Unlike in the past, the Angel didn't approach me carefully.

The Angel sprinted my way the moment that I took note of it.

Its thin hands were no longer clasped together in a begging motion; instead, they reached high above its head, fingers twisted into claws as it surged toward me.

" ..."

I felt a chill as the hands drew closer, ready to clamp around my throat at any second. My heart pounded in my chest as the Angel drew nearer, its hollow eyes locked onto mine with a terrifying hunger.

I drew back but realized I was stuck.

'What...!?'

The Angel drew nearer.

Its face was now a few meters away from me.

I struggled to breathe, feeling trapped in my own mind. It felt as though the very air had been sucked away from my lungs.

The situation brought my mind into a state of disarray. Thankfully, I knew how to deal with situations such as these.

Taking a deep breath, several chains appeared in my mind.

They rattled as the Angel drew near, but my expression cooled, and all the emotions that I felt at that moment started to numb down.

"....."

The Angel was soon upon me.

Its hands reached out for my neck, grasping it tightly.

I couldn't breathe.

My neck started to hurt.

It looked like the Angel was about to choke me to death.

But I remained firm, never once leaving my eyes away from it.

"...."

Black tears streamed down the Angel's eyes. They dripped onto the darkness beneath, casually blending with it.

The Angel seemed to want to see a reaction from me, but..

My heart was steady.

My mind was steady.

I was steady.

Cr Crack-

A faint line appeared on the neck of the statue.

Slowly, the crack widened, creeping across the cold stone that made up the statue. In a matter

of seconds, the statue's head jerked with a twist, grinding stone against stone.

My neck squeezed tightly as the head turned to reveal a face-a face I knew all too well. 'H-help me...!'

I could almost imagine her pleading for help as she looked at me with those hollow eyes of hers.

It was Kiera.

Her face was filled with sorrow as she looked at me.

Cr Crack-

The statue flicked again, revealing a new face.

Flick.

A new face appeared shortly after.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

The statue rotated, displaying face after face. Seeing the familiar faces that were appearing before me, the locks within my mind rattled.

It was only temporary.

I understood the statue's intentions.

'It wants to exhaust my mind before taking over.'

Given that I had just fought a tough fight moments earlier, this was the perfect opportunity for it to infiltrate my mind.

My defenses were down, and my body was weary and drained.

The mental walls I had built over the course of the year were showing faint cracks, and I could feel its presence creeping in, ready to exploit the thin cracks within my mind.

But this was far from enough.

'You'll have to do better than that to get me.'

"....

Something like this was far from enough to shake me.

The statue tried to dig deeper into my mind, but I resisted.

"Fine..."

I eventually spoke, staring deeply into the statue.

It looked back at me with its hollow and empty eyes, and for a brief moment, I almost thought

I had seen something within those eyes.

But it was a mere fleeting thought.

Raising my hand, I pressed it against the hard and stony hands that were gripping down my throat.

Without ever leaving my gaze away, I took a deep breath and brought my finger over my right arm where a familiar tattoo appeared.

'I didn't want to do this, and I'm not even sure it'll work since you're not a real person, but if you'll

allow me....'

"...I'll see your sorrow."

I pressed the second leaf.

The already dark world around me turned dark as the Angel disappeared from my view.

My body slipped out of my control as a familiar sensation flooded over me.

As if I suddenly found myself getting pulled away from my body, I started to lose all my

senses.

"This familiar feeling... It's been a while.'

I basked in the feeling for a few more seconds before the world around me started to change. The ground solidified beneath me as imposing buildings began to rise, towering over me. On the other hand, a white sun hovered in the sky, casting a dim, cold light over the gray canvas that was the sky.

Beneath it, a cluster of imposing structures appeared their design reminiscent of the ones from the 'Roman Empire' but built entirely of black marble. The dark stone gleamed beneath the white sun, giving the architecture an ominous, almost grim presence that matched the general vibe of the world.

The streets were filled with people, all wearing strange tunics and robes as they walked along

the messily arranged stone roads.

'....'

I observed all of this in silence.

And that's when I finally took notice of her.

A small girl sat on one of the benches in the city, her black hair tied into a ponytail that draped over her left shoulder. Her chubby cheeks quivered as she nibbled on a small bun, eyes wide with delight as she tasted the food.

The girl looked no longer than ten, and standing beside her was a tall and stern woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes.

From the way she carried herself and the light armor she was wearing, it seemed like she was

the girl's bodyguard.

Scanning her surroundings, she tapped the little girl.

"Let's go."

"....Yes?"

"Let's go."

"?"

The bodyguard reached for the little girl's hand and pulled her slightly, helping her get off the

bench.

"Let's go."

She pulled her away.

As she did, I noticed something.

That girl...

Her eyes were unfocused.

'It looks like she's blind.'

No, but that wasn't the main problem. Shifting my attention to her bodyguard, my gaze landed on the symbol etched into the back of

her armor.

It was a...

Four-leafed Clover.

***

The platform was riddled with craters, its surface filled with broken and shattered fragments

of what it once used to be.

Tendrils of smoke curled up from the wreckage, the temperature surrounding the platform a

notch higher than the world outside.

Lingering mana crackled in the air as Amell and Leon stood on opposite ends.

"... ..."

Their breaths were equally heavy.

Neither side looked to be injured, but their clothes and hair were in a mess.

Leon's eyes were completely pitch black while Amell's eyes were a deep shade of gray.

"Wow...."

Karl let out a soft mumble as he watched the interaction from the studio. The hair at the back

of his arm was fully erect while his mouth was dry.

The fight... it was unbelievable.

"Who would've thought that Leon and Amell were also capable of using a domain? This is tru

"Concept, not domain."

Johanna corrected Karl rather quickly as she snapped out of her reverie.

Realizing what she had said, she explained herself.

"A domain is still a long way away from them. To be able to manifest their thoughts and

experiences they'll need a necessary amount of mana. If one's body couldn't keep up, then even if they were able to create a 'Concept', they'll never be able to develop a domain." Johanna shook her head, thinking about all the people that she knew who had to give up due

to their bodies reaching their limits.

If their body couldn't withstand the necessary mana to materialize a domain, then they'd be stuck at Tier 4 forever.

With a sigh, Johanna explained all of this to the audience.

"This is why a domain can only be achieved at Tier 5. It's because one would need more mana

to manifest their thoughts properly."

It was unfortunate that all of the attention was fixed on Leon and Amell as no one paid

attention to what she said.

With a helpless smile, all she could do was lower her head and stare at Leon and Amell.

Blinking once, a white dot appeared in Leon's eyes.

Power started to surge into his body.

His 'Concept' was the 'Sky'.

Alone in the vastness and darkness of the night, all that shone was the moon and the stars. His

'Concept' was still half-baked, only replicating the 'Night' aspect of the 'Sky'. However, this alone was enough to boost his capabilities significantly.

As another dot appeared in his eyes, he blinked his eyes and the dot disappeared.

Power started to surge through his body.

Leon felt the power spread through every inch of his body as his mind started to refresh.

The effect wasn't as powerful as Kaelion's, nor was it the same. While his mind refreshed, his

body and stamina didn't.

He only felt a gentle current run through his body, allowing him to continue the fight.

"Hooo."

Bringing his sword forward, Leon took a deep breath, his foot aligning with his body as he stepped forward.

Amell stood on the opposite end without saying a single word.

He too was busy adjusting himself.

With 'Cracks' and 'Pops', his body underwent serious changes. As his body changed, so did the

thin film that surrounded his sword.

It grew even thinner, almost becoming invisible.

His momentum rose and as he looked up, Amell saw Leon preparing to attack.

He felt his lips pull slightly at the sight of Leon.

'Alright.'

As if the two had some sort of mind connection, they moved at the same time. Leon's body

blurred forward, disappearing from view, while Amell remained calm and composed, bringing his sword forward.

The space around the sword rippled.

Leon appeared behind Amell. His sword was raised, ready to slash down toward his neck, but

just as he was about to, his eyes shook.

Amell's sword...

It was directly placed next to his neck.

At that moment, Leon's mind raced, thinking of ways to dodge the attack when he stopped as

he noticed Amell's sword phase right past his neck.

Blinking his eyes, he realized that it had all been an illusion.

Amell's back was right before his eyes.

Leon didn't hesitate. Bringing his sword forward, he prepared to stab when...

Yet again, his body stopped.

"...Eh...!"

Unknowingly, Leon staggered back several steps.

'What am I doing here...?'

'.... Why am I fighting?'

'I already reached so far, I'm sure Julien can take care of the rest. He can win it for me.'

'Yeah, I think this is enough.'

'Good luck Julien.'

Voices crept up into his soul, whispering into his mind in a continuous matter. Their nagging

and words made him feel tired.

His mind felt empty, his body felt empty, and his heart felt empty.

Leon felt like doing nothing.

'I want to-'

He staggered back once more, raising his head to look at Amell who smiled at him and

mumbled,

"My concept..."

His eyes turned a deeper shade of gray.

"...is loneliness."