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It wasn’t a situation where Zoemi could just take his time and think over what the best option was, too many people have already died and the number of casualties would only increase if he did nothing, even now the bloodloss was slowly chipping at what’s left of the vitality of the few survivors.

Though for Zoemi, what counted the most was the safety of his master.

This wasn’t a situation where he could make any mistakes.

Although… It was strange that Miriette wasn’t at the front lines considering how strong she was…

”Where’s my master…?”

Even when each moment was more precious than diamonds and gold, Zoemi asked the rest of the survivors.

”Miriette…?”

Horeo looked at Zoemi in disbelief, but the dead eyes of the attendant told him more than enough.

For Zoemi everyone else except Miriette was just an extra.

”…She decided that she will protect the other students inside the academy. As long as the academy building is safe, so is she, so DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT FIRE BITCH!”

Apparently, the heroine was the one who had the better grasp on Zoemi’s thoughts in this situation as she was the one to shout the answer.

”I see…”

Zoemi nodded.

He didn’t sense a lie in Buru**to’s words…

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|Be honest – am I just as big of an asshole as the me from the other timeline?|

|Considering that the other you acts like that because he and I are not separated like we are, and my feelings and intentions are sipping through – I would appreciate if you didn’t call it out so harshly…|

Zoemi asked and was surprised by the embarrassed answer of the original personality.

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Even though that sort of behavior didn’t suit Miriette… As long as she was trying to protect something, Zoemi would do the same – at least that much was obvious.

The wall of fire was approaching them with no remorse, swallowing everything in its path like a gluttonous monster with not even an idea of what restraint means.

But with that much of a light source, there were plenty of shadows to work around for Zoemi.

Without even moving an inch he forced the darkness to erupt into a black mist that solidified into a barrier.

”…!”

Horeo eyes widened and he glared at Zoemi while biting his lip, he was clearly holding down what he wanted to say.

After all, Zoemi’s magic looked more like earth or even ice magic right now.

Well, it was both, and even two more elements mixed together on top of that.

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|In that timeline, I am a proper shadow magician… which still makes me wonder what happened to Benevirau and why wasn’t he interested in a powerful shadow magician who sprouted out of nowhere and made his way into a high noble circle.|

Zoemi windered, trying to tilt his head in concern, but that worked out just as much as it did all the other times.

Actually, he began to realize that he doesn’t possess the body in that seemingly endless world of murky darkness.

|As far as my connection to the other you work with at the moment, it feels like you never met him and no one ever mentioned him either. Same with Vanterl. On top of that, I don’t really recall ever hearing the word sage used in the same way that people in this timeline are using it.|

The thoughts of the original personality resounded within the darkness, seemingly speaking from everywhere, all at once – not to mention in the voice of the black-haired boy.

Meanwhile, the events from the other timeline kept playing on the screen…

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”What is this supposed to be, hubby? Why are you doing this? WHY EVEN YOU ARE TRYING TO HIDE GRAZIO AWAY FROM ME?!”

The advance of Ehmi’s spell was stopped and that only fuelled her anger even more.

*SHING* *SLICE*

”Eh…?”

But before she could add more power to the raging flames some sort of movement made her stop.

Only that it wasn’t any plain old movement…

It wasn’t a movement that took away her attention but rather a black wind blade digging through her flesh and shattering her spine as it bisected her cleanly just above the waist.

”Ghhhah…!”

She gasped through her teeth as her torso fell forward while her legs began falling back.

”Aaaaah…! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

She screamed and cried while falling.

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|WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING?!|

|!!!|

Zoemi roared in disbelief, sarin wide-eyed at the screen, refusing to further acknowledge the Zoemi from the other timeline to be another version of himself – but the original personality was too shocked himself to say anything back.

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*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

Instead of the blood only fire erupted from the two halves of Ehmi’s body.

”Tsk!”

Zoemi clicked his tongue.

”Wh-what’s happening?!”

Horeo got to Zoemi and grabbed his shoulders.

”This will be a bigger problem than I hoped for. She didn’t die.”

Zoemi shrugged and looked away from Horeo.

”She didn’t die?! Y-you’ve tried to kill her just now?!”

The first prince couldn’t believe his ears.

”She’s your wife! Aren’t you supposed to at least – try – to save her?!”

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|EXACTLY!|

Zoemi shouted, trying to stomp his foot even though he couldn’t feel his body at all.

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The first prince shouted and shook Zoemi’s shoulders.

”That’s quite rich, hearing about morals from someone like you, my prince.”

Zoemi snorted and smacked Horeo’s hands away.

”If you think that I’m going to risk Miriette’s life over something that’s impossible, you’ve completely failed my expectations towards you.”

Zoemi glared at the first prince with disgust.

”Something impossible…? Who decided it was impossible to save her!?”

While Horeo was speaking he continued to glance at his two unconscious attendants.

”Someone who can’t even be of any help because his only useful spell in this situation would just destroy one-tenth of the whole kingdom can just shut up.”

Even though Zoemi knew where Horeo was coming from, he had no intention of humoring the lovestruck fool.

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|…yeah, Horeo from the other timeline definitely didn’t unlock the same kind of power that ours…|

Zoemi sighed, giving up on emotionally investing in the other timeline.

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”You can just take those two and teleport away, there’s a chance there won’t be any kingdom for you to be the prince off before we’re done here, so you can just start over your life somewhere else.”

Zoemi pushed Horeo to the side and stepped forward to the black barrier he created.

On the other side, tens and hundreds of disgusting-looking hands composed of thin hair-like constantly moving fibers grew from the blackness and started violently whipping back and forth.

With each such movement, a black wind blade was created and cast towards the momentarily incapacitated Ehmi.

”AAAAAAAH! It hurts…! IT HURTS…! WHAT’S HAPPENING…?! GRAZIO…! ZOEMI…! PLEASE, SAVE MEEEEE….!”

Ehmi’s screams of agony were loud enough to be heard through the deafening sound of flames ravaging everything they could reach.

As confused as she was, Ehmi didn’t seem to understand that it was Zoemi who was atacking her and kept calling him for help.

”…”

Horeo clenched his fists in powerless rage.

”Seems like killing IS his preferred way of solving problems…”

The heroine shuddered at the memory of the cold obsidian blade piercing her heart once before.

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|Is there a way for me to reach out and kill my other self from that other timeline? Or incapacitate him? From what I can see, a single sentinel could wipe him off the face of the earth even after he ate some hair and an arm.|

|Once again, I apologize – without being separated as we are now, my feelings towards my master are far too strong for anyone to handle… I do not care for the lives o others except my master, so the other you act as you can see…|

Zoemi asked in a furious voice but surprisingly, the original personality spoke to him in a very apologetic voice instead of answering his question.

|Hmph.|

The black-haired boy merely scoffed and didn’t say anything more, focusing back on the screen with disgust towards his other self increasing exponentially with each passing second.

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Rokiana and other survivors who were being treated by Buru**to could only look away and pretend not to hear anything.

As for Zoemi, he put his hands against the black barrier and was pouring whatever mana he had into it.

That didn’t only end in the barrier getting stronger, many spells used by the abhorrent hands changed too, black fireballs, black thunders, black boulders the size of a horse carriage, and black icicles, were shot and crashed into defenseless Ehmi together with the wind blades and torn her flesh apart.

”Heelfmhee…!”

Her body was torn to shreds, and her head was split in two but she was still sobbing for help that would never arrive.

Yet even with all those horrible injuries, not a single drop of blood was shed by Ehmi, it was only fire.

Endless streams of crimson flames poured out of the wounds and added to the inferno raging around.

”Just die already!”

Drops of sweat that had nothing to do with the hellish heat appeared on Zoemi’s forehead as he gritted his teeth.

The other side of the wall erupted into an enormous flock of jet-black swallows that circled above Ehmi and fell on her as an exploding avalanche while at the same time the ground beneath was flooded with deep darkness from within which the obsidian blades of darkness blade spell thrust creating a path of deadly spikes.

All of that could be summed up by a single word.

Mistake.

Using any form of darkness blade or swallows was a mistake.

”Zhoehmi…?”

The scraps of what was left of Ehmi muttered in disbelief.