n

n

n

"I have no interests in toys, so I'll be ending this quickly,

" I said to Jared's lookalike.

n

"Shut up! What do you know?!

" He said with a deep frown.

nHe launched himself at me, suddenly turning into four at once. Of course, they are all after images of the same person, he's just moving that fast.

nThe images attacked me from all directions, but I used an invisible force to repel them all.

n

"Orb Of Destruction,

" I said.

nImmediately, fiery spheres surrounded me and exploded. The explosion sent shockwaves throughout the realm we were in and I could feel the world shake due to the high blast. I used my defensive Hex to protect myself, however, the fake Jared was destroyed completely.

n

"And now, just like clockwork…

" I muttered.

nAnother Jared appeared in the sky with a confident look and his hands in his pocket.

n

"You can't win! I'm invincible!

"

nHere we go again.

nAfter facing off against three more Jareds, I have found out more things about his power and how it works.

nFirst of all, each of the Jared fakes is entirely real in this world, and they also have an awareness that makes them believe they are real. Secondly, after the destruction of one fake, the next one is considerably more powerful than the last. It's like an upgrade that allows the copies of Jared to evolve even further. The same Orb of Destruction I used on the earlier Jared didn't work for the new one. They also gain some sort of resistance or near immunity to any attack that kills the previous version.

nI'm guessing this is to make sure that eventually, even if the opponent overpowers Jared's copies initially, before long he will run out of cards to use since Jared would have become immune to the attack. That is useless against me though, since I have tons of moves to use which won't get exhausted until this Blank Canvas times out. Honestly, these Jared copies make the perfect punching bags to test out certain new moves and Abilities that I possess.

nUnfortunately, I do not have the time to slowly deal with them. This world can crumble at any time, and if it does without us winning, then my plans will be badly affected. In that case, it's time to stop holding back. One of the features of Blank Canvas is that is an alternate world, not attached to the real one. Since that's the case… I can freely use Hex without worrying about being spotted by those pesky beings.

nFinally, with no restraints whatsoever, I'll be taking care of this child.

n

"I cannot lose in this world!!!

" Jared's voice sounded, now having ten copies of himself. I can tell, this time they aren't afterimages. They are all genuine copies. These Jareds ignored one another and focused on only me, each believed to be the original.

n

"In this world, I am Invincible!

" They all said simultaneously.

nCovering themselves in some sort of brilliant energy cloak, they charged at me with ultra-speed, higher than light speed, no doubt. The real Jared must already be thinking of taking me serious, but it's meaningless now. No matter how many toys he throws at me, they are outmatched.

n

"Hex #09

" I whispered.

n

"AUTHORITY OF MATTER

"

nImmediately, the copies stopped moving at once. Within a fraction of a moment, every single atom, molecule, infinitesimal structure within them broke apart and they turned to nothing but fragmented copies, disintegrating entirely.

nJust like that, beyond the speed conceivable by anyone present, Jared included, I entirely disassembled their material structure, even to the smallest unit.

n

"W-What just happened?

" Shamac said in shock.

nOne second he saw the copies of Jared moving toward me and the next he saw nothing but me floating in the air all alone.

nHe looked over to Talia, who shook her head indicating she also doesn't have an idea of what happened. They both turned to Ana, who is the most perceptive and fastest of the three. An uncomfortable look clouded her face as a bead of sweat fell from her brow.

n

"I-I have no idea… I couldn't even see a fraction of it

" Ana muttered.

nFrom my distance, I overheard them and smiled. I moved at a speed beyond the bounds of time. For everything in the world, Aspects are governing them. Blank Canvas is no exception. The only difference is that the Aspects within Blank Canvas are being controlled by Jared, and not the Primordials or gods. I exempted myself from his Time Aspect and proceeded to destroy his puppets using my Hex 'Authority'.

nEvery physical manifestation consists of matter, and so within Blank Canvas, his copies are the same. Using 'Authority Of Matter' I took control of his control of them and entirely rendered them nonexistent. Every Hex from 9 downward is an Authority that affects the Aspects directly, not just the things they make up. I am unable to use such Hexes in the real world since it will immediately draw the attention of the Primordials to me.

nWhat makes it different from the other Hexes is that, unlike the usual Hex where I simply manipulate and distort the Aspects for my use, for Hex Authorities I usurp control entirely from the original Primordials of the Aspects whenever I use it. It's a costly game since they will immediately know when something in their control gets taken away even if it's just for a short time. At that moment, I'll be found and exterminated. However, in a world such as this… It is nothing. The most my actions will do is anger the god of this reality… Jared himself.

nThe blank space suddenly darkened and darkness covered the white which existed in the artificial sky. A great chill filled the air and I could see Talia, Shamac, and Ana tremble as they felt a great presence surrounding them. The presence of Jared, the omnipotent one in this world is enough to paralyze lower beings such as them. But his pressure does nothing to me, since I'm not composed of Aspects, my body won't react to little jitters like this.

n

"WHO ARE YOU?

" A loud, overwhelming voice filled the air.

nI smiled. Finally, he decides to make a move himself. After seeing that I took control of matter in a world only he can dominate, Jm sure he is also confused. Who am I?

n

"Who's asking?

" I asked.

nThere was a thunderous sound and everywhere vibrated, including the very particles of the air. My slaves look very buttery, dangerously so at that. The pressure he is emitting must be causing their Aspects to become unstable, and at this rate, they'll die.

n'Orb of Protection' won't be enough to protect them from this onslaught, especially with the surrounding Aspects being so unstable.

n

"ROOT,

" I said.

n

"Generate Countermeasure,

" I said.

nImmediately, Shamac, Talia, and Ana got warped into my ring, vanishing from the chaotic world which seemed on the r brink of destruction. I wanted them to witness this battle until the end, but It's better this way. With no one getting in my way, I have no reason to consider any devastation that may occur now.

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"DO NOT IGNORE MY QUESTION! WHO ARE YOU? YOU SEIZED CONTROL OF MY WORLD, EVEN FOR ONLY A MOMENT. BLANK CANVAS IS AN EXISTENCE CREATED BY MY IMAGINATION. IT IS MY WORLD! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ALTER SOMETHING WITHIN IT?!

" The thunderous voice raged with anger.

n

"These theatrics bore me. Why don't you come out of your hiding place Jared? If you want to find the answers you're looking for, you won't get them by hiding behind the screen of your world. Why don't you show yourself?

" I responded.

n

"YOU… YOU DARE SPEAK SO INSOLENTLY TO ME? JUST BECAUSE I WENT SO EASY ON YOU? THERE IS NO NEED FOR A GOD TO STOOP TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR KIND. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER IN THE END. WITH A SINGLE THOUGHT I CAN MAKE ANYTHING EXIST OR DISAPPEAR IN THIS WORLD. YOU ARE NO EXCEPTION. ANSWER ME NOW THAT I AM STILL BEING GENEROUS!

" Jared said with an authoritative tone.

nI smiled when he finished his statement.

n

"It's funny you should mention that. You are right though...

" I answered.

n

"THEN…

"

n

"A god shouldn't stoop to the level of a lower kind. However, you are mistaken about something. It seems you are confused about who the god is and who the lesser being is among us.

"

n

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING…?!

"

n

"I'm saying... KNOW YOUR PLACE, WORM

" I said with a more oppressive and authoritative time than him.

n

"HEX #05

"

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"AUTHORITY OF CREATION

"

nImmediately, everywhere quieted and the thunders ceased. The empty world suddenly became filled with details. The grass appeared on the field, clouds in the skies and bright sun. Trees extended for miles and there were animals all around.

nAmongst these things, Jared finally appeared, looking around him and even at himself with express shock. He doesn't understand what is going on… Such a primitive creature.

n

"Surprised?

" I asked with a smile.

nHe looked at me with a slightly fearful look as his lips quivered as he repeated the question he asked. Not with his previous and loud tone filled with conceit and pride. Rather, with trembling and a shaky voice he muttered.

n

"W-Who a-are… you…?

"

nI smiled as I heard this.

n

"I am…

"

n