"To lose myself because of something as inconsequential as Pain is…" Cassius heaved a sigh, his disappointment in himself bordering on immeasurable. "It seems that the Bastard was right all along… I still require Character Development. And to think I previously believed that I had maxed out my Character. When, in the end, nothing comes instantly."
[You're finally learning, baka Host! ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა]
[Character Development is built, not acquired! Like the sturdy foundations of a building, you must lay each brick, one by one, until finally, you achieve the epitome of Character Development. By then, no worldly matters will ever so much as budge your immovable Will!]
[Whether you face the most extreme of pains known to man or get your heart broken countless times, your Character will simply be so developed that everything will bounce right off! Like the Protagonist in a story of unimaginable proportions, your Plot Armor will make you invincible!]
[This is what the Idle Evolution System is here for! This is what you are here for!]
[We'll mold you into something… into something truly magnificent… A piece of art that transcends all that witness it…]
[(Hehe~)]
Cassius could feel the sincerity of his System.
If anything, the one thing he could always rely on was his very troubling System. After all, it only wanted one thing from him.
"To make me better," he said, vanishing from his spot. "And I shall not refuse what the System offers me. The Nightmarescape—I won't allow a ridiculous mental block to hold me back."
With that, Cassius left this plane of existence, freezing everything, everywhere in time. He had returned to the Nightmarescape, planning to face his fears head-on.
And with the Nexus Event and the nefarious plans of the Dissonants on the horizon, he would surely be in for yet another struggle upon his return.
— At the Eastern Vanguard Fortress of Humanity, Nightmarescape —
"12th Princess, we've told you many, many times now, and there's no change to our response," said a large armored man in the 2nd Class Slayer Rank. "That boy who placed first in the Trial has been missing for several weeks. And from the Platoon #42 survivors who just barely made it out, they grimly spoke of his certain demise."
"But they didn't actually see it happen, did they?" Yuna Mistalore asked, her eyes narrowed. "This means that there's a possibility. He's still alive, Fortress Master."
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"...12th Princess, even if what you say is true, the toxic dark miasma seeping from the Boundless Gorge has made entrance impossible," said the 2nd Class Slayer, his title the East Fortress Master. "A rescue mission is impossible until the dark miasma clears up. Why don't you instead head over to the safer Northern Vanguard Fortress, where the rest of your Platoon is stationed—"
"No," Yuna interrupted. "I'll be staying here until I wish to leave. And tomorrow—since none of you have the guts to go—I'll head into the Boundless Gorge myself."
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"But 12th Princess, that is—"
"You've said enough," Yuna snapped. "There's no need for you to waste your breath any further."
She then stormed out of the Fortress Master's office, her temper unnaturally livid. She was normally not one to speak more than three words at a time, let alone talk in such a way, seemingly without the slightest bit of restraint.
But since meeting 'him,' things began subtly changing inside her…
"That girl is truly… so damn stubborn," the East Fortress Master murmured, his tone exasperated. "But in spite of her reckless, rebellious nature, she's still one of the King's favorite children. If she were to get seriously harmed, or worse, then it'll be our heads that the King demands."
A shadowy, illusive figure standing in a corner of the luxurious room opened his eyes.
"I understand," the figure said, his voice raspy. "I'll make sure no danger befalls the 12th Princess."
"Good, good," said the East Fortress Master as he rubbed the sides of his forehead. "As my Vice Fortress Master, you're the only one I can entrust with this matter. And though you're young and your power is still growing, you're at the 2nd Stage of the 2nd Class Slayer Rank. Nothing within the upper parts of that accursed place should pose much of a challenge to you."
"However," the East Fortress Master said, his tone turning grave, "do not, under any circumstances, allow the 12th Princess to traverse any further than the 100,000-meter mark. Past that point is unknown territory even for myself, with the terrors within those depths unfathomable. There are urban legends of… well, forget I said anything. Just don't go further than 100,000 meters."
"Understood, sir Fortress Master," the Vice Fortress Master said respectfully, gradually revealing his lean, muscular frame. "Even if the 12th Princess remains stubborn near the 100,000-meter mark, I'll simply have no choice but to incapacitate her against her will and return her to safety."
"Yes, that is fine," said the East Fortress Master. "Just don't go overboard. Oh, and bring with you the miasma-purifying staff. Even for us, high-density miasma can often turn out to be lethal. But the staff will help."
Cassius could confirm this.
Because of the deaths of so many Nightmares by his hands, the residual evil elements of their existences lingered. These were the so-called Dark Miasma, and in high quantities, Dark Miasma could prove fatal.
Cassius himself had died multiple times just because of the Dark Miasma he incidentally created… and the deaths were not the least bit pleasant, feeling even more suffocating than dying of actual suffocation.
After the East Fortress Master finished his words, the Vice Fortress Master lithely nodded.
"I'll heed the Fortress Master's orders," he said, before his voice became softer. "And you… needn't worry, Uncle. I won't meet the same fate as my older brother—the previous Vice Fortress Master…"
The Fortress Master's expression turned a little blue, indicating his melancholy.
"I hope that's the case," he said, speaking woefully. "What happened to your older brother was… regrettable on my part. His death was a noble one, a grand sacrifice that saved the lives of many Nightmare Slayers. That Abyss Prowler—it'll one day meet the hard part of my hammer. That much I promise in memory of your brother."