Insignificance

The reason Adam chose the apartment complex he owned as the arena had to do with his new Gift.

[Innate Semblance (Yang): House

— Description: Build up your territory and gain ownership over the domain you see as your own.]

This was a vague ability without any useful qualities on its own. It allowed him to literally own a 'House'.

The landlord just had to see the place as his own…

A touch of Light Mana erupted from his body and infused into the surroundings when he thought so.

'Establish the Median and Movement Zone… then expand my domain.' The imaginary boundaries of his two Battle Zones were overlaid with the real ability of 'House'. This allowed him to sense her…

He knew Red Rabbit also had her own sensory abilities, so he had to deprive them in haste.

There was only one way to do so…

[You are harmonising the Yin Semblance of 'Empty' with the Yang Semblance of 'House' with serenity.]

[Your new Gift Slot has been perfected.]

[The 'Empty House' Innate Semblance has been created. All externalised powers shall be erased.]

The spiritual domain he expanded with 'House' was suddenly paired with the suppression of 'Empty'.

The former was about using a spiritual domain to declare ownership, and the latter about emptying.

The ability to have nothing was paired with the power to have something. A pretty ironic balance.

Adam watched his predator stumbling around from afar. Looking like a monster from horror movies.

A blade shone in the dark corridors…

Her sword dragged across the walls… cutting the locked doors to each apartment on her way over.

Turning them into dust with each flick of her wrist.

'The Sword Goddess Who Cuts Karma' may not have had her eyes of truth, but she had her senses.

Using those, she would eventually find him.

After all, the landowner's own manoeuvrability was limited by his own domain and the 'rules' applied.

He couldn't externalise Mana, which could be said to be the worst restriction to have as a 'Mage' type.

Even if he could sense where she was, this only added to the inevitability of loss he'd experience.

His 'Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology' was useless…

So long as the domain was down, he wouldn't be able to use any transformation abilities or shadows.

The end was near.

That is, if he was a 'normal' Black Mage.

Adam looked through the list of his abilities, then he turned to look around at the room he moved to.

It was a random room of the many apartments.

He remembered the ordinary and happy family that used to live here. Along with the envy of their life.

A husband, a wife, a grandmother, and two children used to run around in this apartment harmoniously.

He bit his lip while looking at the empty room…

'Maybe I should have talked to them.' His initial reaction upon seeing their smiles was thinking about his own marriage. It made him want the life of the people he'd seen living in these apartments.

Maybe not everyone had happy family lives, but there was a sense of connection they had together.

A feeling of being on the same wavelength…

Was this what people called having 'friends'?

As someone who had never shown compassion to others, Adam wasn't quite sure of this himself.

He thought that if he got married and had children to mimic these people, he'd fill up his emptiness.

Was that assumption wrong?

*Crrrssss…!*

The sound of a blade being dragged across the corridors outside made him sit down cross legged.

He stabilised his breathing to keep it quiet.

Then looked at his stats once again…

Rather than using 'Inspection' on each individual Skill to find the one that was useful, the landowner used it on the status screen itself. This allowed him to gain a finer understanding of what 'Skills' were.

Along with the subtle categories between them.

Non-technical skills like Social Barrier and Sinister Taunt seemed to be usable under certain conditions. They were easier to meet than technique related Skills like 'Land Management'.

This arose a question…

The new Class specific Skill of 'Dark Expansion' had the condition of being used as having Dark Mana used to power it. That meant, without him having the Dark Mana of his E Rank Spirit Essence, it was impossible for him to use this particular Skill.

Then… what was his Spirit Essence considered as if looked through the lens of his status window.

He knew that the Mage Class 'Black Wand' was a part of his Dawn Sapient Divine Physique, which in itself acted as a battery that only fuelled other Skills… rather than personally acting as one itself.

Like the origin of his true power…

It looked like his 'Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology' was an exception to the rule. Rather than taking Dark Mana from his Divine Physique, the Skill itself externalised the Dark Mana infused into his flesh.

This distinction made him realise something.

…Couldn't he mix Skills together if he routed one through another? As long as he was careful, it'd be similar to that time he mixed his Social Barrier and Death Insensitivity together to resist Red Rabbit.

He only needed two things: 'Imagery' and 'Intent'.

Thus, Adam went through his previously unapplied Skills to find any strong tools that could be used.

His eyes glanced at 'Astralisation (Legendary)'.

The landowner may not have known this, but even the strongest creatures of Gaia… 'Dragons', only had Myth level Astralisation. Being one step above that meant more than extending spiritual power.

Rather than externalising energy, his soul itself could inflate and exit the body in any way he wanted. If he could externalise magic, then he might've even be able to create ghostly arms.

Being able to grab someone with his spirit alone.

But since he couldn't do that, the most he could do was push his soul into the 'Empty House' domain.

The immortal shell was left behind, but he felt a sense of liberation when his spiritual state went out into the world. The humanoid soul that was ejected using Astralisation gradually grew bigger in size.

Ironically, one could say he haunted the apartment complex. His will stretching to all of the appliances.

But this wasn't enough…

Red Rabbit was about to find his body soon. She was on her way to where he was with each step.

In order to hide his body, Adam routed one more Skill and routed it directly into his 'Empty House'.

The Deity Rank Bloodwood Immortality powered his Innate Semblance, but this combination failed.

Merely making the potted plants a bit greener.

'Wait… There was also that.' He thought up another combination, and routed it through his World Unity first before fusing his body into the domain. The physical body left behind started vanishing quickly.

The apartment started to change with his abilities.

Grass and moss started to grow everywhere. It was a situation that made the place look like a garden.

['First Human To Ever Exist' is looking at you.]

[An ancient Imaginary Spirit is considering you as their host. Your compatibility with the spirit is high.]

Adam ignored the message and continued to use his 'Father Nature' Skill to become a central figure of the domain. The specific combination allowed him to sense Red Rabbit and directly attack her.

Nurturing… Nurture…

The Sword Goddess realised something was off the moment the surroundings started to change.

Moss became blades of grass, and spores were altered by using the 'Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology' to tamper with them. By burning Vital Energies, it was possible to attack her indirectly.

Whips of plants started to form on the ground.

"So… you're THIS kind of existence." Red Rabbit seemed unamused while leisurely swinging her sword. Anything that entered her Battle Zone weren't cut by technique alone, but by her own personal 'domain'. It was one that altered casualty.

Anything that entered the imaginary barrier of her blade was cut as if destined. Fate was on her side.

Even if she couldn't create flying slashes filled with her might, she was still the almighty swordswoman.

'The Sword Goddess Who Cuts Karma'…

The haunted house became gloomier upon hearing her words. Kitchen knives and appliances were picked up by the numerous plants controlled by his consciousness. Then thrown in her direction.

"Did that annoy you?" She laughed, then continued to talk even if Adam couldn't reply with his mouth:

"I've seen those eyes in my brother, Simon. He too wanted to be more than what he was labelled as.

But do you know what happened in the end?

Even if someone wants to outgrow what they're labelled as, words are lighter than actions.

You're just a parasite. Someone who borrows power rather than cultivating your own. Just like how you 'borrowed' this building. That's who you are. Nothing. That's all you amount to." Red Rabbit didn't hold back whatsoever, cutting into his heart.

Her own sword skills wasn't one that was 'given' by someone else. She created these skills on her own.

'Hmmm… Now that is a bad memory.' The Sword Goddess thought while her face gradually fell.

An abyss appearing in her sharp eyes…

There was a change in atmosphere around her when she showed such a disappointed expression.

Adam wasn't able to retort to her words…

'I… am not a parasite.' In fact, weren't everyone else leeches who stuck to his many apartments.

Some tenants wouldn't even pay rent properly.

'I am not a parasite!' He thought with more certainty while lashing his 'limbs' at the woman.

However, Red Rabbit wasn't scared one bit.

"You ran away instead of facing me head on. You're not even fighting for your life, yet you immediately chose to run. Why do you think you did that?" Her words wormed into his mind and made it their neat.

The vines attacking her from odd angles slowed…

'I… wanted to win perfectly.' As if she was reading his thoughts, another answer came afterwards:

"With your own power, or with the Skills that were given to you?" These words finally silenced him.

Weakening his exhausted heart…

'Am I really nothing?' He thought he'd put himself on the path of change, but was that an illusion.

That only lasted momentarily, before…

"Your mind is so weak… Did a few words really throw you off?" Red Rabbit sliced her sword diagonally at a speed that surpassed sound. A blade of wind chopped the apartments in half.

Adam felt like he had been bisected…

But before the big building could fall apart from its roots, his regeneration extended to the walls.

A disgusting, fleshy interior was revealed while the apartment complex was putting itself together.

Making the Sword Goddess clearer on his state…

"I thought you'd use this place as a weapon, but now I'm seeing your the 'tool' here. Maybe you should go home. You're unsuitable for this chaotic world. Go back to your life of desiring more than you deserve." She chopped the fleshy walls again.

Maybe because of Adam's motivation lowering, the plants striking her from all directions became weak.

They slowly started to wither under her aura…

'What am I doing here?' This was indeed a new experience for him, but was he content with this?

The landowner wasn't really the type to care about victory or loss, nor did the Divinity matter to him.

This was just entertainment.

So why did he feel so unmotivated the more she talked? Almost like he was in the wrong world.

Red Rabbit caught on to this feeling of his.

Even though he should have become the entire apartment after spreading his soul, Adam felt her eyes looking straight at him. Even though he was insensitive to death, she awoke his survival instinct.

'Huh…?' How was that possible? She didn't seem to want to 'play' with her fragile prey any longer.

Her mouth started moving:

"Parasite, since you don't know what true strength looks like… I'll show you myself. Remember this sword skill. Engrave it into your soul." She took a particular stance, putting the blade into her sheath.

Even without real 'eyes' Adam was able to sense the blade became more than just 'powerful'.

A power unlike Life Force, Mana, Internal Qi, or Divinity focused into the edge of the blade.

She took on a familiar looking Iaido stance…

The moment she did, it felt like the world had been erased. Leaving him to see the vastness of space.

The blue sky was no longer above the apartment.

The only thing left after the azure sky vanished was the stars, but even they died in front of her figure.

Being put out like candlelights…

Adam started to experience what it was like to be alone in the universe. To be an insignificant stain.

Even though he didn't fear death anymore, a bone chilling feeling of worthlessness overcame him.

Like he was a mere ant under the heaven…

Did his own death even matter anymore?

In the great cosmos, his death would quantify to nothing. It had no meaning. Merely… insignificant.

"What are you doing?!" Just his Life Force started to wane under the pressure, Gaia spoke to her.

That shout made Red Rabbit stop her attack.

"Sorry~ Almost killed you all…" She scratched the back of her head while bending a little in apology.

She eased her muscles finally let him relax…

Adam's intent to fight had already vanished.

"Let's do the move like this then." She lifted her finger and gently swiped down without any force.

It didn't even seem like an attack, but-

*BOOM!*

A blast on the level of a nuclear explosion turned the apartment complex into dust all at once.

His Semblance completely powerless to stop her.

When the first bout ended, the landowner's figure started to regenerate from the decimated lands.

His face had become as white as a ghost's…

Pandemos couldn't help but feel pity while looking at him. He didn't react as her alluring figure had approached, and Gaia didn't say anything as she took her avatar away. Eyes focused on Red Rabbit.

"What? I haven't broken him. Someone who gets demotivated so easily isn't worth looking at. You should be angrier at Loki, isn't he the one who broke the laws of casualty recently with that girl?"

"…" Gaia couldn't blame her when the Sword Goddess framed it like this. She had no retorts.

If Adam asked to be sent back home, she'd let him live out his years in that fake reality from earlier.

When he grew old and died after having his immortality taken, she'd let things play out.

Allowing him a 'proper' life and reincarnation.

Adam wasn't the protagonist of any world, but he was someone she valued more than anyone else.

Gaia hoped Pandemos could 'motivate' him a bit…