With each step, the shadow figure got closer and closer, leaving frost on the ground behind it. The three Berserk Titans stood on either side of it like obedient guard dogs, their eyes glowing with an unnatural purple light under the red.

It kept getting colder until Greg could see his breath in the air, which was impossible because it had been a warm afternoon just a few minutes before. "Fuck... why did the problem just branch like this...?" he said while controlling his breath.

Elias held his sword tighter, and his knuckles turned white with stress. Even though Greg saw fear flash across his face, the cocky reincarnator was already pushing it down and putting on his usual condescending mask.

"Is a shadow puppet playing god?" Elias said, his voice loud and mocking, even though he was shaking. "How unique."

"Let me guess... you're an evil being that has been sleeping for a long time and is now awake because of the mana disruption?"

"Or maybe a demon lord wants to see how strong humans are? I've killed many people like you."

The shadowy figure stopped about fifty feet away and tilted its head as if it were amused. When it spoke, its voice echoed with layers upon layers, as if many beings were speaking at the same time.

"Did you kill dozens like me?"

"Wow, little reincarnator, your arrogance is really impressive."

"You've only killed weak creatures that were meant to make you feel strong. But I guess that's what you wanted, right?"

"To be the hero, the strongest, the one everyone looks up to."

"But in the end... you're just a prick with nothing but the privilege of someone who doesn't even deserve such things."

Elias's jaw tightened. "I'm strong."

"I've worked hard and shed blood to get my rank. I'm Rank S, the quickest person to clear a dungeon."

"A child playing with toys," the shadow said, its voice almost sad. "Let me show you the difference between real power and the weak strength you've built up."

Elias lunged forward so quickly that people couldn't react. His sword shone with that golden light again, and it was strong enough to cut mountains in half. In a heartbeat, he closed the gap and swung his sword down with all his strength.

The shadow stayed still until the sword hit what should have been the figure's head, and the explosion of golden energy that followed lit up the whole village like a little sun. The shockwave knocked down buildings that had somehow survived the earlier chaos.

The force knocked everyone back, and Greg felt Marina's arms wrap around him as they fell to the ground. Elias stood panting with his sword still raised when the light cleared and the dust settled.

There was silence for a moment, then the shadow figure laughed. There wasn't even a scratch on its shapeless body. Worse, it was now right behind Elias, and no one had seen it move that quickly.

The shadow said simply, "My turn."

What happened next was more of a lesson in how to be embarrassed than a fight. The shadow figure moved like water, easily avoiding Elias's desperate blows. Every time Elias swung his famous sword, the shadow was already somewhere else. And every time it hit back, Elias was sent flying.

A casual backhand sent the Rank S adventurer crashing through two buildings. The shadow was waiting for Elias when he came out, blood dripping from a cut above his eye. It grabbed him by the throat with one dark hand and lifted him into the air without any trouble.

"This is the famous hero?" The shadow thought about it while shaking Elias like a rag doll. "The person who was supposed to save the world? What a letdown."

"A reincarnator like you who has a big ego and mouth sickens me. Better keep your second life worthless until the end of everything, you dumbfuck!"

It threw Elias to the ground with enough force to make a crater. The shadow was back before the adventurer could get back up, kicking him across the village square like a soccer ball.

Elias's scream of pain abruptly ended when he crashed into the remains of the Desperate Guardian. The impact even bent metal and broke stone. The impact even bent metal and broke stone.

"Stop it!" Marina yelled, and her voice broke. "You're going to kill him!"

"Yes, eventually," the shadow said in a friendly way. "But first, I want him to get it."

"To really understand how weak he is and how useless his power has been."

Elias tried to get up, but his legs were shaking, and blood was dripping from many cuts. His expensive clothes were torn and dirty, and his beautiful silver hair was matted with dirt and blood. The cocky self-assurance was gone, and in its place was raw fear and hopelessness.

"I am Rank S," he said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else. "I'm the most powerful reincarnator."

"I worked so hard that I gave up everything to be strong enough to—"

The shadow asked, "To what?" and it was right in front of him.

"To matter? To have value? To show that you weren't wasting a gift from God?" It grabbed Elias's face with one hand and made him look at it. "You were given power, brat."

"That doesn't mean you deserve it."

It threw Elias again, and the adventurer hit the ground so hard that he bounced, finally coming to rest in a broken, bleeding heap until he wasn't moving anymore. Greg watched all of this with growing fear, but something else was also growing inside him.

Not only was he afraid, but he also felt a deep-seated fear. He wasn't experiencing anger, even though he was infuriated by the casual cruelty. It was something more profound, something that had been simmering since he first created the Desperate Guardian.

The shadow figure turned its attention to the others, and the three Berserk Titans moved to surround it again. "Now then," it said, sounding almost happy.

"Let's see if any of the rest of you are worth testing."

"The knights who guard? The mage who thinks? The ranger who can see?" Its voice dropped to a lower, darker tone. "Or perhaps we should begin with the civilians you all are so eager to protect. Let's see just how much they are truly worth."

Greg said quietly, "No."

Everyone turned to look at him. Marina tried to grab his arm to pull him back, but he gently took her hand off and stepped forward.

"What was that?" The shadow asked, clearly having fun. "The little blacksmith has something to say?"

Greg walked over to the remains of his Desperate Guardian. His hands were still shaking from pain and exhaustion, and his mana was completely gone. His brain was telling him to run, hide, or do anything else to avoid getting the monster's attention.

But he kept going.

"I said no," Greg said again, this time with more force.

He got to the Guardian's broken form and put one bloody hand on its broken chest piece, which had somehow turned into armor. "You're not testing anyone else."

"You're not hurting these people. Not while I can still stand."

Greg could sense the shadow's renewed focus on him as it turned its head once more. "Brave words for someone who can't even move."

"What do you think you can do, reincarnator?"

"You don't have any more mana. Your body is falling apart. Your greatest work is in ruins at your feet."

"By any standard, you are done."

"Maybe," Greg said as he looked down at the Guardian.

At this point, he had created an object that was both desperate and silly, born from a moment of pure panic and determination. It had been rough, unstable, and sure to fail from the start. But they had made an effort. Even though it had tried to protect people, it had failed.

Just as he had throughout his entire second life, he focused on creating things that were helpful rather than harmful. He dedicated himself to making tools that would help people live instead of weapons designed to kill. He rejected the fate that the gods had in store for him, refusing to become just another Warhammer saint.

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