"ANSWER ME, STEFAN!!!"
Despite screaming with such gall, Ivan's loud voice echoed more helplessness than authority.
He was so puzzled and broken by the heartwrenching sight that he couldn't barely hide his feelings.
"You don't need to shout." Stefan answered with a small sigh.
A brief moment of silence echoed amidst the two sides, and Stefan raised his gaze to the distant sky above him—probably staring at the far reaches of space.
"Purpose. I have none any longer." He mumbled.
For a moment, no one said anything. Perhaps they misheard him, or couldn't understand what he was saying.
"In the past, I desired to be strong. Stronger than Maria, stronger than Jared. I just didn't want to be inferior to anyone…"
His cold gaze flickered with a bit of light before fading away very swiftly.
"But after suffering defeat at the hands of Maria, I had an epiphany. It's all pointless. In the end… I am inferior. Attaining more power through whatever means doesn't change the fact that she was born better. It just means I did more to attain the power she got so easily."
No one spoke. They couldn't interrupt.
"And no matter how much power I obtained… it was always possible for her to gain even more. The same applied to Jared… and to even you, Ivan. Power can be given, and power can be taken. In the end, it has no meaning of its own." Stefan sighed.
"It's useless without purpose."
"So… you joined Legris because it gives you purpose?" Kazen asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Precisely. After being in the emptiness… the void of a purposeless life… he offered to grant me what I desired." He cast his gaze back down to the group that stared at him.
Their expressions ranged from confusion to downright anger.
He knew they wouldn't be able to understand his plight. After all, he was causing so much pain all for his selfish desire.
But that didn't matter to him. He didn't care what anyone thought of him—not anymore.
"I will assist Legris in his plan and see its fruition with my very eyes. That is my new purpose."
"A purpose that is bathed in the blood of innocents?"
Stefan's gaze focused on Kazen, and rather than respond to her question, he decided to shrug it off.
"What I am currently doing is something only I can do." He spoke softly.
"Ciel has her goals and purpose. So does Legris. It is necessary that I am here. He needs me to be here. The very thought of that grants me enough satisfaction to outweigh the desecration of lives that hold no meaning to me."
Right here and now—at this very moment—he felt alive.
"Since this validates my existence, I will not stop. I will continue doing this, no matter the consequence."
It was a far better fate than remaining a hollow shell of an existence.
"If you want to stop me… if that validates your existence and gives you purpose, then go ahead." Stefan's voice trailed.
"I don't mind."
He had gone on and on concerning his reasons, but in the end, the fight was what mattered.
The battle to preserve their lives was of utmost pertinence to them.
'I understand. Try your best to defeat me, then.'
~WHOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!~
Kazen suddenly appeared in front of Stefan, a bright glow of white electricity covering her fist.
"It's point—"
~VWUUUMMMM!!!~
Before he could conclude his words, she sent her fist flying towards him.
As he expected, however, his automatic barrier blocked off the attack.
'Her soul and energy are in a fragmented state, so I'm guessing her prime is stronger than this. Still, this is pretty weak.' Stefan's thoughts trailed.
~VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!~
Suddenly, the surge of electricity expanded, completely shrouding Stefan's surroundings in a storm of white lightning.
Still, nothing reached him.
"Tch. It's as I suspected. You're surrounded by an invisible force." Kazen smiled, still pouring electricity through her hand.
"You catch on slowly."
"Don't mind me. I must be getting on in years." She responded, now using her second hand to compliment the currently explosive electricity.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!~
The explosion caused an explosive spark in the sky, filling everything for miles.
Even the shockwave caused the distant group to be pushed away as a result of its intensity.
~WHUSH!~
Kazen teleported back to her comrades, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the rampaging explosion she caused.
"Did that work?" Elrich asked, a tired smile spreading across his weary face.
"No. It didn't touch him at all."
"Argh… damnit." He mumbled under his breath.
He must have hoped that if anyone was to catch Stefan by surprise and land a solid hit, it would be an Apostle of Aether.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Not even Kazen could damage him.
"Even in my prime, I don't think I would be able to win against him. The barrier around him isn't simply made of Aether." She sighed, half talking to herself and also speaking to Elrich.
"Correct."
Stefan's voice suddenly reverberated from the devastation above.
He emerged from the chaos completely unscathed, a lethargic expression still on his face.
"It's a mix of Aether and Nether that creates a spatial singularity around me that prevents anything from reaching me."
"Anti-Magic?" Elrich gawked, almost shocked by the impossibility of what he was hearing.
"It's not Anti-Magic. Maybe something similar to Anti-Matter? It simply reverses causality thanks to the opposing nature of the two opposite properties meeting each other at the same time." Stefan explained.
Rather unfortunately, most of what he said couldn't be comprehended by those beneath him.
"As you can see, I have access to both Aether and Nether. I could kill you all very easily if I wanted to. For example…"
Right there and then, time seemed to stop for Stefan.
No one could move, and it was simply because he was moving much faster than they could comprehend.
'Where do I start?'
*
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Thanks for reading, everyone!
In case you guys don't remember, Kazen was at Neron's wedding, and she's still around.
Hope you liked the read.
