"I wasn't expecting you to come out yourself, Rasaki," Aizis spoke to the figure.
The figure smiled a bit upon seeing Aizis and replied, "It has to be my honor to meet the supreme transcendentals. So what could be the meaning behind me keeping myself inside the castle instead of showing up in their presence? Nothing, really."
"Wise words as usual, I like it, you know," Aizis replied, revealing a bit of a smile on his lips.
Rasaki was still holding his usual smile. His appearance was as majestic and effective as his magic power. But his calm expression and sincere way of speaking didn't quite fit his appearance. He looked more like a saint who knows how to love everyone by showing sincerity.
Ignoring Aizis, I stepped forward and spoke to Rasaki in a fearless way, "I don't think we have any reason to have some chit-chat with you; we just don't have the time for that."
Listening to my commanding, fearless sentences, Rasaki casually smiled a bit wider at me. Then he replied as usual, "Hmm, that's a great sentence to be spoken. Undoubtedly, you guys have no reason to spend your time on me for some stupid chattering. Perhaps you're just not mature enough to understand the value of chit-chat?"
His poke in the final sentence simply pissed me off. But instead of throwing a challenge like earlier, I just simply shouted at him, "Shut up, I didn't ask you to tell me about maturity. Just give us whatever we're looking for."
Rasaki laughed at my sentence carelessly; then he replied a bit loudly, "Very well, tell me what you're seeking to gain here."
"You know that already; we're here to take the permit key," Maria took a single step ahead and replied.
"Oh? The permit key? I'm not certain if you guys are worthy of getting the permit key or not. More importantly, will the other person give the permit key to you? Will that person even appear in front of your gaze?" Rasaki replied.
"That's none of your business; just give the key to us," I shouted.
"Mister Marco, the world isn't fair anymore; it never was, actually. So in this perspective, why do you believe that I'm going to give the key to you guys without any replacement? I'm the person aimed for the world's redemption. But I have to state one more truth, and that is that I'm also a part of the selfish mortals. Perhaps they call me a deity, but does it really matter when I will end up being a part of the selfish mortals? I do regret being one, but it doesn't matter in the end when I can't change myself," Rasaki replied, his voice very calm as he took a few breaks while replying.
Then he took a long breath and added another sentence to his reply, "And thus, I will have to be selfish and stand in your way just to prevent you guys from reaching the sacred world."
I smiled a little at his sentences; then I replied in my casual style, "It could be that what you believe is the truth for the world, but sadly; we're here to reject the value of the truth itself, being the ones to destroy the so-called truth and create the truth that is truly meant to exist in every story."
"And so I will have to be the one to break every barrier in my way and build my own clear path of ascension, a path to success," I added, my voice rising a bit as I finished the sentence.
Rasaki laughed a bit. He stepped forward a little and replied to my sentence in the effective and powerful tone he is suited to use: "Rejecting the value of the truth itself? Those are some heavy words you're using right here, Mister Marco. Do you know when a person claims victory?"
I shook my head for 'no' as a reply.
Looking upon my answer, he immediately answered his own question: "A person claims victory only at the point of rejecting the value of life and survival."
He took a short break from speaking, lowering his head while keeping his eyes closed. After remaining like this for a few more moments, Rasaki added to his sentence in a somewhat careless voice, "And it seems like you guys are looking forward in this very exact way. Thus, surely, you will win in your journey."
"But I would like to be an antagonist for your story, a brave antagonist meant to be feared," Rasaki added, bringing out a long, deep blue holy relic from nothingness.
He pointed his relic at my neck and challenged me right then, "Come to me, if you believe yourself worthy of being the one to conquer."
I smiled fearlessly at his challenge. Then I replied with my usual fearless tone, "I'm not the protagonist of the story, but if a person challenges me directly, then I don't mind taking them on in battle." I raised my crimson red sword toward Rasaki while completing the final part of my sentence.
I looked back at the others' eyes. Aizis and Maria simply smiled in agreement with my action, while Elesia remained worried. Without looking back further, I dashed toward Rasaki, holding the sword in my right hand.
Rasaki was not standing still either, flying forward to meet me as well. The piercing eyes of both of us held the terrifying intent to crush each other.
At the moment we were about to engage in a deadly clash, a crystal-clean barrier immediately erupted between our weapons. Our weapons crashed against the barrier, unable to bypass it with the force we carried.
"You said you're not the protagonist of the story, so how can I let you engage against the fated antagonist? Definitely, I won't," a voice broke into my concentration. Unable to penetrate the barrier, both Rasaki and I stepped back to our respective positions.
The voice was clearly familiar to me. The person who spoke from a short distance away was none other than Raizel. He was slowly walking toward us as the barrier he created faded from our sight. Raizel smiled a bit at us and spoke, "Surely we're going to conquer the world and change humanity from the depth of their very existence itself. But the process has to be in the perfect way, where the story will stand as a flawless creation."
We believed that he would return no matter what. We weren't supposed to be surprised by that, nor by his sudden entrance.
The very thought that kept us frozen was this: how did the person who wanted to protect the stories come to this thought, where he wants to redeem humanity rather than protect it?