Annan simply shook his head in silence.
"I can’t deny your questioning,"
he said softly, "but your questioning is aningless.
"Because you have no proof, no way to verify it, and no way to change it. This is already beyond what you understand, and questioning anything about it is pointless."
It was like a farr who had never been exposed to scientific knowledge suddenly decided to study the origin of the universe and the perpetual motion machine.
"You think all this has been preordained, which is basically just guessing that you are living in a grand nightmare. It’s just that you can’t perceive the nightmare’s reality, let alone see through its rules or escape from it."
And the Winter Reverser Vladimir did not disagree with this statent.
Instead, he nodded, holding his staff in front of him, and spoke calmly, "That’s right.
"I’m not a wizard from the School of Prophets, nor am I familiar with the rituals of destiny. What I know, I heard from others. I don’t fully understand it, nor do I completely believe it.
"I’m just like a madman who fantasizes that ’reality is a nightmare. I don’t know why I ca here, nor do I know whether the world I live in is real."
The youthful Winter Reverser looked at Annan and said slowly, "But if this nightmare has a ’protagonist.’
"—then it must be you, Annan."
"...So you want to kill just because of this speculation, to end this nightmare?"
Annan looked calmly at Vladimir.
He scoffed and took a step back, "If this world really is a nightmare, and I truly am the protagonist of the nightmare... then killing won’t make you escape it; it will only lead to the destruction of the world.
"Or rather— if everything is predestined, how can you be sure that killing isn’t part of destiny? Just as the old man who divined for you said..."
"—Please don’t act rashly, Your Majesty."
Just as Annan was about to make a move.
Vladimir imdiately interrupted him, raising his voice, "I have more to say, and I hope you will listen to the end. I don’t want to have to attack you with elents again... I’m not sure if the remaining light in you can heal you from that kind of injury."
Hearing this, Annan understood sothing.
"...So you attacked at first just to make stop and listen to you?"
He was clearly at a disadvantage compared to Vladimir.
So, if he wanted to win, a surprise attack was probably his only option.
Vladimir was worried that he would suddenly attack while speaking... So he struck first, inflicting a slight injury on himself, wasn’t he?
"Exactly."
Vladimir’s lips curled into a small smile, "I watched you grow up, Your Majesty. Of course, I would like... to talk with you again."
"...Huh."
Annan scoffed coldly but did indeed stop in his tracks.
Recklessly fighting Vladimir was indeed not a wise move.
—Because he indeed couldn’t beat him.
He had just finished fighting the Demonic Dragon Nicholas, and transforming into a dragon had taken a considerable toll. He had even used his daily "Brilliant Sword" and had no extra silver coins left.
Now, he couldn’t even conjure a sword.
Whether using the Brilliant Sword, binding the "glow" into a sword, or using a silver coin to perform the Divine Arts "Sharp Object"... he couldn’t do any of it.
The only chance he had left to turn the tables was the "Three Sirens," which had already been used once; the ntal control brought by "Heart of Madness."
If Vladimir had not yet reached the Truth Rank, then he shouldn’t be able to resist this ntal control.
But that ability was not imdiate.
Dragon-transford Annan could release it in a short ti in the form of light, but if he was holding a staff, he would probably need to actually hit the opponent with the staff or have the opponent gaze at the staff for several seconds.
Annan was waiting for the only opportunity.
Since Vladimir wanted to chat... it was good to talk more with him.
At worst, it could buy so ti
Vladimir continued, "After all, in the prophecy, I did indeed kill you—and if in the end I were to be killed by you, it would probably be because the Charioteer had changed this fate."
"So what exactly are you struggling with?"
Annan asked calmly.
The voice of the Winter Reverser gradually beca icy, "I am not struggling. I am just wondering...whether all the misfortunes I have experienced so far are also because of this preordained fate?"
"Have you started to complain about the injustice of this world?"
"No. If it is indeed because I am too weak to overco the crisis, I can’t bla anyone else. But because of various ’coincidences’ that cause the crisis to co before I can resist, it turns from a crisis into a tragedy.
"And this is fate—determined fate. The idea that you can overco fate with effort...is false. Fate has already been determined, even whether to choose to struggle, and to what extent, is just a part of fate."
Vladimir looked deeply at Annan, "As is widely known, fate is the rut of the Charioteer. In other words, the Charioteer has the possibility to change the predetermined fate. Even when weak, facing an irresistible crisis, it can always resolve it...
"—So, why am I not the Charioteer?"
He questioned from his heart, "Why am I not the ’protagonist’ of this world? Why is it only the Charioteer that has the power to change fate?"
Vladimir smiled silently.
His lips quietly lifted, splitting like a new moon—as if he were laughing at sothing, yet ultimately no sound erged.
"I cannot beco the Charioteer, but I think...I can probably control the Charioteer. Since ’fate is the rut of the Charioteer,’ then by controlling the direction of the Charioteer, I am essentially controlling fate."
Hearing this, Annan’s heart suddenly tightened.
He had a premonition.
He was about to hear what Vladimir truly wanted to tell him.
"Because I desperately desire to see fate...The Worm has granted this ability."
He murmured softly, "I indeed have seen it."
Those gem-like eyes sparkled brilliantly.
"So I saw it—the old Viscount of Roth Fort, who was not originally going to be killed by you, would have successfully completed his rebirth ritual...but Dream Stealer Denton, through the ritual, placed the Fragnts of Truth that originally belonged to him on the Old Viscount.
"—And then he died. His fate was indeed changed."
Vladimir said calmly, "And this plan, this thod, was what I gave him. He was my first experint.
"Originally, Solomonik would have died underground... At any ti, Selicia was rely his mask, he was always Solomonik. But after he beca involved with you, he completely turned into Selicia and survived—I hoped to correct this fate and tried to kill her but was interrupted.
"Solomonik would not add so many elents to ’death,’ he would not seek value in ’death.’ When I realized that he had beco Selicia, I gave up on killing her and left...
"—You have already changed his fate. He can no longer die as Solomonik... or rather, the Solomonik of yore has already been killed by you.
"And Prince Dmitry’s original fate was destined to be unhappy. But you twisted his fate...and brought his daughter back to safety.
"Princess Maria was originally going to die when she was thirty-two. And her fate now has also beco blurry..."
He spoke in a low voice, "So, why not ? Why is it their fates that are twisted, and not mine?"
"Because you betrayed ."
Annan looked at him, responding calmly, "Because you are now my enemy."
"Why should your enemy be dood to unhappiness? Is it just by becoming your enemy, one becos the enemy of the world?"
Vladimir looked up.
He was not looking at Annan but was looking up at the sky.
He asked word by word, "And why is this so?"
Naturally, there was no response.
But he did not wait.
"That’s what I want. I want to beco your enemy, then defeat you—I am to be your enemy, then to prove that you cannot change my destiny...or perhaps, I can change my destiny myself."
Vladimir spoke just to himself, "If this is so-called destiny—If defeating others’ unfortunate fates and then standing above them is the rut of the Charioteer..."
He looked at Annan again.
But he was not looking at Annan, but at sothing behind Annan.
"Then I will not be a Charioteer anymore. I won’t be a mirror either.
"I will beco—the Charioteer."
He said word by word, "I will hold this power that can rewrite the fates of others in my hands."
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