I stood in front of Karl, who was trapped within an array of poles. He struggled to move as the sword in his hand emitted purple smoke and cracks appeared on each pole.
"What a magnificent sight," I remarked.
Karl shot me a sly grin and asked, "You seem to know what this is, kiddo?"
"Allow me to enlighten you," I replied and added,
"A gemstone unparalleled, with forces unnamed,
It regulates worlds both recent and trained.
Maintaining equilibrium throughout all that is,
The World Altar is the epitome of this."
"A gem imbued with purpose and chronal aptitude,
Guiding realms to a state of fortitude.
An emblem of might, resplendent and awe-inspiring,
The World Altar's tale is one of timeless desiring."
With my words, the array that held Karl shattered like fragile glass."Why did you not let your comrade assist you?" he asked.
"His abilities would not have proven to be much aid," I answered.
"I have witnessed many marvels in my lifetime," Karl mused. "I wonder how many more like you exist."
"I am unique, and you need not worry as I am the last wonder, you'll encounter in your life" I responded as I swung my pole into the air, connecting with Karl's face.
"Space manipulation," he realized the nature of my attack and quickly regained his footing, adjusting his jaw with his hands, before disappearing from my sight. Several of his blades tried to penetrate me, but they paused just an inch away, their tips pointed at me.
"<Eye of Hesperus>," I declared. Time seemed to slow as a deep rumble echoed, causing the fragmented ground to lift. The duplicates of his weapon vanished, and the space around him ripped apart, sending him flying back into reality.
I reached for the spectacles I was wearing and took them off. A bright flame ignited in my eyes, the left one a dark red and the right a sparkling blue.
"Well then," I said, looking at Karl who was struggling to comprehend his defeat despite having me in his realm.
"H-how are you able to do that?" he shouted, glaring at me as he started to lose his composure.
"An intriguing query," I replied, as black chains emerged from the ground. "I believe it's time to end this game. You are not worthy of the altar," I said as the chains rapidly advanced towards him.
"Not so fast," he countered, swinging his sword with tremendous force and tearing apart the space in front of him, preventing my chains from reaching him.
"If normal chains won't work," I stated, "then allow me to introduce you <Clotho>, <Lachesis>, <Atropos> - The Chains of Fate," I proclaimed, as three massive chains, each with a human skeleton attached to the end, appeared from the ground behind me.
Karl was unable to escape the grasp of the chains. Regardless of where he teleported, they pursued him, tearing through space like it was mere paper. The realm began to break apart as cracks appeared in the sky, the result of the massive manipulation of space.
Karl realized the chains were a threat not only to himself but also to the weapon in his hand, which was trying to conceal itself in their presence. The skeleton attached to the end of the first chain bit into his leg, separating it from his body, and causing him to scream in agony as he fell to the ground, unable to control his movements.
I approached him as the chains held him, stopping the flow of blood with my aura. I crouched down beside him and spoke, "Don't worry, I won't kill you. You're at least forty years old, so stop crying."
He looked at me, his expression filled with anger, and said, "You will live to regret sparing my life." I replied, "I would regret killing you more than I would regret leaving you alive. Your death is not meant to come at my hands but at the hands of someone who harbours a deep resentment towards you."
"What do you mean?" he asked, a hint of fear creeping into his voice as he considered the potential for a miserable end if someone with a deep-seated grudge against him were to take his life.
"Allow me to shed some light," I said with a smile and added," Imagine your eyes plucked out with bare hands, your testicles in your eye's socket, your torse drilled with the machine, hot oil poured on your chest, your dick cut off and stuffed in your mouth, your nails ripped one by one and your flesh tore apart all while you are still alive… I hope this meets your needs".
I grabbed the sword from his grasp and teleported it to my own realm. As he struggled and tried to scream, the black chains binding him kept him quiet. I put on my glasses, which I had taken out from my storage ring.
As soon as the source of the realm was removed, the domain started to crumble. I raised my hand and called out, "<Cessation>," causing the realm to shatter like glass. In the next instant, I was back on my dorm's terrace with Karl suspended in the air behind me, still bound by the chains.
"Wait in my house, it's luxurious," I said, sending him to my penthouse while still binding him with chains.
Upon entering my dorm, I found Remi soundly asleep and Ruby lying unconscious on the bed in my room, with only one wing visible. Her face appeared tired and stained with tears.
I took a feather from her remaining wing, made a small cut on my thumb, and pressed my blood into her wound. "This should do the trick," I thought.
"Looking at her face, it seemed as though she cried, but don't be deceived, I had to put her in an unconscious state, she straight off started attacking me just because I touched her", spoke Adam sitting in the corner of the room behind me.
"Why did you touch her?" I asked.
"Are you kidding? I don't have the ability to teleport as you do. I had to physically grab her to the portal when she wouldn't move," he retorted.
"When did we become so informal with each other?" I questioned.
"I don't know why you're here or why my soul is in this body. I don't care either, as long as you or anyone else doesn't disrupt my life," he answered.
"What life? You were a brainless organism in your past life and now you have a new brain but still can't seem to utilize it," I retorted.
"I've finally got looks and someone who cares about me, what else do I need?" he said.
"Someone who cares about you? Who is the unlucky soul?" I asked, intrigued.
"The Vice President of the Student Council, Alina Petrov," he replied.
A burst of annoyance escaped my lips in the form of a chuckle. "Ha, ha ha ha ha," I laughed.
"Well, well, well, it looks like someone has missed the memo," I chuckled, as I stared into his bewildered eyes.
"You, my friend, are in the land of fiction, where everything is just... make-believe." I snorted.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, still trying to make sense of my words.
" I'm talking about the fact that we are characters in a freaking novel!" I exclaimed at his apparent lack of understanding.
"The woman you foolishly slept with is one of the main characters!" I sneered, finding humour in his predicament.
"...",
"You know the story, don't you?" he demanded, his tone sharp. "Write it out or give me the gist of it."
"Sigh…" I sighed, annoyance clear in my voice.'How does he accept things so easily?' I thought.
"So, let me get this straight," I began, frustration seeping into my voice. "The novel we're in doesn't even have a proper conclusion, and there are five women playing lead roles along with a man who is the protagonist. Sun-Jung, a boy from my class, is the protagonist and Ruby here, is supposed to be the villain as the heir to the devil's throne."
I continued, "When I last read the novel, I didn't even know Ruby existed. All I know is that there are twelve zodiac devils controlled by a zodiac goddess."
"The situation is chaotic now," I exclaimed, showing my annoyance. "The four pieces of the world altar are present in this world, causing it to become a reality. This has turned it into a hotbed for gods who can sense their existence, making everything a mess!"
"And I on the other hand...I am here serving my sentence for the wrongdoing I perpetrated," concluded the explanation.
Adam took in the information, running his hands through his hair and leaning back on the couch. "So, why am I here specifically?" he questioned.
"You were a carrier of altarpiece" I responded. "It's likely that your soul was transferred to this world"
"Does that mean all the people whom you killed to collect pieces are also coming to this world?" Adam asked, clearly processing the information.
"I have no knowledge of it," I replied humbly.
"..." He gazed at me with a mix of sympathy and eagerness and posed, "Have the idea of a collaboration crossed your mind?"
"..."
"The adage goes that an incompetent ally is worse than a competent adversary," I retorted, "And you, unfortunately, fit both categories, incompetence and hostility."
"..."
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