"This is my honest feelings toward you, Zaira..."
"Fuck you!"
For a moment following his words, there was absolute silence in the world. It wasn't because of a sense of oppression or anything but that the time of the entire world had come to a standstill.
The image of a butterfly fluttering echoed in the visible spectrum as a humanoid entity created wholly out of Mental Energy landed before Slayer, depicting a petite young woman with eyes swirling with starlight akin to an entire galaxy.
Even though his body was constricted, Slayer's eyes trailed towards the lady before soon, his body broke free from the time stop, glaring at the opponent with power-suffused eyes.
"You've changed, Gilthru." The petite woman was a manifestation of energy forming the figure of Zaira, one whose swirling eyes trailed over Slayer, "You've grown stronger than the last time I saw you. Kind of strange, right?"
"Since you've always been my weak underling."
"For a mere few days during my youth." Slayer interjected, "I've never been under your beck and call beyond that."
"True, but it is what it is." Her lips curled up to her ears, "Once my underling, always my underling."
She extended her hand towards him, "The Main Character System fragment in your possession. It's unique and something even Arnark doesn't possess. It has never experienced the modification that all Systems underwent over time. It's still raw and full of potential."
"Why don't you give it to me?"
She tilted her head cutely, "I'm sure I'll have a better use for it than you."
"Hah..." Slayer exhaled a breath of air before muttering with a hint of disdain, "Seriously, Zaira...are you confusing me with Arnark? You know..."
"I'm not the Main Character."
Upon seeing her expression freeze up, Slayer expressed calmly, "I've always been the unfortunate ally that's dragged around by the Main Character. It has never changed. And as it goes in all the stories..."
"I'm not the character that allies with the enemy. I'm just an unfortunate victim that becomes a casualty during the battle between the protagonist and the antagonist."
"So many years, and it seems you've learned how to speak." The figure of Zaira dissipated upon being glared at by Slayer, rendered into bits before being absorbed by the world. Her voice though, still resounded in the world, "But, let's see if you can stop me."
"What?" Slayer's eyes lit up in shock upon sensing a world being created in the same universe.
At the same time, Zaira's smug voice resounded, "Even I cannot carelessly intrude into your world. But, I needn't do that. All I need to do is create another world in the corner of your universe and gradually strengthen it enough to go against your world."
"I have the resources to do that." An instant later, a world formed far away from the Fantasy World, sporting a blank slate. But a second later, billions of lifeforms appeared there, going about with their respective lives as they took on a magical world power system.
It did not use mana through spells like the conventional way but instead relied upon magical technology, creating bioengineered creatures with machinery, resulting in terrifying growth potential.
And worst of all, their sheer numbers and mode of combat formed a natural counter to the power of the Fantasy World. After all, in their world's power system, their magic engineering required the body parts of creatures with magic to create tools out of.
For them, every single living organism in the Fantasy World was a creature whose body parts could be harvested to be turned into magical weapons. By equipping these magical weapons, the natives would grow stronger, creating a beneficial cycle for them and a vicious cycle for those in the Fantasy World.
The enemy would continue to plunder their strength until nothing was left.
This was the standard plot taken in various worlds where the sentient race there--typically humans--rose against the oppressors and transformed the bodies of the slain oppressors into powerful weapons to wield.
Zaira had already enacted the standard approach to destroy Slayer completely, activating more than a million Core Skills to create a functioning, complex world with a sentient race wielding a power system that countered the Fantasy World's power system.
"You said I'll have to be prepared to lose at least one of my three Grade 4 Systems?" Zaira's chuckle resounded, bombarding Slayer as the mountain beside him was levelled instantly, "How cute."
"Not even a single System would lose its life against you. This world I created would continue to wear you down until nothing is left of you."
Considering Slayer's current potential, he could easily kill and absorb the Core Skills of Grade 2 Systems. And swallowing even a Grade 3 System's Core Skill was possible, since he currently controlled the entire Fantasy World, the birthplace of Systems.
Therefore, sending any System to face him was a foolish move, one that would only serve to further strengthen him. This was why Zaira creatively constructed a world whose entire purpose of existence was to invade the Fantasy World and steal its power.
"Slayer, what must we do now?" Keel asked in concern, a tad weaker as compared to before after losing his Apostle powers, "We finally created a solid base for ourselves. But by directly being targeted by Zaira, we're doomed."
"That's where you're wrong." Slayer still wore a smile, "Not using any Systems is the best method to deal with me. But, that is true only if the opponent is me alone."
"You mean...?" Keel's eyes slowly widened in shock as he was smart, instantly grasping what Slayer was getting at.
Balveta stared at Slayer in a hurry, "Do you mean to imply that we extend a hand of alliance to them now, after everything they did to hinder us?"
"Extend a hand of alliance?" Slayer laughed, shaking his head to say, "We needn't do that. Conjurer is chasing after them as we speak. As long as he continues to involve Stencil in his plans, the Main Character is our staunch ally."
"We only need to ensure that Stencil is alive." He said, sensing a vast stream of fate converge in the Fantasy World, "Do you know the term that best describes Compass Carburettor?"
"Isn't it the Main Character?" Balveta spoke in confusion.
"Didn't we find out that Compass Carburettor is just one that forms the Main Character?" Slayer eyed Balveta, urging her to use her brain.
"He's a merchant!" Balveta clapped her hand.
"Normally, that's true." Slayer nodded as his eyes glinted in excitement, staring at the figure of Aronaut and the group teleporting from one place to another, "But add his daughter in the mix, one where she's in harm due to certain elements. That's when his true nature surfaces. And that is..."
Balveta paled in response, staring at Slayer with an incredulous gaze as she muttered, "A-Aggressor. He'll be the aggressor."
"Bingo," Slayer nodded, "The aggressor would appear, just wait."
