Crimes.

"Oh, it's been so long I appeared before mortals that I forgot my effect on them." Larissa had tears of blood and was trembling nonstop. She was paralyzed with fear. "Still, they shouldn't be like that. I mean, I'm using a shadow to project my will, and it's not even my own shadow." Ekadu said after shaking his head in disapproval

Lazaro felt a burst of abrupt rage from his core that spread rapidly like venom. Yet, all he did was unclench his fist and take a deep breath.

'I can't do anything, it doesn't matter what I feel'

"And here I thought I'd never had to see your face again after I left you locked on your mind." Ekadu continued while staring at Lazaro with curiosity. "Although I'm interested in how you managed to get out, it's still more vexing. You know how much I suffered because I invaded your mind? I had to keep escaping from the higher Federation. And although I did manage to get away by killing most of them, I wasted so much for that... ugh!"

The tone of his words altered as he showed frustration. The leaves became brown and dry and were blown away by a sudden cold wind.

"What are you doing in this world?" Lazaro, the only one seemingly unfazed, asked.

Ekadu squinted. "I could ask you the same." Turning his back and throwing his hands in the air he suddenly exclaimed; "But I don't care! You broke free from the prison I put you in and fell right into the planet I was passing by. And right when the primordial wars started! This timing Is too alarming for me, do you know why?"

He disappeared and was suddenly right in front of an emotionless Lazaro.

"You're too similar to me."

He said and distanced himself without breaking eye contact.

For the first time, Lazaro let the rage show up on his face

"Haha, I'm just as disgusted as you are" Said Ekadu. " But I don't have the luxury of denying it out of pride. I had to acknowledge it so I can deal with the problem. My plan was to make you my champion then lead you to your own death. When you denied becoming my champion I had to kill you in another way so I imprisoned you and let you die. You see, The idea of someone with the least bit resemblance to myself makes my hairs stand up. "

Lazaro looked at the man in a black suit, he seemed to steal light and life and swallow everything like a black hole. He wanted to butcher and kill the man, but the thought of what is need to do it made Lazaro find himself swallow his rage, not mustering a speck of will to attack. Instead, like he was made out of an empty sack of potatoes he sat down and stared at the Ekadu emotionlessly.

Ekadu stared back at him showing a cunning light on his obsidian eyes. "Oh? Have you lost your will? Weird, I tortured you for a good long while and you never broke down. Oh well, Even better then, although I can't kill you. Other mortals can. I hope you're still an empty shell by the time they come." Ekadu chuckled and dissipated like fog, his voice reverberating unpleasantly like a sticky feeling you cannot get rid of.

Lucas and silver were free and fell unconscious from stress. While Larissa gasped for breath with bloodshot eyes. She was on the edge of a convulsion.

Hyera, who had blood all over her face put a finger on Larissa's forehead tranquilizing her state, as the other two were slightly far away they didn't need more care.

"I'd never take you for a coward. Although I understand why you'd fear him." Hyera said as she tried to calm Larissa's trembling eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, Lazaro could see her trembling and looked back at the now blue sky.

He casually spoke:

"Once, amidst his torturing, he tried to seduce me with power by showing me a memory of his first deed as a god. " Lazaro took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"He chose a random blade of grass and gave it conscience. Years passed and it became a tree, then a forest, then a world. Eventually, it became a deity and housed hundreds of worlds. Ekadu named it Yggdrasil. After a long time, Yggdrasil achieved godhood, then Ekadu killed it. Harvesting Yggdrasil's remains and the souls of every mortal who depended on it to live. As the death of mortals was indirect, he only amounted bad karma, which is nothing to him."

Slowly turning his neck, Lazaro's tired eyes gazed into hers, "I cannot swear revenge on a thing that raises gods as farms for harvesting billions of souls while still being true to myself. That'd be an offense to Lina, and I'm afraid that if I do make the effort to kill him, knowing full well I can't in my lifetime, I'll be lying myself and will cease to be me. Then I'd truly die."

"..."

Lazaro walked to the edge of the tree holding Lila on his arms.

"...Regardless of what you fear, he's actively after your life now. You'll fight, right?" Hyera's voice never sounded so much on the edge on his ears.

Lazaro eyed Lucas and Silver on the ground, then Lila, he thought of Larissa and let ou a tired sigh.

He turned his face and flashed her a cheap smile"I just got myself a new sister, I can't bear to leave her without tormenting her enough." He jumped down with a laugh.

She turned her eyes back at Larissa who was looking at her and said it aloud.

"You might not know it, and you may not believe my words. But at least let it rest on your memory."

Lazaro grabbed Lucas and Silver by the foot to drag along the way.

"As long as you want, I believe you can kill him."

Unbeknownst to them, while in shock, Larissa still understood each and every word.

****

"If we don't meet again, use this to build strength."

Streams of cold sweat poured down her feverish skin as Lila abruptly raised herself up. She barely registered the softness underneath herself as she took huge gulps of air as if trying to take everything she could on her lungs.

A sudden light breeze touched her back and she became aware of her surroundings.

The first thing on her eyes was Larissa breathing evenly in front of her with a beautiful tall blonde unconscious by her side.

"Let's go! I heard the higher-ups put a survival from the disaster to a public trial!"

Hurried steps echoed beyond the high-end wooden door.

"If we don't meet again, use this to build your strength." She clutched her head as Lazaro's voice sounded don her mind. She couldn't see Lazaro around her and hearing the voices outside, a bad premonition occurred to her, she got up in a hurried and smashed the wooden door to bits.

Only now she noticed that they were in the United front academy's dormitories.

She looked from afar into the stadium of tennis, it was filled with people, she bit her lips from the frustration of not being able to see everything. But the sound of the stadium, as if wanting the whole world to hear, resounded in her ear and made her premonition true.

"Lazaro of Superbia, you stand accused of manslaughter, kidnapping, and putting sixteen people to danger for the sake of personal gain. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"