Creak.

  Kalpas’ fist remaieadily enclosed within Aleph’s palm. The tter’s right hand visibly gained bck scales. His fingernails became sharp. It was akin to a bck gau filled with varying purple lihe transformation halted on his elbow. Circuit-like purple lines decorated his entire body.

  With such a luxurious treatment, Kalpas wasn’t able to force him to move an inch.

  Crack-!

  The shockwaves of his attack caused cracks to appear in the roadway as well as the sanatorium’s walls. The surface they were standing in caved io the cracks beh their feet.

  “You…”

  “Alright, alright. It’s my turn now, isn’t it?” Aleph asked as he slowly released Kalpas’ fist. His right hand turned back to normal.

  “Three.”

  ‘This bastard..!’

  Seeing Aleph give him a head start, Kalpas’ annoyance for the man increased sharply. He got the feeling of being looked down upon.

  “Two.”

  Still, Kalpas built a distaween them. His eyes were ready to read Aleph’s movements.

  “One.”

  Swoosh-!

  It wasn’t as fast as Kalpas expected it to be. Aleph was walking irides without b with his pung posture.

  The tter was feeling underwhelmed when he sensed something bad from that regur punbsp;

  It was as if…

  All he could see was that strike.

  Bam-!

  …

  For a moment, Kalpas’ mind stopped thinking. The hing he knew, he was looking at the blue sky. The sunlight didn’t do as much as slightly blind his eyes.

  “That’s my first lesson, free of charge.”

  Suddenly, he heard the annoying voiing from his side. He sah his hand to help him stand up.

  Kalpas did not grab it and instead stood up on his own.

  “This might be fine by me, fighting and all. But, if you keep on asking for a fight with whomever strong person you meet, it’s bound to make a bad impression.”

  Aleph didn’t seem bothered when Kalpas didn’t take his help. Ironically, he found out that he was a few ialler than the bulky masked man. It somehow crushed his expectations when paring the Kalpas he knew.

  As a master of hiding his internal struggles, Aleph maintained a calm demeanor throughout their versation.

  “Still, I’d like to thank you for proteg them.” He said. “No matter what the reason may be, these people are safe.”

  “...”

  “Once I deal with the troubles at my end, I’ll give it to you. A satisfying fight.”

  In the end, the masked man gave him a reply:

  “You said it.”

  *****

  With Aleph deliberately speeding up, it didn’t take long before he returo the third institute. The first pce he went was the trolled experimental zoside the main facility.

  He came across several researchers. From them, he learhat the practical tests are now in the final phases.

  Soon, he came across Einstein. Her eye bags were particurly promi under her gsses.

  “I brought something, director.”

  “Hm?”

  Her cheg of data was halted when Aleph brought over a silver box.

  Fwoosh-!

  The air was depressurized the moment he ope. Inside y a drical object with dim blue lines.

  The momeein saw it, she saw its extraordinariness.

  “This is..?”

  “The result of my project. It is an upgraded version of the nuclear reactor.” Aleph expined. “This one is responsible for extrag dark energy. It’s at least ten times more potent than nuclear reactors. Unbelievably enough, its output is only behind a honkai reactor (honkai engine).”

  Decades of study allowed Fire MOTH to e up with practical applications when it es to the honkai. The honkai reactors used in honkai-powered mechs are one of them. There was also the fgship-css air cruiser that could be used as a mobile headquarters. Only, its resource expedition was also just as exaggerated. The honkai reactor they could produce barely reached 1,200 Honkai Watts. The teology to increase safety limits wasn’t mature yet.

  Though, the reactor’s output is predicted to increase once MANTIS soldiers are produced in wide-scale.

  “ it be steadily produced?” She asked.

  “With the Truth Arsenal, yes.”

  The decision to focus on the first divine key finally paid off.

  “We’ll switch it for the program’s frame.” Einstein said. “It should be able to power up the portable quantum puters with more ease.”

  The two discussed several professional matters before the final trial started. This time, Aleph took the role of a supporter. The team of third institute’s elites aein w together was a terrifying workforce. It was also different from his experieh Mobius as there are more people to cover each other’s backs.

  The only thing to watch out for was the little ges that may be detrimental to the project.

  Soon…

  {It’s a success.}

  “It’s a success.”

  The ELF Einstein (chibi) heralded the success of the Project ELF.

  *****

  It was a long day. It didn’t take long before Aleph found himself in the dreamnd.

  “In my world… I don’t know what to do. Sometimes, I feel like it’s better to live in a world like yours.”

  ‘That was… me.’

  Aleph reized the se he saw. It was one of his talks in the mirror during the first few months he received the power to unicate to another world.

  He was despo due to his parents’ deaths. Add to that the pressure he had since he recalled his memories when he was a child…

  It was very endable for him to not break down until now.

  “Even… if I aowledge it as the right move… I won’t know if it backfires or not…”

  The pages of his diary began to get wet from his tears.

  At that time, Aleph knew. He should get himself together. Fix some things. Do something worthwhile.

  However, his failure in his past life was the biggest baggage he carried over to this world. All the frustrations when he was bombed before he could do anything came to catch him now.

  Whehing was added together, it made him more pessimistic, even if subsciously.

  “...Fuck… I am… sorry… for this…”

  The person oher side of the mirror fell silent. Aleph, atg this particur recolle, also fell silent.

  pared to before, his curreality is extremely strong. The fidence brought by strength, his Achievement Hunter, his abilities (Great Sage and Elemental Sight), as well as his current status set him apart from his previous self.

  That time, he didn’t have anything—no cheats, powers. When he explored the mirror for a few months and got nothing, that became the final nail in the coffin.

  It was his first and st breakdown.

  ‘The nightmares from back then…’ He thought. ‘I dealt with them thanks to her help.’

  The moment was something he expected.

  “Does it matter? Failure or success...”

  A slightly childish voice came from the other side.

  “If yoing to die, it is better to die doing your best.” She said. “You say you know of the future. Then, do it. Your pns. It doesn’t matter what other people think… or what might happen. Holy, no one bme you…”

  The selor-ssh-therapist-ssh-friend, Kurumi Tokisaki, came to the rescue.

  *****

  A/N: Depression hits. That was a harsh lesson I came across. You know it’s irrational, that it’s better to spend time thinking of something else instead of feeling down. But, there is just that feeling of helplessness at times. It was a straate. You know it yourself that it is bad, yet you ’t bring yourself to stop feeling down. All in all, it depends on a person’s mental forte and circumstances.

  The best solution to that is to have a friend who will hear your vents out, and that’s what happened here with Aleph and Kurumi’s dynamics. Do expect for the future chapters to add more characterization to Kurumi atop others.

  Happy Reading~!