He walked with steady, deliberate steps, yet he was enveloped in an aura of death so terrifying it was chilling. His power was on par with an entity that had reached the Fifth Wing level, forcing Suzars to take the battle seriously.
Moving with terrifying speed, he lunged toward Suzars, striking at his midsection. Yet, nothing changed; Suzars' body remained completely unscathed.
Visibly annoyed, Gother retreated a few paces, observing the aftermath of the strike—much like his previous attempts, it had been no true attack at all.
It was akin to trying to cleave a torrent of water, flowing at 600 kilometers per second, with nothing more than a withered leaf.
Suzars cast a puzzled glance at Gother. His presence was distinct from that of the Absolute Entities of the Sovereign Path—beings who typically radiated an aura of supreme authority and command.
Instead, Gother's presence was a hybrid: a blend of that sovereign authority and an aura of death and annihilation. Intrigued and wary, Suzars decided to fight in earnest; the prospect of a humiliating death was entirely unacceptable to him. As a being defined by his narrative, he held absolute power and dignity as unshakable, immutable truths.
Suzars parried a strike aimed at a vital point—though he remained indifferent, as he possessed no such vital organs to begin with. If Gother's assault revealed anything, it was the nature of the training he had endured; every single strike was calculated to target a lethal weak point.
Suzars narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze upon Gother, who wore a chilling, mocking smile. "Gowther McTire, strength alone is not enough. Even if your power were equal to that of a Tier 5 entity from your own narrative, you would still be weak compared to an entity that remains at the 'Trans-Omnipotent' rank."
With that, he delivered a powerful punch to Gowther's midsection, sending him flying back several meters—a display of force that caught Gowther off guard and impressed LS 04 76, who was observing the fight from within Gowther.
Gowther immediately lunged toward Suzars, his dagger aimed at his throat; Suzars dodged with ease, his expression tinged with a hint of disgust.
He landed two kicks against Gowther's stomach, remarking:
"Power gained too quickly through a single ability—without the user's mastery—becomes a hindrance rather than an asset."
Suzars' words only fueled Gowther's growing rage. With lightning speed, Gowther unleashed his shadows, which had already blanketed the entire area, a confident, triumphant smirk playing on his lips.
Though the shadows converged upon Suzars with incredible velocity, his expression remained entirely unchanged; he merely let out a sigh of disappointment.
A surge of intense, sacred light erupted, obliterating every trace of the shadows in a single stroke. Gowther felt like a fool for forgetting the very reason for his current, peculiar predicament: Suzars could not be affected by the abilities of another narrative, as one narrative cannot compel another to submit to its own laws. It could, however, impose a penalty—a price to be paid for the act of aggression and the threat posed to the peace established within its domain. Nevertheless, Gother had no intention of giving up. He launched several direct strikes at Suzars, yet Suzars remained completely unharmed.
With every passing second, a strange, unsettling feeling intensified within Gother. He lunged forward once more, his eyes glowing with a crimson hue—a sight that only filled Suzars' gaze with disappointment.
Suzars seized his arm and slammed him into the ground, shattering every bone in his body.
"I am three Sovereign ranks below you—a gap that defies description—and yet, you humiliate me like this. Power and rank are not everything. I don't see Gother McTire as merely a fool."
He tossed him back into the same pit as before, drawing a piercing, agonizing scream from Gother.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Staring at the ground, he whispered to himself—his voice a blend of sorrow and refusal to accept his reality:
"I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to..."
"I don't want to be a fictional character—do you understand? Just a fictional character! I don't want that—I don't! And worse yet, I am nothing more than a fragment of the concept of assassination. I am just a crimson-red crystal." "I don't understand anything. I just want to live a normal life; I want to be real. Is that so much to ask? Am I nothing more than a fool, existing merely to drive the plot—a play within a play, nested inside an even greater, overarching drama?"
Gowther muttered to himself, his expression shifting as the realization dawned on him that something was terribly wrong.
His tone turned furious, and he let out a loud, sharp cry—a reaction that brought a smile to Suzars's face:
"Wait a minute! What am I thinking? What the hell am I thinking about?! You—you 'Concept of Assassination' bastard! Didn't you say you'd leave me alone?!"
Gowther's eyes burned with rage as he recalled the first time this had happened to him. A surge of anger and frustration washed over him; the world around him had reconstructed the very moment he first encountered the Great Outcast.
He turned his gaze toward another version of himself—a version that stood there, stunned and bewildered. This was a man who had been trained as an assassin, conditioned from childhood to remain perfectly composed.
"B... B... Boutaleb! Is that you? How... how... how are you still so young? You were supposed to be an old man by now! How are you still young? And what are you doing here?!"
Gowther watched this other self—who seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown—without fully grasping why, though he could feel an immense, crushing pressure weighing down on him.
It left him deeply unsettled. He remembered how the 'Concept of Assassination' had once toyed with him in this very way, and he recalled 'LS 04 76'—laughing as he watched it all unfold.
"If I'm dead, then how am I here, you stranger?!" A look of bewilderment appeared on Gowther's face as he gazed at the Great Outcast—who, in turn, regarded him with a cold, piercing stare. Gowther realized that he had lost the ability to see through that gray eye; yet, he felt that, with that very same eye, the other was seeing into his inner self far more clearly than with his remaining brown eye.
"Speak, you scoundrel! Why do you remain silent? Just speak!"
The heart of his counterpart was filled with confusion, fear, dread, and an immense, crushing pressure weighing upon his mind and soul—for he could not fathom where this individual had come from. Gowther, for his part, fixed an inscrutable gaze upon him.
The second Gowther—a pathetic figure—leaned against a grave, his gaze vacant. Several minutes passed as he stared at the headstone, before he finally raised his middle finger toward the Great Outcast.
Yet, his expression remained entirely unchanged. As he retrieved a wing-like disc—belonging to Gowther—from Isaac's grave, he spoke:
"Isaac, do you recall the last thing you said before you died? Or do you still not remember?"
Gowther looked on, bewildered; he had no recollection of such an exchange. He wondered to himself, eyeing the Great Outcast:
"Was he speaking to a future version of me back then?"
"Yes, I was speaking to a future version of you—which is why I only addressed you at the very end. It seems, however, that you don't remember the last thing you said to me—a remark in which you played a direct part."
A faint smile crossed Gowther's face, and he burst into loud laughter. Truly, even in his final moments, he had still found the time to hurl an insult!
"Let me ask you something: why does no one know you exist? From what I've heard from Leon, those who are even aware of your existence are rarer than rare itself."
The Great Outcast remained silent for several seconds before replying:
"Because nothing has ever remained in my presence for even a fraction of a second—let alone survived long enough to tell the world that I exist."
Gowther sighed as he listened to the Great Outcast's words. He closed his eyes, steadying himself, before turning his gaze toward the system interface hovering before him. [Target: Fania Novel
Client: <>
Novel Title: Where Demons Weep
Protagonist's Name: Suzars
Status: Completed / Cancelled
Entity Type: Fantasy World Demon
Target Location: Ancient Ruins
Time Remaining Until Mission Start: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Novel Status: Sealed
Reason for Penalty: Unauthorized entry into a novel titled "The Dragon Angel in a World of Fantasy"]
[Host, would you like to proceed with the mission? Yes or No]
Gowther closed his eyes for a few seconds, deactivating his "Assassin" ability. This unsettled LS 04 76, but the presence of the "Great Outcast" suppressed him, preventing any action.
As his death-laden aura faded, a profound sense of peace and tranquility took its place. His body began to dissolve; meanwhile, he watched the Great Outcast—who still held the crimson, wing-like disc belonging to Gowther—toss it toward his heart, where it merged with him.
"Gowther MacTire, being a fragment does not mean you are incomplete. Ultimately, you are the one who defines who you are—whether merely a fragment or a complete entity."
A faint smile graced Gowther's face as he listened to the Great Outcast, and he replied with a tone laced with mockery:
"Next time we meet, I'm going to punch you." Meanwhile, Suzars watched the crater with bated breath, waiting for Gother to emerge. As the suffocating aura of death vanished, he felt a sense of relief.
"Gother McTire has returned! He has regained his true self—the very opponent I am meant to face, and face alone!"
Suzars' voice was brimming with excitement.
A dominant crimson aura began to pour from the crater. Gother appeared, his hair and eyes a vivid, celestial crimson. In his hand, he held a dagger—one that bore no resemblance to the blade of the Supreme Shadow Master.
[Narrative Assassin's Dagger
Rank: ?????]
Gother's eyes gleamed with anticipation as the true form of the "Calamity Assassin's Blade"—the weapon he had once wielded against Yuta during the Magic Tournament—was finally revealed.
He activated both his "Blessing Wing" and his "Assassination Concept Wing," boosting his power by four levels and bringing him to the same rank as Suzars. Yet, experience remained a decisive factor, even though Suzars' own power was currently suppressed by a penalty.
A faint smile touched Gother's lips as he looked toward Suzars. In a calm, steady tone, he spoke:
"I thank you, Suzars—you, the embodiment of the narrative *Where Demons Weep*. You have taught me a lesson I shall never forget. And so, I shall complete this assassination mission—and ensure that you die with honor."
Suzars said nothing. He simply shifted into a combat stance, a menacing, dark-red aura radiating from his form. As a narrative entity, he possessed no wings—neither a sub-wing nor a primary one. They darted toward each other at the speed of light, unleashing a rapid succession of blows at breakneck velocity.
Suzars dodged a strike from Gother's dagger, then countered with a powerful blow to his chest—sending Gother soaring several meters into the air. Yet, Gother's expression remained entirely unchanged.
Gother invoked his "Infinite Evolution" and "Absolute Mastery" abilities upon himself, amplifying his strength and his proficiency with his signature "Narrative Assassin's Dagger."
He shot toward Suzars at the speed of light, murmuring under his breath:
[Narrative Slicing Ability] — [Activate]
Suzars narrowed his eyes, narrowly evading the assault; but Gother, intent on giving him no escape, instantly closed the distance.
He inflicted a deep, grievous wound across Suzars' back—a strike far more severe than any before—forcing Suzars to finally grasp the true nature of the "Narrative Slicing" ability. As his dagger returned to his hand, Gother remarked:
"It seems the real fight has begun, hasn't it, Master Suzars?"
"......."
Without a word, Suzars drew a blade forged from "Narrative" itself—the very same substance used to craft the weapons of the Winged Lords, including Gother MacTire's own dagger.
He let out a deep, heavy sigh, two plumes of black smoke escaping his lips, before vanishing from his spot—only to reappear directly behind Gother.
A massive gash opened across Gother's midsection, leaving him momentarily stunned before his body began to heal itself. Yet, no sign of distress appeared on his face; instead, he launched a dangerous strike toward Suzars' shoulder, using his own body as a tool to carve an opening in his opponent's defense.
"You are truly strong—but killing me won't be so easy."
Suzars' tone was sharp as he thrust his sword toward Gowther, who parried it skillfully. Even so, a strange sensation stirred within him.
This drew a note of admiration from Suzars:
"Your movements belong to someone who has lived an incredibly long life—and yet, just a moment ago, you were acting like a fool, appearing utterly pathetic."
Gowther offered no comment, though his breathing betrayed a hint of embarrassment. Suzars stepped back, attempting to bait his opponent into creating an opening.
But there were no gaps in Gowther's defense—a fact that left Suzars somewhat annoyed, and the feeling was clearly mutual.
He began by forming a palm-sized sphere of energy, encircled by rings composed of complex narrative algorithms—a detail that allowed Gother to sense the danger of the impending attack before it was even unleashed.
Suzars offered a faint smile as he launched the assault toward Gother with such terrifying speed that evading it proved nearly impossible.
Yet, Gother remained unharmed; he had sacrificed one of his shadows to escape the strike. He watched, startled, as the buildings struck by the attack dissolved into narrative algorithms, vanishing into thin air.
It dawned on him: had that attack connected, he would have been reduced to nothing more than a dual-colored crystal lying upon the ground.
He looked toward Suzars, whose gaze held an unmistakable challenge.
Gother lunged forward, preparing a direct, powerful strike—though he knew that the standard combat techniques and skills of this world would be ineffective here; only narrative-based techniques and abilities held any sway.
A faint smile played on Gother's lips as he recalled a conversation he'd had with the "Concept of Assassination"—back when he was striving to break through to the *Boundless* rank.
He executed a surprise attack aimed at Suzars' back. Caught off guard—having expected a direct confrontation—Suzars was forced to remember that he was fighting an assassin; the very notion of a head-on duel was nothing more than a fantasy.
Suddenly, an unsettling sensation surged from within, compelling Suzars to retreat several meters away from Gother.
He was overcome by a wave of sorrow, hatred, malice, and an overwhelming desire to bring everything to an end. Suddenly, unable to grasp why his emotions had spiraled out of control, he found himself on the receiving end of a strike from Gother—a blow to the face that sent him tumbling back into the very same pit he had been cast into moments before.
Suzars stared at Gother in shock. Gother, meanwhile, looked back with a calm, steady gaze; his dagger still bore the traces of the wound it had just inflicted. It dawned on Suzars then: he was being manipulated by one of Gother's unique abilities.
An ability that, by the laws of the *Existing*—the governing framework—should be impossible for a "novel" entity to wield. It was strictly forbidden, much like the act of possessing—or bestowing—more than one primary, non-sequential "wing."
This realization only fueled Gother's immense self-assurance. At the same time, memories of his encounter with the "Concept of Assassination" resurfaced—though now tinged with annoyance, as he realized these events were destined to be written down, immortalized beyond his own private recollections, even if they had already been touched upon in another chapter.
Flashback
"What makes the 'Wing of the Concept of Assassination' so special?"
The Concept of Assassination spoke in a calm, measured tone—a demeanor that caught Gother slightly off guard.
What, indeed, was so special about it? Gother knew it wasn't merely about straightforward killing—not just a matter of slitting a throat or striking a vital organ to end a target's life in a single blow.
"I don't know, and I'm in no mood to guess."
A look of feigned annoyance crossed the face of the Concept of Assassination as he listened to Gother's flat, irritable response.
"You're dreadfully dull—and yet, I find myself intrigued. You possess the makings of an assassin, a transcendent entity, and a human being—all rolled into one." "What makes you unique, Gowther, is that you walk a fine line—somewhere between an assassin, a transcendent being, and an ordinary human. That is what sets you apart."
"As for the function of the 'Wing'—it is the assassination of a character..."
A look of realization dawned on Gowther's face as he grasped the true nature of the 'Assassination Concept Wing.' He was struck with terror, realizing the sheer, terrifying power and capabilities it held—even before witnessing them firsthand.
"You mean... manipulating the very writing of a character, stripping away their narrative development in every possible aspect, and reducing them to mere narrative trash—devoid of anything at all, whether significant, trivial, or even utterly worthless—all with just a single stroke in the vast sea of a narrative? That is the function of the Assassination Concept Wing, isn't it?"
The 'Assassination Concept' looked on, stunned by Gowther's deduction, before calmly picking up a piece of candy from the table before him.
"Well done, my dear Gowther MacTire. An excellent, perfect, and truly remarkable conclusion—especially for someone as ignorant as you."
Ignoring the fury and indignation burning in Gowther's eyes, the 'Assassination Concept' continued:
"Indeed, that is one of the abilities granted by the Assassination Concept Wing. As the level of the Wing rises, your control over the narrative deepens, you gain further abilities, and the conditions required for a successful assassination become increasingly lenient."
[End of flashback]
Gowther let out a sigh, his inner frustration palpable, while he kept his focus locked on every move Suzars was about to make.
"What an utter fool of a writer." "There is something dangerous in your world, yet the narrative treats it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. If I am a 'novel,' then you are an entity composed of four entire encyclopedias of novels! Ooh—your 'Wing' ability is so incredible that you've actually tricked me into admitting this, like a total fool!"
Suzars spoke with a strange blend of mockery and admiration.
Gauther's expression, however, did not change in the slightest as he dodged a surprise attack aimed at his throat. The fact that he had managed to perceive the use of the 'Narrative-Cutting' ability against him served as a stark warning: he must not underestimate his opponent.
Yet, he remained puzzled as to why the effect of the 'Narrative-Cutting' ability hadn't been nullified. Were there hidden motives behind this? If his opponent had truly wanted him dead, he could have finished him off long ago.
He let out a deep sigh, his gaze shifting back to the system interface—only to be met with a strange message that left him momentarily stunned.
[Assassination Mission Reward: Ability upgrade to the 'Narrative Level'
Assassination Mission Failure: Permanent takeover of the host's body by LS 04 76]