Ezra sat in the corner of his room, rocking back and forth in a fetal position. The events in Mongolia replayed endlessly in his head. That girl had effortlessly dismissed his powers, and he didn't even know her name.

"This doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible. I’m supposed to win. I ALWAYS win."

The memory of the universes closing off to him like locked doors haunted him. No matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, the truth remained: there was no timeline where he could defeat her. The thought made him nauseous. For a man who had built his identity on being the strongest, this caused his reality to shatter.

Ezra’s gaze shifted to his computer on the desk across the room. The screen glowed faintly in standby mode. He hesitated for a moment before standing up, his legs trembling a bit. He staggered to the chair and sat down on it, staring at the search bar on his browser.

"What could it be? A malfunction? A glitch in my ability?”

He began typing furiously, searching for anything that could explain what had happened. unsurprisingly, looking up "Why were universes closing in on me" didn't give him any search results.

This didn't stop Ezra though. He continued searching up different variations of that term, desperate for any explanation. Luckily for Ezra, cultivation existing meant there was at least one person online thinking of similar things. He found many websites, but none gave an explanation that was sufficient to him. He began mumbling to himself as he read articles on each site.

"Connecting yourself to the timeline could cause one to grow stronger? Impossible. That girl shut many timelines."

He scrolled a bit further.

"Harnessing 100% of your spiritual power? Can't be. That girl most likely exists outside of magic in general."

He continued scrolling.

"Accessing higher cardinals of existence? What does that even mean? No number could ever describe her power!"

He scrolled further down yet again

"Eating fruits and veggies? She probably doesn't even need to eat to sustain herself."

While Ezra was simply stating these things due to how he interpreted her power, it was all truer than he could ever know.

None of these explanations satisfied Ezra. They all seemed too weak, too mundane to account for the overwhelming power he had sensed in Saneko. She was far beyond anything these theories could explain. Just as Ezra was about to give up his search, a peculiar term caught his eye: Novelism.

"Huh? What's this?"

Clicking the link sent him to a website defining a theory of existence. According to the website, Novelism was a belief system that had gained traction among certain circles in recent years. It is essentially the idea that the world is nothing more than a novel, a grand story written by some unknowable deity. Every person, every event, every triumph and tragedy – all of it is simply part of a narrative created by a supreme being unable to be reached by any human, spirit, or plain of existence.

The more Ezra thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make. If the world was indeed a novel, then Saneko could be an author avatar, a representation of the deity who had written their reality into existence. It would explain her seemingly limitless power.

"That has to be it."

Ezra was horrified, but satisfied at the same time. On one hand, it meant that his entire existence, everything he had ever known or accomplished, was potentially nothing more than words on a page. On the other hand, it offered an explanation for the inexplicable powers Saneko had.

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Ezra's emotions then quickly turned to anger. If Saneko was indeed some sort of deity, playing with the lives of mortals for her own amusement, then she needed to be confronted. The very thought of it filled Ezra with pure rage. It seemed like this happened to him a lot.

"She's probably out there right now, committing some heinous crime! I MUST DO SOMETHING!"

Meanwhile Saneko lounged on her bed while reading a light novel.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating. Why isn't anyone taking my greatness seriously anymore?"

Her frustration was getting to her so badly that she couldn't even focus on reading the latest volume of "Every Time I Die I Get $20". She angrily closed the book and sat up in bed before resting her head on the palms of her hands. Just then, Mrs. Sarakana entered the room.

"Everything alright, sweetie? I could hear you grumbling from the kitchen."

Saneko flopped back dramatically onto her pillows.

"It's just... ugh, never mind."

"The contrast in your personalities is so endearing."

Mrs. Sarakana was, for the most part, a very "glass is half full" sort of person. Calling Saneko "endearing" was a very generous way of saying clinically insane.

"Whatever mom. Just leave me alone."

"Alright. Just remember, no matter what, you're still my Saneko. Always remember who you are inside, and don't let this frustration get to you."

Saneko abruptly sat up.

"Who I am inside? Mom, you don't get it. I'm not just 'your Saneko' anymore. I'm a legend. I'm the most powerful person in the omniverse! no, the ultra...verse... y...yeah, THE ULTRAVERSE!"

"Saneko, power doesn't define your worth. You know that."

"BUT I DEFINE POWER!"

Mrs. Sarakana gave off a smile and realized that there was no point talking to Saneko anymore.

"Okie dokie then. Talk to you later."

Closing the door, Mrs. Sarakana shook her head and sighed.

"She must have an upset tummy."

Once she had left the room, Saneko whimpered to herself and crossed her arms.

"I'M THE GREAT DEMON BABE! I DESERVE A CROWD OF WORSHIPPERS AROUND ME AT ALL TIMES!"

Just then, Saneko remembered her adoring disciple. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"THAT'S IT!"

She quickly stood up and ran out of her room, right after changing into her school uniform of course. As she ran out the front door, Mrs. Sarakana looked over with a shocked expression.

"Feeling better already?"

Saneko didn't hear this though. She was already out the door and running down the street. She wasn't even using her clairvoyance. She was simply running around aimlessly looking for her disciple.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

"Huh?"

Saneko stopped in her tracks and turned around to see where that voice was coming from. Once she turned, she saw none other than Ezra standing there.

"I remember you from somewhere. Have you come to witness my greatness?"

Saneko tried to do a cool pose, but she was ecstatic at this moment.

"FINALLY! SOMEONE TO RECOGNIZE MY POWER!"

Ezra scoffed.

"Your power is indeed great, and I just know you will use that power for evil. I also know I can't stop you, but I will die trying!"

Of course, Ezra couldn't have cared less about helping the world or anything. He just couldn't bear the thought of someone being stronger than him. If he died by Saneko's hands, at least he went out trying. Besides, dying to a deity who viewed him as just a character seemed kinda cool.

Saneko's cocky expression turned into a bored one and she shrugged him off.

"Ah, who cares."

"HUH?"

"If you don't think you'll win, what's the point. Either cower in fear or worship me."

"I WILL DO NEITHER! FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!"

Saneko sighed. She thought this was boring, but being called a coward was even worse. She turned around and pointed a finger gun to his foot.

"Bam!"

"OUCH!"

Ezra grabbed his foot which was now bleeding and started hopping up and down in pain.

"Yay. I won."

Saneko had absolutely no enthusiasm in her voice whatsoever.

"YOU SHOOT ME IN THE FOOT AND END IT THERE! WHERE IS YOUR PRIDE!"

"Where it's deserved. You are worth less than the smallest living creature's biological waste."

That hurt Ezra far more than the wound on his foot did. Did she really just say that?

"H...HOW DARE YOU?"

A smirk appeared on Saneko's face. Seeing him get worked up inflated her already gigantic ego.

"But you're simply a worm that's not worth my time."

"Y..YOU'RE REALLY TICKING ME OFF!"

Saneko turned away to hide her smile. She was trying so hard not to giggle.

"And you are a failure.

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

"You dare tell Demon Babe what to do."

"Wait... Demon Babe? That's your name?"

"INDEED! YOU FEAR ME DON'T YOU?"

Ezra's horrified expression disappeared and it was replaced with a neutral one.

"I was, but now I just feel bad for you."

"Ah yes, tell yourself that to hide your fear."

Ezra began thinking to himself about everything he thought he knew.

"Wait... this must not be the same girl. I mean yeah, she has the silver hair and cowlick... but Demon Babe? REALLY? It can't be. Someone so strong couldn't be named Demon Babe."

Shaking his head Ezra waved her off.

"Umm... yeah. Have a nice day, I'm off to... go to... China."

After that very well crafted excuse, Ezra went on his way, not even feeling the pain of his shot foot anymore. Saneko smirked and shook her head condescendingly.

"I could sense the terror radiating off of him."