Advent of the Three Calamities

424  Trap [3]

The Mirror. To fix my condition, I needed to use the Mirror. The one that Kiera was in possession of. Collecting the mirror should've been my priority. I knew that, and yet, when Kiera appeared before me, I stopped myself from asking her for it. I understood that it wouldn't be easy to get her to give it to me. It was something precious to her, and I knew she didn't fully trust me yet. But that was fine. I had another thought in mind. While it wasn't a permanent solution, it would help me buy valuable time. It was a bit of a gamble, but what if...? 'What if I use the ring on Julien?' The Ring of Nothingness.

As an artifact bound to my soul. One that only I could use it. If anybody tried to use it, they'd be subjected to the 'trials of forgotten minds' that I had undergone in the past. Once someone entered, it was almost impossible to get out. The only problem was whether it would work on Julien considering that we both shared the same body. There was also the very real risk that it wouldn't work, making everything that I planned go for naught. But it was worth a try. ...That was when the plan came to fruition. Allow Julien to take over the body. Use Owl-Mighty to plant a seed of interest in regards to the ring as well as an idea of what 'wills' were.

Take the body back when the target was ready to come for me.

Purposely lure the target into one of the three secluded areas that Atlas had mentioned before. Kill the target, and get injured in the process. Lure Julien into using the ring to heal himself. And lastly... "Welcome to the Trial of Forgotten Minds." Have him enter the 'Trial of Forgotten Minds'. "T-this..." Julien's eyes trembled as he stared at me, but once he processed the situation, they turned bloodshot, and he lunged at me.

"It's you again! Damn you!" "....Not here." I merely took a step to the side and dodged his attack. "!" Julien's face twisted further at that. Planting his foot down, he twisted his torso and punched me again. But like before, I dodged. Swoosh, swoosh! His punches were easy to dodge.

They were predictable and weak. I had fought people a lot stronger than him in the past. Furthermore, he was a mage, not a [Body] user. His punches were extremely slow. "Argkh! Stop dodging!" Seeing me dodge every one of his attacks, Julien grew restless. "You fucking rat! Stop moving! I'll kill you!" His screams reverberated loudly within the world of white. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

A pathetic sight. That was how I could describe the situation. It was a pathetic sight. Swoosh! "Haa... Haa.. Rat!" Despite his curses and punches, I didn't bother to fight back. He just wasn't worth it. Dodging another attack with a quick 'swoosh,' I extended my finger and tapped his forehead lightly.

Thud! Julien fell onto the ground. "Urkgh! Argkh...!" Saliva spilled from his mouth as he held his throat with both hands. His eyes shook intensely while his body trembled. "H-help!" I felt a tangible fear coming out of his eyes. It only made sense considering how I didn't hold back when touching his forehead. I didn't even give him the courtesy of using my voice. He needed to suffer.

However, the fact that his head hadn't exploded was because I held back. Not that he would die... "Y-you..." In spite of his fear, Julien continued to glare at me from the ground. "...S-stop." He reached his hand forward, grasping onto my ankle. I looked down to meet his bloodshot and crazed eyes. He looked back at me with an intense hatred. One strong enough to make me understand just how much he wanted to kill me. But at the same time, I could see something else within his eyes. Something like; 'Helplessness.' Right, he looked helpless. "I..." From his frail voice to his shaky eyes. "M-my body... Hiek. Give it b-back. It-It's mine..."

His grip over my ankle increased. "I... I... W-want it back." "...." For the first time since seeing Julien, I saw hints of despair and helplessness in his eyes. He truly did want to get his body back. He probably couldn't stand being stuck by himself any longer. I understood his pain, but... "I'm sorry." I snatched my ankle away from his grip. "...You lost the right to your body the moment I took over it. I have something to do and I need this body for it. You can hate me, but you brought this upon yourself." Julien wasn't a good guy. I had seen firsthand just how unhinged he could be. It was why I felt no sympathy for him. At the same time, I knew this was all an act.

But even if it was real, I didn't plan on giving this body back. Not now, nor ever.

*** Under the faint breeze of the day, two gray-eyed figures sat quietly on one of the Academy benches. The atmosphere between the two held subtle tension as neither party spoke. Leon sat quietly on the bench with his brows furrowed while sneaking glances at Amell's way. He just sat next to Leon with an awkward look while scratching the side of his cheek and thinking of ways to make small talk with him. He would open his mouth from time to time but would close it right after. Leon picked up on all of this and felt weirded out. 'What is he trying to do?' Could it be that he was trying to challenge him again after what had happened in the tournament? Did he find it too awkward to ask for a rematch? Leon scratched the back of his head. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'This is a bit of a troublesome situation.'

However, if that truly was the case, Leon didn't plan on outright rejecting the request. Amell was strong, and having a sparring partner like him could prove to be a valuable opportunity.

Especially one as competent as he was. 'Right, if I want to be stronger than Julien, I have to do this.' Clench.

Suddenly thinking about Julien, Leon's fist balled together tightly. Recalling the most recent humiliations that he had suffered at Julien's hands, Leon felt the need to become stronger quickly. He couldn't allow Julien to walk all over him like that. 'Right, I have to take this opportunity.' Taking a deep breath, Leon turned his head to address Amell. "Do you—Eh?" But just as Leon turned his head, he was shocked to find that Amell was no longer sitting beside him. He had disappeared without a sound.

What? Where did he...? Leon's head flicked all around in order to look for Amell, but he was gone. He vanished as swiftly as he had arrived, like the faint breeze that lingered in the air.

"That..." Leon blinked his eyes, utterly confused by what had happened. Unfortunately, before he could properly understand, he heard the faint sound of wings flapping and an Owl appeared next to him. "...." It stared at him in silence, holding onto a round orb in its mouth. "A recording device?" Leon blinked his eyes and reached his hand forward. The Owl dropped the orb onto Leon's hand. "This is a recording that will be useful later. Julien asked me to give it to you. Something happened to him, and he'll probably be questioned when he wakes up. When that time comes, you can pass this along. It will resolve the entire situation. It's a recording of the target moving in a different direction." "Uh?" Leon looked at the recording device in confusion. No, before that. "Something happened to Julien?" "Yes." Owl-Mighty answered in a flat tone, and Leon frowned.

"What happened?" "He got attacked." "....!?" "And he won." "He won?" "Yes, but he's injured." "...." Leon took a deep breath. "And his opponent?" "Dead." ***

At the same time, Atlas's Office. "Guard Captain." Atlas answered the communication device. Upon hearing the contents of the call, his expression grew more serious. Holding onto the communication device more tightly, his voice lowered. "He was assaulted?" Atlas pretended to be surprised. However, this was all within his expectations. 'So he really did take care of the situation.' Just as Atlas was feeling proud, the voice continued, —Correct. His condition is quite bad. He appears to be in a coma. "Coma?"

Cra Crack! Faint miniature cracks formed across the recording device. While on the outside he remained the same, the atmosphere around him changed greatly. —We have yet to identify his opponent. His entire head has been blown off. It'll take a while to completely determine his identity. "Anything more?" —Hm, yes. It appears as though the opponent Julien faced was capable of fully creating a domain. I fear he was in the fifth tier. The surroundings suddenly trembled. More cracks appeared on the communication device as Atlas closed his eyes. "Fifth Tier? Are you sure?" —Yes. The lingering mana traces left on sight suggest that to be the case. "I see." Atlas nodded his head gently and relaxed his grip on the communication device. He shared a few more words with the Guard's Captain before he ended the conversation and walked towards the door. Although the windows were closed, the papers settled on his desk scattered while the chandelier swayed. "You really wanted him dead, didn't you?" Atlas chuckled. He could more or less understand what had happened. While his information was correct, there were a few things that he had neglected to think about. Like how threatened Genesis felt by Julien's presence. Indeed, while all the organization belonged to the same person. It wasn't as if their relationship was harmonious. There was competition between the four organizations. Everyone wanted to be better than the other to get his attention. It was clear that Julien's presence had left Genesis threatened. He wanted to get rid of him before he'd become someone strong enough to shift the balance between the seats. ...That was why he had gone so far as to give his subordinate a special pill that boosted his strength significantly, though it came at the cost of shortening his lifespan.

'It's the only explanation as to why his strength was far higher than I had calculated.' And it was also why Julien was able to kill him. While his opponent was in the fifth tier in terms of mana density and quantity, he wasn't fully in the fifth tier. Just shy away from it. That little bit of leeway was probably what made it possible for Julien to kill him. "Or maybe not." Julien had given him many surprises in the past. Perhaps... He really could defeat a Tier 5 user.