Right after that, the blood-red scythe appeared in Roger's hands, gripped tightly in his fist.
Now he was clad in armor, and in his hand was a scythe that could stand against ten thousand foes—his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
"With this, Dior shouldn't be your opponent anymore," Torin said, sizing up Roger's new form.
Indeed, once Roger put on this armor, he became fundamentally different—not just in power, but in speed and reaction as well, all vastly enhanced.
With that, when facing Dior, he wouldn't need to keep dodging nonstop anymore.
"But God's Attendant was taken by Dior. If that's the case, then… can I still see his Stand now?" Roger asked, looking at Mr. Torin.
Hearing that, Mr. Torin nodded slightly—then shook his head.
"I don't know whether you can still see Stands or not. But what I do know is this: the God's Attendant I've known is an extremely powerful Stand. When it was with Porco, it displayed frightening strength—only it was always lying low, so Dior never noticed it. As far as I know, it absolutely won't die. Because it is a servant of a god. As long as that god doesn't die, it will not die."
"Then who is this god?" Roger asked.
"I don't know either. Maybe some extremely powerful existence across the Myriad Worlds. It seems it noticed you from the very beginning—that's why it sent its Stand from who knows where, latched it onto Porco, and allowed Porco to transfer it to you before he died," Torin said.
"You mean… across the Myriad Worlds?" Roger asked. "Does that really mean there are ten thousand worlds?"
"Not necessarily. Just among the worlds we know, there are already more than ten thousand," Torin said. "The General once told me that 'Myriad Worlds' is just a collective term—it symbolizes endless worlds without limit. It could be that the moment you break free from this world, you'll immediately enter another world. And what that next world is… neither you nor I can know. Or rather, no one can.
"Except the person behind Dior."
"What person?"
"I don't know them. I only know that no matter what world Dior goes to, that person can give him information immediately. The General originally worked under that person, but later, for special reasons, he betrayed them."
"So in other words… you have no idea who that person actually is, right?" Roger pressed.
"That's correct. But if you can unravel that mystery, then you'll have fulfilled the General's last wish," Torin said.
Roger nodded.
"Don't worry, Mr. Torin. You once saved me. I will never forget that debt. Since you've always wanted to repay your General, then let me repay him with you. I'll do everything I can."
"Don't talk so formally, Roger. My General is your father," Torin said. "His original name was Tatsumi, and he came from the very world your sword originally belonged to. According to him, he was once part of that world's Revolutionary Army, fighting to bring peace to the world. But in the end, the fruits of their struggle were stolen. And the thief… was that guy behind Dior.
"To defeat him, the General never stopped striving. And when he came to this world, he didn't rest for even a moment—always thinking about how to oppose him. Roger, I gave you Incursio… but remember this: with this sword alone, you absolutely cannot fight the person behind Dior. If you ever encounter him, retreat immediately. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Heh, Mr. Torin… forgive me for saying so, but you know my personality," Roger said.
"I do. I know you won't retreat," Torin said. "But Roger, at the very least, don't let yourself be cornered. If you fall into a dead end, no one will be able to help you. My strength is no longer enough to pull you out of danger. The General has passed away. In this world, the only ones you can rely on are yourself—and Mr. Kaneki inside you."
Torin bowed deeply to Roger.
"The task of saving the world… is in your hands!"
Seeing his former savior bow to him, Roger immediately helped him up.
"You're too polite. But there's one more thing I want you to do for me."
"What is it? As long as it's something I can do, I'll give it everything I've got," Torin said earnestly.
"I want you to teach me swordsmanship."
"Swordsmanship? Hah. How about I teach you how to use that scythe instead?" Torin chuckled. "I'm not just a swordsmanship master. In this world, I'm proficient with every kind of close-range weapon—scythes, hammers, even bows."
"That's perfect. Thank you for the trouble," Roger said, bowing.
At that moment, Levi—who had been standing beside Roger the whole time—was displeased.
"Hey, brat. If you want to learn swordsmanship, then let me teach you," Levi said, staring at Roger with those dead-fish eyes, acting weirdly tsundere about it.
Roger looked at him awkwardly.
"It's not that I don't want to learn from you, it's just…"
"You're Levi, right?" Mr. Torin asked with a smile, looking at the short man beside Roger.
"That's me. Hello," Levi said respectfully. Since Roger treated this man with utmost courtesy, Levi didn't dare be too rude.
"I've heard of you for a long time. They say you use ODM gear quite well—already at the level of true mastery."
"Maybe," Levi replied, expressionless.
Torin nodded, then went into a room inside and came back with two wooden swords, tossing one to Levi.
"Erwin once sparred with me, but he wasn't my match. If you're interested too, how about we spar? Whoever wins gets to be Roger's master—how about it?" Torin said, looking at Levi with confidence.
Levi didn't really want to spar with an old man… but this was a rare chance to show off in front of Roger, and he didn't want to waste it.
After all, the reason he'd always been so confident around Roger was because his understanding and use of ODM gear was several levels above Roger's.
Later, Roger became the leader of the Scorpion Corps and stopped using ODM gear altogether, which meant Levi lost his chance to show off in front of him.
Sticking behind Roger all the time made Levi feel like he was being overshadowed, and it irritated him.
He'd always thought that one day, he'd steal the spotlight in front of Roger.
Now, with a chance to become Roger's teacher, Levi felt this was his moment.
Becoming Roger's teacher would be best. And even if he couldn't… dulling that brat's edge a little would still be a great outcome—because that kid really was way too good at acting smug.
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