"I’ve never t anyone like you," Saruto said in a low but razor-sharp voice. "You kill your own parents... and slaughter those around you without the slightest remorse."
The Emperor laughed, a laugh devoid of emotion. "If you had done as I did... you would be stronger than you are now."
Saruto raised his head, his violet eyes blazing. "I don’t need this path to beco stronger. I rely only on myself."
At that mont, the sounds of battle echoed. Shouts, clashing weapons, bursts of energy. The Emperor looked up at the ceiling, as if listening to familiar music. "So... this is your plan," he said.
"Do you like it?" Saruto replied coldly.
The Emperor smiled faintly. "Not bad."
He snapped his fingers. At that sa mont, Saruto felt three familiar energies, energies he knew all too well.
On the battlefield, the tide was turning in favor of the rebels. The freed slaves fought furiously, hope shining in their eyes. Suddenly, three figures descended from the sky like black shooting stars.
They crashed to the ground, and a cloud of dust rose. When it cleared, they appeared: Kyle, Ryan, and Lucien. But they were not as Saroto rembered them.
Their bodies were shrouded in a thick darkness. Their eyes were blank. And they charged. They slaughtered rebels and slaves without rcy. Ten fell, then more in monts.
At the Emperor’s palace, Saruto took a step back, his voice trembling for the first ti: "Didn’t you kill them? How are they still alive? Answer !"
The Emperor laughed and said mockingly, "How foolish you are, Saruto. That’s why I told you... to suppress your emotions."
"I said answer !" Saruto shouted, unleashing his power.
The Emperor suddenly cald down and said, "Yes... they are dead."
Then, devoid of emotion, he added, "But I kept their bodies. I implanted darkness into them. I stripped them of mories... of feelings. They beca machines. Serving only ."
He took a step closer. "You didn’t expect this, did you?"
Then he looked at him with contempt. "You are nothing. And I don’t understand why the ruler Umbra is so interested in you... even though I surpass you in every way."
"Who are you?" Saruto asked, his voice charged. "Where am I? And who is this Umbra?"
The emperor laughed. "Very well, Saruto... I will answer a few of your questions."
The dark armor covering his body began to gradually disappear, from his feet to his chest to his shoulders to his head. When it was completely gone, Saruto froze. "I... am you," the emperor said.
His face was an exact replica of Saruto’s. "This... is impossible," Saruto said, stunned.
The emperor smiled. "You didn’t travel to another dinsion. Rather... to another ti. You and I experienced the sa events. But so details changed. And this change... distorted our world."
He pointed to himself. "I am the result."
Then he said, "I killed my father. I killed the heirs of the families. I beca the king of this world. No one dares to disobey ."
Then he looked at Saruto: "Because I abandoned my feelings. And obeyed my ruler... Umbra."
Then he added, "As for you... you lived a normal life. You didn’t kill your parents. Your friends are still alive. And your fiancées are still alive."
He smiled sarcastically: "And also... you don’t have a troubleso sister like to thwart my plans."
Saruto asked seriously, "Since we are from the sa ti... which is the real ti? My world or yours?"
The emperor replied, "Your world is the true ti. My ti... has been manipulated."
Then he said, smiling, "And I don’t deny that I’m glad of it. If this hadn’t happened... I would have lived weak like you. And I wouldn’t have ruled this world alone."
Saruto replied, "And I’m glad that my world didn’t go astray as yours did."
The Emperor began pacing the throne room. "Saruto... we are the sa. Two sides of the sa coin."
He paused. "You are driven by your emotions, seeking power alone. I... I will do anything to beco stronger."
Saruto smiled bitterly. "For once... I agree with you."
They both laughed. A short, heavy laugh. The Emperor said, "Back to our topic. You didn’t expect to have two trump cards to crush your rebels? I knew your plan from the start. We are... the sa person, after all."
Saruto replied confidently, "And I will disappoint you."
The Emperor froze as he realized the battlefield was empty. No rebels. No slaves. Saruto said, "I knew you had a trump card. But I didn’t expect it to be the corpses of the heirs."
Then he added, "That’s why I prepared a counter-plan. I had chariots stationed outside the kingdom to transport rebels and slaves in case of an ergency."
He looked him straight in the eye: "Now they know your trump card. They’ll be much more careful next ti."
The emperor was furious. Saruto smiled: "Don’t be angry. Didn’t you say we’re the sa person? That’s why... I anticipated your plan and devised a counterasure."
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