In a conference room of the Hero Foundation, Venomous, Light Strike, and Imaginia sat in chairs around a circular table. Venomous leaned forward, taking a deep breath. Something had been on his mind for a while now.
"So, have any of you heard about Demon Babe?"
Light Strike looked half asleep, not responding. Imaginia, however, put her finger to her chin, thinking for a bit.
"The queen of Dying Star right?"
Yeah... well. I never told you this, but I was actually sent to recruit her to the Hero Foundation a while back.
Imaginia, looking surprised, tilted her head a bit.
"Really? Why?"
"Because she is extremely powerful. I'm confident that she was the one who had defeated that beast in Brazil."
"Wait really? I always assumed that it was just another hero who didn't want to be named. Either way, if you're telling the truth, why hasn't she joined?"
"Well I was getting to that. I went over there to see her, and she... well, she proved that she was not on our side by any means."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"She... she beat me up pretty badly."
"..."
Imaginia sat there, completely shocked. She already assumed that there were probably cultivators out there who had powers that rivaled or even surpassed the powers of the heroes, but even so, she found it a bit hard to believe that it was someone who had a name as ridiculous as Demon Babe.
"So, that's why you were so badly injured."
"Yeah..."
"Well, why bring it up then? It seems like it's very embarrassing to you."
"It's because she has enough power to leave me half alive without even breaking a sweat, and yet... there is another person who I believe has greater power."
Imaginia involuntarily let out a scoff. She was already having a hard enough time believing that Saneko was that powerful, let alone believing that another being was even more powerful.
"Who could that possible be?"
"Remember that super villain we've been trying to track down? I think it's him."
"The one with fire magic? I mean, I know he is powerful, but there is no way he is powerful enough to defeat someone who completely dwarfed your own powers. I'm sorry, I just don't buy it."
"I don't blame you for not believing me. I don't really believe it myself, but the reason I say this is because Dying Star had been taken over, and I'm pretty sure it was by him."
"... You're being serious right now?"
"Yes. You can find it on the news or by looking it up. I actually went to Dying Star not too long ago. It was right when I heard about the country being taken over. I flew over there and I immediately sensed something greater than I had ever sensed before. I got scared and immediately left."
"So you didn't even see him. How do you know he's stronger than Demon Babe?"
"Because, even when Demon Babe was beating me up, I didn't sense anything close to this level of power."
Imaginia was about to retort, but stopped herself, knowing that she wasn't even there, so her statement wouldn't really mean anything. She decided to just take his word for it.
"So what do we do?"
"... I don't know."
As the gravity of the situation settled over them, the once-relaxed atmosphere of the room grew tense. The top three heroes of the Hero Foundation were no match for whoever this person was. Light Strike rolled his eyes, not caring at all about what they were saying. He hated working for the Hero Foundation as it was.
Saneko sauntered down the crowded hallway of Anetop Academy, a smug grin plastered across her face. She tried to look superior than everyone else as she walked, but no one really noticed. Even the lower ranking students sort of forgot about her. All-in-all, nothing new. In her mind, she was thinking about what would happen is she decided to show off just a little bit right now.
"I'm sure if I levitated off of the ground just a little bit, people would immediately circle around me hehe."
Saneko didn't seem to care that levitation was a pretty common skill. Just as she was about to lift off of the ground, a voice called out behind her.
"Don't do it Saneko."
She automatically recognized that voice. She let out a disgruntled sigh and spoke telepathically.
"Stop showing up at the worst moments N."
"Don't you mean best moments? I'm practically a parent to you."
"I can take care of myself!"
"Yeah, and you can 'take care' of the world too if you're not careful."
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not that reckless."
"So you say."
Feeling frustrated, she growled a bit, but calmed herself, knowing that people would find her weird for seemingly growling at the air.
"Why are you here anyway."
"I just wanted to see if you've watched the news recently."
"The news? Why would I bother with that? I'm too busy being awesome to care about whatever boring stuff is happening in the world."
Nakialia really wanted to smack Saneko sometimes, but always restrained herself due to a mix of self-control and fear. Mostly out of fear.
"This isn't just any news. It's about Dying Star. Someone has taken it over.”
"Dying Star? You mean that country I created?"
"Yeah, that one. What else would I be talking about?"
For a moment, Saneko stood still in the middle of the hallway, motionless. She blinked a few times trying to process what Nakialia had just said. On one hand, someone dared to go against her, which was infuriating. But on the other hand, this was on the news, and reclaiming a country had to be the coolest thing ever. Raising her fist to the sky with an expression of determination, Saneko smirked as she continued to speak telepathically.
"THIS IS PERFECT! WHO DID IT?"
"I dunno. Some guy who seems to be acting like you."
Saneko lowered her fist, looking a bit confused at Nakialia's statement.
"Huh? Like me?"
"Yeah. He sits the same way you do. The news have quoted some things he has said, and they sound like words that would come out of your mouth. Also, I'm pretty sure there's a picture of him drinking a banana smoothie out there."
"OH HELL NO! TAKING MY COUNTRY IS ONE THING! BUT TAKING MY STYLE IS ANOTHER!"
Saneko looked down and held up her tie, looking at the white design she drew on it.
"Don't tell me he is wearing the same clothes as me too."
"Oh, don't worry about that. He changes his outfit a lot, but I think he has settled on wearing some golden cloak I think. He also uses a scythe as his main weapon. Actually, I think he was the villain that was destroying cities with fire magic."
Saneko let go of her tie and sighed in relief.
"Phew. At least he's not stealing my style. That's what makes me ultra superior after all."
"Are you joking or are you just psychotic?"
"I WILL GO AND DEFEAT HIM AT ONCE!"
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"Of course you aren't listening."
Saneko was about to teleport, but realized that there were other students around. She knew that teleporting would definitely get all of their attentions, but she had to follow her mom's rules. She was very inconsistent when obeying her mom's rule about teleportation, but at least she'd obey when she thought about it. She started walking off to the restroom.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the restroom because I can't teleport in public or whatever."
"Oh, so now you follow the rules."
Saneko entered the restroom and looked around, seeing if anyone else was there. She saw no one, so she decided to take the opportunity to teleport right outside of the capital building of Dying Star. Nakialia followed her, manifesting herself beside her.
"I assume whoever took over my country is inside here, correct?"
"I don't really know, but that's probably the case."
"Excellent."
Saneko dusted off her suit, trying to look as distinguished as possible. She stood up straight, making sure her posture was perfect before clearing her throat and stepping up to the door. She showed her teeth with a smug grin and began opening it. As the door creaked open and let a light shine into the capital building, the man on the throne just assumed it was some other person who came in to tell him something.
"Ugh, who could it be now?"
He looked over to the door, squinting his eyes. Once he saw who it was, his heart practically stopped. He definitely wanted to kill Saneko to prove himself as the strongest human to ever exist, but at the same time, he was still a fanboy. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about how excited he was.
"NO WAY! IT'S REALLY HER!"
Despite his mind racing with excitement, he had to control himself. He too cleared his throat and dusted off his cloak. Saneko stepped inside with her hands in her suit pockets, looking as smug as ever. He still couldn't believe he was seeing her in person. He stood up from the throne and walked down the small staircase that led up to it.
"Greetings Demon Babe. I have been awaiting you. I take it you were far too horrified to see someone match your strength and take over your country. That is why it took you so long to arrive."
"Heh. I didn't even know you existed. I had to have one of my servants tell me. That's how insignificant you are to me."
Nakialia narrowed her eyes upon hearing Saneko's statement.
"No way in hell she just called me her servant."
The man leaned back as he laughed condescendingly, just like how Saneko would.
"How hilarious. Well, let's not beat around the bush. I have followed your lifestyle knowing how great your powers are. I decided that I could possibly get your attention by being on the news, destroying cities with such simple fire magic, but you never seemed to notice, and instead, the Hero Foundation started a search for me, so I had to come up with another idea. I watched news clippings of you over and over again, studying your every movement to see how powerful you were. I realized that practice would do nothing for me. I must instead do what you do, and become you. And because of that, I have power beyond any mortal's comprehension."
"Hm. Simply sounds like you're my biggest fan. How sweet."
"Ha! Don't flatter yourself! It was just necessary for attaining godhood."
Nakialia just watched them from outside the entrance. It was like watching someone argue with themselves in the mirror. The man stared at his fingernails, a staple action of Saneko. It was weird, because Saneko never even did this in the news clippings. It's almost like he had fully become her.
"I believe we should cease such irrelevant banter and actually begin this fight, but first..."
He walked back up to grab his scythe that was leaning against the throne before walking back down.
"I think it would be good to introduce myself. You know, to show respect. My name is Antonio Guzmán. I was born in Mexico City. Regardless of how I act, I truly do wish to have a fair fight with you. So, Demon Babe. Tell me your real name and we shall begin."
Saneko closed her eyes and giggled loud enough for him to hear. She then pointed towards him and tilted her head, looking at him as if he were a pitiful ant.
"You think I consider you my equal? You are nothing but a rodent that doesn't deserve to know my real name."
Guzmán was shocked. How could he be so careless? How did he not realize that Saneko would pull the ultimate cool move and refuse to give him her name. He should have prepared for this. Trying to act as if what had just happen didn't stun him, he spoke up again.
"Ah, I see. You're as arrogant as ever. I must admit, I admire that."
At this point, Nakialia didn't know who to root for.
Holding up his scythe, Guzmán chuckled as it began to glow with a blue hue.
"I'm sure you know what Imbuement is."
"Never heard of it."
"Ha! Good one. I have perfected Imbuement. I have achieved Nirvana. All because I followed your daily life, and I must thank you for that."
Nakialia's mouth dropped. Saneko was telling the truth about not knowing what imbuement was, but Nakialia definitely knew what it was. Achieving Nirvana was something that should be entirely impossible. It made the mind body and soul entirely immortal. Even if someone was erased on such a level that the very idea of their existence was removed from reality, if they achieved Nirvana, they could regenerate from nothing. The ultimate power that allowed for a human to be God. Of course, an imbued item was just as powerful. How did someone achieve this state by acting smug and drinking banana smoothies?
Without wasting anymore time, Guzmán charged towards Saneko and swung his scythe as hard as possible. Saneko simply took a single step back and evaded the attack like it was nothing. Guzmán wasn't upset though, in fact, this is what he wanted. He was having a real fight with Demon Babe. He lifted his scythe again to slice downwards, but Saneko just moved to the side with another single step, evading it entirely.
Nakialia shouted, trying to get Saneko's attention.
"SANEKO! JUST LEAVE! HE IS A GOD! I KNOW YOU'RE STRONG, BUT YOU CAN'T DEFEAT AN IMMORTAL DEUS!"
Nakialia's words only made Saneko more confident in herself.
"Oh god, I just made it worse by talking didn't I."
Guzmán continued swinging his scythe, but no matter how many times, Saneko sidestepped each swing by barely moving.
"Using the same attack will get you nowhere."
"Perhaps you are right. Then it is your own funeral."
Guzmán reached his arm out and reality seemed to distort around his hand.
"I have activated time reversal. I will go back before you were born and destroy this world. With the way I am now, I can create a new one with ease. I have already started, so there is no stopping me now!"
"Aww, using such a powerful ability so soon? Seems like you are scared."
"Ha! I am simply putting an end to this as soon as possible, just like you would. Now prepare to die!"
Despite his words, nothing happened. There was a long silence. Guzmán's smile faded a bit as he looked over at his hand.
"What? Why isn't time reversing?"
"I suppose it's because I exist. I am the anchor. Time revolves around me!"
While Saneko was just trying to be overly hyperbolic, she was completely correct. The concept of Last Thursdayism stems from the idea that existence is tied to last Thursday. Nothing existed before last Thursday, so there was nothing before it and all memories are fake. Every Thursday, everything resets from the beginning, meaning the future doesn't exist either. Saneko essentially reflected the same notion. Time, space, and everything else truly did revolve around her, so there was nothing before her, and nothing after. Attempting to revert to the past or skip to the future was a power no cultivator could have, simply because she exists. She is Last Thursday.
Guzmán, noticing how cocky Saneko was looking right now, decided that he had no other option but to continue swinging. He swung the scythe at the side of her stomach. She rolled her eyes, seeing that he hadn't learned his lesson yet. She decided to let him hit her, just to prove that nothing he could do would harm her in anyway. Although, her smug expression disappeared when the scythe penetrated her skin.
Her eyes widened as she looked down at the scythe that was now lodged inside of her skin. Nakialia also froze in shock upon seeing this. Even Guzmán was a bit surprised, although he wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. He pulled the scythe out of Saneko's skin and she fell to her knees. His scythe was now covered in blood.
Lifting the scythe up above his head, he had a maniacal look on his face.
"I truly do respect you Demon Babe, although, your time has ended."
She looked up to him as he swung the scythe down, penetrating her skull. Her mouth opened a bit and her eyes went blank. Once he pulled the scythe out of her skull, she fell to the ground, collapsing face-first to the floor.
Taking a few steps backwards, Nakialia felt her legs weaken.
"No... this... this is impossible. Even someone like Saneko, who should be an anomaly, is no match for Nirvana. I... I tried to warn her."
Guzmán put the scythe over his shoulder and stood over Saneko's body proudly. He turned around and started walking back to the throne, his footsteps echoing throughout the building. Nakialia looked at him walk away. She was still hyperventilating.
"I know I would have never been able to hit you. I'm aware you were just over confident in yourself and let me hit you to prove how durable you were. But look where it led you. You essentially killed yourself."
He continued walking, but the sounds of his footsteps against the tile floor came to a halt when he heard a voice talk behind him.
"What are you even talking about?"
At that moment, he couldn't breathe. Did she really survive having both her stomach and her head pierced by an imbued item? No, that was impossible. He turned around with a look of terror on his face to see what was happening.
Saneko was still on the ground, but was lifting herself up. She looked over to the side of her suit and chuckled quietly to herself.
"I can't believe you ruined my suit."
Saneko turned to glare at him. Her smile looking more menacing than ever, and her eyes completely insane.
"Like you said, maybe I should just end this fight as quickly as possible."
Nakialia gasped upon seeing Saneko unharmed.
"She survived. She actually survived."
Saneko stood up fully and giggled. She pointed her fingers in the shape of a gun to Guzmán's scythe.
"Bam!"
The scythe immediately shattered into pieces. Guzmán was trembling as he witnessed the pieces of the scythe fall to the floor. He witnessed it as if it were happening in slow motion. All of the pieces ceased to glow with the power of Imbuement.
"How... you... you were dead."
"Dead? You think I need a body to live?"
In her mind, she felt overly proud of herself for the way she delivered that line.
"THANK GOD! I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT LINE FOR SO LONG!"
Trying to protect himself, Guzmán reached out his arm to use another ability. Sure, he didn't have an imbued item anymore, but he still had Nirvana. He was practically omnipotent, so any of his attacks should work eventually.
Saneko's eyes turned yellow, and whatever ability Guzmán was about to use, stopped charging, and he no longer felt any power within himself.
"W...what? No... NO! NO NO NO NO!"
Color Spectrum Yellow allowed for Saneko to erase the powers of anyone. It was very similar to the cultivated power of Remove, although Saneko's version could easily erase Nirvana, which is something Remove could not do.
Saneko took a few steps closer to Guzmán, causing him to back up in fear. Nakialia already knew where this was going.
"Don't tell me she's really about to defeat someone who has achieved Nirvana and who has been wreaking havoc on the world for a while now so quickly! In just one chapter no less!"
Saneko put a hand on Guzmán's shoulder and laughed to herself. Her laugh sent a shiver down his spine
"I will admit, you were quite powerful, but there is one thing you forgot. Under the heavens all things will fall like humans, even the stars and the gods, but one thing is eternal, and that is me."
With that, Guzmán disappeared as if he were never there. He was sealed up at the end of time to never escape. Nakialia ran up to where Saneko was and looked around frantically.
"What the hell just happened? Where did he go?"
"Oh, you don't need to know that."
Saneko looked down at her ripped suit and sighed.
"Great. Now I'll have to ask the school for another suit. At least my tie wasn't damaged. The design I drew on it is too perfect."
"Ugh, whatever. I'm just glad you're okay. I thought you died!"
"Really N? I thought you had faith in me by now."
"Yeah, well..."
Saneko walked up the stairs that led to her throne and sat on it, crossing one leg over the other.
"Ah. It feels good to be back."
Nakialia sighed and shook her head.
"You're probably just going to ignore this country again tomorrow like always aren't you."
"Yeah probably."