The masked man looked at us and squinted but then turned to Stella.
"…It's strange, isn't it? To think that the creatures of this world would side with you…"
"…Who on earth are you?"
Meiko and I each took an alert position.
Then──.
"──What is it, Veda?"
""!?""
"Yin-sama…"
Following the masked man──Veda, a muscular man with a bald head suddenly appeared.
He was dressed like a human in appearance… but I knew it when I saw him.
This bald man──Yin, was not normal.
Even though there was no sign of him until he appeared, the moment this man named Yin appeared, I felt such a strong pressure that this Between World seemed to creak.
Is this guy the enemy my other self was talking about…?
I raised my guard to the maximum and pointed my Omni-Sword at the man named Yin.
Yin looked at us and widened his eyes slightly.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to come to us… and from your appearance… it seems that you also possess a considerable 'Power of Existence.'"
"What do you mean?"
I asked, and Yin's brow furrowed.
"Did you set foot in this place without even knowing what it was? You fool… Well, that's okay. It would be better if it were easier for us to conquer your world."
"What?"
"──This is the Between World. This is the world where those who have been denied existence by the world because of the sheer magnitude of their existence. Therefore, those who do not have a certain 'Power of Existence' cannot sustain themselves in this space. And the size of that 'Power of Existence' is directly related to the strength in this space… In other words, you already have the 'Power of Existence' that can even take over the world."
This was exactly what Kuro expected.
Then, Yin's face twisted uncomfortably.
"…It is unforgivable. How can you still be accepted by the world when you have so much Power of Existence… It's unpleasant."
"Wha!?"
At that moment, most of the bubbles floating around the world burst and disappeared!
"The world!"
The world? Oh, the floating ones. They were mine to begin with."
"What?"
"Your world is all that is left of the Between Worlds. I took over and absorbed all the others. This space became too desolate. So I made fake ones and floated them around just for fun."
Yin spoke as if he were redecorating a room.
But in the process, many worlds were absorbed and disappeared.
The world where the other me lived was also taken…
"Why are you doing this?"
I shouted, unable to stand it any longer, and Yin turned his sharp gaze on me.
"Why, you ask? Do you, who are accepted by the world, understand how we feel?"
"!"
"Do you think you can understand the feelings of those who have been rejected by the world simply because they are alive? You do not understand. You are someone who received the world's grace. In this land where even the concept of time does not exist, our feelings of longing for the existence of 'the world' are…!"
Yin shouted with all the hatred he could muster.
Then Yin suddenly laughed.
"That's what I was thinking. If it doesn't exist, I will create it. But creating a world requires an enormous amount of energy. And what I want to create is a world we can live in… It cannot be created with half-hearted energy. So I decided to use it. The energy of your world."
"What did you say?"
"What is the problem? You're just consuming the world's energy and not giving it back to anything. All you are doing is foolishly consuming the resources of a world until they run out. You are just clinging to the grace of the world, and you have no productivity. Therefore, I will use them to create an ideal world for us to live in."
It was an insane statement.
No matter how much I begged him, this man would not stop.
Then Yin turned his sharp gaze back to us.
"…Well, I'm done talking. By defeating you here and making you our pawn, we will soon conquer your world as well."
"I won't let that happen…!"
I used the Holy Evil Creation and the Magic Armor, instantly closing the distance between me and Yin.
"Oh? Is there such power too…!"
"What?"
But before my attack could reach him, Yin disappeared as if melting into this space.
At the same time, Veda stood before me.
"I offer you to my lord."
"I won't let you! Spirit Chain!"
Meiko released chains of spiritual power from her hands, and they immediately entwined themselves around Veda's limbs.
"I see; this is the power that that pawn also used. But…"
Veda broke the chains of spiritual power with a slight movement of his limbs.
"It doesn't seem to be as skillful as that pawn. It's really fragile…"
"Meowwwww!"
"Mm!"
Then, as if Stella had disappeared into space just like Yin, she suddenly appeared near Veda and mowed down Veda's body with her claws.
Veda could not dodge the attack and raised his arms in defense, but his arms were slashed wide open.
"Kuh… you are 'rejected ones' just like us, why are you siding with them…!"
"Hissssss!"
Veda shouted, but Stella showed no sign of concern and continued her attack.
"Don't forget me."
"Meow!"
"Stella!"
But when Yin, who had disappeared, appeared to protect Veda, he grabbed Stella's paw and stopped her.
"Even though you are just like us, how can you not agree with my long-cherished wishes…?"
"Get your hands off her!"
I activated my Divine Authority so that he could not escape this time and instantly moved in front of Yin.
Yin's eyes widened when he saw this.
"What?"
"Haaaahhhh!"
"Yin-sama!"
I then used the Omni Sword to slash through Yin's body.
At the same time, Yin let go of Stella's front leg.
His body was slashed wide open, and Yin was cut into pieces.
However, just like those drifters, no bodily fluids flowed out of his body.
Still, the previous blow must have caused quite a bit of damage…
That's what I thought…
"Kukuku… hahahaha!"
To my surprise, the body of the slashed Yin began to stick back together as if nothing had happened.
While I was speechless at the bizarre sight, Yin smiled wildly.
"I see, you have the strength to enter this land. But… that's not enough to defeat me!"
The next moment, a tremendous surge of power was released from Yin's body.
It was different from any power I had ever experienced.
"No matter what kind of power you have, it is meaningless in the face of my 'Power of Existence' that has absorbed so many worlds!"
Yin hovered above, raising his right hand to the sky and swinging it down.
"──Crash!"
"Guuhhhhh!"
A tremendous pressure pressed down on my body.
My whole body screamed, and intense pain hit me.
Somehow I tried to escape from this pressure by using the Divine Authority and other means, but the Divine Authority did not work well, and I could not escape.
"Master!"
"──Your opponent is me."
Meiko immediately moved to help, but her attempt was blocked by Veda.
"Although not as strong as Yin-sama, my 'Power of Existence' is not that bad, you know?"
"Don't interfere!"
"Meoowww!"
Meiko and Stella attacked Veda, but they struggled due to the invisible pressure Veda was putting on them.
Is this the… 'Power of Existence' thing…?
"Hey! If you have that power, can't you use it?"
Kuro complained inside me, but I had no idea how to use this power.
Yin approached me with ease.
"There is no way that someone who suddenly steps into this place can immediately activate the 'Power of Existence.' Just give up."
"Gghh…!"
I was knocked to the ground by the incredible pressure of Yin.
But… there was no way I was going to give up in a place like this.
Holy Evil Creation, Magic Armor, Divine Authority, and… Spiritual Power.
I used all the techniques I had to strengthen my body with all my might.
Then an aura of different colors enveloped my body.
I managed to stand up while propping myself up with my Omni Sword so as not to be defeated by the pressure of Yin.
"I can't… fall here!"
And then, with extreme concentration in the face of the oncoming invisible pressure, I unleashed an Idle Strike at Yin.
This strike broke through the invisible pressure and went straight to Yin.
"What?"
Yin momentarily relaxed his wave-like pressure against me as he came towards me, and this time, he transformed it into a myriad of bullets, releasing his 'Power of Existence' once again.
I still gathered all my strength and cut down the incoming 'Power of Existence."
I just kept on dodging the attacks and finally reached Yin.
"Uooooaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Kuh! Escape with the Power of Existence──What?"
Yin tried to disappear again as if he was melting into this space, but for some reason, it didn't work, and he couldn't disappear.
"Ridiculous! My 'Power of Existence' is being absorbed by his 'Power of Existence'?"
It seemed that my 'Power of Existence' was affecting Yin, and he was unable to escape.
This was the perfect opportunity to defeat Yin.
I tried my best with all my might.
But…
"Don't you dare underestimate me!"
"Kahahh!"
From above my head, an incredible pressure, incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before, pressed down on me.
And my attack failed, and I was knocked down again.
I tried to resist again, but this time I couldn't even move a muscle.
"It is useless. I have put all of the world's 'Power of Existence' that I have absorbed into this pressure. What is pressing down on you now is the entirety of the Omnipresent World!"
I literally felt like I was being held down by the world itself, and I couldn't move an inch.
Then Yin approached me and lifted me up into the air while applying pressure as if he had changed the direction of his 'Power of Existence.'
"…After all, you seem to have a strange power, just like that pawn. But that's as far as it goes──!"
"Gah──"
"Masteeerrrrr!"
Just as Meiko screamed that, Yin's arm pierced my chest.
Then he touched my heart.
"If I pour my 'Power of Existence' into this point, you will become my pawn. Now surrender to me!"
"Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
A pain so intense that it was unlike anything I had ever felt before hit me.
It was as if my very existence was being fundamentally redesigned… with such a terrifying feeling.
At the same time, I could feel Yin's 'Power of Existence' flowing into me and eroding me.
Will I… become Yin's pawn at this point?
Even though I tried to resist, my body wouldn't move.
On the contrary, each time Yin's Power of Existence flows in, even my energy to resist disappears.
Oh… surrender to this comfort──.
"──I will protect everyone──"
"!"
I opened my eyes.
What was I thinking?
Was I going to accept being Yin's pawn?
There was no way I could let that happen.
That would be an act of disrespect for both my thoughts and the thoughts of the other me.
That is why──!
I held onto Yin's hand as it pierced my chest.
"Wha!? W-why can you move?"
"Let go of meeeee!"
At that moment, a prismatic white light spread from my heart.
"Agh! N-no way!"
The white aura burned Yin's hand that was holding my heart.
Unable to bear the intense pain, Yin took his hand away from my heart and quickly pulled it out.
At the same time, the wound in my chest healed and closed instantly.
"T-this is…"
"This power is… Mystical power? But it is different from the mystical power I know…!"
Is this really mystical power?
But mystical power is supposed to be a power that only dead people can acquire.
It's true that I almost died from Yin's attack just now.
But I am not dead.
That's why it's strange that I can activate my mystical power…
The moment I thought that, I remembered the time when the power of the other 'me' entered my body.
Could it be that… what was entrusted to me back then was not only the spiritual power… but the mystical power as well?
"Another power has awakened, so what? I have absorbed the power of countless worlds!"
"Ggh!"
At that moment, another overwhelming 'Power of Existence' crashed into my body.
But…
"Hah!?"
As my heart pulsed violently, not only the white aura symbolizing mystical power but also all the other powers I possessed was simultaneously and powerfully released from around my heart.
These different auras blended together to catch Yin's 'Power of Existence' directed at me.
And then Yin's 'Power of Existence' that touched my aura was absorbed into me as it was.
"W-what? My power is… being absorbed?"
Yin's 'Power of Existence' was being absorbed by me, and he immediately stopped activating his 'Power of Existence,' but for some reason, the 'Power of Existence' naturally flowed out of his body without stopping and flowed into my body as before.
"S-stop it! This is my power! This is my power to create our world…!"
Yin's 'Power of Existence' that had been pressing down on me disappeared, and I was able to move, so I readied my Omni Sword again.
"It's over!"
"Don't mess with me!"
Seeing that it was impossible to stop the absorption of the 'Power of Existence,' Yin instead poured all the remaining power out towards me.
However, while absorbing it, I pushed forward with my Omni Sword in my hand.
As a result, I absorbed all of Yin's 'Power of Existence.'
"Don't be ridiculous… absorbing my collected 'Power of Existence'… I refuse to admit it… I refuse to admit ittttt!"
Not long after Yin shouted this, his body suddenly began to wriggle and writhe.
His arms and body were covered with flesh that rose and fell, expanding more and more, eventually turning into a huge mass of flesh.
The mass of flesh was tangled and pulsating with what appeared to be countless tentacles.
Amidst the surprise of the sudden change, there was a voice so heavy that it echoed throughout the space.
"Do not interfere with my… our long-cherished wish!"
Along with Yin's roar, countless tentacles were released.
They immediately flew towards me.
But in the face of such a massive attack… I was completely calm.
"──Omni Sword."
I picked up the Omni Sword and slashed the tentacles away.
"──Absolute Spear."
I took out the Absolute Spear from my Item Box and pierced the remaining tentacles.
"──Formless Bow."
The combination of the Omni Sword and the Absolute Spear blew away all the approaching tentacles, and I used the Formless Bow to shoot through the newly generated tentacles.
"Can you still stop this?"
However, even with the increased speed at which the tentacles were generated, Yin was unable to keep up with my Formless Bow.
Then, more tentacle attacks than ever before came at me.
"Hahahahahahaha! Sink under my attack!"
"──Heavenly Whip."
I took out the Heavenly Whip from my Item Box and swung it wildly.
With that, the number of tails on the Heavenly Whip continued to increase, automatically following Yin's tentacles and wrapping around them, pushing them all away.
After all of his own attacks had been dealt with. Yin shouted impatiently.
"Kuh… If the numbers don't work, then…!"
Then he gave up on attacking with numbers, and this time he gathered the tentacles into one, forming a shape like a giant hammer, and swung it down on me as it was.
"──World Strike!"
However, before that attack, I took out the World Strike and struck the tentacles directly with the hammer.
After a moment's struggle, the World Strike crushed Yin's tentacle hammer.
As a result, Yin lost his means of attack and became distraught without admitting it.
"I-impossible… D-don't come… Stoooopppp!"
Finally, as I drew out the Omni Sword again, with nothing left to hinder me, with every step I took, my newly absorbed power ran through my entire body, accelerating faster and faster.
And then──.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
──Idle Strike.
Leaving all the scenery behind, I slashed Yin down.
"N… no way… my… our world is──."
As he muttered this, Yin's body collapsed and disappeared.
"Yi… Yin-samaaaaaa!"
"There!"
"Meow!"
"Gaaaaaahhhh!"
Immediately after Yin was defeated, Veda was attacked by Meiko's Spirit Ball and Stella's claws and Veda disappeared just like Yin.