[𖤐 Are you running away again? 𖤐]

Gray instantly froze on his tracks.

"…What is it now?" he muttered, looking up at the sky, because somehow, that was always where the other 'him' seemed to speak from.

And then, that voice came again.

The same words, but this time, it was dripping with mockery.

[𖤐 Are... you running away again? 𖤐]

Gray gritted his teeth at his mocking words, the veins on his neck tightening. However, before he could speak, Jasmine's voice cut in.

[Of course, he will. There's no way to defeat that thing with his current power. The only logical move is to retreat and wait for one of those useless professors to finally show up.]

But to her words, the other Gray only laughed.

[𖤐 Pftt... are you protecting your husband? 𖤐]

Jasmine froze.

[H-huh?!]

Even Gray was a little confused.

[𖤐 Don't act surprised. He might be an idiot, but I'm not. You and I both know what a Soul Contract really means. It's basically the purest form of marriage, isn't it? 𖤐]

He laughed.

[𖤐 There's even a fairy tale about it… Two souls bound together for eternity. How romantic~ 𖤐]

[S-shut up!]

Jasmine's voice shook in embarrassment.

Upon hearing his words, Gray suddenly gained an epiphany.

"Was that the reason why you were so contradictory on making a soul contract with me?" he asked curiously.

[N-no! That's not it at all!]

But the other Gray didn't stop.

[𖤐 It was... she's also a virgin somehow, even if she was known as the Goddess of Beauty before. Ehh... she was probably insane enough for anyone not to want her. 𖤐]

[Y-you!]

Jasmine gritted her teeth, feeling her pride being pricked by his words.

The mocking voice hummed in amusement.

[𖤐 Anyway, let's get back to what matters. You're really going to run away again? 𖤐]

He asked once again.

[𖤐 You do realize you can't keep running forever, right? That thing back there, it's pretty much nothing. Our real enemies make that demon look like an insect. 𖤐]

Gray scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"…So what? I'll run now, get stronger, and when I'm read—"

[𖤐 When you're ready? 𖤐]

The voice cut in sharply.

[𖤐 One year? Two? Ten? Or maybe you'll still be making excuses a century from now? 𖤐]

Before Gray could respond, a massive explosion shook the world behind him.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The sound tore through the air, a storm of dust and broken stone rising high into the sky.

[𖤐 Ohhh~ what a nice spell. Maybe it killed Selene. 𖤐]

Gray's eyes changed instantly, his head tilting back instinctively.

[𖤐 How pathetic… You fell in love that quickly? 𖤐]

The other 'Gray' mocked him once again.

[𖤐 And while loving her, you still decided to run away, leaving your little love to die? Did you really think that was going to be the best option? 𖤐]

[𖤐 Fortune favors the bold, or so they say... if you don't take risks, how are you supposed to get strong? 𖤐]

THRRRUM!

The air around Gray trembled slightly.

His mana is starting to pulse like a heartbeat. His eyes darkened, his breath came heavy, and the thread of patience holding him together finally...

SNAPPED.

BOOM!

A burst of mana exploded outward, dark and heavy like smoke.

It spiraled around him, the color no longer the faint gray-white it used to be, but something darker… almost corrupted.

The ground cracked under his feet, small stones floating up in the pressure.

His hair blew back, eyes widening in pain and rage.

"SHUT UP!"

He screamed the words into the air, but the other Gray only laughed.

[𖤐 There it is… that anger that lowers your intelligence, making you essentially dumber than me. That filth in your heart you keep pretending isn't there. 𖤐]

The voice hissed in delight.

[𖤐 Go on, let it out. You've been holding back for far too long. 𖤐]

Gray's jaw clenched hard enough to hurt.

BOOOOOOOM!

A huge shockwave ripped through the air, his mana suddenly expanding. It crashed outward like a tidal wave, slicing through trees, scattering dust and rubble into the sky.

Jasmine gasped inside his mind.

[Gray!?]

But he wasn't listening anymore.

Everything around him faded into a blur of darkness and noise.

But then, he felt it...

BAAM!

He had stepped into the Advanced Realm.

Still thousands of times weaker than the demon, but that was already a plus. At this, the other Gray chuckled lowly as if satisfied with what had happened.

[𖤐 Finally… that should be enough. 𖤐]

A faint hum echoed in front of Gray as glowing blue text began to form midair, one line after another.

[Your Class has reached the Intermediate Level...]

[The Skill "Madman's Mirror" has been awakened!]

[Your Hidden Skill is in the process of awakening...]

Gray's eyes widened in shock.

And then... as he read what the skills did, his lips curled up slighly into a quivering yet devilish grin.

[...That 'Gray'...]

Jasmine's voice trailed off.

[How did he...]

She couldn't even finish her words, looking at Gray, who rushed back to the battlefield.

.

.

.

.

.

.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The impact tore through the ruins like the roar of the underworld itself. Stone shattered. Blood splashed.

The light vanished into a choking cloud of dust and ash.

Selene's voice cracked as she tried to move, her dagger shaking in her hand.

"No… no, no—!"

A massive hand broke through the smoke, claws long as swords, seizing both Selene and Maelis by their throats.

Their feet kicked helplessly in the air, air squeezed out of their lungs as the Superior Demon's twisted grin spread wider.

"Frail… little things," it growled, its voice vibrating through the earth.

"Let me hear you break."

Maelis's fingers sparked faintly, a weak flicker of gravity magic trembling from her hands.

Selene struggled to stab the monster's arm, but her blade only scraped uselessly against its hide.

The demon laughed, but then...

Fwip!

Something slammed down from above, landing right on the Demon's enormous arm.

A heavy thud rang out as Gray appeared, his right foot planting firmly, the ground beneath him cracking.

His mana burned a deep, dark shade, almost black, spilling around him like smoke.

The Demon turned, just as Gray pivoted sharply, his body twisting midair, before driving a brutal kick straight into its blood-red eye.

CRAAACK!!!

A spray of dark blood burst out, splattering across the ground as the monster reeled back, roaring in fury.

Selene and Maelis were thrown aside, crashing against the debris, coughing but alive.

Gray landed lightly on his feet, threads of black light crawling from his fingertips, clinging to the Demon's wounds like living veins.

His lips curved into a trembling, wild grin, half-crazed, half-focused.

"…You like crushing things, huh?" he said softly.

"Then let's see how you feel being pulled apart."

The Demon's hand jerked as invisible strings tightened around it, Gray's strings, now shimmering faintly with that eerie dark mana.

The air trembled as hundreds of thin threads flickered into existence, weaving between the Demon's limbs, crawling across the battlefield like a spiderweb of death.

Every thread was connected to Gray.

Every movement was his command.

And yet, even as his eyes gleamed with that deadly focus, faint blood began to trail from the corner of his mouth.

Selene, still trembling, managed to whisper hoarsely:

"Gray… w-why did you come back…?"

He didn't look back.

"To finish this, of course," he muttered.

Then, beneath his breath, too quiet for anyone but the Demon to hear, Gray chuckled.

"Let's dance, monster."

"YOU DARE?!"

The Demon's roar shattered what little calm was left.

RIP!

Its huge arm flexed once, and Gray's threads tore apart like thin glass, scattering into black sparks.

The recoil sent him stumbling back a step, blood spraying from his mouth. His hands trembled, fingers twitching from the strain.

"…Tch," he hissed quietly, wiping the blood with the back of his hand. "

Of course, it's not that easy."

The Demon sneered, its single ruined eye burning like molten coal.

"You think strings can hold me, little insect?"

Gray's grin only widened.

"Who said I only have one set?"

He raised both arms, and the ground itself quivered.

Fwip, fwip, fwip!

Hundreds of threads burst out again, darker and sharper than before, weaving through the air like living serpents.

But they were different from his usual strings... they were enchanted.

An ability that Gray had gained since he was officially an intermediate-level Clown.

The faint hum of enchantment pulsed through them, each strand infused with mana so dense it distorted the light.

Rip, rip!

SNAP!

The Demon swung its arm again to break them, but new ones formed instantly, duplicating mid-air.

Gray's pupils constricted as mana surged wildly through his veins.

"You can tear them all you want… but I'll just make more."

He jerked his fingers forward.

CRASH!

And more threads shot through the Demon's arm, wrapping around the joints, slicing deep into its flesh.

"GRAAAHHHH!!!"

The monster bellowed, its arm bleeding dark smoke.

Enraged, it slammed its claw down, and Gray barely had any time to dodge, even with his swap skill.

BOOOM!

The ground exploded beside him. A blast of raw demonic force grazed his left arm, and tore it off completely.

"Agh..."

He groaned slighly, collapsing to one knee, clutching the bleeding stump. His breath came fast and ragged, but his eyes… they didn't break.

They burned brighter.

"Still… not enough."

He used his remaining hand to drag more mana. Threads erupted again, this time wrapping around his own body, forcing it to move even when his muscles wouldn't.

The Demon charged again, its roar shaking the entire ground.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

Gray extended his palm, whispering to himself.

"…Puppet Strings: Dual Enchantment."

Dozens of glowing sigils appeared along the threads.

They weren't made just to bind anymore; they reflected. Every time the Demon's attack struck, a portion of its force was redirected.

BOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave of black light exploded between them.

Gray was thrown backward, his shoulder blown apart, blood and smoke trailing through the air. But the Demon stumbled too, its chest cut open by its own redirected strike.

"Clever little rat…" it growled, its voice echoing like thunder.

Gray laughed weakly, dragging himself upright.

"Maybe… but rats survive, don't they?"

The Demon lunged again, claws glowing red. Gray didn't move back this time, he stepped forward, planting his remaining hand into the ground.

Threads surged like spears, wrapping around the Demon's legs and pulling tight.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

The creature ripped free, but not before Gray's magic severed part of its knee joint, forcing it to stumble.

Fwip!

The Demon swung its tail madly.

CRASH!!!

The impact tore through Gray's waist, his body flying through the air, crashing into a wall.

But in that little moment, Gray was still able to alleviate the damage, using his strings to take most of the impact.

For a moment, everything went silent.

Dust fell like snow.

Gray didn't move.

Then, slowly, his hand rose again.

Fingers bleeding, bones cracking, but still moving.

The threads flared once more.

The Demon blinked in surprise, gritting its teeth.

"You… still—"

Gray cut him off, his voice breaking into a half-laugh, half-cough.

"I told you… I'm not done."

The battlefield trembled again as thousands of threads burst forth from every direction, crawling from corpses, stones, and even the Demon's shadow itself.

Gray's lips curved into a confident yet trembling grin.

Why?

His Combat Intuition had been activated, and this time, he would finally put both of his new skills to the test.

"I'll tear your heart out… even if I have to crawl to do it," he declared coldly.

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