"Old man, you are so fucked!" Lem shouted as he swiftly disposed of the three warriors, "Yo Schocco, you said these guys were the best in the Archipelago?"

"When it's a one-on-one, then sure." He slammed his mighty fist straight into the Red leafed guy, "But you're forgetting that I'm among them as well."

These guys, they're hogging all the fun! And here I came over all dramatically at the very end of the previous Volume thinking I'm gonna kick butt, but I'm just bullying these girls! I'm no woman-beater, dammit!

"Had enough yet?" The girl with the dual blades wiped the sweat off her brow, "We can go all day~!"

"What?" I stood confused, "You guys haven't even touched me once yet, how are you in any position to be saying that?"

"Shut it!" The White blossoming bikini girl climbed the tallest tree in a matter of seconds before jumping straight at me, "Those powers again, so unfair!"

Are they, though? I'm just using Materialize to make myself some defensive gear. Haven't even Gone Solipsistic yet, and the only Sparks I'm seeing are the ones flying off of these girls attacks once they get deflected by my shield. Honestly, this feels like easy mode.

"Gotcha!" Olya appeared behind me without me even noticing, who with but a single punch sent me flying forward, "Shoulda' stayed home, bud!"

"Nice one, elder!" The Red robed guy cheered before getting utterly comboed by Lem and Schocco.

It's utter mayhem, I tell you. Not much of an ultimate fight if we keep just endlessly brawling like this. There's no rhyme or reason, it's just attack after attack. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if it got adapted into say, an anime from Issei's world, it'd look absolutely stunning with all the particles and lights and stuff, but since you guys only got these words to work off of, I'll try and describe it as excitingly as possible.

"Eh? Smiling back cooly, are we?" The shark-toothed girl giggled mischievously, having already assumed they had won.

"Hey, what was that you were saying about unfairness?" I got up, dusting myself off after the self Heal, "Something something, Iro Abilities make it too easy for me?"

"No way, he's...! Elder, we need your help with this guy!" The bubbly girl whined to the old man.

"Tag out!" He shouted back, swapping opponents with them as he gave them a running high five, "Grimheart, so you came after all."

"Why act so surprised?" I cracked my knuckles, "You took my daughter, ya' bastard."

"Nelly, yes... Ah, I just remembered, how are things going with you and your wife?" He asked, "Any progress with the second kid?"

...Dammit, how come my every antagonist has to somehow be all-knowing? Dude, even I just found out about her pregnancy like an hour or so ago! First it was Chant, then Ouroboras, and now this guy! Seriously, can't I fight a dumbass at least once? Or even just someone who doesn't know everything about me, to be honest!

"Third kid." I corrected him, "I'll take that jab as you trying to rile me up, what with not counting Nelly and all that."

"No one said anything about Nelly, though." He raised a stupid, aggravating point, "Rather Cene, he was born while you were wreaking havoc in Heaven 2.0, right? How can you be sure your dear wife never...?"

"Phah!" I chuckled, then laughed, then mocked him endlessly, "You think Cecily would cheat on me? There was like a hundred different ways to get me angry, but this only made me laugh!"

"I dunno, check for yourself." He said, tossing me the Book of Fortune he kept in his robe.

"What-!?" I was so shocked I almost failed to catch it, "T-This...! You're giving away your trump card, old man!"

"Don't need it anymore." He smirked, "I got my wish, so feel free to use it to prove my words. Cene is not your son."

Cene, by the Gods if he isn't my son, then I'm not even Lune Grimheart! We're identical, not to mention that Cecily would never! This is just another useless trick that's used either for wasting time or distracting me. Either way it'll give him the advantage, so instead of humoring him, I think I'll just beat him up immediately!

"In that case, I don't need this stupid Book either!" I tossed it high into the air, sniping it with Spark, "Burn, burn! Let it burn!"

Not even taking a moment to wait for him to react, I ran fist first into him. Shocked, he tried to block the punch with his boney arms, but the dare I say satisfying crackling noises of them breaking off like twigs sent me into a frenzy. Wailing on him one punch after the other, I ended up breaking his measly defense before thinking of ending it all with one last punch. Between us, however, flew a tiny piece of burning paper from the Book. It was a small fragment, barely enough to fit a single sentence. Whether it be cruel fate or just his stupid prediction coming true, it seems that one simple sentence was more than enough to stop my movements completely.

"That night, when everyone was out of the house but Cecily, the prince of Cardina visited her abode, inside which Cene was conceived."

"What the fu-? Hrk!" I felt a mighty punch pierce through the burning scrap of paper and into my face, nearly deforming my skull structure in the process, "Pause, time out! What did I just read?!"

"The truth, Lune Grimheart." He slowly and calmly picked his cain back up, "The Books tell nothing but the truth. I am sorry."

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The Book of Fortune. He handed it to me just like that, knowing full well he'd reveal the worst possible truth to me in the process. I see now, in his Eyes seeing my spirit get crushed was well worth even losing such an invaluable item as that. Cecily, what the hell, with Adam of all people...?

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Cheh! Like hell I'd believe such stupidity!" I grinned back, "That being said, you did succeed in riling me up, so I guess congratulations!"

I missed my chance to get rid of him because of this. I'm ashamed of myself for letting that happen. If Cecily was here, she'd scold me plenty. Cecily... Dammit, don't make me question my wife's loyalty, you stupid old man! Tch, he's weak, come on Lune—Just one more hit should do it!

"Denial, the first stage of grief." He shook his head with a pitying look, "I get it, it's tough to accept. If it'll make you feel better, the Book said they were drunk."

"Drunk?" I felt my flurry of attacks begin to slow down, "Gah!"

Yet again, I was duped by his words. The snake, he swept my feet with his cane because I was distracted! Crap, gotta get away...!

"This happened before you even went to Entropa, mind you. She wasn't unhappy nor insecure about you two being an incredible item together, but alcohol does wonders to one's sense of reason." He contined, standing menacingly in front of me with that stupid cane of his, "Adam started with pouring some expensive wine he got overseas. One thing led to another, and... Ah, but they regretted it immediately. A one off encounter meant to be completely ignored as if it never was."

"You piece of shit!" I grabbed the cane, using it to leverage myself back onto my feet before taking it for myself, "I'll shove this up your ass if you so much as say another word!"

The old man sneered, he knew I was dancing in the palm of his hand by now. My Eyes shone every color they could, I didn't care anymore. Whatever Iro Ability I needed to use, I'd gladly use it, just so long as he was wiped clean off the face of the world by the end of it. That was my newfound goal now.

"You know, in all my years of living, not once did I ever stumble upon a Rainbow Iro." He dared to stroke his long beard as I charged up a devastating attack, "What Iro Ability does it Wield, I wonder?"

"Gonna sit around and find out?" I aimed all of my Focus into him, "Well then, fine by me!"

My vision was extremely impaired, and I could almost physically feel my Focus draining at an exponential level. On the other hand, the strength and power coarsing through my body felt even realer than real. The strength of a Rainbow Iro Ability, I see now why it's made so difficult to Behold. Whatever I was about to release would most probably leave nothing of the old man, I felt it in my bones. Not much longer now!

The almost snakelike emissions of raw Iro energy condensed around my entire arm as I aimed it at the old man. It absorbed the ground beneath us, yet even as he stood a cinch away from its area of effect, he didn't move away at all. He was ready to tank it, and that's what worried me the most...

"Lune!" Lem suddenly called out to me from afar, "You done with the old man yet!? These guys are running off somewhere!"

"Leave them be!" I shot back, "Rather, you guys come over here! The old man might try something sneaky again!"

"We can't!"

What the hell, kid!? I'm over here charging a death ray made of spectacular rainbow snakes coiling around one another and you're telling me you wanna chase those other idiots!? I'm losing respect here, Lem, and you don't want that!

"Why not!?" I felt my grip of the power surge start to slip, "Hurry up and spill it!"

"Because!" He finally revealed, "They have the Book with them!"

The old man's grin slightly twitched once he heard Lem's observation. The Book, there's two, and we have the Brown one. In other words, they have to be carrying the Book of Fortune. Eh, but wait, didn't I just burn it to a crisp?

"What's wrong? Ain't gonna shoot it off?" The old man stuck his tongue out to mock me, "I might die, but I also might survive, you know? But after expending such an incredible amount of Focus on just this alone, you won't be able to move a muscle."

"That Book you tossed me, it was a fake!" I realized.

"No duh, I wouldn't give away my queen that easily to a pawn like you." He guffawed with the full intent of malice.

Cecily, so he WAS just making that up about you! But now's not the time to feel relieved at all! I knew something was wrong the moment he handed it to me on a silver platter! But this, it's already too late to back down now, I just gotta shoot it out and hope to the Gods that I kill the old man with it! Right, calm your breathing, Lune. Just Focus... Focus on aiming at the very least. Do not miss.

"Oh wait, doy, I totally forgot I DID meet a Rainbow Iro!" His Eyes switched in an instant, "C'est moi, as the Simpletons say!"

"Crap-!"

Kablooey. Or should I say kablam? Wait, both were wrong, since it was more like an explosion sound played in reverse. It felt... ethereal, almost even more ear piercing. Like I was witnessing the birth of another Universe altogether. All that power that I had collected inside of me, lay bare in front of me and aimed directly at the old man point blank. There was no escaping his fate now.

"Or is there?" He emerged unscathed from it, "The Rainbow Iro's Ability is not yet meant to be used. Not in your lifetime, at least."

"Old man...!" I felt my consciousness begin to wane "Old... man...!"

"Hup." A muscular yet short king held me up before I could fall to the ground, "I was not late, was I?"

"I figured something like that was bound to happen!" The old man started wheezing once he saw the tanned man slowly lay me down on the ground before assuming a battle stance, "Deram, did you really have to interrupt us this soon!!!!"