Lydia P.o.V

'What's going on? That wasn't Yu's voice just now!'

A slight chuckle escapes Yu's(?) mouth, and gets gradually louder.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YES! THIS IS GREAT! THIS BODY REALLY IS PERFECT!" (???)

"This... body?" (Janna)

Janna speaks out the words which were stuck in my throat.

"How- how can you move? You were cursed by my strongest spell!" (???)

Even the girl in black, who stayed composed the whole fight, is seemingly panicking now.

"I really can't understand all this self-loathing the original host had. If I had this kind of body, with this kind of potential, then I would rule even over the gods!" (???)

'Original host? Self-loathing? Is he talking about Yu?'

"I just asked you a question!" (???)

Yu(?) turns his head and stretches his hand out in the black clothed girl's direction.

"Shut up for a second, insect." (???)

She starts to levitate while holding her throat, as if she was choking.

"HAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS HILARIOUS! ALL THIS POWER, AND IT WASN'T EVEN USED RIGHT!" (???)

Black clouds slowly form in the sky unnaturally, with thunder roaring in the distance.

"Y- Yu? Is that really you?" (Me)

"Hm?" (???)

He turns his head once more, this time to me.

'Why did I direct his attention towards me?! Am I retarded?'

I notice how red lines creep up from under his his leather armour and slowly cover his whole face. The fact that his eyes turn red, from his usual green, doesn't help at all.

"Ah, if I recall... aren't you... the one called Lydia?" (???)

"Why are you so uncertain about it? I knew it. You really aren't-" (Me)

"Of course I am Yu! I have his hair! I have his face! I HAVE HIS BODY! HAHAHAHAHA! *cough* Weird. I'm usually not this eccentric? Am I not stable yet?" (???)

Suddenly, Janna jumps at him from behind and tries to roundhouse kick him, but he catches her foot with his free hand.

"You're not Yu. Get out of his body. NOW!" (Janna)

"Oh? How cute. A mere apostle of the goddess of love wants to fight against me?" (???)

"Why do you know-?" (Janna)

He lets go of her foot rather gently, but in return Belka attacks him from his side.

"And now even the one who's blessed by the goddess of the moons? You're trying really hard, aren't you?" (???)

"What are you doing to our master?! LET GO OF HER!" (Guy who stood beside the girl in black)

The guy who I was supposed to fight a minute ago and his allies join Belka and Janna in attacking Yu, but he doesn't even frown.

"Slowly you're getting annoying." (???)

He throws Belka in the air, weirdly gently again, and puts his now free hand on the ground.

"Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor." (???)

In the next moment, every single one of her allies get pushed several meters into the ground, unconscious.

"LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOOOR!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! No wait, this isn't what I wanted to say? What's going on?" (???)

"Yu?" (Aline)

Aline approaches him with slight steps.

"Aline! What are you doing?! Get away from him!" (Me)

She continues walking forward.

"I won't allow you to joke around right now. Stop this at once!" (Aline)

His gaze switches over to Aline.

"Ah yes, this hosts childhood friend. So you still got faith in him?" (???)

Aline stands now right in front of him. Her knees are shaking as if she was in the middle of an earthquake, but she tries to cover it up with her usual stern expression.

"Well then, let me crush this last faith." (???)

Yu(?) raises his hand.

Aline flinches.

But... nothing happens.

"*Sigh* Like I thought, I can't do it." (???)

Just as he was about to hit Aline, his hand stops midair.

"Yu? I knew it! It was just a joke, right?" (Aline)

"No, no, no, no. Don't get me wrong. Your Yu really is nearly non-existent in this body, but there still is something from him. And this little something doesn't let me hurt any of you girls." (???)

"It... doesn't? But why?" (Me)

"He prevents it with all of his power." (???)

"H- he?" (Me)

"By the gods, now I understand why the former host was so frustrated with all these questions. They really are annoying." (???)

He turns his head back to Aline.

"The first girl who actually gave him a reason to continue living in a new world, who then healed some of his scars with her pure love. *Fake sob*" (???)

His gaze switches to Belka, who just now landed from being thrown in the air.

'That throw looked very gentle, but how did she stay so long in the air?!'

"His way of compensating for being completely useless in his past life and never doing anything for the general public, by finally being a father-figure to a girl. Meanwhile dealing with his own father complex" (???)

Again, he switches over to another person. This time it's Estelle.

"The only person who he doesn't have a deep connection to. This may sound useless, but this makes her the only person he can really relax with. If he's with the others, he's always on edge, since the others always have a reason for him to be there." (???)

"He just called me useless, didn't he? hehe" (Estelle)

This time, it's my turn.

'What... is it with me? What does he think of me?'

"Lydia... practically his punching bag HAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* Excuse me, I don't really understand these outbreaks myself." (???)

"THAT'S IT! I'M DONE WITH HI-" (Me)

"You're the only person until now, where he can be himself. His asshole self. This is a big factor in his recovery, since he needs a place to return to when he's done with playing the charade in his daily life. This may or may not include a bit of sadistic play." (???)

"I... I guess I can accept that." (Me)

'Please don't tell me that I'm blushing right now.'

"And finally, the last one. My personal favorite. My dear, dear Janna." (???)

"Stop talking. I DON'T WANT A FAKER LIKE YOU TO CONTINUE TALKING WITH HIS FACE!" (Janna)

"Nothing you can about it though." (???)

I notice how his hand, with which he seems to control the girl in black, gets tighter and the girl squirms even more around than before.

"His little sister and love of his past-life. His greatest source of strength and finally his biggest weakness-" (???)

"STOP TALKING!" (Janna)

"The reason for his death and simultaneously the reason he enjoys this life so much. First the shining ray of hope, and now the girl who helped me push him off the cliff. IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER HAHAHAHA!" (???)

He looks at all of us with a charming, yet creepy smile.

"It may sound sketchy, but you all have a reason to be in his life and he won't let even me destroy these. You're more precious to him than his own life." (???)

"I JUST TOLD YOU TO STOP IT!" (Janna)

Janna tries a last time to somehow stop him from talking, by barraging him with attacks, but to no avail.

He dodges all of them easily and meanwhile continues to hold the girl in black captive.

We all join her, but none of the attacks hit.

Just when we were about to give up, he speaks even more cruel words.

"Stop it, it's futile. There is nothing that can stop me right now. My power is just increasing by the second." (???)

He extends his hand towards the audience. A wave of mana flies towards the shocked public and hits them head on.

At that second, they start to grow older. They get older way too fast, and soon... they wither. Every single one of the audience.

"This is my power now. But it's not even nearly limited to this." (???)

Once again, a wave of mana flies towards the mummified audience and they regain their youth. They grow younger gradually and then get back to their normal age.

"I can take life, and I can give life. I can be considered a god of this world." (???)

"Euh... I know too well what a god is, and... yeah... you aren't one." (Commentator)

"Commentator?!" (Me)

He approaches Yu(?) lazily, like he always does.

"Euh... yeah..." (Commentator)

"I don't think you understand. I'm literally LKJARGFJABVF-" (???)

"..." (Me)

"..." (Commentator)

"*Cough* What I wanted to say, is that I'm literally LKASFELBLSFE OH FOR GOD'S SAKE! YOU REALLY WON'T LET ME SAY IT?!" (???)

Yu(?) seems to be talking with the air, while we are just watching.

"What do you mean "God won't let me do that"?" (???)

"Listen, I'm just here to announce that you guys are the winners, since the other girl seems to have lost consciousness." (Commentator)

"Huh? Do I really look like I really care about that now?" (???)

"I, too, think that that isn't really important right now..." (Me)

"Euh... may be possible, but I'm just doing my job... yeah." (Commentator)

"And you did a great job with that, ally of master." (???)

"Urgh!" (???)

Out of nowhere, a sudden voice answers the lazy excuse of a job the Commentator did. At the same time the voice came, Yu's(?) body starts to wringe in pain, and a yellow ball of light flies out of it.

The ball of light lands in front of me and engulfs the whole arena.

As it dimnishes, in the ball of light's place is the griffon I saw in our room in her usual attire.

"Curses! What is it now? Why won't you just let me take over this world in peace?!" (???)

The griffon ignores Yu(?) and looks at our group.

"Thank you, master's wives, for giving me time to get this far. You have done a magnificient job." (Griffon)

"Huh?" (All of us)

The Griffon turns around to the fake Yu. Her blonde, beautful hair flutters in the stormy environment.

"And for you, fake master, I have 2 messages." (Griffon)

"You better speak fast before I kill you." (???)

"The first comes from master. I quote: -" (Griffon)

She does a dramatic pause before speaking.

"Y'all better never doubt my survivability anymore." (Griffon)

Beside me, Aline breaks out in a happy shriek.

"YU! I KNEW IT!" (Aline)

"So what? I have his soul completely under control." (???)

"And what is his second message?" (Me)

"I quote again: "The next thing you're gonna say is: So what? I have his soul completely under control.". (Griffon)

"WHA-" (???)

"God, how I missed his sassy comebacks." (Me)