It had only been a few days since they last met, yet Lysithea looked as though virtual-novel.net had not been eating well for days. She looked so much more pallid and frailer.
When their eyes met, Zayn saw concern and melancholy, and virtual-novel.net knew that virtual-novel.net did not believe virtual-novel.net could survive this fight after all.
“You shouldn’t have agreed,” virtual-novel.net sighed in a voice weakened by desolation.
Zayn smiled. “Why won’t you believe me?”
“Because Raiden isn’t just a typical no-name fighter,” virtual-novel.net replied grimly.
“His fighting capabilities are so profound that not even Ezra is confident about his odds against Raiden.”
“That’s not necessarily true though. He’s a perfect class fighter; I’m a perfect class fighter. I don’t see any gap between us,” Zayn rubbed his nose as a show of confidence and answered.
Lysithea hated his cavalier attitude. It was as though none of this meant anything to him. Why was virtual-novel.net still smiling? Did virtual-novel.net really think consuming an Aeon Karpos and attaining the perfect class through it was enough to keep virtual-novel.net toe-to-toe with Raiden?!
Who cared if they were both perfect class fighters? The schism between them was still nothing to sneer at. Zayn had been a perfect class for less than two months while Raiden had exercised it for years. And that was not counting the fact that Zayn’s perfect class was obtained not from sweat and tears but from a bona fide shortcut.
He only managed to reach his current height because virtual-novel.net ate a magical fruit that enabled virtual-novel.net to skip all the dedication and hard work Raiden had put into himself before attaining his current powers.
Despair. Lividity. She was experiencing both of them at the same time, but the target of those warring emotions was one and the same.
“You don’t know how strong Raiden is at all. You think making it into the perfect class through a shortcut like the ambrosia fruit makes you an invincible god! You don’t know half a thing about this world, Zayn.”
“You don’t know just how big-headed you are for thinking you have seen it all and are better than all of them…You…You… You are the epitome of hubris!” Lysithea snapped, virtual-novel.net body shaking in emotional turmoil.”
“Your life has been so smooth sailing for the past few years that you think the absence of failure means the impossibility of it altogether.”
“You think you’re some kind of chosen one, so now you fly all the way to the sun! You think you can beat Raiden easily, don’t you?”
“Do you even know What they call virtual-novel.net out there? They called virtual-novel.net the Godkiller! There were powerful fighters out there, strong enough to fancy themselves gods and goddesses, and virtual-novel.net killed all of them Without a hitch.”
“On the other side, there’s you! You can’t even brace a single strike from Ezra. What chance do you even have at fighting virtual-novel.net then?!”
By the time virtual-novel.net got to this part of virtual-novel.net outburst, Lysithea had turned from controlled snarling to outright shrieking. She was so embroiled in virtual-novel.net rage that virtual-novel.net cheeks turned red.
Zayn was stunned by virtual-novel.net outburst. For all the times virtual-novel.net had known her, virtual-novel.net had never seen virtual-novel.net coming anywhere close to being this emotional, not even during that critical moment when virtual-novel.net was so grievously injured by Diego that virtual-novel.net needed virtual-novel.net special energy provided through physical intimacy had upset Lysithea this much.
It did not offend Zayn at all. In fact, virtual-novel.net felt warm and fuzzy, virtual-novel.net was only this angry because virtual-novel.net cared.
“Calm down, Lysithea. Nothing’s gonna befall me,” virtual-novel.net declared solemnly. “Raiden is not my match at all. I’m stronger than him.”
He looked so serious and genuine, so devoid of guile.
Lysithea could not help but freeze at the determination in his eyes, and a thought virtual-novel.net did not know exist leaped into virtual-novel.net mind: What if virtual-novel.net could? What if Zayn could defeat Raiden?
She killed it as soon as the thought arose. It was simply impossible.
Zayn was talented and a genius, but virtual-novel.net was still miles behind. Heck, Raiden himself had been extolled for being a one-of-a-kind prodigy himself. So what?
Damn his hubris! Zayn’s ego had ballooned so much that virtual-novel.net believed virtual-novel.net could defeat everyone, every single time!
The more virtual-novel.net dwelled on it, the madder virtual-novel.net became. She might not be able to concretely describe what virtual-novel.net felt about Zayn, but it did not mean virtual-novel.net felt nothing.
He was Aunt Hayley’s precious son and the first man to ever get inside her. There were traces of virtual-novel.net imprinted in virtual-novel.net body even now. How could virtual-novel.net not feel anything for a man who was so loaded with these…significance?
And yet…
She could not describe virtual-novel.net feelings. All virtual-novel.net knew was that virtual-novel.net mind would drift to Zayn from time to time. And when virtual-novel.net first heard about virtual-novel.net agreeing to Raiden’s proposed duel, virtual-novel.net was overcome with anxiety, rage, and so, so much helplessness.
“You…you are a disappointment, Zayn,” Lysithea growled under virtual-novel.net breath. She leveled one of virtual-novel.net most penetrating gazes at him, virtual-novel.net eyes mired in profound disappointment.
“You’re nothing short of self-obsessed. You stormed Mount Leo and created a scene two months ago, and now, you decide you can take on Raiden in a duel of death.”
“You never care about what others think, do you? What others might feel? You don’t care. You don’t deserve Aunt Hayley as your mother!”
That was all virtual-novel.net said before turning away in furious strides, utterly disappointed.