The two assassins sprinted toward opposite directions, but the thick green mist and the darkness of the night made it hard to escape from the cornfield.

[Air Decay]

One of the assassins, the weaker one, was suddenly robbed of air. He halted his feet and opened his mouth, gasping for breath.

A cold wind brushed against his body as [Sanguis Barrier], which took the form of a small spinning pyramid, drilled into his head and ended his life.

Arthur took the daggers from the fallen assassin’s body and then switched his attention to the last target.

Through [Magick Sense], he was able to determine the general prowess of the opponents. It wasn’t a definitive answer, but it was enough to know who was strong and who was weak.

Even without it, it had become clear that the last assassin wasn’t like the rest. He managed to hit and hurt the parasite, after all. Then again, the hits he had managed to land were inconsequential and nowhere near enough to actually threaten either Isabella or Arthur.

The man, shrouded in what seemed to be a tiny and almost unnoticeable speck of Darkness, crossed his double-edged daggers together and unleashed his energy.

The green mist was pushed away from him and the corn was horizontally cut, revealing the exit.

The man took one look behind and saw the mist gathering up and then spinning like a tornado as a human silhouette was manifesting.

The black-clothed assassin moved at an incredible speed, but he wasn’t able to outrun Arthur, who glided down from above.

When he was in range, Arthur used [Sanguis Barrier] again, forming a thin shiny wall that blocked the assassin’s path.

[Infernal Cry]

The demonic, ear-piercing cry caused the assassin’s body to stiffen up and freeze for half a breath.

Using this opportunity, the parasite, now fully visible and no longer fused with the Mist of Decay, fell down on the assassin.

[Knife Mastery(Passive Lv2)]

[Physical Enhancement(Passive Lv9)]

[Tenacity(Passive Lv6)]

[Flexibility(Passive Lv5)]

A literal barrage of rapid and deadly slashes that, at first, were blocked by somesort of magical inner armor worn by the assassin.

The man recovered and tried to retaliate, but the girl kept moving around him and stabbing the dagger at his blindspots.

Within ten seconds, he was stabbed or cut at least ten times. Seeing no way out of this, he flipped his daggers and thrust them into his chest.

A sinister, triumphant laugh escaped his lips as his body ballooned in a disgusting manner and then exploded.

[Slime Me Not]

Isabella’s body turned into a sticky liquid and fell on the ground.

When the skill’s effects were gone, she was standing in the middle of a small crater formed by the explosion.

“That was a good trick. I wanted to see his face, though.”

Arthur shrugged and looked at the girl standing next to him, her form half-illusory and half-real.

She, too, was looking back at her, though her expression was as inscrutable as ever.

After a short silence, she spoke, her voice soft and barely audible, “Thank you for saving me.”

“You are most welcome, girl. The Demon Lady is absent and I’ve been called so suddenly.”

While still in control of Isabella’s body, Arthur paced around and inspected his surroundings. The farms and bamboo forest were wholly unfamiliar, so he couldn’t determine where this place was.

“You called for help, right?”

Isabella nodded her head once, visibly confused.

“So it’s not a random occurrence but something that can be triggered. It seems to happen when one of us… or you two, are in danger. Since I haven’t been forced back to my body yet, you don’t mind if we converse a bit, hm?”

Isabella hesitated for a bit and looked around.

“Ah! You’d want to leave this place. Alright.”

He conjured the mist of Decay and rose in the air. He glided over the half-ruined cornfield and distanced himself from the village.

Although he was using her body, his Stats and Skills were active, thus allowing him to move at great speeds.

After ten minutes, he stopped near a small river within the calm and beautiful bamboo forest.

“I can see that you want your body back… and I’ll happily get out. I just want to talk, if you don’t mind. Consider it a payment for saving you, okay?” He let out a chuckle, which made her furrow her brow and give him a reproachful look.

“You haven’t met or made any deal with a God, have you? I’m trying to understand what’s really happening to us, you see.”

“...”

There was an ever-so-slight change in her expression, which Arthur noticed immediately.

“You have. Then again, it doesn’t explain why I and the Demon Lady were picked, unless there is a connection between us.”

Isabella maintained a long silence as he scrutinized her with a particularly piercing and prying stare.

At first, the girl didn’t think it wise to divulge anything to him, but now that things progressed this far, she changed her mind. Whoever sent those assassins wasn’t going to let things go, so having a powerful ally benefited her.

“I met a man and he took me here.”

“That’s very vague and not the least bit helpful.”

“He told me to swallow an orb” She added.

“An orb, you say? Now that does sound familiar.” Arthur remembered the man who visited him in that torture him.

“Did he introduce himself as X, perchance?”

A subtle change in her expression, again. Although she tried to maintain that expressionless facade, Isabella was still young and inexperienced, therefore making her easy to read.

“Then you’re from Earth. What else ha-”

Before he could finish, Arthur felt a strong force pull him back into his body.

“Master?”

Evelyn was standing right in front of him, her raised hand and under his nose. When she saw his eyes shift towards her, she quickly lowered her hand.

“It’s not funny to do that, Master. You stood there like a crazy person and didn’t even breathe. Spare your loyal maid such idiotic pranks, please.”

“You did look a bit worried, however. It was fun to see.”

In response, she muttered something under her breath and turned away.

‘So the girl is like me and Chris. It makes sense for X to search for another candidate, but what does that have to do with me? Did that strange orb link us together?’

Garden of Knowledge

“You cannot.”

“But why? Why?!”

Leiu, known as the Nameless Knight, faced the Trickster. Although the former was a head shorter than the latter, he looked more threatening as formless Darkness was oozing from his body.

“I haven’t fought him yet and he’s almost about to return.”

“I said no.”

The Trickster stomped on the ground and mumbled curses, but the Dark Knight kept giving him a spine-chilling glare.

Quhea, who was ever present in this breath-taking and mystical garden, was a distance away. She didn’t look pleased with the Trickster too, but it wasn’t her place to intervene.

“After what I’ve done, it took almost an Era for the Laws of Primordial Light to be stabilised and return to balance. The more balance there is, the better hold I have of the Rift. You do understand this, do you not, Wolfram?”

“...”

The only person who was able to talk some reason into a lunatic like the Trickster was Leiu. The two had known each other for a very long time and they could be considered to be good friends despite starting off as enemies.

“There is the Eternal Light Mother, is it not? That self-righteous bitch has held her own till now.”

Having had enough of the man’s whining, Leiu turned to Quhea, “Can you please explain to this idiot?”

The Creator of Knowledge smiled and, with a sweet and melodious voice, spoke,

“The balance between the Primordial Light and Primordial Darkness is still shifting towards the latter, Wolfram. The former needs an appropriate 'being' to fully return to its natural stability and power. However, besides a Creation God, there is no other entity capable of sustaining it. I, for one, do not doubt your ability to slay Sedos, nor do I intend to stop you, but you must understand the consequences. The Rift is expanding and Leiu cannot stop it if the imbalance remains.”

“Hah! Then what about that little scheme of yours? I thought you found a good helper.”

Leiu shook his head, “It’s too soon. You know that I can’t get rid of the Void, even with your help. We need someone with us to stop them from regenerating.”

“...”

The Dark Knight let out a heavy sigh, which seemed to carry the burden of thousands of years.

“I am tired, Wolfram. I want this to end. You have my word that, at the end, I will fight you and give you the battle of your life. After all, there is none but you who can kill me.”

The Trickster didn’t look that pleased, nevertheless, he dismissively waved his hand, “Alright alright! Since you won’t let me do anything fun, I’m going beyond the Rift. The Void can provide me with some sport, at the very least.”

He pulled a card from under his sleeve and crushed it before walking out of the garden.

“Will there be a problem with Sedos? He’s being reborn on the titan, no?”

“Problems ought to happen.” Responded the exasperated Leiu.

“And what of your protégé? Do you believe he’ll make it?”

“Foresight isn’t amongst my abilities, Quhea. I can but hope.”

She eyed the youth clad in a blood-soaked armor before speaking again, “Surely there are other ways to strengthen him faster? Blessings or artifacts. I can help yo-”

“That is what you Gods will never understand, Quhea.” He interrupted, his voice a bit cold and distant, “Blessings are temporary and restrictive. Artifacts can be destroyed. It doesn’t matter who it is, a God or a mortal, true Transcendence is only for those who acquire power by themselves. Alas, I’ve never seen a God understand this concept.”

“...”

“There is a fundamental difference between being given power, like you and your kin, and fighting tooth and nail to get it. Through hardships, battles, tragedies… and even death and rebirth. That is what makes me and Wolfram different. That, Quhea, is why he and I reached these heights.”

“You’re talking to me as if I'm a child and can’t understand something as simple as that.” She crossed her arms, feigning anger.

“You do not understand, Quhea. As long as you don’t experience it, I’m afraid you will never understand.”

An uncomfortable silence flowed in the air before Quhea opened her mouth,

“Weren’t you ‘destined’ to be the Dark Knight. How is that not being given power?”

"You know well that I wasn't always like this, Quhea. When I started, I was but a weak human playing a game for fun. I did not simply gain power, I took it by force. I earned at the cost of suffering and all those I held dear. Indeed, being the Dark Knight did grant me powers, but they weren't enough. I have died and been forced to start from scratch yet I still grew stronger... you also know what happened when I came back, yes?"

Her expression turned sombre as she avoided her cold gaze.

He scoffed at her reaction and then removed one of his gloves and brought his index close to his head.

After a couple of moments, a shining blob of light was pulled from within. He gently pushed it towards the Creation God.

When it went inside of her head, she closed her eyes. Thereafter, a moan of pain escaped her lips, her body trembling ever-so-slightly.

“How was that?” He asked, his tone containing a hint of mockery.

“Horrible.”

“Exactly.” He confirmed, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

Her perplexion was clear, which only confirmed his point that the Gods wouldn’t be able to understand. Nonetheless, he didn’t say anything.

He watched her fidget around uncomfortably, visibly disturbed by what she experienced.