He’d done so many bad things already, too, there didn’t seem much hope for a peaceful resolution, as I had managed with Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu.

“You’d lump me in with that trash? Just look at me! I’m far stronger than he ever was,” the man snarled back.

“Of course you are. And if you’re strong, anything you do will be forgiven, right? I’m sick of hearing that shit,” I replied. Chalk up another similarity with Kyo—thinking strength allowed him to do anything. Did it mean he was also a vanguard of the waves? “Who’s pulling your strings, puppet?” I asked him.

“What’s in it for you, asking that?” he fired back.

“Just tell me,” I spat.

“You really think I’m going to talk?” he replied.

“No, you’re right.” Of course he wasn’t. All of his ruffian friends were already making to attack me with magic, arrows, and an assortment of weapons.

“Mr. Naofumi!” Raphtalia cried out. If I tried any longer, Raphtalia was going to get mad. But seeing as I’d been unable to get Takt to talk, I thought this might be a good opportunity.

“If you push your luck . . . this will be worse than death for you,” I cautioned. There had been Takt and what happened with him in our world, not so long ago. Regardless of the one who initiated it, once they let things get this far, once they were defeated, it was always tragic. I wasn’t about to sugarcoat things. Taunts, insults, whatever they wanted to throw, I could take it. I was carrying too much on my back. For the sake of Atla and Ost and everyone else who had fallen along the way, there was no turning back for me—however filthy the path I had to tread.

“Don’t egg him on,” Glass advised, finally understanding the situation. “This whole battle just completely changed in our favor.”

“Perhaps my interference wasn’t welcome?” I asked her, one eyebrow raised.

“Not at all. This is not an enemy worthy of an honorable battle,” she replied.

With a shout of rage, L’Arc closed in with one of the enemies at high speed and cut them down. The others just stood there, stunned, heads moving from left to right.

“You think these petty tricks are enough to win? I’m almost at a loss for words, honestly. Let me show you what I can really do!” the scythe guy raged.

“If you’ve got something to show me, go ahead. Defeat me, if you can,” I calmly replied. Then I activated Attack Support and launched spikes at the enemy holding L’Arc’s scythe.

“Glass, finish him off!” I shouted.

“Got it!” she replied. The Attack Support landed on target and—even faster than Raphtalia—Glass swiped her fan powerfully to the side, waist low and deep. The entire movement would likely be little less than a flicker to anyone not under the effects of my support magic.

“Circle Dance Slice Formation! Flicker!” Glass had sliced into the enemy from behind with her fan five times, then dropped away and was now standing with her back to him.