Laplace’s Orb of Destruction struck the sea wall created by Alia, exploding with a deafening boom.
Steam and mist filled the Alia’s Complete world.
The explosion faded slowly.
When the mist cleared, Laplace was standing with an annoyed look on his face.
Arthur was back beside Percival, holding Felix’s body.
"That was... surprising," Laplace said quietly.
His eyes weren’t on Alia or Arthur.
They were on Percival.
"You manipulated his Fate and protected him from the Fate of Death," Laplace said, his tone now curious. "Such a powerful ability... It reminds of that bastard ’I’."
He narrowed his eyes, studying Percival’s existence more closely.
"Wait. Now that I look closer—"
"That’s enough, Laplace," the voice of Kaelus, one of the Ancient Dragons, echoed from above.
Laplace stopped and looked up.
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"You’re no fun, Kaelus."
"We are not here to have fun."
Laplace sighed, stretching his neck as if this whole situation bored him.
"Fine, fine. You always ruin the fun part."
Alia and other remained silent, watching their exchange.
Percival’s nose was bleeding heavily, and his eyes had turned completely white.
He looked blind, but it wasn’t just that.
His body was shaking uncontrollably.
He vomited blood.
Alia crouched beside him, trying to heal him while also working on reviving Felix, but her abilities weren’t working.
No matter how much she tried, Percival’s wounds wouldn’t close.
Arthur was already healed, though his breathing was rough.
Sweat ran down his temples as he pushed himself to his feet.
"Take care of both of them," Arthur said, his voice weak but steady. "And move away. I’m going to use my Singularity."
Alia’s eyes widened. "Arthur, that’s too dangerous. You can’t—"
"We don’t have any other choice," Arthur said firmly. His tone left no room for argunt.
He turned toward Laplace.
"Singularity."
At that mont, Arthur’s consciousness cut off from his body.
It felt as if his sense of self was being pulled out, drifting weightlessly into nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a black void.
Beneath him spread a vast sea of white flas, each one flickering with life.
Sea Of All Consciousness.
"You’re here," a calm voice said.
Arthur turned his head and saw her approaching, the Witch of Greed.
She floated toward him.
He had been here before, so her presence didn’t surprise him.
"So," she said, crossing her arms, "you used your Singularity despite my warnings."
Her voice carried a faint amusent.
"Fine. Go ahead, but rember the rules. If you embody soone far stronger than you, you’ll lose yourself forever."
Arthur nodded slowly.
Or rather, his current form did.
He was nothing but a white fla floating in this endless sea, part of the vast network of consciousness that connected all living beings.
He began to drift through it, searching.
Arthur’s Singularity was [I]—the Singularity of Oneself.
When activated, it broke the law that separated individual identities.
It allowed him to embody soone else who was connected to him —his Life Fla— within the Sea of All Consciousness.
"I need to embody soone powerful," he muttered, scanning the glowing expanse below.
There were countless flas, each representing a soul, a person, a being.
Then, he saw it.
A gigantic sword made of white fire.
It was cracked, and it looked... tired, ready to fall apart at any mont.
And yet, the sword continued to stand proudly. As if saying, nothing could make it bend or break.
He knew imdiately who it belonged to.
Neo.
Arthur moved closer, reaching toward it, but a powerful force pushed him back.
It was impossible to get near.
Unlike the other flas that were connected, Neo’s Life Fla—his essence—stood alone, isolated and unreachable.
Arthur clenched his fists.
He tried to keep searching, but the more he looked, the more despair filled his chest.
None of the other Life Flas were strong enough to face an ancient dragon. Not even close.
Then, he heard sothing, like the crackling of lightning in the distance.
Arthur turned, eyes narrowing as he spotted a fla that flickered wildly like a storm.
It pulsed with power, each spark snapping against the darkness.
His jaw tightened.
He knew that Life Fla. He had known it all his life.
He hated it.
But he couldn’t deny its strength.
"Damn it," Arthur whispered.
There was no ti for pride or hesitation. Not when everyone else’s lives were on the line.
He reached toward the lightning-like fla, letting its energy swallow him whole.
...
Back in the real world, Alia watched Arthur with bated breath.
His eyes remained closed, but sothing was happening.
She could feel it. His presence was changing, shifting into sothing that wasn’t his own.
Laplace frowned but didn’t interrupt.
He could tell Arthur was using sothing powerful, so he waited silently, crossing his arms.
Arthur’s body began to change.
His posture straightened.
His muscles grew more defined.
His hair turned bright gold, and his aura exploded outward, filling the air with divine pressure.
Alia’s heart stopped.
"What...?" she whispered. Her voice trembled as she recognized the figure before her. "Zeus?"
Laplace raised a brow.
The man in front of them opened his eyes.
He looked around with a frown.
"Hm?" His voice was deep, and commanding. "What’s happening here? I was just fighting Neo Hargraves and—"
He paused.
Slowly, he looked down at his own hands.
His expression shifted from confusion to realization.
"I’m not Zeus," he said quietly. Then his eyes narrowed. "What is this... cloning?"
Alia froze.
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
According to Arthur, anyone he embodied would believe they were the original.
Their mories, powers, and personality would match perfectly.
So why did this one realize he wasn’t real?
Before she could think further, Zeus—or rather, Arthur’s embodied form—moved in a flash.
His hand shot out and wrapped tightly around Alia’s neck.
She gasped, her healing spell faltering.
"Who am I?" Zeus demanded, his grip tightening. "And what is happening here?"
"W-wait—" Alia choked out.
"Don’t try to use your powers, Loved One," Zeus said coldly. The way he said it made her shiver. "I can cut your connection with your Supre. Don’t even think about resisting ."
"It’s Arthur!" Felix shouted, coughing as he forced himself up from the ground, revived. "He used his Singularity to embody you!"
Zeus turned toward him, lightning flickering faintly around his shoulders.
"So it’s that child," he muttered. His tone was filled with complex emotions.
He glanced at Laplace, who was still standing quietly.
"He used his Singularity just to defeat this dragon?"
Felix nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. That’s the idea."
"How foolish." Zeus snorted.
He released Alia, who fell back, coughing.
"Fight your own battles," he said simply, his voice echoing with divine energy.
Then he floated upward, the air around him crackling as his body shimred with light.
"Wait!" Alia shouted, reaching out. "Arthur, stop! You’ll lose yourself!"
But he didn’t look back.
The clouds above the site rumbled as Zeus’s embodied form rose higher, lightning spilling out from his fingertips.
The ground trembled beneath the sheer weight of his presence.
Alia stood there, clutching her neck.
She realized ’Zeus’ was planning to leave the Site.
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