"To begin with… you're trash."
Eugene Hall's words hurt more than the attacks of the Invasion Navy that killed me.
That reminded me, did he kill the Invasion Navy? He must have.
"Why so…" I asked. There was no denying that fact anymore, at least. I was most certainly nothing but trash as I was now. Even more so compared to him.
"To begin with. What the hell are you doing spreading out your resources so much? Your skills are a mess."
"A mess? But I've always been able to use them to their full potential."
"It's not at full potential if it can't even scratch anything," he seemed pretty pissed at me. "Blades are only good when they're sharp. You have no focus, no sharpness."
I crossed my arms, it wasn't all that wrong.
"What level is your Ki and Mana at?"
"I am at the cusp of Aether and Soul Ki…"
"See?" Eugene shrugged. "Utterly useless. Sure, both of them are strong and that can put you on the same level as many stronger people, but you won't really do much other than be on their level. Not even as strong, just strong enough."
"I see…"
"That's not all, kid."
Eugene pushed my shoulder along and stood next to me.
"You are also constantly reducing the time you put in training by dividing it up. Your time runs out."
I could train everything here, but the same logic applied yet. All that time could go into polishing one thing.
"Try to punch the air, all you got. Only physical power."
I stretched my hands slightly and took a quick stance.
My muscles contracted and with all my strength, I punched.
A tempest formed ahead of us as the force of the punch pierced the air apart and sent a sonic boom ringing out.
"Huh. Pretty bad."
The heck? That was almost as good as Kaiser's attacks!
"Peaceful times surely make weak men."
When were they peaceful again?
"Watch now," Eugene said. He didn't even both lowering his legs or taking a stance. As if he was tossing his trash away, he punched.
And I flew back.
The wind of the recoil alone was enough to knock me off my feet.
A boom incomparable to mine followed. When I looked up, I couldn't tell the extent to which the Air Force from his punch had traveled.
"What… the fuck?"
"What of it?"
This guy was crazy. He was insane. How was it possible to do that?
Just when those thoughts filled my head, a creaking sound resounded in the distance. I widened my eyes and jumped to my feet.
"Is there someone else here?"
Those thoughts didn't stay for long. Rushing in from the distance in the dark space was a robot-like humanoid made of black chains. It seemed to be taller than both of us combined and had an arm missing. My jaw fell open as I saw it.
—WHIRRR!
The chains buzzed while glaring at Eugene.
He stifled a yawn and waved his hands.
"Catene,"
CATENE!?
The Catene wrapped around my hand trembled too.
"Your chains are useless, aren't they? Why not have it train with this guy."
—Whirrr.
"You don't need that arm, shut up."
— :((
"T-that's Catene? The same chains?" I asked and he nodded.
"Catene has a lot of potential. It's formed from the bones of an Outer God."
"I got such a high-spec item offscreen?"
Eugene shrugged and tore Catene out of my hands.
"Take it away," he told the other Catene. "See you in a couple thousand years."
—WHIRRR
The mecha Catene dragged poor Chains Catene away. It felt like the chains Catene was trying to ask me to save, but I had little intention of helping perverts.
Eugene watched them leave, dusted his shoulders, and turned my way.
"Back to you. It's not all that bad, but we'll be starting from scratch."
"I see."
"And I mean it, kid. Don't complain even once. I hate it when incompetent people complain, and you're always full of complaints. You're a real unlikeable piece of shit. I know because I am you. Other than your competence, there's no redeeming quality about you. And that competence is worth jack when I am around. Act your level, learn with your mouth shut."
He turned into a different person!! Wasn't this guy supposed to be kind and mature? Or did he become like this when it came to being strict?
Was this how I treated people all this time when I wanted to train them?
I would reflect, I promise. I would fix my behavior.
"Before that," I asked. "Would I be giving up on magic or Ki?"
"Both."
"Huh?"
"Our goal is to get you a Cataclysm core."
"I see…"
Neither magic nor ki, but cataclysm. Including the Demonic Energy in the mix of World's End.
"Wait, won't it destroy my body inside out?"
Cataclysm even ended my authority. What the fuck was my body against it?
"Your control is so good to ensure it doesn't. Well with how weak you are, it might just do so anyway."
No complains. No complains.
"Let's fix your body first. Running is a good workout. It should take you about 10 years to make one lap of this place."
"I see…"
10 years? What the fuck was this place?
"A million laps normally and half a million with a handstand sound good."
"Ahak! Ahem ahah!"
I started coughing at his nonchalance.
"Run while circulating cataclysm within your body at all times. If it seems like you'll die I'll come fix you up. And since you're a demon lord there's no need to sleep, eat, or shit. Get to it."
"Now?"
"Now. Start running."
"Where? There's no direction here?"
"I said laps. It's your fault if you can't tell your left from your right."
There were no redeeming qualities about this guy either!
ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm "Move it."
I bit my lips.
Yes.
If I wanted to be strong, this was the only way. The way to defeat the Outer Gods, not for myself but for the ones I want to live.
This was my plan. I wouldn't make myself do something I can't.
I had to get rid of every other mindset. There was no need to think of joining hands and fighting.
All that mattered, was strength. If there was a way to cease it, I had to take it—
Before I could finish thinking, a giant spear of pure black fell from the skies and seared through my back.
"AAACK!"
"RUN!!"
And off I set.
***
[A/N: Volume 8 let's go!! It's time to live up to the overpowered tag at last]
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