Chapter Forty-Five: The Selfishness and Arrogance That Go by the Name of Love

What exactly had he experienced in the recent battle? Just as his attack was about to land, his powers dissipated; when he tried to evade, his body refused to obey; when he attempted to summon a defensive barrier, he could not act. Everything unfolded according to Shigure Zero’s commands, and if there was a common thread to these phenomena, it was this—

He had lost control over his body and abilities.

“The Narcissus Mirage, near yet worlds apart—the true nature of this power lies in domination over the enemy. But the question remains: what is its mechanism of activation?”

He gathered the white substance in his palm, forming a narcissus flower identical to Shigure Zero’s manifestation.

“At first, I thought it was a matter of higher-ranking beings controlling the lower—a simple hierarchy. But, Mr. Gongsun, I am not a wielder of the Impermanence Law. Even if there is some unknown rank disparity between Impermanence Laws, it should not affect me. Moreover, my own ability loses control, yet I can successfully use the abilities of others. This proves that ‘lower’ refers not to some supernatural factor, but rather to the target you designate in your ‘command’—not a psychic, but Gongsun Ce himself.”

“Oh, admitting your own abilities are inferior—is that so difficult for you?” Shigure Zero retorted coldly, drawing a short arrow from her waist.

Three jet-black arrows shot toward the psychic’s head, throat, and heart. At the same time, the narcissus gathered its power, unleashing more than ten beams of white light, each as thick as a tree trunk.

The black weapons were anti-magic arrows, capable of negating supernatural abilities; a defensive barrier might be useless against them, and the white beams possessed destructive power surpassing heavy artillery. This assault was daunting enough, but worse still—Shigure Zero no longer issued commands aloud, and yet the psychic felt the same as before. Gongsun Ce stood immobilized, unable to defend or evade; his body had betrayed him again!

“Of course, Miss Shigure. After all, my only virtue is a formidable psychic power.” The gray-haired youth crushed the narcissus in his hand. “Disperse.”

A wild surge of telekinesis whipped up a storm, deflecting the anti-magic arrows away from his body. Invisible force collided with the beams, shattering both in midair and filling the space with radiant flashes!

If defense or evasion was impossible, he would use offense to find a way; if the weapons could nullify supernatural power, he’d use physical phenomena created by his abilities to alter their trajectory. Battle was never a matter of choosing between options!

“…”

Shigure Zero was about to speak, but the psychic made his next move.

Though he should have been frozen, the youth stepped forward with his right foot, moving toward his enemy.

Gongsun Ce smiled.

“As I expected, you can now only issue two commands simultaneously. I can’t defend or dodge, but you haven’t stopped me from approaching. Why is that, Miss Shigure? You single-handedly cleared out the Shigure Research Institute—surely someone like you shouldn’t be pushed so far by a mere outsider!”

His exposure of her power’s limitation should have put him at a disadvantage.

Yet Shigure Zero showed no fear. She smiled as before, matching the youth’s pace step for step.

“Dying once hasn’t dulled your wits. Go on, I don’t dislike clever boys!”

Short arrow in hand, Shigure Zero rushed ahead, closing the distance rather than retreating, initiating close combat herself!

“Because the condition that makes you powerful has been absent since the start of this battle! Your ability is domination over lower-ranked opponents—in both literal terms and practical effect, it’s nearly invincible. But it has a necessary prerequisite, rooted in your Impermanence Law and your way of living as a human!”

Invisible force threatened to tear his opponent apart, but just as it was about to connect, it vanished—the attacking power lost control. Shigure Zero launched another coordinated assault with arrows and beams; as the distance shrank to three meters, Gongsun Ce found himself unable to counterattack with his abilities.

He instantly understood the purpose of her close-combat strategy. In a confined space, a single command preventing attacks from approaching would render most of his offensive methods useless. Would her simultaneous commands prohibit defense or evasion? With her silent commands, he could not anticipate what came next…

Thus, Gongsun Ce struck himself with his own psychic power.

His body was launched high into the air by telekinetic force, narrowly avoiding Shigure Zero’s attack. The gray-haired youth landed on the dragon’s scales, and at that moment, a pure white lance materialized out of thin air, thrusting toward his foe!

“The condition for your Manifestation…”

The black-haired woman immediately crouched low; the white lance grazed her hair. That round of combat ended, and the next would resume in less than half a second—

“It’s your sense of superiority over others!”

At those words, Shigure Zero ceased her attack.

“…Heh.”

She looked at her battered yet smug adversary, and laughed.

“Hahaha, hahahahaha, hahahahahahaha! Correct, Gongsun Ce! Tell me, how did you figure it out this time? Was it that world-maker who gave you a tip?”

Clutching her stomach, she laughed heartily. Even the psychic was at a loss for words. This opponent’s composure was remarkable; she showed no hint of frustration at her abilities being exposed, not an ounce of fluster or rage.

Just as he had imagined. This woman named Shigure Zero would never show weakness to her enemy, no matter the circumstance. She permitted self-deprecation, but never the ridicule of others. She allowed defeat, but not humiliation. Even harmless jokes could truly anger her—she cared deeply for her own image…

Because she loved herself more than anyone.

“It’s about lower-ranked opponents, Miss Shigure. Abilities from different systems shouldn’t have a hierarchy. You’re no royalty, so what gives you the right to label me as a lesser? I searched reality for a basis, but found nothing convincing. So I turned to the intangible—thoughts unseen, unfelt, defined only in one’s mind.”

What feelings does a dominant party have toward the dominated?

Someone who sees others as shadows and herself as a flower—what sentiment would she hold toward her adversaries?

The gray-haired youth pushed up his glasses. “From that angle, the answer is obvious—it’s a sense of superiority. Miss Shigure, in your heart, you are more noble and perfect than anyone in the world, so you always feel superior to others!”

When facing those who cannot be deceived, her superiority grows stronger—hence she flaunts her ability to discern lies.

When facing those younger than herself, it grows stronger still—hence she emphasizes her age and experience.

Thus, she refuses to show weakness, playing the role of a knowledgeable mentor… Only then does her superiority multiply, only then does her self-love intensify, only then can Shigure Zero dominate others in battle with utter advantage!

“But you can’t fight with that mindset now.” The youth regarded her coldly. “Because I, whom you killed with your own hands, have returned; because the dragon you summoned has been sealed by Yan Qi; because you realize events are slipping from your grasp. Having already failed, how can you maintain such powerful superiority over the victor?”

“Of course I can, Gongsun Ce!” She laughed brightly, tears sparkling in her eyes. “Otherwise, how could I use my Impermanence Law? Humans are born for themselves. Loving oneself more than others—is there anything wrong with that?”

For once, he felt frustration.

Anyone else would feel shame at a moment like this, but she did not. She admired it, regretted nothing, and never reflected or repented.

It was this attitude that made her strong.

And it was this mindset that enraged the youth.

“Because of your own desires, you killed an innocent person like me.”

“I have no regrets.”

“Because of your own cravings, you put everyone in this city in danger.”

“So what?”

Fury blazed in his chest, making the psychic clench his fists.

More furious than being dragged into the game, more enraged than realizing Yan Qi’s manipulations, he charged at his enemy, fist raised!

“You’ve pissed me off, Shigure Zero!”

“Then kill me, Gongsun Ce!”

Just as before, his fist froze mid-swing. He was not startled by the expected obstruction, but conjured a rain of pure white swords above Shigure Zero, sending them plummeting straight down!

Yet Shigure Zero issued a new command—

“The Impermanence Law inherited by the lower cannot touch me.”

The indomitable white blades shattered before they could reach her.

“So I guessed right.” Shigure Zero smiled, thrusting her short arrow. “I’ve never heard of psychic powers being inherited—it must be the Dragon-Slayer Technique! You have a close relationship with a certain Impermanence Law wielder, Gongsun Ce; he’s even willing to give you his own heart!”

The psychic sidestepped her attack and seized her wrist: “Yes, it’s the Impermanence Law I inherited from my ancestor during an archaeological dig in third grade. My ancestor trembled as he blessed my forehead, saying the Gongsun family’s eighteen generations depended on me, the sole heir, to bring them glory.”

“A truly clumsy lie.”

“Forgive me, but I really don’t want to talk about anything—” The psychic swung his fist again. “—even a shred of the past with a woman as despicable as you!”

His fist struck her raised arm, surprising him. Shigure Zero’s flawless defense shouldn’t have allowed such a lapse; how could an anger-fueled blow land on her?

No, before that—

How was he able to grasp her arm?

At that moment, the black-haired woman reversed her grip, clasping his wrist. Their hands were intertwined in an odd posture. He glimpsed a sly smile on her lips—the smile of a successful scheme.

“...!”

In that instant, the psychic realized a terrifying possibility, as he heard Shigure Zero whisper.

“Shadow Orchid.”

Light flared on the dragon’s surface, casting a shadow behind the youth.

With that, she vanished from her spot, stepping onto flowers and emerging from the psychic’s shadow.

At the moment she disappeared—

Her opponent was no longer “whole.”