Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

Energy continuously swept through Zhuang Wu's hair, and the golden-black energy was gradually overwhelmed by the black-red power.

"...Hahahahaha!" Laughing madly, the energy in his future self's hands surged once more, like an endless flow of water.

"...And this familiar feeling is!" Zhuang Wu seemed to have discovered the subtle feeling, her eyes widening suddenly. "So that's it, you are—!"

Before he could finish speaking, the other party intensified their attack.

The black and red power instantly engulfed Zhuang Wu's figure, then vanished without a trace.

Only the completely evaporated, pitch-black silt told Nianzhuo that what he saw was real.

"...I've already sent that woman's clone back." The patter of footsteps sounded again. The future self looked at Nian Zhuo, who was pinned to the ground, with interest. "Look at your pathetic state. You think you can defeat me with what you have now?"

"A fool's dream." With a kick, Nian Zhuo's armor instantly dissipated, and the kick sent Nian Zhuo's attack flying before crashing into the ground, leaving a trench.

"...Uh, um." Nianzhuo could only clutch her stomach as she struggled to open her eyes.

Every time he felt smug and proud of the power he had gained, this ferocious beast would suddenly appear and teach him a lesson, while also reigniting his curiosity about its true fighting strength.

"...However, it seems you're quite happy in this mirror world." The next moment, a silver-white longsword pierced Nian Zhuo's wrist, pinning his hand to the ground.

"Ahhh!" The feeling of muscle being pierced, accompanied by pain, rushed into Nian Zhuo's mind.

"Don't worry, there's no need to call the system. I've completely blocked that guy's contact with you." Looking at Nian Zhuo, who was in great pain, the other party was so pleased that he almost continued to mock Nian Zhuo with a big smile.

Another longsword pierced Nianzhuo's other wrist.

The pain was no less intense than the longsword in his other hand, and crimson liquid flowed from his wrist.

Clapping his hands, he imagined his future self to be incredibly happy.

Seeing his own hands pierced and him lying on the ground, only able to glare at himself with resentment, the other person felt genuinely happy.

"Then, let me give you another big gift." The image of the mirror world that Nianzhuo had experienced appeared before him.

"...What do you want to do!" An ominous premonition swept through his mind, and Nianzhuo asked subconsciously.

The class monitor and Nel are still in class, while her parents are cooking at home.

And many other things that are completely unlike the Mirror World.

"Snap—" However, the other party simply snapped their fingers lightly.

It shattered instantly.

"What have you done?!" Nian Zhuo's furious roar echoed through the dark world.

A fragmented world

Everything turned to ashes in that man's fingers.

The world? The universe? Time? All were utterly destroyed in an instant. All around was a void, dotted with countless empty stars.

He snapped his fingers again, and the other person grabbed a chair and placed it under him.

"...Hmm~ This is quite pleasant." Extending its index finger, the Beast of Time touched the world scenes that had already turned into fragments.

He was like a child on a picnic, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just destroyed a world.

"You bastard...you bastard!" With his hands pierced by sword blades, Nian Zhuo, seemingly oblivious to the pain, looked up at the culprit who had caused it all. "I will definitely...!"

"—Kill me? Right?" The beast sitting in the chair stared at Nian Zhuo's face with a look of pleasure, then raised his foot and stomped him to the ground. "You? Don't you know your own worth?"

“…!” Supporting himself with his arms, Nian Zhuo tried to get up from the ground.

His fingernails began to break, and blood gushed from between his fingers, yet Nianzhuo's body remained motionless.

The muscles in my shoulder have started to turn slightly red, which is a sign that subcutaneous bleeding has begun.

However, the other person didn't even change their expression, as if watching an ant struggling at his feet.

Finally, after repeated attempts, Nianzhuo's hands had run out of strength, and he collapsed to the ground once again.

The only result, I suppose, is the excruciating pain that comes from rubbing my palm against the blade.

"—" Nian Zhuo's vision began to blur again, and he realized that this was a sign that he had lost too much blood.

"...Struggling and falling again and again, is this time, I'm really going to die...?" The thought kept echoing in Nian Zhuo's mind that he couldn't give up.

However, the passage of time and the desperate distance in terms of power were like blades constantly eroding Nianzhuo's resolve.

—We cannot give up.

—We cannot give up.

—I don't want to give up.

—Unwilling to give up.

—Don't give up.

But no matter how much he struggled, facing an enemy that even Zhuang Wu couldn't defeat, Nian Zhuo could only be trampled under his feet.

“…Damn it.” Driver, dial, knight. Everything, now he was no match for the beast before him. The blood flowing from his palm, pierced by the sword, was gradually decreasing, as if it would all drain away.

"Is it already too late?" A familiar voice came from beside me.

I heard the sound of something falling in front of me.

With great effort, Nian Zhuo opened his eyes. Despite his blurred vision, he could still see the scene in front of him with perfect clarity.

—Because identifying them is too easy.

A jet-black chain, and a red hair tie.

How could I forget? I would never forget. That was proof given to me by those two girls.

That is proof that Nianzhuo has indeed done something in this world.

That is proof that he acknowledges the possibility that 'Nian Zhuo' still exists today.

"I can't let them down!" The magic circuits in my body also felt clear.

Is it Mary? Although I don't know how she managed to connect to her magic circuits here, now that she has backup, let her struggle on without restraint!

It seemed as if he had regained his power; as the blood in his body was being lost, it was being gradually replenished by magic.

“…Hoo.” Taking a deep breath, Nianzhuo propped himself up on his arms again.

With increased force, the red color on his arms gradually intensified before being obscured by the crystalline blue.

Muscles tearing? Blood loss? If those things can't hold up, just use magic to strengthen them.

With continued efforts, Nianzhuo started trying again.

"--Roar?" Feeling the insignificant upward force beneath his feet, the beast sitting in the chair looked with interest at the struggling creature beneath him.

"Not bad, not bad. What a good show." He clapped his hands, then suddenly increased the force the beast applied to his legs. "So what?!"

With a "thump—!", Nianzhuo once again made intimate contact with the earth.

This time, even the ground sank, and blood began to seep from Nianzhuo's head.

“Idealism is indeed useful, but it’s only applicable to enemies whose strength difference is clearly visible.” Wiping his hands, the beast casually opened a spatial rift, constantly exploring from the unknown world.

"And for me, the only way to increase my power is through this." From the rift in space, the beast took out a piece of crystal-clear, jet-black glass and waved it in front of Nian Zhuo.

Just by getting close, Nian Zhuo could feel the weight on it and the aura of destruction emanating from it.

"It's called a fragment of the world, the only destination of a world that has been completely wiped out after its demise." Turning the fragment up and down in his hand, Nian Zhuo felt as if it were a formidable enemy, but it was not even as valuable as a small piece of glass in front of him.

"--?" Realizing something, Nianzhuo even forgot to struggle.

“That’s right.” Xue Ran smiled, and the beast’s hand, which was swinging the fragment, suddenly stopped. “This is the end of the destroyed world, and also the only end in your space!” Opening its mouth, the beast swallowed the fragment.

A black time wheel enveloped his body.

"This feeling of increasing power is always exhilarating, no matter how many times you do it!" Although it was still Nian Zhuo's voice, the madness and bestiality it contained were even greater.

The man before him, whether in the present, past, or future, is merely a 'world' he experiences. Only by devouring these worlds can he grow stronger.

“So—” A dull silver beast claw pierced through the ring.

He slammed Nianzhuo's body onto the ground, his power increasing once again, even creating tremors in the void.

"Just hurry up and die, you useless thing!" Howling, the Time Beast, covered in white fur and sporting two enormous dragon horns, charged out of the ring.

Is this your true self...?

Even at the very end, Nianzhuo stared intently at the ugly beast.

"No matter how many times I reincarnate, no matter what my fate will be next time, I will definitely kill you! We will all definitely kill you! Even if there is only a one in ten million chance!" With a furious roar, Nian Zhuo saw the claws of the Time Beast magnified in his eyes.

"--Wait a minute!" Two voices simultaneously entered their ears.

Those were two people who could never possibly be here; they were two people who survived even though the world had been destroyed.

"--Who are you?" He wanted to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but the blade on his palm kept telling him that he was a wounded soldier, the kind who was about to die.

There is a kind of love that cannot be reborn, and can never be repaid.

What are my parents really like?

That was a question that had been lingering in Nianzhuo's mind since childhood.

Do they still love me?

This is a question that has remained unanswered for a long time.

The word "parents" feels so distant, yet I keep thinking about it.

More than ten years of living and growing up have made him accustomed to not seeing his parents, but have also gradually deepened his loneliness.

He never saw his parents even once before he left this world.

They disappeared, but for Nianzhuo, it was no different from them leaving. He was left all alone.

Therefore, this is an absolutely impossible meeting, yet it is also an extremely reasonable one.

"How...how did you get here?" Nianzhuo was simply surprised as the two people ran up to him.

They were my parents, whom I saw in that mirror world.

"Need I say more? I don't know what happened to this world, it just suddenly shattered or something—" The man panted heavily, and proudly raised the woman's hand beside him, "So I could only escape with your mother, but I didn't see you, kid, so I could only keep looking for you in this area. But now I can finally relax."