Hot and desolate.
In the vast expanse of desert, only a young man lay collapsed on the ground.
After a moment, as if sensing the young man had fainted and was no longer moving, the sun in the sky suddenly trembled. It shook slowly at first, then gradually accelerated, leaving behind faint traces.
Gradually, it separated from the sun in the sky, transforming into a new sun that hung silently, reflecting against the real sun.
The newly appeared sun began to withdraw its dazzling light, and the temperature on the ground slowly decreased.
The sun underwent another change, transforming into a cyan-gold middle-aged man. He was bare-chested, with gold and red patterns on his chest covered partially by a flowing white beard.
His back was engraved with lotus flowers, supporting a gold-red sun above. Streams of light burst forth and receded from his body.
Then he transformed into a beam of light, instantly appearing beside Adam who lay on the ground. The air around them still carried a scalding warmth.
He crouched down and lightly touched the human's forehead with his index finger. A peculiar energy flowed and circulated through the fallen body.
A few seconds later, he withdrew his finger.
Seemingly satisfied, he nodded and commented, "Hmm. Not bad! This body is passable, I can accept it."
Calm, passionate, indifferent — though it was just a brief sentence, this three-stage speaking tone sounded very strange, as if deliberately done.
Afterward, he underwent another transformation.
He turned back into a sun identical to the one in the sky!
But unlike the sun above, this transformed sun appeared somewhat illusory, not even radiating a hint of warmth — like the morning sun.
Then, he slowly descended to merge with the unconscious human. Finally, they became one.
But before he could take any further action, Adam, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hmph, finally caught you!"
"Surprised. What's going on?! So you weren't unconscious, you're actually awake."
From within Adam's body came the middle-aged man's strange three-stage speech, expressing pure disbelief.
"Ah, of course, how could I possibly be unconscious in this situation? That strange sun was your doing, wasn't it?" Adam remained lying on the ground, his lips cracked and his voice weak.
Yet his tone showed no weakness; rather, it carried a hint of mockery.
"That sun hovering directly above me even as I ran so far away was suspicious enough. If I hadn't noticed it growing larger and gradually approaching me, I'd truly be a hopeless fool."
"I see. So you discovered it! Even if you did, what can you do about it?" The middle-aged man recovered from his brief surprise and made a disdainful remark, "Having merged with your body, I know clearly that you're at the end of your rope, so what can you possibly do?"
He showed total unconcern, as if he had Adam completely figured out.
"Is that so... well, we'll see about that."
At this moment, Adam's body indeed had not a trace of Mana left, but this was merely his normal state.
"Let me ask you something — you've entered my body. Could it be that you want to take it over?"
"Yes. Of course! Your body is suitable, so I want to possess it." The middle-aged man said matter-of-factly, "If a body can accommodate me, what reason would I have not to take it?"
Such shameless words — it was hard to imagine how he could utter them so casually, without any shame befitting a villain.
"How infuriating." Adam struggled a bit, but found his body completely immobile. He spoke again, "You, wanting to take over someone else's body — don't you feel even a little guilty?"
"No. How could I! In my eyes, you're merely livestock, an ant that sustains me."
"You... what did you say?!" Adam exploded at the middle-aged man's words, "How dare you call me livestock?! From the beginning you've been arrogant, taking over someone else's body without remorse — you're truly a despicable villain! You...! Ahhh—!!!"
He tried to continue his verbal assault, but suddenly an enormous energy surged through his body, seizing complete control.
The intense burning sensation struck without warning, forcing an instinctive cry from his lips.
It was excruciating!
Temperature inside his body skyrocketed, searing Adam's flesh and nerves.
Not just flesh and nerves — he could feel other parts of himself burning to ashes as well.
If he couldn't stop this quickly, he would perish!
Yet it was this sudden attack that triggered Adam's innate talent —〚Last Hope〛.
Mana, physical strength, and mental energy all began rapidly recovering and increasing!
Before, the middle-aged man had shown no malicious intent, but his attempt to seize Adam's body and subsequent attack had automatically activated this talent skill.
"Amazed. Oh—! What a perfect body, I certainly didn't misjudge." The middle-aged man inside him seemed surprised, delighted by this sudden resurgence of power.
This delight was the last thing Adam wanted to see.
Facing this powerful being who coveted his body, Adam cursed his own stupidity. In his attempt to catch the mastermind, he had placed himself in mortal danger.
How foolish!
"It hurts! Ha... ha... it really hurts! I almost passed out from the pain. By the way, who are you? Why do you want my body?" Adam asked, trying to discover a weakness through these seemingly casual questions.
If they continued this deadlock, he would be the only one to suffer!
"Me? You ask who I am?! Hahaha — you actually ask who I am?"
Laughter erupted from within his body.
Then, he abandoned his strange three-part tone. His voice now carried wild abandon and unmistakable pride. He both praised himself and proclaimed to the world, speaking what sounded like a sacred hymn:
"In the morning I am called Atum, in the evening I am called Amun.
I pilot the Mandjet and Mesektet, the thousand-year divine ships that traverse the sky.
The world is mine to roam!
The scarab is my rebirth, the falcon is my messenger, the herdsman is my servant.
I watch over the earth!
The lion proclaims my might, the phoenix represents my pride, the crocodile symbolizes my ambition.
I never fall!
I am worshipped, I am revered.
I walk in the sky, on earth, and in the underworld, spreading the most sacred light!
The sky is occupied by me, the world is beneath my feet!
I am... The Sun God · Ra!"
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