:::[Third person POV]:::
Faced with despair, Adam averted his eyes and locked his emotions.
It was not something that could be done easily, but in a way, he was shaken by the situation as much as Zax, to the point that he decided to not accept it as something unchangeable and definite, believing that he could do something about the situation.
Was he too optimistic? If only it was just optimism. What he was trying to do was something more tragic because he was creating his version of the truth in his mind, and he might as well become insane when he realized that in reality there was no way out.
The question was why? Why was he so affected by what happened?
No one could answer these questions for him because no one could understand Adam's heart.
It seemed like he was more fond of Liu, even harboring strong feelings for her, to the point that this situation made him realize he couldn't even protect someone he liked despite everything that he told himself.
No matter how Adam tried to conceal his real thoughts and desires about Liu previously, for example by convincing himself that Liu might be his enemy so he should be careful, in the end, his actions didn't lie.
Was it that hard to be true to one's self?
*****
Despite his hostility toward the Lord, Adam didn't have the choice but to exchange words with him.
"What do you want?" Adam asked, glaring at the Lord. His question was unclear, but what he wanted to ask was about the thing that the Lord's wanted from Liu.
He was not acting like his usual self because he looked like he prioritized Liu and the other's safety over his own life.
He didn't know what the Lord wanted or what were his true intentions, so Adam tried to gain some time, seeing that the Lord was not a brainless monster.
Of course, Adam was full of killing intent, and he wanted to tear the Lord apart, but he was holding himself back from doing something stupid.
But was he showing that he had matured by doing so? Even the Lord questioned Adam's action and examined the young man in front of him.
Then, he turned away from Adam and walked to his throne, and sat down. "Leave that thing, that baby here, and you can leave… Your woman's life will be spared too. Don't test my patience any longer."
After hearing the Lord's words Adam's eyes widened, but then his killing intent intensified.
As for Cristal, she stared at the shadow below the portal, and she knew that something bad would occur if she passed by it, and her guess was correct since the room was already inside of the Lord's domain.
Cristal waited for Adam to recover enough energy to use his power, but such a thing would also cause Adam's death, so she didn't move and waited.
Nevertheless, it would be bad if Liu didn't receive immediate medical care, and the Lord's attitude suggested that the result would be the same if they left Verte there and fled or chose to resist.
Cristal knew what the best choice was but she decided to not speak, after all, it was not a matter of logic anymore.
Adam gritted his teeth, swallowed his anger, endured the pain, eliminated some of the thoughts inside his head, and talked calmly."Why do you need her? She is just a baby," he said.
The thought that they could talk about this peacefully didn't even cross Adam's mind, but as long as he could gain more time, he would even try to prolong the conversation. He was not even sure why the Lord had this attitude, but if he could take advantage of it, then it was for the better, or so he thought.
"If you don't know what that thing is, then don't ask. You are fortunate to not know," the Lord answered without pitying Adam or trying to sound sarcastic. He talked as if he was saying the obvious.
However, the Lord's answer implied that Verte was more important than Adam thought she was, and even Cristal wasn't sure of Verte's true nature so she decided to not make any assumptions, but it was clear that Verte was somehow related to what was going on throughout the multiverse.
Nevertheless, Adam wouldn't hand Verte to the Lord without knowing the truth, or so he decided.
Adam frowned and stood up on his feet. He was a man full of contradictions, but he couldn't sacrifice Verte so he could live."I can't do that."
It was as if Adam was trying to play the hero because he could go home alone if he wanted, forgetting all of this and living the life he always wanted since there was no reason for him to go through all of this trouble. After all, Liu was not his lover and Verte wasn't his baby. But he knew that when he closed his eyes later, then try to sleep, his head would become a sort of hell that he never wish to live with. That was the kind of person he was, and it wasn't always a trait necessary if he wanted to survive. Moral and ideals couldn't bring the dead back to life, after all.
Looking at Adam, the Lord asked another question, as if he somehow began to show pity for him. "Do you even know what you doing?"
Perhaps, something about Adam or Liu reminded him of his past, but even if he was intimidating, the Lord adopted an attitude that was different from his usual self. "Is that thing more important than your woman?"
The Lord was aware of Verte's true nature so he might have a point, but deciding about such a thing was beyond Adam.
It seemed like the Lord was even ready to do something about Liu's situation, so all Adam needed was to choose to sacrifice Verte for the sake of everyone else.
There was also the fact that Verte might be an entity that could bring destruction to the people around her in the future, and that might be why the Lord wanted her, and if Adam thought about it that way, then it seemed like the Lord was not as bad as he seemed.
Moreover, even if they managed to escape now, the Lord would certainly find them again, using the method he used to find Verte.
Adam and the others had too much to lose if they refused the Lord's offer.
Still, without morals, a man was no different from a monster. Adam might be a bad person, wicked, pathetic, but at least, he would not sacrifice Verte for something she might do in the future. Even if she turned out to be a monster, Adam would kill her with his one hand.
That was why, Adam didn't answer the Lord and braced himself for what was coming, a battle that might be his last.
Was a baby's life more important than Liu's? Adam wasn't even thinking about that since the beginning.
"Hmph! You will repent for your ignorance in your death." The Lord said as he finally showed a suffocating killing intent.
Dark shadows appeared from below his feet as if they were alive and rushed at Adam and Cristal.
From the beginning, the Lord only wore a black and majestic cape on his body, and everything else was covered by black shadows that looked like flames. His red eyes were now looking down at Adam, and his silver hair waved unnaturally.
However, Adam activated his power and managed to block the Lord's attack.
Then, he said to Cristal. "Now!"
As soon as Cristal heard Adam's word, she leaped towards the door at an insane speed.
Swoosh!
However, before she could reach the portal, it disappeared, swallowed by the shadow.
Adam had not expected that the Lord could also close the portal. "Wha?"
It was not only him who hide his card.
"Ignorance is truly the root of all evil." The Lord said, and he appeared behind Cristal. His movement was so fast that Adam couldn't follow him with his eyes.
He grabbed Cristal's head from behind, but Adam managed to neutralize him with his power. This was Adam's aim since the beginning, and Cristal was just the bait.
This was their last hope.
The shadow covering the Lord's body disappeared and only his cape remained.
However, the Lord's eyes moved and looked at Adam. "What are you? You are this ignorant even though you are already involved in all of this?"
Shadows appeared little by little around the Lord, even though Adam's power was still active.
"Cristal, move away from him!" Adam shouted.
But it was too late, Cristal's parts crumbled as if they were made of dust. However, before she was destroyed, she disassembled herself. She managed to move Zax, Verte, and Liu before leaving only her core falling on the ground.
"Nooo!" Yet again, Adam lost someone.
The Lord had a hard time moving, but he was not overwhelmed by Adam's power.
"You are too na?ve if you thought that you could best me the way you are now. You made the wrong decision by being too greedy. You should have been grateful that I let you leave and discarded the thought that you could save everyone without paying the price." The Lord said as he approached Adam.
His power was also related to the Primordial authority, so Adam's weaker version of destruction couldn't do anything much to him.
Adam stood in front of Liu, Verte, and Zax who lost consciousness due to the shock. For some reason, steam was coming out of his body, as if it was burning itself from the interior due to the extreme conditions that it had to go through.
Adam's skin was not even white anymore, it turned into an ugly color as if he had rotted.
"Gu…" Verte looked at Adam.
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