5th Day of 1st Fire Cycle[1], 2000 g.c.
With a heavy change of events, there I was, standing before my Chiral Reflection—my Mirror Phantom—Zero Tàiyáng, as he released a magickal pressure that damn near warped the entire chamber. His aura detonated outward in a muted supernova, radiating a force that pressed on my skin like an overpacked vacuum seal, threatening to peel my soul from my body. It felt like staring into the sun—but from the inside. Not just simple heat, but presence.
Harlequin-green mana poured from Zero's eyes like smoke streaming out of a broken lantern, its tendrils writhing in slow motion around his face. That green flame bled into his golden-yellow aura of Gem Mana, giving him the look of something both sanctified and wrong. The space around him twisted, light bending at strange angles as if reality itself didn't know how to process what it was seeing. His body shimmered like a mirage, distorted and flickering.
For all the chaos and dread he was pumping out, there was something almost intimate about seeing him like that. It was like watching myself perform a striptease of potential—everything I could become, amplified and unhinged.
Watching Zero power up like that… it put a real lens on my own strength. The way the others looked at him, I caught it immediately. The terror in their eyes wasn't just for him. It was for me, too. Because this was a mirror, remember? All that power? That was my power—twisted, remixed, but undeniably mine.
Nicole's voice cracked like glass dropped in slow motion.
"Holy… shit. What am I even looking at right now? His signature is suffocating."
Dream stepped back slightly, arms crossed over her chest like she was hugging herself.
"How could divine light feel so… dark and lifeless?"
Alex murmured just loud enough to be heard.
"Xi... Just how strong did you really get, my nigga?"
Even Ameera, the ever-proud priestess of battle, muttered a prayer under her breath.
"Lady Creator, protect us…"
And while they were all gripping the metaphorical holy pearls, Zawa? That freaky ass Gem Witch was halfway to orgasm. Her nipples stood at full salute, twin little mana beacons, as she pinched one with her nail and bit into her own finger with a sultry grin.
"Goodness… he's just as sexy as his origin twin. To think the vanilla flavor could be better. It's going to be a shame having to send him back into the mirror when this is all over…"
Headtrip's smug laugh filled the background like a sharp static hum.
"Hahahaha… wow, not bad. If Darkie can also get this strong, then maybe he really was the Devil of Velonica. But he's about to lose to my girl's genius and be put in his proper place."
I just grinned and cracked my knuckles. My fangs poked out with pride, giving my smirk a little extra menace.
"All that's cool and shit… but my dick's still bigger."
Zero paused and tilted his head slightly, turning toward the floating Black Mirror behind him. He raised a single hand and summoned a basketball-sized orb of Divinity Mana—dense, pure, vibrating with screaming light—and chucked it at the mirror like it owed him money. The artifact shattered on contact, splintering into trillions of glassy fragments that sparkled like dying stars before they disintegrated.
With the mirror gone, there'd be no sealing him away. No off-switch. That was his declaration of permanence.
Then he looked back at me with that same smirk, same fangs, same attitude.
"It can't be. We have the same dick, moron."
Zawa gasped.
"What the hell! Do you know what you just did?! Are you crazy?!"
Zero didn't even blink.
"Shut it, slut. If you think you can summon and release me like you have any power over me, you're sadly mistaken. From this day forward, you'll be following my instructions, not the other way around."
The way he said it flipped some kind of inner switch in her. Zawa sat down where she stood, her eyes glassy with bliss and confusion. Her lips parted with a soft breath.
"Ye-yes, sir…"
I snorted.
"Sometimes you gotta put a bitch in her place. I guess that means it's time for me to put you in—"
But [Danger Sense] didn't let me finish.
It screamed inside my mind in pulsing red glyphs I'd never seen before. A flash. A pressure. A blink.
Then—
Boom.
His foot hit my chest like a divine sledgehammer. One second I was standing, the next I was airborne, streaking across the chamber in a blur of broken light and shattered air. I hit the wall with the force of a meteor, embedding myself deep into a crater that crunched into the very structure of the Sycamore Tree. The impact triggered a rolling quake, rattling every inch of the Midnight Masquerade like a bass drum had just been smashed against the roots of reality.
Zero dusted off his palms.
"Looks like another stupid lil' slut who needs to learn when to shut up."
"Shit! Lord Xi!" Nicole shrieked.
Ameera's voice was tight with disbelief.
"Did anyone just see what happened? He moved so fast, it was a blur to me…"
Alex stayed silent, his usual smirk absent. His fists clenched at his sides, and though he stood tall, I saw the bead of sweat trailing down his temple. He was worried.
I forced myself out of the crater, every spiritual muscle singing with fresh aches. I floated down to the floor with a staggered breath, one hand hovering over my chest, feeling the sting of Divinity Mana burn through my armor. The pain was muffled by [Spiritual Pain Resist], but I still felt it down to the bone. The scent of amberwood filled the air, thick and cloying—residue of his divinity assault. He broke through my spatial barrier like it was plastic wrap.
But it wasn't just the hit. It was the message.
He was telling me that he knew me. Knew how I fought. Knew what I'd do. Knew how to hurt me.
"Ouch. A nigga actually felt that one." I thought, mockingly.
The Sycamore Tree reacted belatedly, activating its emergency protocols and forming a new arena by folding the very space of the chamber inward. The spectators—Zawa and the others—were sealed off, protected but close enough to witness.
The chamber itself wasn't unscathed. Cracks ran across the glass floor like veins of broken time. Fractured crystals bled out magitons, making the entire arena buzz with unstable energy.
I inhaled and let my outfit dissolve into mist before reforming into my true combat armor—midnight-slick, sleeveless, and well-fitted. The Death's Mask transformed back from my eyewear and slid back over my face, faceless and cold, returning me to my natural battlefield state.
"If I find pleasure in beating yo' ass," I said, voice echoing slightly behind the mask, "does it count as masturbation?"
Zero blinked, then tilted his head.
"Pause…"
"Oh no, my chigga," I grinned under the mask. "Let it play."
My Bio Mana erupted outward like an indigo volcano, crackling with spatial particles and soul pressure. The arena rumbled again, tremors matching my pulse as my energy wrapped around my body like a burning comet's tail.
Zero responded in kind, placing a hand on his own face and manifesting a Death's Mask—pure white, etched in golden energy. He slid it on slowly. His golden-green Gem Mana flared wildly, spiraling around him like a galaxy coming apart at the seams.
The air between us vibrated.
Two sides of the same coin.
My past.
His present.
Our future.
And only one of us would be left standing on the edge of that reflection.
The clash of our two powers was like throwing twin stars at each other and daring the world not to burn. Mana saturated the air, sharp and electric, tingling against skin and bone alike. The atmosphere was alive with unstable magitons, flickering like miniature comets as they zipped chaotically around the sealed arena. You could smell the tension—ozone laced with heat, like someone cracked the sky open and let the storm inside. But I didn't have time to aura farm. Not when Zero was already on the move.
We collided in the center of the arena like fate wanted to see which of us would crack the world first. Fists met fists—knuckle to knuckle—exploding outward with a shockwave so massive it could've leveled a big city. The sheer release of energy shattered invisible walls of pressure and rocked the spatial dimensions of the chamber.
Zero swung again, but I caught his fist, twisting my body into a rising kick that smacked against his chin, snapping his head back with a satisfying crack. He lifted off the floor like a ragdoll, giving me the perfect window to rocket an Omnis Mana-infused punch straight into his gut. The energy surged down my arm in violet lightning as my fist buried itself in his torso, launching him like a cork from a bottle into the floor thirty yards away. The impact left a divot in the crystalline surface, spiderwebbed with fractures. But I could feel it in my bones—he absorbed some of the blow. A barrier. Cheap insurance.
I decided to needle him a bit.
"So… are you like the result of an Oxford Study?"
Zero stood, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder, floating up with the smugness of someone who'd just awoken from a luxurious nap. "You sound jealous that I had a father in my life. How's being a child of a deadbeat working out for you?"
"Damn, my chigga, relax. I came here to party and kick a lot of ass, not listen to some future cuckold question me on my daddy issues."
"Unlike you, I would never let pussy be what controlled me. I could never be Omnia's lil' henpecked fuckboy."
Before I could even roll my eyes, he vanished—[Spatial Mana Arts: Smooth Operator]. The sudden displacement made my [Danger Sense] pulse too late. His boot connected with the back of my head, jolting my vision, and then an orb of swirling Yang and Divinity Mana exploded against my side, searing into my ribs before launching me in a smoke-heavy burst across the arena. My body tumbled like a rag doll before skidding to a stop, face down.
As I tried to get my bearings, another warning blared through my head—[Danger Sense] screaming again. [Auto Evade] activated just in time to yank my body leftward, narrowly missing the downward chop of a bastard sword aiming straight for my Soul Core. I felt the displaced wind of the swing whistle past my ear.
Zero had summoned his Spirit Weapon.
Coating myself in Devil Mana, my body ignited in black and indigo trails. I used my momentum to twist upward into a somersault kick, boot catching him across the jaw mid-swing. The force pushed him backward, buying me just enough breathing room to realign my stance and suck in a lungful of mana-rich air.
Meanwhile, Zawa—still flushed and recovering from the earlier verbal domination—was finally coming down from her high.
"What am I going to do with him?" she thought. "Breaking my artifact from Orion was totally uncalled for. I should've brought more than one pill. Damn it, I didn't think summoning the Devil's reflection would burn through that much MP. Now I can't even dismiss him with what I've got left. Foofy."
Dream Flower watched with glittering eyes, her expression unreadable—but unmistakably interested.
"This is an insane fight," she whispered to Alex. "They're both so fast, I can barely keep up. And each attack looks so heavy."
Alex nodded slowly. "I hadn't seen Xi have this much of a problem since we fought that Trapper."
Dream's grin curled wider. "Really? Then that settles it. Nicole, agreeing to help you find the Devil was the best idea I've made this whole month-cycle."
Nicole didn't respond immediately, her crimson eyes glued to the battle with visible concern.
"I don't know if coming here was a smart idea," she finally muttered.
"To save my father," said Ameera, stepping forward, "it was the only idea worth following."
"She's right," Alex added firmly. "And with me and Xi here, nobody will stop us. Not even a white Xiro."
He was right. I couldn't lose here. Wouldn't.
Spiritons gathered in my left palm like a swirling nebula, a vortex of red and white locking into form. With a pulse of will, the Red Queen summoned herself into my grasp. Her crimson-bladed edge shimmered with Devil Mana, eager for blood. The hum of her blade sounded like a love song.
Zero's own blade—the Blue Empress—was already spinning in his grasp. Elegant. Ironic. I didn't give him long of me admiring it.
We dashed at each other again—beyond light, beyond sound. Blade to blade. Sparks scattered across the battlefield in a storm of steel and will. Our movements blurred, clashed, and rebounded off each other. Parries became slashes, slashes became evasions, and the entire chamber flickered like a dying star, struggling to keep up with us.
He was a perfect match.
And that was the problem.
Our swords danced. We danced. But I could feel it: a limit I didn't like. A mirror was matching me step for step. I'd have to improve. Fast. Faster than my reflection.
"What's the matter?" I heard his voice in my head—[Telepathy] cutting through the noise. "You fight like a tame little puppy. Is this all the power that the faith in you from others can produce? If so, you only prove that trust in others weakens you."
"Are you always this full of shit?" I shot back. "Your strength is just a reflection of that same power you're attempting to belittle."
"You truly think our strength is the same?" His voice twisted, poisonous. "Unlike you, I didn't lose to a Zodiac Key in my world."
"In your world?" I blinked. "What are you talking about?"
My mind stalled. What was he saying? Were there still other versions of… me? Of Omnia? Of all this?
And that hesitation—that heartbeat-long break in rhythm—was all he needed.
In a fermisecond, Zero reappeared behind me with a flicker of movement. From within his right palm of condensed spiritons, he summoned a crimson-barreled pistol—the Red Empress.
Three bullets of Divinity Mana tore through my back before I could even react, each one burning like purified fire through my bioarmor. The fourth move was a slash across my spine, his sword carving into me like a divine cleaver. My body flung forward, crashing against the invisible arena wall with a sickening crack.
Spiritual pain exploded through my Soul. Black blood dripped onto the crystal glass below, sizzling where it landed. My vision blurred. I heard my name shouted through several different voices, but the one that rang the loudest was Zero's laughter—deep, cruel, full of satisfaction.
It was clear to everyone now...
Shit wasn't looking good for me.
The Gem Witch was enjoying herself far too much. Her glistening, sweat-slicked body shimmered under the sex dungeon's dim lighting, nude and bathed in a sheen of arousal and mana. Zawa Moon traced slow, idle circles over her slick belly and breasts, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she stared at the blood-soaked ballet below. Two apex predators. Two avatars of destruction and chaos, locked in a death match. She looked hungry. Like she was imagining both of us sandwiched around her, pumping mana and dick into her at the same time. Lil' freaky ass.
The only person more turned on by my pain was Headtrip, the newly antagonized Shirasagi grandmaster. That dude was vibing off my agony like it was his favorite jam. His voice cut through the noise, gleeful and venomous.
"That's right, beat that prick's ass, White Devil!"
Dream twisted to him, frowning. "You're rooting for the enemy?"
"I'm rooting against MY enemy," he growled back, eyes never leaving the fight. "Fuck that Xiro cunt."
Alex stepped forward, jaw clenched, tone ice-cold. "Hey nigga, fuck YOU. Watch your mouth about my bro."
Headtrip sneered. "Your bro is about to lose and be put in his place, dude. I mean he's having this much trouble with an artifact I defeated while drunk off mead."
Nicole turned, voice sharp and reverent. "You could never compare to Lord Xiro on his worst day."
As my [Auto-Infinite Regeneration] kicked in, flesh knitting itself back together under shimmering black and purple streams of mana, I flipped to my feet. Blood ran down my jaw, but my eyes stayed locked on Zero Tàiyáng. The fury simmering inside me became visible now—dark wisps rising like steam from boiling tar, my aura slowly cracking with violent light.
That's when [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] whispered into my thoughts like a concerned ghost.
"Master, it appears that Zero has been using his V-Skill to amp his Ultra Skill and remove your defenses and neutralize them forcefully."
"Let me guess," I thought. "He has his own versions of you and Belial."
"Partially correct," he replied. "I only located a Vessel Skill close to Belial within him."
"No Tsukuyomi? That means he doesn't have all of my abilities. But how the hell is he hacking you?"
"More like he's disconnecting me from you—briefly—but enough to get his attack in before I reattach to your consciousness."
"If that's the case... can we copy it and use it on him?"
"It would be down to you, Master. The force separation leaves me powerless to act on my own."
Before I could even answer, Zero tilted his head. His voice oozed arrogance, aimed directly at me.
"You know… what was it he just called you? Darkie?" He grinned. "You should give up on this world. Waging war with the Outer Gods is a meaningless defeat if this is your best before someone on equal footing."
I sneered. "But you're not an equal, fuckboy. You're a mirror projection with melanin deficiency."
His smirk widened. "You're just as stupid as the Lilituu who summoned me. That artifact doesn't summon a mirror creature—it summons a Chiral Reflection from a previous timeline."
My heart skipped.
"Wait..."
Even Zawa looked surprised. "Huh...?"
Zero stepped forward. "Chiral Reflections are echoes of past lives within Soul Cores that were reincarnated or passed through the Well of Rebirth. I'm the version of you from the 2nd Stellar Kingdom timeline. The first time Omnia tried to recreate the Abraxas."
The weight of that sentence nearly knocked me off balance.
"What the... Shit, that changes some things."
Zawa looked like someone had forgotten to tell her her part in a play. "Really? Orion didn't mention that when he gave me that thing."
"Orion? His name again." I forced my attention back. "Focus, nigga. We'll think about that later."
Alex blinked. "Second Stellar Kingdom? What are they talking about?"
Dream answered, eyes locked on me. "I don't know. But I can't wait to ask Xi about it—when he wins."
Nicole folded her hands together. "I just hope he can win…"
Then Zero moved again.
He raised the Red Empress and fired three divine-coated bullets, glowing with golden-white mana. I was tired of this bullet ballet. With an opening of my palm, I summoned [Absolute Absorption], devouring the rounds into the hungry void of my [Midnight World].
But Zero was always two steps ahead.
A small portal flickered to life beside him. He pointed his pistol into it and fired two more bursts.
A second later, the exit portal opened—right next to my head.
Boom.
The six Divinity Mana rounds detonated against the side of my skull.
Black blood. Bone shards. Grey matter.
I hit the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
Headtrip screamed in triumph. "HELL YEAH! That did it! Blow that cunt's head off!"
Alex's voice cracked. "Xiro! Oh, shit!"
Nicole screamed. "Aaaahhhh, Lord Xiro!!"
Ameera staggered back. "Is he... is he… is he…"
Dream was pale. "Oh my Creator, did he just kill Xiro? Shouldn't we help him?"
But they didn't have to.
My body twitched.
Black mana oozed from my neck, swirling like a whirlpool of shadows. The Death's Mask and my [Auto-Infinite Regeneration] reshaped my face. My skull regrew. Flesh stitched together like time was rewinding.
My head reformed.
I was breathing again.
Recreating my head from nothing was kinda familiar territory... and thanks to my tussle with Chomei Sol, I'd nailed it on the first try. Still, something felt wrong. Off.
"Master," [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] voiced with hesitation. "You have two True Resurrections left within your Death's Mask for the day."
"Two?" I thought. "You mean I used one? You're saying I just..."
"Died, Master. Yes. But the Death's Mask auto-revival feature activated."
"He... killed me?"
"Your heart rate has spiked. The amygdala in your brain is overreacting. You are—"
But I wasn't listening anymore.
I was frozen. Staring at my hands. At the gore that had reformed into flesh. My breathing grew shallow. My thoughts fragmented. He killed me.
It was happening again.
My hands shook. Not with rage. Not with power. With memory. With something ancient and broken. I was back in that place. Earth. Cold. Small. Weak. Dead. My blood stained the doorway of my apartment while someone laughed.
"Just like Earth. Just like on Earth."
The trauma—the pain, the helplessness—it came back like a landslide. All-consuming. My mind locked itself inside a moment it didn't know how to escape from.
And Zawa? She was practically creaming herself.
"I hope he isn't too broken," she purred. "I did want to be double penetrated by the both of you while I drained his mana…"
Zero turned slightly toward her.
"You. Be a good little slut and stay quiet. If you do, I'll tie you up later and give you a spanking while you hang from the ceiling."
Zawa gasped. "You mean it? No takesies-backs."
"That depends on your silence."
"Yes, sir!"
Headtrip growled. "Hey! You can't be talking to my girl like that, dude!"
"If you're a good boy and shut up," Zero said coolly, "I'll let you get the first slaps on her bottom."
Headtrip blinked. "The first, huh? That's the position of the alpha. Fine, I'll quiet down since you obviously know your rank in the food chain."
"Moron," Zero muttered, turning back to me.
I was still on the floor. Still staring. Still processing.
Then it hit me.
That hunger.
That ache I'd first felt when I put the Death's Mask on. But now… it was amplified. Hundreds of times stronger.
My synchronization with [Midnight Star: Belial] was spiking. Something inside me cracked. My soul core was being gripped like someone was manually squeezing my heart.
I trembled.
A deep, animalistic growl ripped through my throat.
Ultraviolet-colored Bio Mana leaked from my pores like smoke from a dying star. I hunched forward on my knees, breath hitching, trembling violently.
The arena shifted.
The Kinky Diamond Chamber—a place built for pleasure—felt like a nightmare had swallowed it. A horror movie scene unfolding live.
All eyes locked on me.
The weight of my mana presence was climbing. Exploding. Warping.
Zero didn't like it.
He spun up another portal, fired more divine rounds through it—two bursts of three.
But... I was already tired of that trick.
I moved.
With a single, precise motion, I caught all six bullets mid-air, my hand glowing with Omnis Mana and the imprint of [Love/Hate]. I crushed them into one concentrated sphere—and threw it back at Zero at lightspeed.
He blocked it with his bastard sword. Golden mana wept from his mask's eye sockets as the dust cleared.
"Finally taking this seriously?"
"I finally understand now…" I stood up, shadows peeling off my back like wings. "You and I are nothing alike."
"Oh? That finally sank into that thick skull of yours?"
"What's about to shatter yours is just how much better I am than you."
"You could never be better than the man in the mirror."
"Then I'll follow your example…"
I raised a finger.
"And break the mirror. Demon of the Midnight Star—[Trance: Neutrino Devil]."
I had chosen my path.
I'd given up on seeing him as an equal.
I'd given up on seeing him as me.
But more than that...
I had given up more of myself to the mask.
[Dominus Superbiae] stripped away my fear. But that didn't erase the experience of fear itself. And what I didn't realize…
Was that my trauma response?
Was pride.
An ego so massive, it consumed my grief.
And now, I had one last demon to face.
A mirror of my worst self.
Good thing I packed a few of my own.
[End of Chapter]
[1] April on Earth.