Link's declaration rang out like thunder in the deathly stillness of the void.
By a method that bordered on cheating, he had forced his way through the first trial.
The Living Tribunal fell silent.
It seemed not to have anticipated that a being from a single universe could wield the power of "negation"—a power even it had to treat with caution.
After a long while, that majestic voice sounded again, but this time, it seemed to carry a barely perceptible tremor.
"Thou hast severed thy past, but thou canst not sever thyself."
As those words fell, the surrounding void began to recede, replaced by a pure white space that stretched endlessly, without a single point of reference.
Link warily surveyed his surroundings.
The first trial had tested his impact on the "outside world."
Then the second...
They're trying to mess with my head...
The thought had barely crossed Link's mind when a figure slowly emerged in the white space before him.
It was a young man in an ordinary T-shirt and jeans, his eyes filled with confusion, social anxiety, and unease about the future.
It was... the mortal Link, before he had crossed into this world.
"We were supposed to live a quiet, peaceful life. Why did we have to come to this godforsaken place?" mortal Link demanded.
Immediately afterward, a second figure appeared.
He wore a purple suit and garish face paint, his mouth stretched into a grin as he laughed maniacally, tossing a coin in his hand. This was the Link who had inherited Joker's chaos force.
"Hee hee hee... screw peace! Only chaos! Eternal, entertaining chaos that brings endless pleasure—that's the only truth!" Joker Link shrieked.
The third figure wore a red-and-blue Battle Suit with a large "S" emblem on his chest. He was handsome, his eyes