Chapter 21 Zero

"How boring…" The Truth muttered as he left the scene.

His luxurious-looking shoes clacked on the hard ground of the vast compound as he stole away into the night.

He only had one statement to make after seeing someone he used to respect in such a state.

"Disappointing."

Clearly, he was completely let down by Noir's poor performance. To think a powerful being could sink so low… it was frighteningly repulsive.

>ZZZZTTTZZZZ<

A low buzzing sound suddenly appeared.

"Uh…?" The Truth felt a strange pressure around the area and suddenly looked back to see the source of the strange Mana that was surging.

His eyes widened slightly as he noticed something emerging. As the power kept increasing, The Truth realized something.

Perhaps the night wasn't going to be too disappointing, after all.

*

*

*

Purple windows appeared within the unconscious Noir's mind. The buzz became louder in his head as a dark swirling of mana surrounded him.

~[REBOUND]~

~ACTIVATING [REBOUND] NOW~

~[REBOUND] <STAGE 3> SELECTED~

~COMMENCING PROTOCOL~

And then—

*

*

*

"Wow…" Truth mumbled, watching the unbelievable amount of power gather around the fallen foe.

>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!<

The massive wave of power swirling around Noir suddenly erupted, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Tch. This is…" Truth murmured.

The massive explosion of power gathered, converging in a single spot.

Everything entered Noir's body as he suddenly kicked back to life. However… It wasn't the same as before.

"You… who are you?" The Truth asked, watching the apparition rise from the ground.

Noir, or whatever this new being was, smiled widely, gazing upon Truth's flustered expression.

"Long time no see Truth. It's been quite a while…" His smile was calm, yet dangerous.

Noir's new voice had a dark echo within it, sending a chilly feeling as words came forth.

A bead of sweat dropped from Truth as he observed the changes that occurred before him.

Noir's current form was identical to the one he knew of in the past. His total amount of Mana, and his physical stats… all of them were the same as Homunculus 00's.

"Zero…?" Truth mumbled.

Upon hearing this, Noir's grin widened even more, accepting the name as his, unlike before.

"What the hell is happening? Noir didn't mention anything like this" Truth said, glaring at the newly transformed image of his former colleague.

"Of course, he didn't. That's because he doesn't know anything. Even I… I find memories and portions of my consciousness missing. It must be as a result of—"

Truth listened eagerly, hoping to gain even more information.

"—Ah, I think I've said enough," Noir laughed, noticing the keen interest his opponent displayed.

"So you won't say any more, uh? That's quite a shame… for you to think you actually have a choice." Truth returned his laugh with a defiant one…

All he needed to do was ask the question, and Noir would have no choice but to reveal all he knew.

Before the passive effect of his Bloodline Magic, no one could resist his compulsion or speak a lie!

"Tell me everything you—"

Before he could complete his words, Noir quickly vanished from his location, moving beyond conceivable speed.

In an instant, he appeared before Truth, launching a fist toward his face.

Truth immediately reacted, dodging the blow and taking a few steps back in retreat.

"Oh, close blow. So you won't let me complete my words—?"

Noir vanished once again, appearing behind Truth. In reflex, the latter created a barrier to defend against the incoming attack, however…

"[Null]"

The attack shattered, causing his hit to advance even further.

Gritting his teeth, Truth glared at Noir for interrupting his magic, leaping even further away from him.

"Are you going to dance around all night?" Noir asked with a dangerously dark gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, please. Do not make empty threats to me. I could still dispose of you easily. You're just not worth that amount of effort." The Truth commented.

Back then, Homunculus #00 was considered the weakest due to his inability to use any kind of Magic and only rely on his Nullification Bloodline Magic.

However, that all changed when Noir developed something else that shocked everyone else.

An entire system not known to anyone before…

'Is that what he's using? Is that how he hid his strength till now? Enough to fool me?!' Truth asked himself.

Noir snapped his fingers and instantly, five mana circles appeared around him simultaneously.

All having purple color, they danced around him.

"Tier 7 magic? You must be mocking me!" Truth sneered with disdain.

Noir merely smiled, ignoring the words spouted by the enemy

The circles instantly transformed into several spheres—each bringing forth ten dark glowing orbs—making a total of fifty structures surrounding him.

"Go."

Instantly, they launched toward Truth, chasing him in a flash.

"Tch"

Moving swiftly, the Homunculus dodged the assaults toward him, flexibly twisting his body midair as he avoided any hit.

>KYIIIIIIIIIIIII<

The orbs suddenly began to emanate a sound as they neared him. The high frequency could only be bad news, and The Truth recognized that quite well.

"These are—!"

>BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

The orbs began exploding as they neared Truth, sending shockwaves flying around.

Still, the Homunculus avoided any direct hit.

"Oh? How about this then?" Noir smiled, clearly enjoying himself from the distance where he stood.

A hundred of the same circles he created now appeared. With each creating ten orbs, a thousand of the purple bombs danced in the air.

"Do you really want to fight? Here?" The Truth asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he sighed.

At this point, it was difficult to discern the darkened man's intentions.

"Of course not!" Noire casually responded, sending the thousandfold orbs hurtling at the gentleman.

The Truth could have easily defended against this onslaught. He was well versed in all kinds of Magic, however… Those would simply be nullified by Zero's annoying [Null].

Against someone like Zero, the only thing that could be effective was physical attacks… Or Bloodline Magic.

The white-suited Homunculus didn't want to go around using his special card, but not doing so would be foolishness when dealing with Noir—or rather, Zero.

"[Bloodline Magic: TRUTH]"

The incoming orbs suddenly stopped as they approached him.

In that instant, they all exploded in the air, lighting up the dark sky.

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!<

The disastrous fireworks painted the firmaments, parting the clouds above the two fighters as the shockwaves sent tremors to the ground.

Slowly, the excitement died down and the noise quieted.

"Ah, I see what you did there… you used your pesky ability again, didn't you?" Noir smiled, holding his head as he winced.

"You're no match for me, Zero. Even in your awakened state. Do not attempt to drag this out any further… or I'll have to resort to 'that'." The Truth warned, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't be so uptight. I was just giving you a warm greeting. You did say you were disappointed by the previous performance I gave, right?" Noir, in his Zero persona, responded casually.

"Typical." His counterpart responded.

Every semblance of sense told him to capture the rogue right there and then. Despite that, the Homunculus hesitated.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Noir's chilly, yet playful voice sounded.

The Truth sighed, shaking his head. He turned his back and made to leave.

"Who knows? This is certainly an important development. It will be fun enjoying our fight without any interruptions… maybe some other time." His voice sounded distant, and he didn't bother looking back another moment.

"That won't be possible if the higher-ups know of this event."

Noir smiled as he watched his brother leave.

"I don't have my full memories. But, I can say this… that day when I left, it was for a good reason. That's all I know"

The Truth paused upon hearing Noir give a seemingly sincere answer. Perhaps that would be enough to redeem him for what he did—the crime he committed, and the consequences of that reckless action.

"I don't care. That doesn't matter anymore. When next we meet, I'll be taking your life. Don't forget that"

In a flash, he vanished, leaving Noir alone in the badly damaged land.

"I see…"

Suddenly, a sharp sensation coursed through Noir's head, sending his entire nerves into shock.

"Ah, I'm out of time already. I understand…" His eyes dimmed and the smile on his face faded away.

Just as with a lid, the energy within his body became suppressed.

With this, his consciousness went black as he fell to the ground.

Not knowing what to expect while in his weakened and vulnerable state, Noir passed out again.