Disappointing? His response was disappointing?
Kuzon was stunned. He had thought his honesty would be appreciated. Should he have lied?
'No. Something tells me that would have been worse. Then...'
"I mean, I expected this outcome. Yes. You were bound to say that, weren't you, Kuzon?" The old man rubbed his white beard as he so flippantly mentioned Kuzon's name.
"Y-you know who I am?"
"Well, maybe you should see for yourself, then. I mean, what was I expecting, right? It's not like you'd be able to get it at first glance." He completely ignored the confused Midas and muttered even more.
"Hmm... this should do it..." More murmurs.
Kuzon, at this point, had reached the limits of his patience. He couldn't just stand still and.let the man ignore him.
He had to win his approval. ND to do that, he needed his attention.
"What exactly is going o—"
>SNAP<
All it took was one snap from the old man.
'... Huh...??!'
And the impossible occured.
Kuzon instantly fell to the ground, his eyes bulging, turning bloodshot instantly. Sweat poured from his skin and his body trembled to the core.
An overwhelming might seemed to keep him down, kneeling and shaking as his mind nearly went blank.
This inescapable, unbelievable pressure... where was it coming from?
Above? Behind? Below?
It was all, and yet none, of those answers.
'E-every... everywhere?!' Kuzon's fragmented thoughts managed to utter.
The unimaginable power that crushed every ounce of his will emanated all around him—specifically from the very items that pervaded the seemingly infinite expanse.
'E-even one... the weakest one I sense... is stronger than me...?!'
It sounded ridiculous, but it was true!
His face slowly turned, and he could see the reindeers that he once discarded as beautiful junk.
Just one of those reindeers possessed more power than he had amassed.
To think he was weaker than a mere 'toy.'
Kuzon shook endlessly, his entire being completely subjugated. He could no longer fight the power that seemed to swallow him whole.
He was no match.
He could never dream of even coming close.
"Okay, maybe that's enough. Don't want you to go crazy on me. Haha...hehehe..." The old man cackled, snapping his fingers once more.
In an instant, almost like waking up from a nightmare, the pressure vanished completely.
Silence enveloped the area, and nothing but Kuzon's heavy breath pervaded the hall.
"Haaa.... haaa... haaa..."
His clothes were already soaked in sweat, and the sting of humiliation coiled around his heart.
Never before had he experienced such an overwhelming power.
Not even from the Nether.
"W-what is... who are... ah... what of Maya...?" Kuzon slowly looked beside him.
Maya was lying face flat on the ground, completely still and quiet.
'S-she is—!'
"Oh, she fell unconscious instantly. Don't worry, she's fine."
"A-ah... I see." His worry vanished completely the moment the old man said that.
He also saw that she was breathing just fine.
"So, what do you think now? About my toys?" The old man folded his hand and grinned exquisitely.
'What the hell? Those are toys?!'
They were items that infinitely defied logic and contained such unfathomable power.
Yet this crazy old man called them mere toys?
"T-they're powerful. Too powerful..."
"Meh. I think they're fine, but nowhere near powerful. They're just prototypes, after all."
"E-eh...?"
"They're decorative items, you know? I made them in my youth, when I was still obsessed with form over performance. Hold on, I'm still in my youth, right? Yeah... still youthful. Hehehe."
Was this man kidding him? Every word he spouted seemed like crazy nonsense.
The very epitome of bullshit.
"I'm actually in my late thirties... right? Well, not exactly. Ah... time is such a funny concept, isn't it? Pfft... I can be millions of years old, and still just in my late thirties, while looking like I'm fifty or something."
Kuzon was so confused. He felt lost in a torrent of thoughts that it felt like he would unravel at any moment.
"Who...?" His voice finally made it out of his lips. His gaze wavered, but he still stared at the old man with the last ember of his determination.
"Who are you?"
"Me? Eh, I don't know what to say. Names aren't very important to me. They're meant to be distinct, but in actuality they're not."
'What?'
"Think about it. How many people bear my name, or your name, or their name? It's an infinite amount! Those other branches having the same name as you... it ruins the concept of self-identity, doesn't it?"
"I-I guess...?"
As expected. The man knew of the branches. So this was a branch, after all.
'That must be how he knows my name.' Kuzon's thoughts echoed. 'He should have a way to return me home!'
The crazy old man kept rambling, his voice and words scattered.
"... But, well, I guess you need to call me something besides 'crazy old man'. Though, I know you'll still tell our dear MC that when you meet him."
"MC? What do you mea—"
"My name is Neron. Ring a bell?"
At that very instant, Kuzon's words ceased and his jaws nearly dropped.
Bewilderment played on his face as he stared at the youthful smile of the old man, while also feeling indescribable feelings.
"Hahaha! I knew you'd react that way. Pfft, just look at that expression."
Kuzon's eyes twitched. He was facing Neron himself? This old man was...
"I'm not 'your' Neron, though. Ah, when you put it that way... oof..." He rubbed his white beard even more.
"T-then, you know the Neron of my world, right? You know my world too, right? That means you can—"
"Of course I do, Kuzon. What do you think I am, chopped liver? This guy..." Old man Neron laughed, slapping his hand on his face almost as if it was funny.
'What is he finding so hilarious, though?'
"Its just hilarious anytime I interact with you guys. I mean, I'm often engrossed in my own stuff, but isn't it amusing?"
"What is...?"
"Okay, okay. Get this. Imagine you're in your house one day, and a very small ant just walks in. But you can see it, right? And the ant climbs your body, and you can feel every single sensation. And then it reaches your shoulder, and it realizes you've been staring at it for a long time. Then it gets surprised and starts to talk to you. It asks how you could see it, even though it's your house. It asks if you know it is an ant, or that it came from an anthill, or whatever. You get the point. Now multiply that by infinity! That's how hilarious this situation is. Hahahahahaha!"
Kuzon didn't know how to feel by the words of this world's Neron.
Was he calling him an ant? No... infinitely lesser than an ant?
"Look, Kuzon. You realize that I let you guys find and track me down, right? I pretty much knew all you would do and how you would react—all the alternatives."
So that was why this old man found things so funny.
'To him... even this conversation is as predictable as anything else.'
That was just how crazy this Neron was.
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[A/N]
Yes! Finally time for one of my favorite Nerons to get some love.
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