"But you seem to not understand."
"It doesn't matter. Insects don't need to understand much."
His tone carried a hint of disdain—not arrogance, but cold indifference.
"You can't wield the Sword of Salvation. I will."
Zane narrowed his eyes. His tone was relaxed, as if he were talking about something trivial. Then he continued softly,
"At the very least, I can't entrust the fate of what I hold dear to a bunch of ridiculous fools like you."
"I have my own path to follow."
He had already made his decision. He knew what he wanted. In the end, he couldn't remain indifferent.
At his core, Zane had already found his place in this world. When the nest falls, how can the eggs remain intact?
If taking initiative and going through some trouble could eliminate future threats to himself and those he cherished, then it was worth it.
On a broader scale, he simply couldn't stand things like what happened to Pixie. He couldn't stand what the children in the orphanage had to endure. He couldn't stand these filthy insects!
With the absolute power he held, he couldn't just watch from the sidelines. His conscience wouldn't allow it.
With great power comes great responsibility. As long as it didn't harm him and was even beneficial, Zane was happy to offer support.
Besides, his secrets were growing deeper, and his entanglements more complex...
The strange fluctuations around him became increasingly intense. At the same time, the scholar struggled to move to the side, his voice drifting to Zane's ears.
"You were right about one thing—once you have enough strength, stepping forward really is the better choice."
"Waiting passively like before, sure, it was convenient and easy, but it was too passive... and far too frustrating."
An Ether crystal longsword formed in Zane's hand. He raised it, running his fingers slowly along the smooth blade.
His body began to flicker.
"Being proactive... yeah, it'll be better. From now on, I'll take the lead. Trouble or not, this is something I must do."
"The ones hiding in New Eridu, the secrets of Hollow Zero, and all of you insects that hinder me, obstruct me, threaten me..."
Zane slashed his sword. His eyes were bright, but a deep chill radiated from them. His flickering form accelerated, drawing ever closer to Anomaly.
"I'll hunt down every last one of my enemies, personally... one by one..."
"Wipe! Them! Out!"
As the final word fell, his form stabilized. To the naked eye, nothing had changed.
But this was merely a delicate balance between overlapping spaces.
With his exceptional learning ability, Zane had, in just a few lines of conversation, multitasked and figured out how Anomaly dodged attacks.
Only now did he realize that his past struggles with spatial control weren't just due to its inherent difficulty—
It was also because he'd never had a good teacher.
His gaze landed on Anomaly. A slight smile touched his lips.
"You're a good teacher. That demonstration was impressive."
"Killing you will be more satisfying now."
Whoosh—!
A sudden gust of wind howled, and a black shadow crashed down like a falling cannonball, slamming hard into Zane and blasting through him before striking the ground.
The earth cracked. A massive web-like crater spread out. Zane stared calmly at the attacker, completely unscathed.
From the center of the crater, the black figure slowly rose. Its form was peculiar—like a crouching beast cloaked in darkness. But as it stood, it revealed a humanoid figure.
Aside from the forward-arched back—reminiscent of a predator stalking its prey—and an oversized upper torso, it looked almost human.
"This form... you succeeded?"
The scholar was clearly shocked. He scrutinized the figure up and down. Although the shadow didn't respond, he was certain.
It was that glasses-wearing man from before. He'd spoken to that woman and had taken the initiative to go after the Sacrifice's corpse.
"No... you didn't succeed, but you didn't fail either. Is it because the Sacrifice was already dead...?"
Now, the scholar saw nothing but the creature before him.
Zane's gaze also fell on the beast, which resembled an Ethereal even more than Anomaly.
He casually dispelled the spatial distortion around his body, returning to normal.
That form wasn't sustainable—it required immense focus.
Just earlier, while maintaining it, he could only take a direct hit without dodging. That was the downside of full concentration.
Not that it could hurt him.
"Fire Picker! Didn't you say I had no respect for life?! You were right! In my eyes, even my own life is a flower I can trample at will!"
The scholar suddenly shouted at Zane. He seemed desperate to prove something—to make a statement.
Under Zane's gaze, he pulled out a small vial and downed it in one gulp. Ether energy began to surge violently around him.
"I will become one with Azazel..."
It was the same scene as during Hollow Zero. Blood engulfed the scholar's body, turning liquid, then merging rapidly with Azazel.
In the blink of an eye, the scholar was gone.
Azazel's form grew bulkier. It stood tall, its inverted-triangle head swaying slightly. The angular Ether crystals on its body reflected a strange glow.
But instead of attacking immediately, it quickly retreated—as if it needed time to adapt.
Zane watched it recede, smiled faintly, and rubbed his wrist. Then he began walking toward the distant Azazel.
Thumb-sized, square Ether crystals rapidly formed, orbiting him in increasing numbers.
"Funny how, even though my title is Fire Picker, I mostly use ice energy..."
As his words drifted down, countless Ether crystals gathered around him, forming a vortex that spiraled faster and faster—
Like a pitch-black tornado.
"Fire Picker! Tear it apart!"
Azazel might've succeeded... but it also might've failed. It roared—
And that was it.
Up above, no longer suppressed by Zane, Anomaly had already escaped and regrouped with Azazel.
In the heart of the black storm, Zane stood calm and still.
The next moment, he stepped forward out of the vortex. His figure was tall, radiant with a dark golden sheen, his piercing blue eyes hypnotic.
"Oh? Still got the nerve to attack me while conscious? You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Zane smiled, then continued,
"Guess I should live up to Shin's talent for names. Since I'm the Fire Picker... this time, let's let hellfire burn everything down."
He raised his hand. Ether crystals surged, rapidly forming a massive greatsword. In an instant, the sky was filled with them, blocking out the sun.
There were no flames, but the temperature around Zane rose sharply.
Above, a massive black dragon took shape—each scale, each strand of hair vividly lifelike, awe-inspiring in its majesty.
It coiled behind Zane, sacred and imposing, yet also bloodthirsty and fierce—its presence overwhelming.
The heat melted the surrounding ice, and torrents of crimson burst free, painting the battlefield in blood.
A sea of blood surged!
Aside from the two unique Ethereals, no other enemies remained in this world.
Zane walked forward across the blood, his figure flickering closer with each step. The dark dragon followed behind him.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Since you call me a god, then you should understand one thing..."
"To challenge a god... is foolish."
"I just hope... you let me enjoy it a little longer..."