Mountains of corpses were illuminated by the light of the fire. In the sky there were clouds of ash and on the ground flowed rivers of blood.
Only two people remained standing amidst the ruins of Lugunica. One of them was heroism personified, whom I truly would have liked to call a friend.
The other person was a despicable and selfish being, the one most responsible for the destruction of the kingdom: that is, me.
All of this was to test if I was ready. A war against the world: a warm-up for a predestined battle, which wasn't even against the opponent in front of me.
"Leandro..."
Reinhard murmured my name with disappointment and bitterness. The anger he held back behind his mask. Stoic was a visual delight.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, smiling. "Thanks to me, you're free. You no longer have any ties, nothing to stop you from living as you please, using those incredible powers to do whatever you want. You're welcome, pal!"
"Is that how you think? Do you really believe what you're saying, or are you just trying to justify yourself?" He sighed. "Don't bother answering me, I already know what you'd say."
"It pains me to hear you speak like this. It's obvious you were indoctrinated by a bunch of cowards and irresponsible people. Being strong doesn't mean you have to protect everyone; it means the world has placed you above everyone else. You're worth more, you're the most loved. Don't you think that's great?"
In response, he approached at an impossible speed and cut me into a thousand pieces.
"I suppose not." I said when my body returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. This was thanks to a gift from Pandora: the Authority of Vainglory, which was one of my two trump cards.
The Saint of the Sword used his legendary weapon again and again, with unstoppable force. However, neither chopping me to bits, nor freezing me, nor burning me, nor even disintegrating every last particle of my body could finish me off.
"Your immortality is quite inconvenient." He remarked with a hint of frustration.
"Your morality too." I shrugged. "You might see me as a monster, but I'm actually a pretty normal person. In the first place, I didn't really do anything wrong, since this world is fictional. Even you are just a character. Ha, in fact, you're not even the real you, because all of this is happening in my mind."
That was my conclusion, the way I accepted my new life and its difficulties. Everything was imaginary, so nothing mattered: not ethics, not death. I should live as I pleased, doing as I pleased without worrying about anything unnecessary.
"I can't understand how you think, and I doubt I ever will." He dismissed my philosophy. "Someone like you only deserves one fate..."
Reinhard swung his sword, piercing my body completely.
"Even if you are immortal, I will make sure you pay for your misdeeds."
Unfortunately for him, luck wasn't on his side this time. I had prepared myself for something far more difficult than defeating a herald, and that's saying something.
"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen."
I concentrated, and the area around me began to distort, eroding the surrounding spacetime. By the time Reinhard noticed something was wrong, it was too late.
Without a single shred of hesitation, I used my authority of sloth to crush his heart. I could see his face contort in pain and shock for a second. Immediately afterward, he collapsed to the ground. His blessings didn't activate, as this 'zone' was located apart from the rest of the universe, free from Od Laguna's influence and rendering divine protections useless.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have warned you that your powers don't work here; that way you wouldn't have let your guard down."
His blue eyes gazed at me one last time with a stunned expression. I watched, mesmerized, Reinhard's agony, until life finally left him.
Reinhard's soul floated before me. Since it couldn't be transported to the Corridor of Memories from this place, his spirit had nowhere to go. Chuckling, I crushed it completely until it vanished. That way, Od Laguna could never again resurrect its favorite son.
When I returned, the sky turned from gray to black. Golden lightning struck my body; the earth opened to swallow me, and no doubt the spirits of the world would soon mobilize to come and kill me. Nevertheless, at this point, Od Laguna's fury was like a mosquito bite to me.
"Well, Pandora said to kill as many as I can before going to the border... Come on, let me hunt you all down!"
With a smile of amusement, I ran to meet my prey.