The room was silent.
Outside, the wind and snow howled without cease.
Through a pane of glass, the Demon of Fear slowly spoke:
"You have no idea what kind of lives we've lived, yet you presume to say you'll let Lanci, Xiatelai, and the others go on existing."
"They gave up on themselves long ago."
"You should let me destroy them in this duel. Only then will they suffer less."
Shen Ye shook his head. "She just ate cake and chocolate she'd never tasted before, and now she's sleeping soundly. Tomorrow, she's going to see her parents."
"-I'd say her heart is full of anticipation, not pain."
The Demon of Fear seemed to remember something and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.
Facing Shen Ye, she formed a Spell Seal.
Small, faintly glowing words immediately appeared in the void:
"The part of your 'Gate' ability that belongs to your Traits has been cursed."
Shen Ye's heart tightened.
The Demon of Fear had said she could counter his ability to acquire Traits.
Apparently, it was true!
"Why don't you attack me directly?" Shen Ye asked.
"Obviously, because Xiatelai gave you a chance to impersonate one of our personalities. Otherwise, you'd have died long ago!" the Demon of Fear said.
She stepped back and immediately vanished without a trace.
Only her voice still echoed in the darkness:
"Just you wait-"
"And take a guess: why couldn't you leave our struggle and return to your world?"
"Mark my words."
"-If you survive until our next meeting, you'll kneel before me."
Her voice gradually faded.
Only Shen Ye remained standing before the window.
He stood dazed for a while.
Right.
Why hadn't I been able to leave?
Nine Forms had been the strongest being of the past era. Nothing he did would be