The Battle Between Me and Myself · Part Five

No one can predict what will happen in the next second, because variables are always unpredictable.

Even if you have the ability to predict the future, you still cannot rule out things that might happen outside of the variables.

For example...

—Shinmon—

"For example, why am I either working overtime or on my way to work overtime?!"

Fuming with rage, the Fox Knight pressed down on IF Goose's face a few more times, creating some distance between them. He then swung his Rising Sword downwards, aiming a strike at IF Goose's forehead. For some reason, the goose suddenly had the illusion that this guy's resentment was greater than all of them combined.

Perhaps, it wasn't just an illusion?

Bang!!!

The jet nozzles on its arms spewed out scorching sparks, causing the Rising Sword and the Time Kingdom Sword to collide heavily, producing a loud bang. However, the immense force only made the IF Goose take half a step back.

That's only natural; after all, she's Durandal from another world.

Learning from the previous experience of the Flame Sword being broken due to poor quality, Tesla temporarily added an ion layer to the Rising Sword to increase its sharpness while protecting the blade.

At least it's not so easy to break.

However, there's an awkward problem. Although we don't know if this time-based sword created by the Honkai has all the abilities of the original, we do remember that the sharpness of this holy sword of time increases over time...

Xing suddenly felt the word "danger" pop up on his Leap Sword.

Full Charge!

In the brief interval between the heavy slashes, the Fox Knight, who had not yet landed, glanced at the weapon whose blade was gleaming brightly, pulled the cannon buckle on the hilt, and quickly removed it after colorful text appeared. He then replaced it with the Booster Buckle on his belt, switching to dual command mode.

PS: Because that slash had the boost from the thruster, it charged up enough energy in one strike.

Twin Set!

Ready to Fight!

While wearing the Command Twin Buckle, the IF Goose drive time of the national sword deletion caused the sound effect to jump directly to the end, and the mecha-style Gemini Kitsune made their appearance, greatly enhancing the values of all aspects. While giving them heavy firepower output capabilities, they also enhanced mobility, and the performance of the buckle surpassed that of other buckles in the past.

Ding!

The first wearer of the exoskeleton armor system reacted, automatically tracking and attacking even in a world where time had been erased. This prevented the IF Goose from launching an effective surprise attack, forcing it to adopt a frontal assault tactic, unleashing a barrage of attacks on the Fox Knight.

Clang!

Meanwhile, the battle between fire and darkness continues.

"Moon Dark Iaido!"

"Rekka Iaido!"

Both retreated simultaneously to create distance, inserted their weapons into the scabbard-like storage device, and launched an iaido slash. Crescent-shaped sword energies of crimson and dark purple intersected in mid-air before striking each other.

"Ha!"

Kiana let out a low growl, and the two eagle wings on her back spread open, propelling her slightly into the air. She took the blow head-on from the opponent's slash. The powerful force was transmitted to her from the Flame Sword, but Kiana did not panic. She recalled her past battles with Fu Hua in her mind, and her body drew an arc in mid-air.

Use the opponent's strength to your advantage!

The black and white fish yin-yang symbol flashed by, and in that fleeting moment, the dark purple crescent-shaped sword energy was flicked around by the tip of the fire sword, and when it returned, its color had changed from purple to red.

In contrast, IF Bug did not dodge or evade Kiana's Iai Slash, but instead swung her sword and shattered it directly. However, Kiana's counterattack came in an instant, and the slash was much stronger than the previous one, which puzzled her. But Kiana's counterattack had only just begun.

A Journey to the West!

Pressing the third book on the driver, auspicious clouds appeared beneath her feet, and Kiana rode the clouds into the air, rotating the sword hilt in her hand and changing to a reverse grip.

Whoosh whoosh!

A bright red figure darted swiftly around the IF Bug, sparks exploding on her armor. The IF Bug held its weapon horizontally in front of its chest, surprised by the improvement in its strength, but this was far from enough.

After all, as a former Saber user, IF Bug knew very well that with the power of the Rekka Three Volumes, he could only barely break through the defenses of the Jaou Dragon, let alone defeat him.

"The Evil King's Ultimate Move!"

Without the slightest hesitation, IF Bug ignored Kiana's attack, closed the drive book, and struck the driver with the hilt of its sword. A powerful aura erupted, causing Kiana, who was about to launch another attack, to stop in mid-air. The next second, several golden dragons rushed towards her, forcing her to fly into the sky to evade the pursuit.

With the Storm Falcon and Journey to the West Drive Books pushed to their limits, Kiana glanced back at the approaching dragon horde and decisively sheathed her sword back in her belt, unleashing her ultimate attack. Combining the power of the three fantasy drive books, she executed a Knight Kick and charged towards the dragon horde.

"Ultimate Move! Rekka Draw Sword! Triple Attack! FFF-Fire!"

"King of Author!"

In the instant before encountering the dragons, Kiana cunningly pulled out the Book of King Arthur, summoned the Greatsword of Kings, and caught the dragons off guard. Then, she unleashed a Knight Kick and charged fiercely into the dragon horde.

Magnificent sparks burst forth in the dark sky.

Note: Kiana here completely exhausted all the energy from her first transformation. Ah, the three transformation attempts refer to the amount of energy used, not the number of transformations a character can perform.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

A large number of Titan Mech were constantly being constructed out of thin air and continuously deployed to the battlefield, becoming cannon fodder in the battle between the two Herrscher of Reason from different worlds.

Upon seeing a face similar to his own, Welt Yang did not hesitate for a moment. He gradually projected the familiar weapons from his memories, attacking his counterpart in another world.

"Answer me, in your world, does Schicksal still exist?"

"Of course—not here."

"I see."

The exchange was brief and cold. The sound of the explosions continued to echo in the man's ears. Looking at the deepening purple erosion lines on his face, he asked a new question, "So, is Tesla still around?"

"Of course, it's not here either."

Welt Young closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He never imagined that he would actually meet him.

He didn't know whether he should feel fortunate or unfortunate to have encountered this version of himself that existed in his imagination and observation.

"I have thought about this question before, when I had just inherited the name of the world from Joyce."

"If I hadn't had Tesla, Ein, Planck... without all those people who supported me and helped me get to where I am today, what would I have become?"

A moment later, he opened his eyes, stared at him, and his expression was very calm.

"This time, I have to thank that child. He gave me the opportunity to completely say goodbye to my past."

"So, what exactly are you trying to say?" The man's expression turned mocking. "I looked into your record before I came here. Do you think that with your performance, which was like doing sit-ups, you'd be so angry if Joyce knew about it from beyond the grave that she'd jump out of her coffin and slap you a few times?"

Old Yang's lips twitched, and a tall figure loomed behind him.

"Look at me, look at what I've accomplished!" The man spread his arms wide, boasting as if showing off, "I defeated and seized the Herrscher of Void, Sirin, and single-handedly destroyed Schicksal, made Otto kneel at my feet, and avenged Joyce. And look at what you've done?!"

Faced with the man's accusation, Welt Young did not answer directly. He quietly raised his eyes, his glasses reflecting a cold light in the gunfire. "So, what has become of your world?"

The man who was talking so eloquently suddenly fell silent, as if he had been wound up.

"He who truly bears the name of 'The World' is not a fool acting on impulse. This doesn't mean forgetting the past or abandoning hatred; it's simply for his own world, the world of everyone around him, the world that everyone dreams of, and that world that exists in the future—"

Welt raised his right hand, clenched it tightly against his chest, and a resolute look flashed in his eyes. "I must learn to make choices, whether it's giving up my name, forgetting my childhood, or suppressing my resentment towards that bastard and choosing to cooperate with him. These are all necessary choices. After all, this world cannot do without him."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! What can that man bring to this world?!"

As if he'd heard the funniest joke, he intensified his power, relentlessly constructing weapon after weapon of war to attack Welt Yang. Seeing this, Yang simply shook his head silently, slowly stepped forward, and pointed his hand towards the sky—

"Rise up, Arahanto!"

The towering humanoid mecha was constructed out of thin air behind him. It only took a few seconds for the tiny parts to be completed, and then it landed with a deafening roar.

(Imagine the scene here yourself, isn't it incredibly cool?)

Old Yang crossed his arms, and a surge of air rushed from behind him, making his trench coat flap loudly. The man stood firm in the gale, thinking that Little Xing was right. This way of showing off, oops, this way of posing is indeed very cool.

They're not always this serious, are they?

A silver-gray heavy tank appeared in the enemy camp. Seeing this final weapon that only existed on paper, Yang narrowed his eyes in surprise. "If I remember correctly, this seems to be one of Tesla's failed products. The reason for its abandonment was... not cool enough?"

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Crack! Clang! Boom!

The flying scythes and claws clashed and collided in the confined space. Black Seele laughed wildly as she launched a frenzied attack, pulling White Seele, who couldn't dodge in time, into her arms to protect her, while grabbing the scythe with her other hand and unleashing a series of slashes at the enemy.

"Although I don't know what happened in your world, I'm sorry, but I will never give up my Seele to you!"

The girl with black hair and red eyes suddenly became chaotic. Seeing this, Bai Xier and Bai Xier looked at each other and their bodies merged back into one. After a deep exchange between them, White Seele, who fully trusted her inner personality, completely handed over control of her body. The complete Abyssal Empress thus made its debut.

After all, she had been scattered by the Fever Ninja before. Although it was against her will, to be honest, she was always getting beaten up, and Black Seele had a lot of resentment.

"You have no idea what that girl really represents!"

Two sharp scythes clashed together. IF Seele slammed her weapon forward, and Black Seele retaliated with the same strike. Their foreheads made intimate contact, and their four soft mounds of flesh pressed together...

Author! Don't use color at a time like this!

"Oh? What can that silly glutton possibly produce?"

Black Seele nonchalantly swung her scythe to counter their relentless attacks, the four claws clashing against each other on either side, sparks flying everywhere.

"She's the embodiment of disaster! Anyone who gets even the slightest connection with her will be doomed!" IF Xi recalled the horrific scene and increased the power in her weapon. Black Seele scoffed disdainfully and retaliated with the same increased power, "That's our business, none of your concern. I'll protect this guy and make sure she doesn't get hurt in the slightest!"

"What do you think you know?!"

The Stigmata suddenly shone brightly. Faced with the enemy's sudden burst of power, Black Seele was caught off guard and was put at a disadvantage for a moment.

"You said you would never give me your Seele?"

IF Xi looked at Black Seele, who was busy blocking, and gave a miserable smile. She stuck the end of her scythe into the ground and temporarily stopped attacking. Her blood-red eyes stared straight at Black Seele, who had stopped fighting despite her confusion.

"The other me... you've got it backwards."

Black Seele's pupils suddenly contracted, and for a moment she felt the weapon in her hand was incredibly heavy.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Brother Xing Brother Xing, Brother Xing!!!"

Wendy got carried away, and her excited state made the IF Wendy on the other side, who had been brought in to make up the numbers, suspect that this guy was the dark version. She originally wanted to talk about how tragic her fate was and enter the usual talk therapy segment, but wasn't something wrong?

"Brother Xing said if you can't even beat him, don't go back to see him, so hurry up and die!!!"

"That's supposed to be my line!"

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Enemy detected approaching, quantity: 1, execute annihilation order."

The cold, emotionless weapon's eyes gleamed with a profound purple light that enveloped her. Bronya felt an immediate pressure, mounted her upgraded Motorcycle Rabbit, pulled down her goggles, and muttered curses under her breath:

"Damn it, why am I the only one without a new skin? Whether it's Herrscher Authority or Stigmata, at least give me one! As the saying goes, the poor rely on mutations and the rich rely on technology. I can understand that my technology isn't maxed out, but this mutation isn't even that great!"

Even so, Ya Ya still drove through the cannon fodder, unmoved by the flashes and bubble barriers that tried to stop it.

If we consider life as a Yugi, then this is a high-difficulty dungeon. In that case, we only need one life to complete it, and we don't need to think about anything else.

However, Bronya's heart sank whenever she saw IF Black Duck.

It wasn't out of sympathy for the other version of herself, but rather because she realized that if she hadn't been fortunate enough to be freed from Cocolia's control, she would probably have remained someone's puppet forever.

"So, this posture is really ugly..."

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The Hokushin Itto-ryu- ryū!

The Hokushin Itto-ryu- ryū!

The sword moves were sharp and unpredictable. The usually gentle housewife was now like a killing god. Her expression, full of fighting spirit and killing intent, reminded people of the Asura demons in mythology.

Lightning flashed and sword shadows danced, the battlefield between the two extending from mid-air into the depths of the earth, with everything disintegrating into particles in the aftershocks of the battle.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm doing what I believe is right!"

"Incomprehensible!"

"Then let's see whose blade is sharper!"

That's exactly what I was thinking!

Battles between samurai are probably like this: each has different ideals, there is no right or wrong, only opposing positions. Whoever's sword can cut off the other's head is right.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the sparks dissipated, Kiana emerged unharmed through the smoke, but the figure of the IF Bug came into view. She quickly raised her sword, ready to fight, but was still cleaved from mid-air to the ground by a sword strike.

Looking around the battlefield, the IF Bug's face, hidden beneath her mask, struggled for a moment. Thick black mist surged from her sword, forcing her to raise her weapon and shout, "Come, fight for me, Benares!"

"Boom!!!"

A colossal bone dragon tore through space, crawling out from the other side of the world. Seeing this, Jiuxiao, who had been spared and left behind, chuckled softly, raised his longsword, and shouted, "Descend, my lord..."

"Don't steal my lines!"

A laser cannon shot fell from the sky, blasting Jiuxiao soaring into the air. Xing, on the high-altitude platform, seized the opportunity to take out the Beast Emperor Sword 2.5. The beast pressure sealed within the sword was instantly released, causing IF Goose's movements to slow down.

"Descend, Ultimate Beast GaoKing!"

PS: Jiuxiao obtained the genuine Beast Emperor Sword using cards, so it should be able to be summoned. However, Xing stopped her here for other reasons, not just because she wanted to steal the center position.