That whole explanation was a bit hard to follow, but everyone got the gist of it. It was hard to say if the enemy came from another timeline or if universes were like bubbles that existed close to each other, but it was clear that they came from outside that universe.
"Upon arriving in the second universe, I had to discard my old body and my current power, but my potential only increased when I found a new one. My knowledge increased as well when I began to shallow stars, and then I started to become stronger faster than before. Still, that wasn't fast enough, so I made my powers influence other species and made them attack other worlds, forcing the system to awaken on them as well. The system only emerges in places where mana exists, after all."
"You… don't tell me that you made out Earth be attacked because of that?" Julian asked while clenching his fists.
"Yes, I did, and you should be thankful for it. Under normal circumstances, it would take decades for your planet to join the system, and when that happens, it wouldn't be too late. The reason for that is the fact when things happen. Naturally, the system focuses on the survival of the fittest, and that was why so many people were stronger than me despite my trait. However, due to my intervention, you had the chance to face weaker faces that you had more chances to win and get stronger."
Julian clenched his teeth. That was supposed to be a joke… so many people died, and they had to be thankful because it could have been worse? That was sickening… and yet, all of them could easily imagine that.
"I met your species on the third universe that I visited, and I noticed that you had some similarities with my species. You haven't developed some traits, but you have the potential to do so. That was why after meeting your planet, I gathered some souls to work for me and help them develop other traits, and then I discovered that among them, one had the same trait as me… the trait of pure envy."
Jake glared at the enemy, feeling like splitting him in two with his bare hands… still, he finally could understand where the enemy was coming from. They were the same… that was why Jake developed that trait… deep down, he always knew. During his whole lives, he envied others more than anything else.
He wished for a normal family and envied those who had it. He wished to change the past and envied those who never thought of that. He wished for a normal name and envied those who had it. He wished for friends and envied those who took them for granted… his life was filled with the most disgusting sin…
When Jake tried to help the humans in his previous life, was out of envy for the guild masters, he wanted to be like them… to be looked upon and be praised. He tried to come up with a better solution than them, but when he wasn't accepted, he decided to antagonize them and prove that he was better and that he was right…
He wasn't much different than the enemy that killed him, and Jake hated that… he truly felt disgusted by it… the enemy still tried to save his species, but in the end, he tasted the same betrayal again and again. No wonder he waited so much for Jake to reach the same destination as him…
"Surrender now, and I will grant you all the life that you have never dreamed of, you all you will become part of me and become far greater than you are. I will reach the heights beyond the hunters, and you will achieve the same since you will become part of me. Give up on your individuality to reach your true potential. You should be the first to take the first step, king Judas. You reached the apex of your species, but what for? For whom? With all of your strength, you lost to me instantly. What do you hope to accomplish for this time? Become a part of me and reach beyond the boundaries of your physical form…"
"... What are you?" Karina asked. "Who are you aside from the biggest parasite that has even existed?"
"I am me, nothing else… I am the greatest that will ever exist, that is all."
It seemed that the enemy had also given up on the concept of name… the first humans were hunter-gatherers. Once farming became possible, you had more fixed roles in a larger community of people. So, you had to come up with a way to distinguish individuals. That's when they started to assign names. Maybe the same thing happened in other worlds… names were just a method to differentiate people from each other, and the enemy didn't need that since he was planning to become the greatest living being… for someone who had attained the highest level of envy, he sure was sure of himself.
"Jake?" Louise asked when she saw him taking a few steps forward.
"You couldn't have believed in those words of that guy… could you?" Lana asked. "You can be insane and stupid at times, but you can't be both at the same time."
"... There is something that I don't get it," Jake said. "Why do those things affect our abilities so much that they come from conceptual traits?"
"The answer is simple when you don't control your magic power. It is shaped by your memories and feelings. Let that happen for many years, and then you develop a trait… the strongest traits come from those who had truly turning points in their lives. The power to drain mana from the surroundings and from those around only emerged on her when she tried with all her might to find strength outside her. The power to reflect all sorts of attacks appeared on him when he tried to fight back the things that were unavoidable. As for the power of absolute envy…"
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