348 Close Call
“SHIIIITT!!!”
I was furious.
>BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<
The ground shattered apart as I stomped it with complete annoyance.
How could I let him get away like that? Just because I was being too cautious, I allowed Paul to escape my grasp.
The danger his existence posed to me was by no means small.
While he was weaker than me now, how long would that last?
He had certainly grown beyond my wildest imagination. there was no telling how much of a threat he would be the next time we met.
Yet… Yet…
“Fuck! Shit! Damn it!!”
I cursed some more, feeling anger and frustration consume me.
Fortunately, the emotions didn’t last very long. Thanks to my [Merciless] Title, I got over my unstable emotions pretty quickly and retained my rational mind.
However, the moment I could think logically, a new emotion began lurking deep within me.
—FEAR!
The intensity multiplied, but was quickly suppressed by my Title.
My throat suddenly felt dry, my body shivered, and I trembled slightly.
The words of Paul sharply plagued my mind.
“They’re after me… they want to kill me…?”
The more I thought of it, the less sense it made.
The gods, most likely other Supreme Beings—or could it be the same one I knew?
Why would such a superior persona be concerned with someone like me?
According to my memories of the Sacred Hall, it didn’t seem like the guy actually had any ill will toward me.
“Is he still mad about the commotion I made when I was still there?”
But, did that really warrant sending a bunch of killers after me?
‘Scary… I’m actually… scared…?!’
A supreme being coming after me was something I could never have predicted.
God, or rather, gods, were the ones behind this catastrophe… right?
I was playing the game fair and square, wasn’t I?
Or was I a bug that had grown beyond their expectations?
True, my abilities were pretty much cheats at this point, but… I never asked for this Gift!
‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’
Could I really handle enemies like them?
They gave Gifts so freely, watched the world beyond the boundaries of space and time, and were basically omnipotent according to all standards.
How could I measure up to that?
The Angel was hard enough to beat, and I wasn’t even confident in fighting that thing in my current state.
That thing was close to a Grade 10 Demon according to what I knew… and something told me she was still holding back.
If it wasn’t for my ability… I would have died.
Then, there was Paul.
He was relatively weaker, but… he actually nearly got me good.
Who would be next?
Was I even safe anymore?
Was there any point in striving so hard for survival?
If they wanted… if they actually wanted to, then they could just end me like that!
… Right?!
Once more, my emotions began to plummet as a result of my Title.
‘But…’
My rational mind began working.
‘… If they want me dead…’
The gears in my head were turning.
‘… And they could easily achieve it…’
My eyes widened as my pursed lips parted.
“… Why haven’t they done so already?”
It was an impudent question.
I was basically questioning God, but…
“They’re omnipotent, so why…?!”
Sending an Angel, and now a loser like Paul… Why didn’t they just do the job themselves?
Could it be that they couldn’t?
Was the whole System designed for that purpose? Could they not interfere with me?
‘Is it because of my (G) abilities, or…?!’
There were so many things that confused me. Why me?!
However, no matter how much I agonized over these matters, it was all pointless.
I was never going to get any answers… at least not correct ones.
Guessing incorrectly would only be more detrimental to me.
The best I could do was ensure I had countermeasures in place.
If I faced an opponent like the Angel, I could absorb them into [Subspace], assuming that was still an option.
Since it didn’t work for Paul, I had to prepare for situations where [Subspace] couldn’t save me.
Becoming too dependent on my Gift would prove fatal in an emergency fight.
Then… what would happen if I happened to face a more powerful opponent?
I needed to prepare more countermeasures. The whole Apocalypse had become something of a joke to me at some point, considering I was already so overpowered.
For a moment, I actually thought it would be smooth sailing.
However, with a threat like this at the corner, I could no longer be at ease.
I had to get stronger… and fast!
If I was right, then the so-called ‘gods’ could only send adversaries to end me.
The solution was simply to get stronger than anyone else and reach the pinnacle.
That way, they wouldn’t be able to meddle with me any longer.
Until then, I simply had to stay one step ahead.
Even with my fear and caution, I couldn’t help but feel let down that they would employ the aid of someone like Paul to kill me.
Was there something special about him that I didn’t know of? Or were they simply out of options?
Either way…
‘… For beings who are called gods… they’re pretty disappointing.’
********************
“No. No. No. No. No. No!!! Nooooo!!!” Paul howled as he appeared in his shelter.
His gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes were enough to tell anyone who saw him that he was extremely furious.
“No!!!” He growled even more.
Behind him was a smaller person—a girl—his partner.
She simply stood in a corner, looking at him with sad eyes.
A troubled and disappointed expression permeated her face.
Those emotions weren’t directed at Paul, but at herself.
While her partner was in a frenzy of rage and frustration, she simply blamed her powerlessness.
She was so useless.
‘I couldn’t even do anything…’
Thanks to her, Paul could no longer have access to the Hidden Floor within the Tower Of Conquerors.
‘I’m sorry…’
Because she panicked after seeing Paul kneeling and trembling before the enemy, the girl had quickly chosen the most effective means of escape.
Fortunately, they had escaped.
Unfortunately, they missed the mark.
Even if she wanted to apologize to the frustrated man… she couldn’t.
Still… even though she felt guilty about it… Lily was relieved.
At least, Paul was still alive.
Even though he was on the verge of breaking down… he still drew breath.
Their plans had been thrown into shambles, but at least Paul was not fatally harmed.
‘… I’m sorry…’
At times like this… all she could do was silently watch and profusely render apologies within her thoughts.
And so, Lily kept watching as Paul wailed in anger, bitterness, frustration, anger, disappointment, weakness… and immense hatred.
‘… I’m so sorry.’