But whatever the case...

'I can't leave.'

In order to safely retrieve the Emperor and the demon siblings. In order to make sure that their own world didn't fall into turmoil.

Until the moment her Sifu arrived, she had to fight. Even if that meant doing it at a true risk to her life.

So, putting on an arrogant smile, she said, "Is this all the Hero can do? Or do I have to kill your princesses again to draw out more strength?"

"DIE!"

---

Elio ducked to the side, avoiding a massive fist being launched at him, and then stepped forward, thrusting his sword into his opponent's open chest.

The strike went true, piercing into skin. But then it stopped, blocked by some unseen force.

A guttural roar echoed and a pair of fists slammed towards Elio's body. But before the blow connected, he kicked off the ground, wrenching his sword free and cutting at the extended limbs while flying through the air.

Black ichor dripped to the ground, dissolving the forest's undergrowth. In the next moment, a crater formed where he was just standing.

Lightly landing beside Eve, Elio glanced at the young beauty and said, "Your father is quite the opponent."

She nodded, carefully observing the terrifying beast slowly raising up from the ground. "That is a given. He is being consumed by the Heart of Darkness after all."

Another roar echoed and then the dark beast opened its maw, sending out a beam of dark flames.

This time, a young man with white hair stepped forward to intercept, slashing out with his sword. An invisible ripple spread out with the act, Anti-Magic welling up to combat the pure wave of dark mana.

It was imperfect. Because Nero had only recently completed the skill, it couldn't erase all of the attack. But it at least turned it into a level that he and his sister could endure.

Eve lightly clapped her hands and said, "Good job, Brother."

"This isn't the time to be joking around!" Nero cut back and then stared at the monster that was their father. "Emperor! You're the only one who can handle him. What do we do?"

The monster narrowed its beady red eyes, mana crackling around it.

Elio frowned. "It's difficult. Despite being the embodiment of chaos, he's being protected by divine might. A shield formed by destiny itself."

"What?"

Eve frowned. "You mean he has plot armor?"

Elio blinked. "Plot... armor? Mm... I suppose that is an apt description." He sheathed his sword, contemplative. "Each of my attacks should have cleaved him in two, regardless of bearing the Heart of Darkness. I do not mean to brag, but beneath the Heaven Seizer, I should be the strongest. The fact that I cannot cut through means that there is an intermeddler... likely that damned goddess."

"Then what do we do?" Nero asked. "Don't tell me that you're out of ideas?"

Elio took a quick survey of the situation.

His troops were making their way into the forest, having pushed the elves back.

The tides were turning in their favor... but two obstacles remained.

In the distance, Elio could see Miss Faith struggling against the imposter that looked like her teacher and the two elven princesses.

It seemed that, like with their own opponent, the trio were protected by divine intermeddling, shielded by Destiny.

While that shouldn't be a problem for someone like the Heaven Seizer ordinarily, it seemed that she was struggling against something else as well.

In short...

"It seems that these times call for desperate measures."

Elio narrowed his eyes.

Miss Faith was fighting with her life on the line. Then, it was only fair that he do the same.

Stella...

The promise.

If Miss Faith lost, then there was no chance of getting help from her teacher. And if that was the case, then his sister would never be saved.

So...

Nero noticed something off and said, "Emperor?"

"Go help Miss Faith. Since her main powers are weakened, your darkness magic will help supplement her strengths."

Eve's eyes widened. "Emperor- No. Elio. Do you plan to-"

"I apologize in advance, Miss Eve. I hope that you'll be able to get along well with my sister in my absence."

Elio smiled.

Eve grit her teeth and then pulled her brother's arm. "Come."

"Wh-What?"

Eve glanced back, her crimson eyes glimmering. "You had better survive! If you do not, then do not curse me from the afterlife when I overtake your Empire!"

Elio laughed and then turned his attention back to the monster in front of him that was formerly the Demon Lord.

It had finished gathering mana now. With it, darkness began to steep the air, swirling and condensing into an orb. At the same time, immense pressure welled up, drawing everything towards the center of that black orb.

Elio sighed. And then he straightened, one hand calmly resting on his sword's hilt.

-It was incomplete. The attack he was performing was one meant to cut down that Goddess, but it had yet to be perfected.

"Even so, an imperfect sword should be enough against a flawed monster like you, right?" Elio muttered.

The Demon Lord raised its hands, lifting the black orb up.

Elio gathered his mana and then drew in all the energy around him, tightening his grasp around his weapon. "Take the blade..."

Silence. Like time had ground to a halt.

No. That was an illusion. Time still resumed, but for Elio, everything had been wiped away.

The Demon Lord roared and swept its hands down, sending the black orb at the ground. But before it collided-

"And sever your heart."

A pure, invisible line. A formless blade that cut everything including the wielder. And because of that, nothing could stand before it.

"WH...AT...?"

Did it surprise him? The Demon Lord that lost its rationale regained it at the last moment.

Elio smirked, seeing the monster fall into two halves.

"Take that, you damned... goddess..."

Satisfaction. An attack that could split apart even that shield the Goddess prided herself in. That could break her strings.

'Ah.'

Right. Miss Faith had already done that for him.

Elio's vision turned dark and his body swayed. As he fell though, he caught sight of Miss Faith fending off that imposter and the demons running to help.

'...It's up to you three now.'

With a sigh, he closed his eyes.

---

A swiftly tipping battle.

"Miss Faith!" Nero called out and charged forward to help. At the same time, he sent out a wave of darkness, black swords in the air.

Seeing that, Xinxin smiled. "So Mister Dark Knight isn't completely useless after all." She held out her hand and reinforced the attack, sending it towards Nazin and the elves.

Nazin scowled and then glared at Nero and Eve. "Why are you two helping her? Don't you know the kind of person she is?"

Nero scoffed and said, "A guy who forced our father to become that monster shouldn't be talking."

An arrow wrapped in dark wind shot towards Nero's head.

Eve batted it away with a dark tendril. "Stop talking, Brother, and start helping." She glanced at Titania and said, "Take her out. I will handle the other princess."

Nero looked hesitant but nodded, charging at Titania.

"Tani!" Nazin called out and turned to go towards her.

Xinxin intercepted him and slashed with her sword.

Nazin growled and blocked the attack. "You…!"

Xinxin smiled. "Being distracted on the battlefield can be fatal, you know?"

Nazin stepped back, and then threw out his left hand, causing wind and light mana to bloom.

Xinxin waved her hand, wrenching control away from him. "Using energy that doesn't belong to you is another fatal mistake." Saying that, she reinforced the attack and sent it back at Nazin.

He flinched and held up his hand, using Dragon's Grasp to stop the attack.

But that created an opening.

Xinxin ducked low, shooting across the ground, her sword shimmering with lights. All elements converging, an attack that drew in the ambient energy to slash…

A prismatic light erupted, carving through the air towards Nazin.

His eyes widened and he vanished, leaping through space.

But Xinxin predicted that. Reading the distortions, she moved ahead of time and stabbed where his heart should be.

Or she tried to.

A formless barrier emerged at the last second, blocking the attack.

Xinxin's eyes widened a fraction and she backed off.

But Nazin didn't miss the gap. While she stumbled, an invisible ripple spread across his sword and he slashed.

With no other option, Xinxin parried. But the moment her sword clashed with Nazin's, she flinched. "A curse?"

A formless energy that tried to invade her soul, corroding it.

Xinxin rotated her cultivation base to expel it, but as a result her movements slowed yet again.

Seeing that, Nazin stepped forward, swinging his sword. Light emerged around it, activating a skill. Imperial Slash.

Xinxin clicked her tongue and warped away… Or she tried to. But because of the curse and the world's suppression, her control slipped, causing her to move just a bit too slow.

Blood sprayed, a deeper wound appearing on her chest.

Xinxin quickly covered it with her left hand, healing it. Afterwards, she frowned, carefully staring at Nazin.

He smiled. "Looks like you're running out of tricks."

"You're the one using tricks." Xinxin fixed her torn dress and then lowered her hand. "Instead of fighting with skill, you're using borrowed power."

Nazin's smile faded. "So what? As long as I can kill you…" He tightened his grip around his sword and said, "I won't forgive you for hurting Titania and Aria."

A typical hotblooded response. Hearing it, Xinxin smiled. "Are you sure it wasn't just in his head? After all, they're safe over there, aren't they? Well, probably not for much longer." After saying that, she carefully drew out a thread of energy from her cultivation base, twisting the laws.

Nazin scowled and stepped forward. But then he stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowed in caution.

"Tch." Xinxin clicked her tongue. "Not taking it, huh?"

xxx

A trap.

Nazin stopped himself in the nick of time. He wasn't sure what the woman planned, but it didn't matter.

The fact that she created one at all was encouraging.

At the beginning, she was overwhelming him with pure strength and speed. But now, she was relying on skill and cunning.

He didn't know why, but it seemed like the woman is weakening. And from her actions, he was sure of it. Biding time would only make her weaker.

In that case…

Nazin decided to buy time. Lowering his sword a fraction, he asked a question, one that he was genuinely curious about. Before, she wouldn't answer, but since she seemed to be stalling as well, he thought he might get a proper response.

"...Why are you here? No, why are you with that guy? The other 'me'?"

"Hm?"

For some reason, Nazin could sense it. The woman in front of him wasn't inherently evil. While she was cold and callous, as well as vindicative, he could sense that deep down she wasn't a bad person.

"You aren't a bad person." He frowned and said, "You... Right, you're fighting to protect the others, right?"

He realized it when they were fighting. While she dodged and parried, when the aftermath would head towards either of the demons, she went out of her way to block them.

"Of course. They're necessary."

Harsh words, but Nazin could hear that they rang false.

"That's a lie. But fine. Then... why are you with that guy too? The other 'me?' He killed people-"

Flashes of a memory from a different place. Innocents in a small village, devoured completely. Leaving a young girl behind while 'he' wiped out her clan.

"-And your family as well. So why are you helping him? He killed so many people just for strength."

"What of it?" Xinxin shook her head and said, "In this world, strength dictates what you can have. And... lacking it means what you love will be taken away."

Space rippled.

Nazin caught it and moved to intercept, blocking a sneak attack towards Aria.

"Tch."

Nazin narrowed his eyes. "Then, in that case..." He pushed her back and said, "I guess that you're my enemy."

He decided.

While he felt a connection with the woman in front of him. While she felt familiar and nostalgic, he decided to sever it.

Setting those feelings aside, he focused.

The woman kept dodging. And she was right. He wasn't skilled enough to fight her properly.

But then again, he didn't need to.

If she was going to be a threat to everything he cared for, then he would end her.

Mana swelled. At the same time, the presence of a dragon and a curse that could stop anything in its place welled up.

[Fragment of Infinity reacts to Dragon's Grasp.]

[Dragon's Grasp has become Ouroboros's Maw.]

The woman's eyes widened and she tried to move.

But it was too late.

The curse that bound even time spread out and Nazin dashed forward, thrusting with his sword.

Even so, the woman managed to move, twisting even in the frozen time.

But then, for some inexplicable reason, she hesitated. No, her wrist moved for a split second.

And because of that-

"NO!"

-Blood sprayed in the air.