Location: Outside of Alec’s Apartment

Time: Tokino-48 year (2108), Feb. 14 (Tue) 22:26

Hassan continued to move closer, but there was still no sign of him summoning a relic, what was his plan?

What was all that about his trump card?

No, at that point it didn’t matter. He had already moved within my range. There wasn’t even a meter between us.

I still didn’t know what he was planning, so there was some risk involved, but I needed to act. I overcomplicated every part of my interaction with Alexis. I won’t make the same mistake twice.

I had a solid grasp on what Hassan was capable of. He shouldn’t be able to avoid me at that range.

And even if he could, there’s no way he’d be able to counterattack.

His only chance of victory was by using an unexpected relic, but he wasn’t summoning one.

Then how did I lose?

I’m pretty confident in my reflexes, but before I even realized what was happening my own talisman was attached firmly to the back of my neck and I was falling to the ground.

Without any way to brace myself, I smashed into the dirt with an unpleasant sound.

Moments later a similar sound echoed through the construction site as Hassan’s bloody body collapsed next to me.

Again, why? If an outsider had seen our current situation, they would definitely think I was the winner, but that’s not possible. I wasn’t even able to follow Hassan’s movements.

I’m not sure how I ended up in that state, let alone him.

“As expected your human bodies aren’t made to exert themselves to such extremes.”

Hassan spoke from the ground next to me. His body seemed as immobilized as mine, but he could at least talk.

“Using every muscle at full capacity was too much. This body will die within minutes.”

What? He’d die within minutes? I couldn’t get a good look at him, but was it really that bad?

And Hassan dying was bad news. The boss wanted him back, alive.

Still, I could save him. I had demon’s blood, along with a few healing talismans in my pockets. The talisman keeping me paralyzed should only last another minute. He wouldn’t die that quickly.

I’m not sure if Hassan was planning some kind of suicide attack, or even how he did it, but if his condition was half as bad as he made it sound, I’d recover first.

“That is fine. Yours will be a more appropriate vessel.”

Hassan’s hand opened slowly, revealing a shining purple gemstone.

At that moment I remembered something Alexis had mentioned earlier. The purpose behind the Philosopher's Stone.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

It was too late to matter. I’d rather not have realized.

Ah. Sayonara.

—-

After the power keeping me immobile wore off, I stood up and examined my old body.

Weak.

It was a truly weak form.

A physical frame entirely unfit for housing a god.

I bent down and picked up the philosopher’s stone from its hand.

An uncharacteristic smile spread across my face. How long had it been since I had anything to be pleased with?

If she ever appears before me again, I shall remember to thank that female for her service. I was hesitant to heed the words of an information peddler, but I am willing to admit that without her intervention the philosopher's stone would have remained out of my grasp.

And without it, I would have remained forever trapped in the body I was summoned into.

Hmm?

It moved.

It would appear that the male who housed my presence had not yet succumbed to death.

An interesting crossroads.

Should I end it, or perhaps I should heal it? As a god, should I bestow my thanks upon the mortal that housed me? Or should I kill him, knowing that he served his life’s purpose already?

Neither.

I shall let the gods of fate determine his outcome. Although as I thought earlier, it would almost certainly die. In order to get a momentary burst of unpredictable speed, I completely destroyed that body.

Either way, it means nothing to me any longer. I’ve already obtained a far superior vessel. It no longer serves a purpose, good or bad. I will leave it.

I started to make my way out of the construction site. I’m uncertain as to where my next target is, but I have no need to stay in this city any longer.

I caught my reflection in a piece of sheet metal as I walked by.

The face that previously belonged to Kamiya Kazuko stared back at me.

No.

That’s not right.

Why did I know that?

His name.

As I focused on that name I was forced to see everything.

Memories. Impossible memories.

I intended to replace his mind with my own, but why was I able to remember his past?

Rather than watching the memories of a stranger, it felt more like recalling something that I momentarily forgot.

That can’t be right.

That would mean. . .

I started running back toward the body that I used to be trapped inside.

A fear that shouldn’t be possible sprouted up inside of me.

If I had his memories, then, who did that make me?

I could still remember the time I spent in the previous body, but that doesn’t mean anything.

I don’t want to even consider it, but what if the philosopher's stone didn’t work the way I intended?

Rather than transfer my true consciousness, what if I just sent over some of my own memories?

One of Kazuko’s memories came to the forefront of my mind. That information peddler mentioned that even under the perfect circumstances she had created, there was only a five percent chance of her plan succeeding. And wasn’t I trying to do the same thing? To transfer a mind into a new body?

Wouldn’t that make it incredibly likely for me to fail?

In that situation, then who am I?

Rather than Enki, what if I’m still just Kamiya Kazuko with some of Enki’s memories added in?

I returned to that starting point, but it was too late.

He was dead.

If that male had still lived I could have properly healed him. Then, through conversation, I could have determined if any traces of Enki remained inside. That would have given me some indication as to who I was.

But there’s no point in considering that anymore. It would seem that there would be no easy answer to this. I had never once before questioned my identity as Enki, even when those humans tried to convince me that I was not.

Now it was different. No one was around to question me, but I was questioning myself. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. From the beginning, this was nothing more than a problem on identity.