Oblivion's Grin

-Every single one of you… Curse you all.

-I swear on my name… I will end you all.

"Ah!"

Case snapped upright the moment the furious, low voice, which was far too close, whispered those words into his ear.

"Wait… why I am lying…"

Suddenly, memories of what happened recollected in his mind.

The message from the system, the downpour of unknown memories he didn't ask, the moment he fainted, and the whispers of the angry man, which is no different from the voice of the memories he received.

He remembered all of them.

'That crazy mask!'

The mask's unknown origin and the way its memories got transferred to him were the reasons for his consciousness going blank.

"Where's the mask?"

Case looked around, his face grew terrifying as the second pass by since the mask's location was unknown.

"Where is it?"

Suddenly, a realization hit him when a bit of his Authority was injected into the mask.

Case looked towards the screen-like hologram of the Eternal Deceitful Eye, which he had adjusted to a small size before clicking it.

What appeared on his front was the same description of his eye, and the Authorities it wielded from Timeless One and Dishonest One.

But something different at the bottom of those Authorities.

[Authorized Items]

'Authorized Items?'

He looked down and saw the Oblivion Grin that made his eyes open wide.

There was an even detailed explanation regarding the mask that Case hadn't read from the vault or heard from his crew.

[Oblivion's Grin: The mask bears the eternal smile of a jester who laughed as his world turned to ash. (Currently under Eternal Deceitful Eye's authority)

Description: The jester's vibrant home, once filled with color, music, and revelry, was left a heap of charred bones and silence, lit by the Radiant Blasphemy of the Damned, a cursed celestial being whose divine light had long since turned to purging wrath. What was once holy became ruinous, burning reality itself in radiant judgment. A relic of chaos and mockery, Oblivion Grin is a wound in the world—a cursed memory that refuses its hatred to be forgotten.

-Laughter At The End: This ability grants immunity to fear. The mask renders all fear into laughter, allowing the bearer to walk through nightmares with a madman's grin.

-Stage Beyond Sight: Allows the wearer to become completely invisible—not just to sight, but to memory, thought, and even magical detection. It is not mere stealth; the wearer becomes an absence in the world.]

'Holy shit…'

For someone on his level right now, the mask was an item he'll definitely need.

'Thank you, Joshua! You lucky bastard, finally passing that luck to me!'

But a problem still remains.

"Erm, where is it, though?"

Case relaxed as he sat down on the floor to ponder.

'Since the mask is already part of my authority, does that mean it's already somewhere 'inside' me? The 'inside' should be a storage where part of my authority resides. Hah, this is hypothetical though. I don't know if this works, but that was the only thing that came to my mind for now.'

Unsure if that would work, but since he had already seen much more sinister and surprising things when he was at Outer, Case didn't hesitate to try.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

"Pheww…"

Case imagined his 'authority', controlling its essence to such a degree, before pulling out the mask from the 'storage' where his authority exists.

Since the mask is already part of the Eye's Authority, it should be under its influence and be able to call it upon whenever.

And he did exactly that.

The appearance of Oblivion's Grin manifested right onto his palm out of thin air. It spawned almost instantaneously, leaving no surprise to Case until he realized it himself.

"Woah…"

Case was beyond surprise at this discovery since he could use it in any way he could imagine, as long as it aligned with his authority.

This means he could store things willingly in the 'storage' where he imagined his authority, but there are problems, such as his lack of knowledge.

What if there are limits? What if there are consequences?

At the end of the day, Case knew he had so much to learn and would definitely put his focus on it once he was off the world.

'Ugh, I can only exert this little authority since I wouldn't know if doing something big will alert those unknown individuals. I still have to be careful.'

Case then looked at his mask and clenched it with his fist.

'With this, tackling the Earth's Camp should be a breeze. Heck, I don't know if I would need it since I've prepared myself for the whole six months for tomorrow to come.'

Case stood, adjusted his shirt, and exited the gym without a second glance, knowing there would be cleaning inside.

He should do what he does best.

…

The world clamored in cheers as the dome, designated for Earth's Camp, trembled beneath the weight of celebration. Outside its walls, people of every kind had gathered, their voices rising in unified applause for the representatives who managed to pass the district task.

People in distinct suits and attire began emerging from elegant vans and specialized vehicles, all waving confidently as they stepped into view.

Their presence ignited a new surge of excitement as the cheers rose louder than before.

Suddenly, another set of whispers occurred.

"Wait, he's here!"

"Who? Who is—Woah, you're right!"

"Earth's Hero!"

"Hero of Earth."

Case's expression twisted with annoyance the moment he heard the nickname shouted by the crowd, making his mood sour.

"Hahaha! All people love you, Case." Thomas, who was on the side, openly revealing that he currently supported him, commented on the thousands of cheers resonating throughout the place.

"Ugh, don't make it worse."

Thomas' face lit up even more, but the words that came to him next were not what his face showed.

"People are already targeting you. However, the three recruits I managed to get should be able to help. Please get along with them."

Case scoffed, "If they don't do a shitty mess, I'll play along."

Thomas let out a sigh as he turned around to enter his limousine.

"Good luck."

Case nodded.

"Good luck as well."

One by one, the transport vehicles departed, leaving only the representatives standing at the entrance of the dome.

'Let's fucking go.'

Case took his first heavy step toward the revenge he'd long waited for, crossing the threshold of the dome where Earth's Camp was set to begin.