"Uhh, thanks," Agon muttered, his expression turning into a frown as a quarter of his Ord suddenly vanished. Just then, Orochi awakened and issued another warning.

"Don't go around striking up conversations! They could be individuals from different timelines, and it would only waste your Ord for no reason!" Orochi screamed, causing Agon's head to throb.

"Shut up, you drunken snake!"

"Even drunk, I am wiser than you!"

Agon continued his argument with the foolish serpent sealed within him, but when the man turned his gaze towards them, they immediately fell silent. Agon felt as though Orochi was on the verge of seizing control, mere moments away.

The silver-haired man's eyes, crimson red with a cat-like slit across the pupils, sent a shiver of dread through Agon's heart with just one glance. As someone unafraid of death, this sensation was entirely new and peculiar to Agon. The man then offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes before dismissively waving Agon off.

Uncertain of what to do next, Agon stepped back, but he could still feel the man's crimson gaze fixed upon him, even as he walked away. The peculiar sensation lingered, persisting even after they had walked far enough that obstacles like trees should have obstructed the man’s view of Agon.

***

Glancing at my team, something didn’t make sense. Why the hell hadn't I brought Agon along?

It seemed foolish to think that his presence would only bring bad luck. With Agon as the main character, his plot armor alone would decrease the likelihood of us being taken out in a dull and predictable manner. Plus, having someone who could taste-test potentially poisonous substances would have been helpful.

Were these thoughts my own, or was Avalon Island exerting some sort of hypnotic power over me? I had no clue. However, if peculiar ideas were infiltrating my mind, leading me to make decisions that deviated from my usual rationality, there had to be something I was overlooking.

I examined my hand, noticing the number nine carved into it. But why was the nine upside down from my perspective?

As soon as that crossed my mind, another memory resurfaced, depicting Zod writing the number on my hand. Yet, that "memory" felt a tad too convenient. Besides, I wasn't the type of person who would reveal such plans to anyone else—it would only expose unnecessary vulnerabilities.

I may not have been a genius capable of conjuring solutions out of thin air, but I possessed something that not all geniuses had: plain old common sense.

"Screw this," I declared, retrieving a talisman and infusing it with some Ord, transforming it into a small fireball. All eyes turned towards me, wide with astonishment. "Alright, whoever is posing as one of us, consider yourself dead."

It was pure bluffing, as I had no real power over them. I simply aimed to observe their body language. Zod and the others stepped back, their eyes showing cautiousness. Except the Kuro Clan Head, who just stared at me with his usual apathetic stare.

Letting out a sigh, I tightened my grip around the fireball and caused it to disintegrate. This approach wouldn't solve anything. Instead, I grasped my sword and locked eyes with each of them. "We've been through countless trials together. Wars, battles, friendships—through thick and thin. If you trust me, offer your necks, and I'll heal you back up."

Everyone appeared unsettled, except for Anika, who chimed in, "Yes! I trust you wholeheartedly!"

Well, she was odd. I decided to ignore her; even an impostor wouldn't be that weird.

"Let's not act so hastily," the Kuro Clan Head intervened, raising his hands in an attempt to calm everyone down. "There are various ways we could resolve this issue."

He, too, was suspicious. Why would I bring one of my enemies here? To eliminate him? There were better methods for that.

They seemed human, and all memories indicated that each person present was indeed human. While some displayed confusion, others remained composed, such as Sei and the Kuro Clan Head. "How about this: I will seal your Ord, and then I'll be able to trust you."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

As soon as I spoke, I could see the cogs turning in their minds, as they tried to come up with schemes against me. I swiftly unsheathed my sword. My first target was Cork, the closest one to me.

His life abruptly ended as his body went flying. Without a moment's hesitation, I continued my assault, directing it towards the Kuro Clan Head. He countered my attack by conjuring a sword made of shadows.

Thankfully, he wasn't an impostor. Anika followed suit, employing a glove fashioned from string-shaped Ord to grab hold of the blade of my weapon.

Good. If there was one thing I was sure of, was that I wouldn’t have taken someone weak with me to a journey like this.

I smiled. "Indeed, someone I brought here should be capable of parrying something like this."

Those creatures relied on memory manipulation and illusions to survive. If they were truly formidable, they wouldn't bother with such powers. On the contrary, my team consisted of strong individuals.

"Wait!" Zod yelled as I approached him. "Remember, we've been friends for so long! Remember Bets?"

In response to his words, I charged at him and cut off his arm. A scream of pain escaped his lips as his detached limb fell to the ground, transforming into wood and melding with the grass, proving his inhuman nature. Fear became palpable on Zod's face.

"How dare you taint my memories with my best friend, the one who sacrificed his life to save me?" I demanded.

"Wait, man. It wasn't our intention, man. I was once human too, and we've been trapped in this place for centuries. We need a way to escape, and the only means is to leave with more people than we came with. We were like you, trapped here by others like us-"

Whatever he was about to say, he couldn't continue, as his head was abruptly severed. He should count himself fortunate that I wasn't cruel enough to prolong his demise, for he had tempted me to savor his death.

Next, Don and Emanuel attempted to plead for mercy, but their pleas fell on deaf ears as their heads were decapitated and their bodies set ablaze. As soon as they lay lifeless, my memories flooded back, and I surveyed my surroundings. "Where is Agon?"

I wasn't overly concerned about him, as it was highly unlikely for him to die due to some trivial reason. Even if he were to meet his demise, Agon's death would undoubtedly be legendary, unlike that of a mere side character who could perish at any moment.

Just as we prepared to search for him, the sound of several trees being shattered captured our attention. The culprit responsible for the disturbance was a fish-like creature, its size akin to a small house. However, this creature stood upright on hairy legs. It boasted four muscular arms, with two stretched wide, forming hand seals reminiscent of meditation, while the other two were clasped together in a prayer-like gesture, with beads adorning its wrists.

"Trok!" The strange word escaped its lips, accompanied by an invisible pressure in the air. Reacting swiftly, I charged toward the weakest member of our group, the one with the least Ord, which happened to be Anika. Gem had more Ord than her due to the chess piece inside of him.

Although the others sensed the peculiar occurrences surrounding us, their sensory powers paled in comparison to mine, since I was fused with Carpy. Pushing Anika out of harm's way, I attempted to dodge myself. However, my arm twisted as if caught in a black hole, emitting a series of bone-breaking sounds.

In a split second, my arm contorted, reducing my fingers to a mangled mass of raw flesh.

"F-Fuck!" Anika exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of my arm. "S-Sorry, I messed up. I-"

"Don't worry about it. I can fix this later," I reassured her. Panicking was not an option at the moment.

Although I hadn't anticipated encountering them so soon, I had expected for my plans to go side-ways at any time as soon as we landed on this island. The fish-like creature was either one of the demons who had ventured into the outside world and returned, or a failed project of the Creating God Project. Either way, it was bad news.

"Careful!" shouted the Kuro Clan head as space around Gem began to distort, prompting the creature to swiftly switch targets. Shadows enveloped Gem as he attempted to activate his ability, but his response was too sluggish.

On the contrary, the Kuro Clan head displayed remarkable speed with his shadows, creating a cocoon-like shield around Gem. A resounding—GONG!—echoed as space crackled. Intense determination glimmered in the Kuro Clan head's eyes, revealing genuine emotion for the first time since I had met him. He glared at the peculiar fish-like demon.

"That's my son," he declared.

Oh, right. I had almost forgotten. Gem was the son of the Kuro Clan head. He never acted as a father should, so it was easy to forget he even had kids.

Shadows congregated, forming a colossal golem that loomed over the mountains, its head grazing the clouds.

Damn, he's going all out?! Has he lost his mind? Is some external force influencing his actions?

I used the water tendrils, I grabbed hold of everyone and hurled us away from the imminent blast zone.

The shadow giant's colossal fist, shimmering with a malevolent aura, mercilessly crashed into the ground with mountain-shattering force, the very fabric of the earth convulsed. The impact echoed through the air, unleashing a cacophony of rumbling tremors that resonated with an intensity. A deafening roar filled the air, as the fissures snaked through the land, threatening to rip the island apart.

Was the Kuro Clan Head genuinely furious that Gem had almost died?

However, what concerned me even more was the aftermath. There was a reason why using such overwhelming power in this place was a bad idea.