Vincent had decided that for the remainder of his admittedly probably short life, he would dub the gray Depraved as Nimrod. This was mostly due to the fact that Nimrod currently had its tentacles wrapped tightly around the man's throat, ankles and wrists and he felt so pissed he could probably blow up the entire world. Unfortunately, he lacked the means ro do so as A) he wasn't nearly strong enough and B) he lacked the means to even move currently.

The counterfeit Gildarts walked up to the bound man who struggled feebly before settling for glaring up at the creature who dared pretend to be his friend. The doppelganger growled and in one fluid movement, sunk its ethereal scythe into Vincent's chest. The man's screams were muffled, his body bucking wildly as a piercing cold darkness and despair began to flood his heart. Admittedly, he was pessimistic at best, but these were foreign feelings not of his own making. They were being carried by a dark putrid substance that was being pumped directly into his soul by the ghastly appendage sticking out of his chest.

'This is.. how they do it.. I've seen it countless times.' He thought internally. Vincent felt the strength of his will being sapped as the foreign despair and depression filled him. He had never met a Depraved face to face but he had studied their handiwork in depth. 'They each have a signature ability to subdue prey..'

It was apparent that the gray creature probably relied on its raw strength and various abilities to overpower foes. Meanwhile, the body snatcher used its mis-leading appearance to get in close before using its putrid Aura to poison his opponent's souls. Neither of these two seemed particularly suited for devouring others but he was sure they could do it given enough time.

As the dark evil substance continued pouring into his chest from the scythe, he was forced to watch the lives of his friends and family flash and wither before his eyes, even after he slammed them shut. Everyone he ever knew and loved was slowly being devoured by the darkness that now spread from within him. His memories became wisps of smoke and unrecognizable blurs. His loved ones reached out in desperation and pain.

"I'm angry!" Vincent wanted to scream. As much as he pretended like he didn't care about anything, he really did, deep down inside. Internally he fumed, giving shape to the words and feelings he couldn't express out loud. 'I'm Angry I'm going to die!.. Angry, I'll never get to see my friends or family.. I'll never fall in love again or have kids.. This isn't how it was supposed to go!'

He attempted several times to draw on the Blessing of Silva deus, but the Goddess's powers refused to cooperate. It was a power he still couldn't fully control, and his focus was shot due to his precarious situation. A bone chilling cold started to overtake him as his consciousness began to recede. "Am I.. really going to die..?"

"Vincent.." came a distant voice..

Suddenly a crack of light appeared. Vincent's eyes slowly opened but he still found himself completely surrounded in darkness. All but that one little crack..

'Strange..' He thought. 'That almost sounded like..'

"Vincent." Came the voice again, this time with much more force and clarity. The man in question winced and rolled his eyes. At least he thought he did. It was hard to tell in this darkness.

"God damn it Gildarts.. Won't even let me die in peace, will you? Even though it's apparently you who's killing me?" He chuckled lightly.

"Search your feelings. This creature is not me. You know this to be true." The voice accused. Vincent shuddered, still feeling the icy coldness of death and despair all around him. "Even still.." Vincent began. He craned his neck to look at the crack that had appeared. It looked like it had grown slightly, but…

"There's no way out of this darkness, Gil.. I'm scared." He admitted. He honestly wasn't sure if this conversation was just in his head or in real life. He supposed it didn't really matter. "It's just.. There's so much left that I wanted to do.."

"Then do it, Vincent. I believe in you." The Orc said warmly. This time the Orc sounded so clear that Vincent couldn't help but flinch. He looked up and to his surprise he saw his friend smiling back at him with his trademark smooth, confident smirk.

Vincent couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face as he reached out and took his friend's outstretched hand.

In the real world, the gray creature and the fake Gildarts watched in mounting concern as Vincent began to glow a bright sapphire in color. "What is this!?" Nimrod shouted.

"I don't know, you wretch!" The other retorted.

"Well figure it the hell out! I thought you said no one was supposed to be able to resist your touch of death!" He accused. His tentacles were beginning to burn as the human somehow raised the temperature around his body rapidly.

The Orc, looking like a piece of fine China that was a hair's breadth from shattering, held up both his hands and yelled in effort. "They can't! Its impossible!" As he spoke, the vestige above his head grew darker and more realistic, becoming twice as potent as before. Vincent's body bucked and the man yelled out in pain. A second later his head snapped forward. While one of his irises were still a deep azure and the other a bloody red, they were beginning to shine with a mixture of blue and green energy.

"Stop him!"

"I caaaan't!"

"Singularity!"

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There was a massive explosion that rang throughout the clearing. From the blast came a piercing blue light so bright that any normal creature in its immediate vicinity would have been blinded in an instant. A shockwave flattened the grass around them.

After several minutes of intense, deafening silence a smoking Vincent slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times. The attack had destroyed what was left of the field leaving a giant crater, which was slowly filling up with drifting ash. The sky was painted black and red due to the smoke and fire. He would have wondered if he had died, but the ringing in his ears and his pounding headache told him he was still very much alive.

He groaned as he sat up in the ash and dirt. Between all the damage he had taken and using his Singularity, the man's body was all but useless. It was all he could do to stay conscious at the moment and he had a feeling that even a potion wouldn't help him much at this point. His soul needed rest. The Singularity was especially draining on him.

Looking around the dark and desolate landscape, it was impossible to tell which direction was which. Not only was it dark but none of his skills would activate due to his complete lack of energy. Fortunately he still had a few very basic passive skills and of course, Yggdrasil. The ancient tree slowly took root behind him and grew ever so slightly as it restored his physical and mental vitality. Honestly that may have been his most valuable skill..

Vincent was startled when he heard a crackling sound followed by a whoosh, but he calmed down when he realized it was just some planet matter burning and falling over. The man sighed and looked up into the smoky sky. "Too antsy.. I need water.." He mumbled.

The system rarely sold it for whatever reason and he honestly hadn't thought to pack any because he could typically just use his water torrent to draw moisture from the air. To that end, even if he had packed it, drawing things from his inventory took a small amount of mana and currently he couldn't manipulate it.

He slowly stood on shaky legs, shielding his eyes from the smoke and ash with his arm. He grimaced and lulled his tongue in his mouth. For now, all he could do was pick a direction and walk. Hopefully the first living thing he came upon wasn't as hungry as he was…

He took one step and froze as the ground several meters behind him exploded upwards with a rumbling crash. Vincent slowly turned, hoping against all odds for a miracle.

From the epicenter of the explosion the gray creature rose, having somehow survived. The beast was missing an arm and all but one of his tentacles were severed at various points. The other creature that had copied his friend Gildarts was nowhere to be found. However, based on how the thing had looked before and the fact that it wasn't as sturdy as its partner, Vincent safely assumed that one was dead. The gray monster began to limp towards the downed Vincent, blood trailing in its wake.

"You.." The monster growled. It's four eyes narrowed in fury and pain. "I'm going to kill you." He swore. "And then I'm going to devour you, just like I did that mangy mutt! My powers aren't as merciful as some of the others, I'll have you know!" He barked rabidly. "I literally sink my teeth into my victims and eat them alive!"

As the creature got within a few feet of Vincent it raised it's one good arm and tentacle. Shadows covered Vincent's face. "Strangely.." The Depraved began, drawing its fist back further. "She didn't cry out even once while I ground her bones between my teeth like most of them do." The creature's hand flattened like a spear, the same way Vincent's had when their positions were reversed. "Haaa!" It drove its hand towards Vincent's heart…

*Gasp!* The Depraved sucked in a breath and stopped just a few inches short of the man. Vincent slowly looked up, fire dancing behind his blue and red eyes. "Of course she didn't, you fool. She was my daughter. But you will scream."

"What is this?!" The creature roared, spittle flying from its mouth. It was clear that the gargantuan beast was immobilized against its will as it shook and struggled in place, seemingly struggling against nothing. That is until the ground beneath their feet lit up and a vast array sprang to life.

Large symbols and various other small ones spread across the ground like chains, forming some sort of alien language. "This is my partner earning himself a pay raise." Vincent smirked.

'You don't pay me..' Came Lupus's disembodied voice in his head.

'Shut up, smart ass!.." Vincent quipped back internally. 'And good job on the array.' He praised.

'Sorry it took so long. Zar-Rhah took forever..' He said in an excusIng manner.

'Yeah, yeah, better late than never.' Vincent chuckled out loud. He couldn't help but let his humor show. The beast in front of him roared, which would have been intimidating any other time. Even while being somewhat crouched, it was thrice his height and width.

'I have work to do.'

Vincent turned his attention back to the monster with an annoyed expression. He stepped around the beast's massive palm and ambled closer to its chest.

"You killed my friends." Vincent accused. He drew in closer until his face was mere inches from the snarling creature. "You ate them alive and then you were going to eat me…"

So you have no one but yourself to blame..

When I eat you first…"

For the next ten minutes the sickening sound of tearing flesh and crunching bones were accompanied only by unfathomable screams of agony. The world listened and watched in silence as a act great evil was done by a soul that was once innocent and pure..

When it was over Vincent stumbled and crawled his way up the crater. Blood fell down his chin like a waterfall and he resisted the urge to vomit. As he reached the lip of the crater he collapsed on his back huffing and puffing. Looking up at the sky, he couldn't help but notice a ray of light beginning to poke through the geothermal storm he'd created. "Hn.. So peacful.. I could almost.. Take a.. Nap." He mumbled as his eyelids fluttered shut and he drifted into unconsciousness…

???

"Vincent honey.."

It was his mom. He knew it because of the sound of her voice. She walked around their kitchen table and placed a hand on his cheek. She wore casual PJ slippers which contrasted sharply with her classy red dress and black skirt. She, "loved to look good and feel good at the same time!" She always said..

"Help me clean up the table, won't you?" She asked sweetly. He looked up at her face and nodded slowly. How could he say no?

He couldn't really see her, of course. From the neck up her features were shrouded and ambiguous, as they always were here in his dreams. Strange that everything else was so vivid here. The layout of his house was exactly as he remembered it…

He wasn't sure but he had a working theory that the intelligence stat was what made dreams so interactive and lasting in this world. His mother got to work doing dishes while he put away leftover supper and then cleaned off the table. He made sure to leave an extra plate covered up in the microwave. His dad was working late that night, as he often did. They didn't mind, of course. He made good money and he made up for it when he was home by being the perfect family man.

And even when he was away he would constantly check on them or bring them up to his peers. None would question where the man's heart lie.

"You remember that imaginary friend you used to always talk about?" His mother asked casually. Vincent rolled his eyes. 'This one, again?' He thought with disdain. Vincent decided to humor the dreamlike version of the woman. He honestly missed her quite dearly, even now. If this was the only chance he would get to hear her voice, then so be it.

"No." He said simply, as his hands idly stacked dishes. He glided across the floor and deposited them into the sink. His 'mom' stopped and faced him and he did the same, staring at the murky, skin color vestige and trying to remember the details of her face. He wanted so desperately to see her again. Even for just a moment. Just this once.

"Thank you, sweet boy." She said with clear amusement. She hesitated for a second. Even though he couldn't fully make out her features he knew she was tapping her chin, just like his real mom used to do.

"I swear every time I see you, you somehow seem even more graceful and inhuman than before. What's happening to you my boy?.." The woman wondered out loud. His chin fell and he stared at the granite floors. 'I.. keep asking myself the same thing mother..'

"Anyways, what was his name? Gilgamesh? No that wasn't it. Geralt? No that's not it either…" she said with irritation beginning to creep into her voice.

"Oh I remember! It was Gildarts!" She exclaimed happily while snapping her fingers in the same trademark way that Vincent himself always did. "You used to go on and on about all the adventures the two of you would go on together and how happy you were when he taught you how to 'hunt!'" At this point his mother was rambling and excited, not even registering the look of abject shock on Vincent's face.

This had never happened before in any of his dreams..

"Mom? How do you..?" He asked, looking up at her in bewilderment. But as he did so his breath hitched in his throat. His mom raised an eyebrow, cocking her head slightly.

"Ehat do you mean, honey? You always used to tell me a story about the Nexus before you went to bed at night." The last thing he saw was his mother's smiling face. It was clear as day. Just as beautiful as he remembered.

End of chapter 35