None of the users could truly believe what had just transpired, due to the sheer velocity and brutality of the betrayal, which felt completely unreal.

Alter Kazue made the blade of light disappear from her hands and, with her face visibly compunctious, began to walk slowly toward where alter Adam stood. She passed right next to Samantha, who appeared to be on the verge of fainting, her gaze more lost and terrified than it had ever been.

While the girl walked, the voice of alter Drake could be heard roaring in the surroundings.

"What in the hell are you doing!"

Alter Drake screamed the question toward his partner. Everyone turned, seeing that Arion had managed to protect the blond from the worst impacts of the final skill, and although the Elf appeared completely lost and confused by the events, the boy was kneeling on the ground, still clutching tightly to the section of the arm that had been severed earlier, holding the terrible wound with his remaining hand.

Alter Drake was clearly very weak and severely injured because Arion's swift first aid had only barely contained the excessive bleeding, so he barely had the strength to lift his gaze and scream his disbelief.

He roared again, a sound of profound pain that was close to madness, demanding an explanation from his teammate, recriminating her for attacking a member of their own group.

"How is it possible that you are allied with that monster?!"

Alter Drake screamed the accusation, his voice laced with venomous, tired frustration.

"Stop with the stupidities and react!"

Alter Kazue stopped her slow, funereal walk. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself as if she were desperately cold and began to tremble slightly, clearly in shock from the act she had just performed. Alter Drake screamed again, his voice cracking as he tried awkwardly to rise. The quality of his yells contained a deeply degrading, almost insulting connotation, revealing an obscure nature of his personality.

The girl did not respond at first. She simply listened to the grating abuse while her trembling intensified, until finally she could not bear the psychological weight any longer, and she screamed back at him.

"Shut your mouth!"

Alter Kazue's voice was a desperate, raw shriek of pent-up bile.

"I am tired of this!"

Her voice cracked again, filled with utter hopelessness.

"This damned System is a horrible and never-ending nightmare! And never, not even when I was in the real world, have I felt more alone than I do right now! I am completely alone in a real hell!"

Alter Kazue had not had an easy existence within the System due to her path having diverged tragically from her counterpart. If she had arrived animated and joyful like the Kazue we knew, that innocence quickly ended following the tragedy that befell her entire team during the scenario of "Steam and Steel", which followed a line of events very different from what 'No Name' had experienced in the other timeline.

Due to the absence of Adam, far were the respectable, powerful pirates their counterparts had encountered; for alter Kazue, the pirates became the source of an unimaginable, unending hell. Because Teo at that time did not yet know how to control the Empress ghost he had just acquired, because alter Li was quickly defeated by the Pirate Captain, and because the rest of the members were inexperienced, the pirates in that timeline nearly massacred the team.

However, the worst part was reserved for alter Kazue… As a young woman, instead of being locked in the dungeon with the others, she was taken to another location where she suffered unspeakable, horrible treatments for more than an entire day.

Miraculously, they managed to escape thanks to a daring, desperate plan orchestrated by alter Drake, but from that point forward, alter Kazue was never the same person. Scenario after scenario, things were nothing more than a succession of nightmares for the girl as she was forced to carry the debilitating trauma she had suffered without anyone truly caring or noticing her profound pain. Teo and alter Li could not have cared less about her internal struggles, and alter Drake had his own internal demons to contend with, since the experience of that scenario had marked him deeply, because it was the first time he had been forced to murder someone in cold blood.

Little by little, the scenarios passed, and alter Kazue nearly lost her life on more than one occasion, even though during several of those times she simply hoped that death would arrive and finally free her from the living hell she was enduring, but to her unending misfortune, it never happened... Every so often, new users appeared in 'Black Phoenix', but almost all of them perished as quickly as they arrived, with only a few managing to survive and adapt, like Nikolai and Samantha.

Even with the new additions, alter Kazue never formed genuine bonds with anyone, and even though Nikolai liked to talk to her and Samantha eventually called her a friend, she never felt anything more than profound disgust, disgust upon looking at herself in a mirror, and disgust upon interacting with the others due to the abhorrent feeling of being tainted.

However, and miraculously, she had eventually managed to find a small glimmer of light in her miserable, dark life, all because, little by little, she had begun to grow closer to alter Drake, not through false conversations or pretending they got along, but through days, weeks, and months of surviving the hellish scenarios together.

She had slowly begun to feel that her days were not all an unceasing torment, and she was eventually able to genuinely smile and laugh again after many miserable months, so after an unusual adventure in a more dangerous scenario than usual, alter Drake and alter Kazue finally became a couple.

It was a very small, delicate flame of happiness in that dark world, and her heart began to slowly heal… However, that fragile happiness did not last long… Not only did her trauma make it extremely difficult to maintain a normal relationship, but the conditions in the System worsened radically.

This had severe repercussions on alter Drake, which, after seeing so much suffering, so much death, and so much impotence, caused everything that remained of the boy's original personality to slowly wither away. The same deterioration happened to their relationship, which became extremely toxic, making it even normal for alter Drake to end up yelling and even insulting alter Kazue "for her own good" every time a problem arose that could endanger her life.

The girl's world plunged back into darkness, becoming worse than before. She had opened her soul in her most vulnerable moment, and it had only caused her more pain. She could not bear the suffering, and she hated herself because if she were not such a coward, she would have ended her own life; she hated herself for fearing death and not ending her own torment.

That is why, when the voice of the elements finally appeared to her, offering her power and control over nature in exchange for her human emotions and relationships, she did not hesitate to accept, as she felt she had nothing left to lose…

All the remaining conscious members of 'No Name' were completely in shock from this sudden exchange of angry screams between alter Kazue and alter Drake. Meanwhile, alter Adam appeared to be thoroughly enjoying everything that was being said, as if he were watching a captivating television drama. Even Charles seemed quite absorbed in the story, despite being tasked with watching Adam, he turned and was distracted for a moment.

Adam did not let this critical lapse pass. He knew that moving or attempting to attack was utterly futile at this stage, so he discreetly utilized a new skill he had acquired before entering the scenario but had not yet used, [Portable Shop Lv1].

He invoked the System interface as close to the ground as possible, allowing him to view it only out of the corner of his eye and giving the illusion that he was still passively watching the scene. His plan was simple: the situation was clearly a lost cause, and no matter how much they struggled, defeating someone like his counterpart did not seem to be within their grasp right now. Therefore, the only way he had to deal with the threat was through the System itself.

While the desperate screams of alter Kazue, who had broken down into painful sobs, and alter Drake, who was very injured and struggling to yell, continued, Adam took advantage of the distraction to manage the shop interface and navigate to the 'Plot Device Store'. He would buy all the Plot Devices he could, hoping to find some that would be useful, because he knew that the nature of Plot Devices was precisely to affect the nature of the scenario itself, not necessarily serving as direct fighting tools.

True to his plan, while the bitter screams continued, Adam began to roll the gacha as discreetly as possible, thankful that he did not need to directly look at the screen to know what he was pulling. He invoked the spectral eye of one of his ghosts, and thanks to his class [Devilguard Champion], he could see what his summon saw in secret, all while maintaining the facade of watching the intense argument between the members of 'Black Phoenix'.

It was a true stroke of fortune that he had entered the scenario with 34,000 points, and since each Plot Device pull cost a total of 500 points, he had a significant chance of acquiring something useful. The rolls began to accumulate, and Adam grew tenser with each one because his time was critically limited.

[Congratulations! Plot Device "Cute Slime Mook (R-rank)" has been acquired.] [Invokes five cute slimes around the user. They do nothing but look pretty.]

[Congratulations! Plot Device "Grande Dame (SR-rank)" has been acquired.] [Allows the user to identify which is the most important female character within the scenario.]

[Congratulations! Plot Device "Repetitive Audio Glitch (R-rank)" has been acquired.] [A 1s sound chosen by the user will be heard in the surroundings in an uninterrupted loop for 1 minute.]

Other acquisitions followed this trend, varying between R and SR rarity, all random and nothing immediately useful for combat. The points were being consumed much faster than Adam had anticipated, until finally, something of UR rarity appeared, catching his intense attention.

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[Congratulations! Plot Device "To usurp authority (UR-rank)" has been acquired.] [Allows to control the actions of another user or scenario character for 10 seconds if the user is capable of simulating the physical appearance of someone the target considers a superior in hierarchy.]

It would not work against someone like alter Adam, but he could certainly use it against...

It was at that critical moment that Charles finally turned his head and realized that something was happening with Adam.

"Hey!"

The blond devil shouted the warning and tried to approach to check Adam's position, an action that caused the protagonist's heart to freeze. It was not time yet, but he had no choice but to cancel the skill before he was discovered. However, before he could do so, the bitter argument between alter Drake and alter Kazue reached its definitive conclusion. The girl had fallen to her knees, weeping loudly from frustration, and the blonde warrior had managed to struggle to his feet.

"If you want to ally yourself and believe the lies that monster tells you, then fine!"

Alter Drake screamed the challenge, his voice raw with pain and anger.

"You are also an enemy that I will eliminate if that ensures that all this madness ends!"

The roar was so incredibly loud that everyone instantly turned their attention to the spot, even Charles, while a ferocious explosion of energy erupted from alter Drake's position.

The injured boy was imbued with Divine Energy and used his Personal Skill [Beloved by the Divines], which, combined with his class [Celestial Knight], summoned a pillar of pure light that descended upon him. Immediately, his body regenerated the lost arm, his armor returned to its perfect form, and his wings grew in size and even multiplied. His sword transformed into a massive mace that exuded a Divine Energy so powerful it was like looking directly at a miniature sun.

Seeing the sudden display of power, alter Adam could not help but whistle softly, mildly impressed by the spectacle.

That fleeting moment was the distraction Adam needed. He wagered everything, rapidly pulling every remaining round he could from the gacha until finally, something caught his attention with devastating force.

[Congratulations! Plot Device "Wonky Portal Network (L-rank)" has been acquired.] [Allows the user and their allies to randomly teleport to a previously visited scenario. Requires a variable loading time depending on the number of targets.]

This was it! It was perfect! He only had to activate it at the exact moment, although the time requirement for charging was a massive problem.

However, in that moment, alter Drake launched himself toward alter Adam while the invader laughed, using his new strength and power to try and land a meaningful attack.

Adam acted immediately, the exact moment Charles's attention was fully diverted to his leader's assault. He raised an arm and concentrated, fully intending to use the Plot Device he had just acquired, hoping that this action would buy him the necessary time. However, Charles's sharp senses caused him to immediately spin around, noticing that Adam was trying to do something. The blond did not wait to find out what it was and launched himself toward the protagonist.

"I won't let you!"

Charles exclaimed. However, a slight, knowing smile drew itself across Adam's lips. He knew he would not have been lucky enough to have several seconds to activate the scenario jump Plot Device, so what he had activated was something else entirely. A System window appeared before his eyes.

[Notice: UR-class Plot device: "To usurp authority" has been used] [The user Adam Scholar has selected the user Charles Hong as target. The condition has been met and control of the user has been granted for the following 10 seconds.]

Charles stopped instantly as if his mind had been violently switched off, halting right in front of Adam. The boy, wasting no time, acted. Instead of activating the other Plot Device, he created a small wound in his right hand, drawing his blood, and immediately brought his bleeding hand to Charles's mouth, ordering him to drink the blood immediately.

The Devil obeyed, and with that, nearly five of the ten seconds had been expended. It was a matter of vital importance because Adam knew that if they managed to escape, Charles would continue his work as a spy and infiltrator, only this time, he would be working for him.

He quickly extended his arms again to use the other Plot Device.

[Notice: L-class Plot device: "Wonky Portal Network" has been used.] [The user Adam Scholar and the users he selects will be sent to random scenarios previously visited.] [Selecting targets...]

These were the most agonizing seconds of his life, especially because he felt it: the overwhelming gaze of alter Adam, who had been laughing while casually dodging alter Drake's assault. The instant he felt Charles's energy drop, his own instincts caused him to turn and see his counterpart about to activate something. He clenched his teeth, losing his smile for the first time, delivered a fierce blow against alter Drake's mace to push him away, and pointed directly at Adam.

[All targets have been selected.] [The users will be randomly transported to ■■■ ■■■ ■■■] [Error]

[The ■■■ has selected the mutated Personal Skill [Domination of The World Rules Lv10 (Aberration)] for use.] [The effect of L-class Plot device: "Wonky Portal Network" has been placed on hold until the (Aberration) class skill remains active.]

Adam did not know it, but that was the mutated version of Tenzing's Personal Skill, the former member of 'Dragon Utopia' who had fought against Drake in the previous scenario using exactly that same ability. This granted him the ability to block System interactions targeted at users, making it extremely dangerous.

The boy clenched his teeth tightly, seeing he had failed by a mere fraction of a second, cursing under his breath. Simultaneously, Charles came out of his trance and looked around, completely confused by the events.

Finally, alter Adam had had enough and exploded in rage.

"Enough!"

He screamed, blocking alter Drake's new attack with significant power and destabilizing the Knight, throwing him backward with brutal force. After that, he raised his voice, no longer with that strange tranquility but now sounding genuinely furious. He spoke in Adam's direction.

"I should have known..."

Alter Adam admitted the error.

"After all, we are the same person. Leaving you a minimum of freedom in this situation was a mistake, no more."

He then detailed his final intention.

"As I told you, I need you for something, and I will not take any more risks."

As he said this, alter Adam did something that shocked everyone. He used his right arm to pierce his own abdomen, creating a deep, devastating wound. Not only that, but with his hand still inside the injury, he used Devilish Energy as if it were fire, creating a small flame of energy that began to consume his flesh slowly. It was clear that alter Adam felt immense pain doing this, something inexplicable, but before everyone's eyes, the man was smiling sadistically even as threads of blood streamed from his mouth.

At that moment, alter Drake roared and charged again, launching himself toward alter Adam, capitalizing on the fact that the invader had decided to inflict damage upon himself and was now, presumably, vulnerable. However, just moments before he reached him, alter Adam emitted a deranged, terrifying smile, as if he found pleasure in the exquisite pain he was experiencing.

"Malzaphir's Mockery"

Adam barely managed to see the skill's information before its effect took hold.

[Malzaphir's Mockery Lv15] [Cursed Vision Knowledge]

[Extremely High-level skill exclusive to the 'Supreme ArchDevil: Malzaphir'. Allows the user to instantly force their physical state and altered statuses onto other target users. After this, the user receives a full heal.]

The effect was immediate. Adam, alter Drake, Samantha, Chloe, Gregor, Kazue, and Drake, the only users still conscious around, received the exact same hole in the abdomen that alter Adam had just inflicted upon himself. All of them coughed up blood as the sudden, devastating wound appeared in their bodies, and they collapsed to the ground, unable to do anything more. Only Arion remained standing, unaffected because the skill could only target users, not native scenario characters.

Meanwhile, alter Adam's body returned to normal, the self-inflicted wound closed rapidly, with his health instantly restored. Charles and alter Kazue watched him, visibly frightened, while the man adopted a strange posture, cupping his hand to his ear as if he did not want to miss any of the screams of pain his enemies had emitted, clearly reveling in the sound of their suffering.

Eventually, the screams of pain faded with relative speed as the rest of the injured fell unconscious, leaving only Adam fighting against the catastrophic damage. His parasitic defense worked feverishly to heal him, and his body struggled to absorb the Devilish Energy that had accompanied the sudden wound.

Alter Adam finally ceased his charade and smiled sadistically at his counterpart.

"Now, Adam, can we talk more calmly without anyone interrupting us?"

He asked, his tone mocking.

Adam clenched his teeth. Even with his pain receptors dulled thanks to his parasite, and his undead body recovering with relative ease, he knew resistance was useless. His last plan had failed, but perhaps...

A voice resonated deep within the boy's mind, something that startled both him and the Empress within his body. The voice of Malzaphir sounded inside his head for the first time in a long time.

"Vile human, do you still have any strength left?"

Not far away, on the apparently unconscious bodies of Drake and Kazue, two System screens appeared simultaneously.

[The title 'Moderator Role' has been activated due to the presence of an entity that defies system rules.] [Auto-help tools have been enabled for the moderator: Drake Shawn.]

[The 'Rose of a Thousand Truths - Rank S' resonates with the user's undying will!] [Personal Skill: 'The Protagonist (?) (Aberration)' has been activated.]

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