CRASH!

Lunette listlessly stared at the system prompt, her eyes vacant and lifeless. She did not react to the shattered glass on the floor nor the pool of water that soaked her toes. A thousand thoughts ran through her head, all at once, but eventually, they all settled on one image: Kashi's smile when she pulled away from him.

Was that really their last interaction? Was her rejection the last thing Kashi would remember of her? Did Kashi go off alone because of the way she reacted? Surely, he would not have died if the party was there with him. Was she the reason he died? Was this all her fault?

"Lune!" At that moment, Shadow burst into the room, concern, and fear in his eyes as he searched the room for his sister. Upon spotting her standing in the corner, he immediately rushed to her side and grabbed her arms. He then carefully looked into her eyes as he asked, "Are you okay?"

Lunette's eyes shook, and then, guilt-laden tears streamed down her face as she said, "I killed him, Shadow. I made him go off on his own and got him killed."

"No." Shadow grimaced, recognizing the pain in his sister's eyes. "You did not kill him." Shaking his head, he rationalized, "First, this is most likely some plot. You know how Kashi is. I would not put it past him." Then, with a hardened gaze, he added, "Even if that is not the case, and he truly is dead, it is certainly not your fault. Kashi always flies close to the sun. It was only a matter of time before he got burned."

Shadow knew from Lunette's empty gaze that she wasn't taking his words to heart. Sighing, he gripped her shoulders and then said, "I know where he was headed. Let's go see for ourselves."

Lunette's eyes shot open, life returning to them as she questioned with terse excitement, "You know where they are?"

"Yes." Shadow nodded and then clarified, "I snuck a peek when Brock marked the area on Kashi's map."

Invigorated by this new revelation, Lunette wiped her tears, purpose, and fight, appearing in a pair of determined eyes. She quickly swapped to a new set of clothes and then prompted her brother, "Let's go."

The duo, with determined gazes, made to leave the room. However, they both received a prompt that caused their brows to draw together in a frown.

"What the fuck!?"

Thousands of screams simultaneously erupted around Destia as Maggots received a prompt announcing their leader's demise. Seconds after, tens of thousands more were made aware of the situation as spies within the Maggots quickly leaked information to their employers.

Many independent guilds and mercenary groups considered this a blessed opportunity to launch an attack on the Hopeful Maggots. They could not attack earlier because Kashi, while not being an active member of the guild, was considered to be a threat on the level of a nuclear weapon.

If an attacking guild failed to ensure Kashi's death during its assault, nothing stopped the daeben from launching a solo retaliatory attack. Even if the top brass survived, Kashi was more than capable of crippling any guild's regular army and operations by himself.

There was one reservation several guildleaders had: Leila Lightwood. Strangely, neither she nor Miote had sent a message to the regular guildmembers. As a result, it was had to tell if this was a trap to weed out their enemies or simply buy time.

However, ten minutes passed without a word, several guildleaders ordered their men to start advancing on the nearest Maggot Outpost. But, just when these forces were about to begin their conquests, they received a message from their spies in the Hopeful Maggots that caused them to frown.

Unknown...

Darkness. Complete Silence. A place devoid of light, sound, or any stimuli. This was the world Kashi found himself in upon opening his eyes. He could neither move, scream nor shout. His hands hung limply by his side as he simply floated through this incredibly dim reality.

The young man had lost track of how long he'd been in this world. Without even his breath to accompany him, time lost meaning. Was it five minutes, ten, or maybe over an hour?

Suddenly, a peal of white light appeared in the void. Before Kashi could appreciate the welcome addition, he was pulled into the light by an aggressive suction force.

The bright light temporarily blinded the daeben, and he could not help but let out a yell at the searing pain. However, that pain was soon accompanied by elation as Kashi realized he could once again feel and move his body.

"Damn. No one warned me [Second Wind] would hurt this bad." The daeben groaned as he blindly felt around himself while waiting for the pain to wear off. Suddenly, Kashi's brows creased when his fingers sunk into what felt like loose sand. The daeben, confused, searched around, but then his confusion was only compounded when he felt several metallic objects around him.

Kashi was more than familiar with the shapes these metal objects took. Some were swords, others spears, and many others were broken pieces of armor. This was nothing like Nornesh's lair/cavern.

"Syèl?" Kashi called out. "Syèl! If you're out there, this isn't funny!" When no one answered, the daeben's apprehension grew even worse. "Damn it! Why is this taking so long to heal?" Kashi cursed as he clawed at his eyes. However, it was as he rubbed his sore eyes that he realized a severe problem.

Seriously, why was such a basic injury taking so long to heal? Even without Kashi's natural regen, Yggdrasil should have healed this in a heartbeat. Just then, Kashi felt a terrible chill. He realized that he had lost connection to Yggdrasil. He could neither feel the ancient tree nor Orez.

Luckily, the burn cooled off over time. Eventually, Kashi was able to take a peek at his surroundings. The sight left him stunned.

Kashi found himself in a desolate flat land that appeared to have once been a battlefield. The land, as far as he could see, was dotted with thousands, if not millions, of weapons stabbed into the earth. Torn articles of clothing, flags, and broken armor surrounded these weapons, fighting the passing breeze as if determined to tell their tale.

The daeben's shock was only increased when he looked to the heavens, only to find there was no sky. In all his lives, Kashi had never seen the stars shining so brightly. If he were not in a game world, he would have guessed he had to be in a planetarium of some sort.

But as it stood, those stars were really the only source of light overhead. Kashi could not see a sun, moon, or anything else that could serve as a light source. This explained the dreary, dark, yet not so atmosphere that enveloped the area.

Determined to get answers, Kashi grabbed a sword. But to his dismay and shock, he found it would not budge an inch. The daeben then switched his attention to a helmet, but he found this too impossible to carry. They all felt like they had been magnetized to the ground. That, or they weighed a couple thousand pounds each.

Whatever the reason, Kashi indeed failed to lift the weapons and was forced to bend over to examine them. Kashi was shocked when his preliminary examination found ancient runes written on the swords. He recognized most of these runes from Razznik's heydays.

But this did not make sense! Genaco had gotten rid of the rune language from King's Journey precisely so that people like Kashi would not have an obscene advantage over newcomers. So, how could these armaments bear these extinct runes? And more importantly, where the hell was this supposed to be?

!!!

The hairs on Kashi's arms suddenly stood on ends as he felt a threatening presence behind him – the likes of which could end his life if he was careless.

"I have waited a long time," a scarily familiar voice called.

Kashi's heartbeat accelerated as he rose to his feet and then turned around. "You..." Sure enough, just as he expected, a muscular man stood opposite, harsh red eyes glaring at him with unconcealed hatred. The man was barechested, revealing a wickedly chiseled body adorned by countless battle scars. The man's once long, red hair was cut short, further accentuating his savage appearance.

Kashi winced as he examined the scar that ran down the man's left eye. "Razznik? How?"

"Shut up," spat Razznik, his body trembling with unbridled rage. "I did not have any expectations, to begin with, but you... You disgust me!" BOOM!

He's fast! Kashi, without a moment to waste, raised his left arm to parry Razznik's punch. However, just when Kashi's arm made contact with Razznik's, the older man's arm snaked back. Before Kashi could react, Razznik's left fist crashed into his nose, crushing it. The resultant force then sent the daeben flying until he crashed into a shield.

"Look at you," Razznik spat as he approached the fallen daeben. "Falling for such a simple feint. Did you let it go to your head? Everyone calling you Guildmaster? The fame? The power?"

"Shut up!" Kashi roared as she shot to his feet. "What the hell do you know? It's easy for you to act tough when you're a goddamn god!" However, not one to lie down and roll over, Kashi activated [Ferulic's Breathing Technique]. Or rather, he should have activated it. "The hell?" muttered the daeben when nothing happened.

Razznik's red eyes burned with rage as he examined the stunned look in Kashi's eyes. "There it is again. From the moment you arrived in this world, you've been relying on other people's power." In his rage, he disappeared and then appeared next to the daeben. Before Kashi could snap out of his shock, the warrior spat, "You are worthless!" and then once again sent Kashi flying with a punch.

This time, however, Kashi managed to block the blow with his arms. The daeben's eyes turned serious as he regarded the man across from him. "...What did you do to me?"

"I?" Razznik grabbed a sword from the ground and then pulled it out. "What did I do to you?" The warrior's eyes contained intense ridicule as he glared at the daeben. "The question is, what have you done to yourself? To Suzuki!?"

Kashi's gaze hardened as he stared at the man. If he wasn't sure before, now he was. The man opposite him was certainly Razznik. The feeling, the stifling sensation of death, the boiling rage surrounding his eyes. Everything was the same. However, the most important thing was that question about Suzuki. There were many known tales about Razznik's madness and propensity to murder. However, only a select few were aware of an illogical trait he possessed – his unending loyalty and concern for one Mato Suzuki.

Kashi did not know what was going on, where he was, or how the hell Razznik was even here. But there was one thing he was sure of. This thing, This Razznik, would certainly kill him if he let things go on like this. The daeben drew his brows together as he questioned, "What the hell do you mean? What could I have done?"

Razznik, however, as if expecting this reply, snorted and then remarked, "You still do not get it. Fine, I will just beat it into you." He threw the sword to Kashi, who caught with confusion in his eyes. "Or kill you first. I do not particularly care which comes first."

Whoosh! Clang!

Razznik blew across the wasteland and then clashed blades with Kashi. His fiery glare locked with Kashi's steely gaze as he said, "You are fake. An impostor." The warrior briefly disengaged, then once again charged at the daeben.

Kashi gritted his teeth as he weathered Razznik's onslaught. Up, down, left, right. Razznik's blade seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. At times, it was as sharp and quick, like an eagle in flight. Other times, it was soft and whimsical, like a cloud in the sky. Kashi tried his best to hold his ground, but Razznik's swordsmanship gradually overwhelmed him, resulting in more and more cuts appearing all over his body.

Razznik's eyes, rather than joy or elation, conveyed indescribable rage with every new cut Kashi incurred. "Everything you are. Everything that makes you strong, you got from others: your bow, Yggdrasil, even your technique, all Ferulic's. You've become the very thing Suzuki, and I mocked. Blind gamers who rely on the system to do everything." Razznik suddenly jerked the sword out of Kashi's hand and then slapped the daeben with the flat of his blade.

Kashi spat out a bloody tooth, eyes blood red with rising rage. "What are you talking about? I don't rely on the sy—"

"When was the last time you trained?" questioned Razznik. Seeing Kashi's stumped expression, he sneered and dropped his sword. He then grabbed a spear from the ground and tossed it to the daeben. Following this, he grabbed another and held it behind him. "Remember when you lectured that kid on the right way to use a spear? I bet it felt good, didn't it? Utilizing your superior combat knowledge to put a noob in his place?"

BOOM!

Kashi rapidly swung the spear, barely parrying an evil thrust. If he'd failed, Razznik would most certainly have pierced his heart. Only now did he realize that Razznik was indeed prepared to kill him on the spot.

Razznik said as his attacks grew fiercer, "Only, was any of that combat knowledge yours? You took Suzuki and my experiences. Our lives, and used it to suit your needs, without ever adding anything of value. When was the last time you created an original attack? Something you can call your own? Everyone around you, be it the vampire, the swordswoman, or even the assassin. Each and every one of them took the gifts given to them and carved out their own identity."

Razznik suddenly retreated. The abrupt change in momentum caused Kashi to lose his footing and stumble forward. Razznik, in turn, punched out with his left hand. Boom! A power ki force escaped his fist and then blasted Kashi several meters backward. Razznik then jumped and sent his spear crashing down onto the daeben.

Kashi, luckily, recovered in time and raised the spear over his head. Razznik's spear crashed onto his with the force of a thousand mammoths, causing the earth to grumble in stark complaint.

Razznik glared at Kashi as he pressed the spear down on him. "You stagnated the moment you arrived in this world. Content with our knowledge, you did not pursue anything beyond the Golden Body. Complacent with Ferulic's gifts, and thus did not pursue anything of your own. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what would happen if you lost those gifts?" Sneering Razznik answered, "No. Of course, you did not. You have enjoyed being called Guildmaster far too much to ever consider the ramifications of your selfish laziness."

Kashi groaned as he dropped to a knee. His muscles ached as he fought back against the spear bearing down on him. But try as he might, Razznik's blade grew closer to his face with each passing second. The daeben cursed and then weakened the pressure from his left hand, which caused his spear to bend to the left. As a result, Razznik's spear followed the inclined slope and then harmlessly crashed into the earth.

Kashi seized this opportunity. He sent the right side of the shaft shoot upwards to Razznik's exposed chin. BAM! To the daeben's shock, Razznik, as if expecting this very move, grabbed the shaft before it could reach his jaw, having already let go of his spear the moment it began to slide.

Razznik glared at the daeben, his fierce gaze akin to the burning coals in hell. "No improvement whatsoever." Razznik kicked out, his boot crashing into the daeben's midriff. The impact caused Kashi to double over, eyes glazing over in pain. Razznik then whirled Kashi's spear and bashed him with the shaft.

Kashi was once again sent flying, only this time, he scraped along the floor, cutting himself on several sword and spear edges. The daeben eventually came to a pitiful stop, blood pooling out of numerous wounds. He had no time to rest, however, as he quickly pushed himself up and then bounced backward.

BOOM!

Reality proved Kashi made the right choice as Razznik appeared next to, and then slammed the spear onto the daeben's previous location. Kashi groaned as he fixed a broken arm back in place and then glared at the man walking towards him. "You. It's easy for you to lecture me when you're a freaking god." He laughed through bloodied teeth as he challenged, "Do you really believe this would be one-sided if we—"

"On the same level?" Razznik taunted, his gaze turning harsher. "Same strength? Same speed? Is that your excuse?" The warrior sneered as he corrected, "Idiot. If I did not go out of my way to tie my stats to yours, do you really believe you could have withstood a single breath?"

"What?"

Razznik let out a snide laugh. "You still don't get it? The moment you got here, both our stats were aligned to be the exact same. The reason I seem stronger lies in the difference in our training." Razznik dropped the spear and then picked up a sword. He ran his fingers across the blade, his expression distant as he remarked, "Even the sharpest blade will rust or dull if it is not regularly sharpened and polished." He turned to look at Kashi in abject disgust. "You were handed the sharpest blade one could possibly have. But, not only did you not try to improve it, you failed to even give the minimum care, content with your superiority over mediocre opponents."

Razznik's eyes flitted over to a bow. With a snide grunt, he pulled it out of the ground and then flung it at Kashi, who, in turn, instinctively caught it. "You chose the path of an archer, did you not? Something different. A path of your own to follow." As he spoke, he dropped his sword and then pulled out another bow, while a quiver of arrows appeared on both his and Kashi's backs.

Razznik notched an arrow and then pulled the string to full length as he trained the bow at Kashi. "This path you evidently chose. Just how far did you go with it?" BOOM!

The earth erupted with a shattering boom as Kashi explosively retreated. The daeben grasped his bow, a pensive expression on his face as he quickly notched an arrow. His eyes darted around, searching for Razznik. Above! Kashi looked to the sky, and sure enough, Razznik appeared there, already letting an arrow loose.

To Kashi's shock, the single arrow split mid-flight into a salvo of dozens, which then rained upon the daeben with great prejudice. The daeben cursed as he dashed to the side, weaving his way through the onslaught. Occasionally, he would shoot down arrows that got dangerously close, but despite his best efforts, he was forced on the defensive throughout the battle.

"Look at you!" Razznik cursed as he chased the daeben through the battlefield. "Is this what you call Mastery? You chose this path yourself, yet your bow has been nothing but a gimmick! A tool only useful for Ferulic's skills. All this time and you are still stuck in Intermediate Mastery. Do you not realize why that is!?" Razznik watched Kahi weave through the onslaught. No matter how trashy the daeben had gotten, at least one thing that didn't slacken was his instinct for danger... But this was far from enough. Growling, Razznik warned, "Watch your step."

!!!

Following Razznik's warning, Kashi felt a chill run up his spine as he realized he was heading for a cliff wall. No wonder it had seemed so easy to counter the warrior's arrows. Razznik had been guiding him to this very destination. "Fuck!" Kashi cursed as he came to a hard stop and then turned around. The daeben's abrupt stop inevitably caused him to get struck by a couple of arrows.

Razznik paused, eyes gleaming as he watched Kashi get consumed by the resulting explosion. "Good call," he praised. He made to notch an arrow, but then suddenly stopped and quickly backed off.

VWOOM!

Razznik's decision proved to be the right one as a giant arrow blasted right past where he initially stood. He stopped three paces back but then suddenly jerked his head to the right. To his surprise, a small, unassuming arrow nicked his cheek as it zipped past. If he had been any slower, that arrow would have torn through his nose. Razznik tapped the blood leaking from the wound and then looked at Kashi, who was bloodied all over from severe injuries but had a defiant glare.

"Three paces back," Kashi taunted. "Not too close—"

"Not too far. Same as always" finished Razznik. "Good. You at least still have some common sense to utilize my habits against me." Razznik raised his bow and then looked at Kashi. "Which is why this is all the more unforgivable. With everything you know, all the gifts you've inherited. If you just applied yourself, you would have conquered any field. Instead, you do not even know the first thing about being an archer."

Kashi grimaced as he gripped his bow. He wanted to retort. Say Razznik did not know what he was talking about. Who said he did not know anything about archery? He was definitely in the top percentile amongst the archers in Destia. However, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized the truth. The archery he was proud of was the one inherited by Razznik and Suzuki.

Neither men were archers by nature, and so, to them, the bow was just a tool useful for specific scenarios. This was the archery Kashi inherited. If he genuinely wanted to treat the bow as his own path, he would have diligently studied and practiced archery. Instead, he had always treated the bow as a vehicle for Ferulic's Overpowered Bow Techniques.

Kashi's lackadaisical attitude towards the bow was further compounded by the fact that he had not searched for any Archery training grounds since leaving Kerta. It seemed that subconsciously, he had already begun to consider himself a King, and as a result, neglected his training. Kashi's eyes grew grim. Who was he kidding? Razznik was absolutely right. He had become complacent and proud. He was trash.

"It would seem you are not beyond saving," Razznik muttered as he dropped to the ground. He dropped the bow and then took slow but deliberate steps towards Kashi. "In fact, I would have considered forgiving you were it not for your true sin."

"Forgive?" Kashi spat with a cold sneer. No matter how despondent Kashi felt, he would not give this man the satisfaction he sought. "You aren't even Razznik. He is dead. Who are you to forgive me?"

Razznik stopped a couple of meters away from Kashi. His gaze narrowed. "Who am I? I have had a thousand years to ponder that exact question. Do you want to know what I decided?"

"I—" BOOM! Kashi grimaced as he blocked Razznik's punch with the bow. Razznik, seemingly unperturbed, took a step forward. He alternated his arm and then launched another devastating punch. "AM—" BOOM! The impact caused cracks to run across the bow. Kashi grimaced but could only raise the bow one more time as the next punch swiftly followed. "RAZZNIK!" BOOOOM!

Kashi frowned as the bow shattered to pieces, sending shrapnel flying in every direction. The daeben quickly expelled ki from his body, forming a mini shockwave that blasted away the shrapnel. Unfortunately, before he could celebrate this mini accomplishment, a hand tore through the ki wave and grabbed his throat.

"I know who I am," said Razznik as he slowly squeezed Kashi's throat. "Who are you? Who is Kashi? For whom do you fight? For what do you live? What is your goal? Your goal—not some meaningless quest handed to you by some game character. You do not have any, do you? You claim you want to unite the world but only do so because it was the first quest given to you. If the daeben got to you first, you would just as easily followed them."

Razznik's eyes burned with rage as he tightened his grip. "It is this stupid attitude of yours that makes you think lounging around doing nothing productive is a wise course of action." Razznik wanted to say more, but then Kashi coughed, floundering as he fought to suck in air through increasingly tighter airways. Kashi murmured something during this struggle which caught Razznik's attention. Curious, Razznik relaxed his grip as he questioned, "What did you say?"

To Razznik's shock, Kashi's eyes suddenly blazed with flaming rage. "Fool Me Once!" SHIK!

Razznik's eyes widened in shock as Kashi stabbed a pair of arrows into his arm, just below the elbow. The daeben then ruthlessly dragged the arrows towards himself, tearing a giant gash down Razznik's arm in the process.

Razznik lips twitched as he involuntarily released Kashi, having lost nerve contact with his fingers. "Ah. I forgot," he muttered as he examined the gash on his arm while Kashi quickly backed off. "That dragon killed you the same way, didn't he?" Razznik then flexed his right arm, issuing a small smile as the terrible injury healed at speed visible to the human eye. "My apologies. I will not insult you like that next time."

Next time? Kashi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 'Like hell, there'll be a next time.' The daeben, no longer satisfied with consistently being on the defense, suddenly charged at Razznik.

Razznik, faced with the daeben's charge, likewise clenched his fist and waited. Once Kashi was within range, he unleashed an explosive punch. Kashi's gaze narrowed as Razznik's fist zipped to his face, seemingly expanding in size till it seemingly covered his vision. Kashi knew this was just an illusion, a trick of the mind that affected the weak-minded or fearful.

Kashi let out a breath and then shut his eyes. Following his instincts, he ducked to the bottom left and then dashed forward. BAM! Kashi's brain rocked within his skull as his face crashed against Razznik's knee. Evidently, Razznik had also predicted this course of action and reacted accordingly.

Kashi's head flew back, blood spurting from his nose like a fountain. The daeben, however, buried the pain as his eyes flew open. His vision was soon covered by Razznik's palm as the warrior grabbed him by his hair. Kashi quickly formed a barrier with his arms, protecting his face as Razznik crashed the daeben's head against his knee multiple times.

Eventually, Razznik tossed Kashi across the wasteland and then watched as the daeben rolled along the ground. Razznik paused and then examined his arm. The gash was almost non-existent, but a new scar had joined the rest. He clenched his fist and then glared at Kashi. "To be honest, I do not care what you do with your life. But your actions... Have you ever stopped to think about how your selfishness affects Suzuki?"

Kashi groaned as he coughed up blood and then stumbled to his feet. Through swollen, bloodied eyes, he could barely make out Razznik's blurry form. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you know about Suzuki."

"Nothing," confessed Razznik. The warrior's gaze grew vigorous and heated as he clenched his fists. "I know absolutely nothing! Except for the fact that your selfishness is leading him to his death!" Razznik paused. Suddenly, an evil glint appeared in his eyes. "Maybe that's your plan? You want him dead, so you can take ov—"

"SHUT UP!" Kashi screamed. He visibly trembled with rage, blood dripping from his palms as his nails dug deep. "You can insult me all you want, but don't you dare question my loyalty to Suzuki! You think I will ever harm him?"

"HA!" snorted Razznik as he stormed to the daeben's front. Kashi, too weak to resist, could do nothing as he was grabbed by the hair once again. This time, however, Razznik slammed his forehead against the daeben's. "Then tell me. If you care so much about Suzuki, when was the last time you willingly seceded your time in this world without either the threat of getting auto-logged out or some other issue out of your control?"

Kashi hesitated. "I—"

"You cannot remember, can you?" Razznik pressed with a sneer. "I have watched every moment of your life from the day you arrived. Looking at you, anyone would be forgiven for thinking you are the main consciousness, and Suzuki is the sub." The warrior's fiery gaze burned into Kashi's. "You know, don't you? Suzuki wants to die. But he will never commit suicide. He needs you to do it for him. To limit his ties to the living, he willingly lets you have as much time as you want. He is hoping your drive will be stronger when the inevitable battle comes."

Razznik snorted and then released the daeben. He cursed and then walked away, muttering countless swears beneath his breath. Eventually, he stopped and then rested against a tower shield stuck in the ground. He took a breath to calm his raging emotions and then glared at Kashi. "Ever since you came in here, you have stayed as long as you possibly could. You made plans with the assumption that nothing would force you out, never once considering what that would do to Suzuki. Did you forget? You are supposed to exist on Parallel roads, both existing but never intersecting. Who gave you the right to destroy Suzuki's road?"

Kashi listlessly stared at Razznik, the fight gone from his eyes. Compared to all of Razznik's criticisms, this was the first that actually cut to his heart. When he thought back to his time over the past in-game year, he had to admit that he had indeed been selfish beyond reason. Just because Suzuki never asked, Kashi only left the game willingly, less than a handful of times.

Just as Razznik said, anyone would be forgiven for thinking Kashi was the main character, while Suzuki was a tacked-on extra. There was simply no excuse. Kashi could claim he did not mean it all he wanted. He could say he did not know. But the truth was, his mindset, even after Suzuki revealed the truth, never changed. Despite boasting that he would find a way for them both to live, he never once thought of sacrificing his time for Suzuki.

Suzuki stared at Razznik with a hollow gaze. "I..."

"Do not bother," spat Razznik. "I cannot have Suzuki believing your stupid lifestyle is correct." His gaze hardened as he pulled out a sword from the ground. "There is no worth in keeping you alive. Suzuki can always make a new personality and start from scratch." Razznik walked up to and then placed the sword against Kashi's neck. "Hopefully, they take this lesson to heart." His gaze narrowed, a sinister glint in his eyes, as he raised the sword. "Well, as long as they appear before me, I will cut down as many as do not."

WHOOSH!

Clang!

Razznik's eyes widened as he looked at the being that held his blade in its hands. A humanoid figure shrouded in white light. It was impossible to make out any defining features from this presence. But Razznik knew that his time was up the moment it appeared.

'Tch' Razznik cursed as he looked at the mysterious figure. "Are you going to interrupt me, Light-kun?"

The light shimmered as if in amusement as the somber voice of a forty-fifty-year-old man replied, "Your naming laziness never ceases to amaze me." The figure then tapped the sword. Razznik's gaze remained even as the sword crumbled to pieces that harmlessly fell to the floor. The being nicknamed Light then placed its palm on Kashi's shoulder. "I agreed to bring him to you. I never said you could kill him."

Razznik grunted and folded his arms. "Fine. But I still need to smack some more sense into him. You can wait a little longer."

Light shook its head. "No. I am afraid you have run out of time. Any more time spent here will put a significant strain on the young man's brain. Perhaps even cause permanent damage. Are you willing to risk that?"

Razznik glared at Kashi. Moments later, he picked up a sword and rested it on his shoulder. "He's not worth it," said Razznik as he waved Light away. "Get him out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Heh. Something you actually care about," Light remarked as a bright halo spread from his palm and engulfed Kashi. "I cannot tell you how fascinating this is. Then and now, two different men, but retaining the same obsession."

"Shut it." Razznik cursed as he snapped his fingers. If Kashi could see through the light around him, he would have been stunned to see the broken pieces of armor rising up from the ground. Within moments, every cracked armor and weapon was good as new. However, the truly shocking thing was what followed.

Dark energy poured out of Razznik in droves, running into these pieces of armor and clothing. The energy solidified within seconds and then transformed into clones of Razznik.

Without warning, the landscape transformed from a wasteland devoid of life to a battlefield packed with warriors and mages from countless classes waiting for some sort of signal.

Light pulsed as it looked across the battlefield. "I will never understand what drives you." As he said that, he snapped his fingers. The light around Kashi suddenly compressed to the size of a tennis ball. A portal leading to a dark zone appeared, which he then flicked the ball into.

Razznik's gaze narrowed as he watched the portal close. Before it closed completely, he suddenly stared at the ball and transmitted a message only he could hear. The portal closed thereafter, and Razznik turned his attention to the battlefield.

Light watched from above as Razznik announced, "Same rule as always. No system skills. Let's see who lives the longest this time..."

Light pulsed, its thoughts unknown as it watched the ensuing carnage as thousands of Razznik's slaughtered each other in a bid to improve just a smidgen bit more. S0 it had been thousands of years ago when it first met this man. An endless drive to get stronger...

It wondered... Why had such a man readily accepted death?

Nornesh's Lair.

Five Minutes after Kashi's Death.

Nornesh scratched his head as he fended off a fiercely pissed off Syèl. He did not mean to kill Kashi, and he could not kill Syèl, even though the vampire was getting on his nerves. Honor dictated he had to let the halben's anger run its course. However, what if he knocked him out? That should cool him off, right?

Just as Nornesh was considering this shortcut, a bright light burst out by the mana-pool. Nornesh turned to the pool in shock. He had kept Kashi's body there, so the barrier protected it from Syèl's rampage. At this moment, however, he suddenly felt powerful life energy, the likes of which he'd never seen bursting out of the daeben's body.

The light's distraction caused him to miss a step. As a result, he finally ate Syèl's rage-fueled fist to his jaw.

"That does it!" Nornesh roared. He made to punch the halben but paused when he noticed the vampire staring slack-jawed into space. "What're you looking at?"

"Visible." Syèl listlessly muttered and then turned to look at Kashi.

Nornesh's brows shot up, an incredulous look in his eyes as he looked at the now visible prompt.