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nMore time passed.

nNick kept pushing.

nBy now, the Aductress had joined the room and watched Nick just like the Scribe.

nThey were entering unprecedented territory.

nThe most anyone had ever managed to survive against a Peak Elder was six weeks.

nThat was the record.

nAnd today, Nick cracked that record.

nThe Aductress needed to make sure that no accidents would occur.

nNick just kept pushing against his copy.

nIt looked like nothing had changed within the last six weeks.

nExcept for one thing…

nNick’s hands had been pushed back by three centimeters.

nThat was not a lot, but these three centimeters were impossible to get back.

nNick’s hands hadn’t been able to push forward for even a micrometer for the past six weeks.

nThe Specter was perfect.

nThere were no mistakes.

nThere were no openings.

nIt was flawless.

nNick had believed that he could win against the Specter.

nHowever, the last six weeks proved one thing.

nHe was focused to an unreasonable and supernatural degree, but he was not flawless.

nHe was not perfect.

nOtherwise, he wouldn’t have been pushed back by three centimeters.

nThe Consumption was a battle of will, and it was impossible to further optimize such a battle.

nThere were no tricks one could employ.

nWell, at least none that everyone could use or ones that worked.

nThere was one thing that Nick could try.

nIt was a backup plan he had come up with before starting his Consumption.

nIf this were only a battle of wills, Nick might not have had the confidence to attempt it.

nHowever, there was something about him that made him different than normal people, and if it came down to it, he would make use of it.

nBut the chances of success were low, and he would only use it if there was nothing left he could do.

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nSo, he kept on pushing.

nThe Aductress looked at Nick.

nTwo additional weeks had passed, and Nick was still just lying there.

nIf Nick had lost, his body would give off Zephyx of a human nature, and he would slowly start transforming into the Dark Cloud.

nIf Nick won, his body would give off Zephyx of a Specter nature, and he would slowly wake up.

nIf both of them died, Nick would just die.

nHowever, Nick was still alive, and he did not give off any kind of Zephyx.

nThis meant that he was still battling the Specter, which was unreal.

nIt had been eight weeks.

n’16 weeks is the theoretical maximum,’ the Aductress thought as she looked at Nick. ‘No matter how much willpower you have, you will not be able to stop yourself from dying when 16 weeks have passed.’

nThe Aductress narrowed her eyes.

n‘That will also be when the Specter will die.’

nNick kept on pushing.

nMore time passed.

nThe Specter just continued to stare at him with its dead eyes.

nIt didn’t think about winning or about the fact that it was in the lead.

nIts goal was not to win but to not die.

nIt did not feel any happiness, smugness, or excitement.

nIt just kept pushing with perfect efficiency.

nAnd it would continue to do so until the very end.

nIt was impossible for it to lose.

nMore time passed.

nNick had been looking at the Specter in front of him for ten weeks.

nFor ten weeks, it hadn’t made any mistakes or shown any bit of weakness.

nIt was like Nick was trying to push an immovable object.

nThe pressure was mounting.

nNick was desperately searching for a glimmer of hope, but there was none.

nNick started to consider that he might lose.

nMore time passed.

nIt had been twelve weeks.

nNick had been pushed back by half a meter already.

nHe was losing his concentration more and more frequently.

nMost of the time, his mind was in a state of complete confusion and delirium.

nHe was forgetting himself, and the most horrifying part was that Nick knew that this was not just a temporary effect.

nNo, this was permanent.

nNick’s mind was straining so hard that he was suffering permanent brain damage.

nHe was forgetting things, and he knew that these things would not return, even if he won.

nThis was the cost of sacrificing oneself.

nNick’s memories were burning away.

nOf course, the same thing was happening to the Specter.

nThe only difference was that it didn’t care about its memories.

nIt only cared about not dying.

nEven if it lost 90% of all of its memories, it would continue pushing with perfect efficiency since the will to survive was in its very core.

nMeanwhile, if Nick lost 90% of his memories, he would have long since collapsed since he wouldn’t even know who he was or what he was doing.

nNick couldn’t get through.

nHe couldn’t win.

nIt was truly impossible.

nA Peak Expert could not win against a Peak Elder in a duel of wills.

n‘I can’t win,’ Nick realized in a moment of clarity. ‘I have to try my backup plan.’

nAt that moment, Nick was slowly being pushed back.

nThat was because Nick was focusing on something else.

nHe was focusing on his past.

nHe was thinking about the image of the burning building.

nHe was thinking about what had happened before then.

nWhat happened before he woke up in front of the burning building?

nNick was trying his best.

nThe blackness around Nick transformed into images.

nHis memories.

nIn the real world, the Aductress noticed that something was starting to push out of Nick’s throat.

nThis was a sign that the Specter’s Core was winning the battle.

nShe narrowed her eyes.

nThe images around Nick started to morph as the burning building came and went.

nShadows appeared.

nShadows vanished.

nFire appeared around Nick.

nA little boy carried something in his hand.

nThe little boy focused on the hallway.

n“I met the Null,” Nick spoke as his eyes focused on his copy. “I forgot everything about it.”

nThe Specter didn’t show any reaction.

nIt just kept pushing Nick backward very slowly.

n“If I regain my memories, I will know what the Null looks like, and you will know as well.”

n“I don’t think the Null cares whether or not you are a Specter. If you know anything about it, you will die.”

n“What will it be?”

n“Will we both die completely?”

n“Or are you willing to just lose part of yourself and survive?”

nThis was Nick’s backup plan.

nIf he managed to remember the Null, it would come and kill both of them.

nRemembering the Null represented a 100% chance at 100% death.

nMeanwhile, conceding to Nick would only be a 100% chance at 99% death.

nAfter all, part of the Specter would still survive.

nIf one thought back to the minions of the Sea King, could one truly say that nothing of them had remained back then?

nThey might not have had their souls and minds, but their bodies and abilities still persisted.

nWeren’t bodies and abilities still part of one’s self?

nSomething like this would never work on a human.

nAfter all, they would feel so angry and hopeless that they would prefer both of them dying than giving the other side all of the benefits.

nBut Nick wasn’t fighting a human.

nHe was fighting a Specter.

nAnd Specters were very different.

nThe images were distorting more and more.

nThe inside of the house seemed to change.

nNick felt like something inside the house was moving.

nThere was something else inside the house.

nThat could have only been the Null.

nNick’s eyes were narrowed and focused on his copy in front of him.

n“Time is ticking. What’s your choice?” Nick asked.

nThe Specter did not show any reaction.

nIt just kept pushing.

n“You will die if you continue!” Nick shouted. “I have already shown you my willpower! You think I wouldn’t go through with committing suicide if that means ending your existence as well?!”

n“In the end, I am also just human, and I would much rather kill us both than let you continue living!”

nThe Specter looked at Nick.

nNick knew for a fact that the Specter understood him.

nThey were not communicating via words.

nThey were communicating via concepts and thoughts.

nEverything that Nick had said registered in the Specter’s mind.

nHe was sure of it.

nYet, it showed no reaction.

nNone.

nIt just kept pushing Nick backward.

nNick became nervous.

nIt wasn’t giving up!

nIt wasn’t stopping!

n“Fine!” Nick shouted.

nThen, he focused on his past with all of his power.

nThe images surrounding him became clearer.

nNick felt like he was back inside the house.

nHe could feel it.

nThere was something foreign inside the house.

nSomething that shouldn’t exist.

nThe little child turned its head towards a hallway.

nIt knew that the thing would come from there.

nThe child waited.

nAnd then…

nBANG!

nThe images broke into pieces around Nick, and his eyes widened.

nHe quickly tried to resummon the images.

nThey reappeared, and he found himself inside the house again.

nBANG!

nThe images exploded again.

nHe tried again.

nBANG!

nNick’s eyes opened widely in horror.

n‘I can’t remember…’

n‘It’s impossible!’

n‘No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember the Null!’

n‘Everything always breaks apart before it appears!’

nNick looked with horror at the Specter in front of him, which just looked back with a neutral expression.

nYes, Nick had been right.

nOne option was a 100% chance of 100% death, while the other was a 100% chance of 99% death.

nA Specter would choose the second one.

nYet, Nick based his hypothesis on a faulty foundation.

nIn truth, the first option was not a 100% chance of 100% death.

nIt was actually a 90% chance of a 100% chance of 100% death.

nAfter all, there was a chance that Nick might not be able to remember.

nThe Specter had seen that, and it found these odds to be more in its favor than the other one.

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