You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Blue void portals appeared in the sky, and the military princess emerged from countless shifting blue crystals, a leisurely smile on her lips as she looked down at the battlefield that had become a living hell.

To suppress the raging fire, something created a powerful torrent of water comparable to a flash flood. The two forces clashed, and steam capable of scalding wild beasts billowed out, already engulfing the entire mountain.

If it weren't for Iori's prior arrangement of the "Map of Mountains and Rivers" to move passing vehicles away, there would certainly be numerous casualties by now!

"It must be an honor for you to fight against the Captain-Commander in his youth, Lord Aizen."

She herself does not possess such destructive power, but she has "authority" that transcends such power. Even powerful beings, who are like gods, can be easily manipulated by her.

Perhaps the military princess can't subdue these guys, but depending on the situation, summoning them can produce amazing results.

Aizen Iori was a clever and quick-witted fellow who could dissect Shogun Princess's heart in just a few words... She no longer wanted to talk to Iori.

However, as a guardian of the Three Realms, could he stand by and watch his beloved Captain destroy this place and slaughter countless lives?

Will Hiko Shisai, who is in a desperate situation, stop to listen to his explanation?

This is a dead end! No matter how much Iori uses his wisdom, he cannot untie the Gordian Knot!

"No matter what I do, I can't break this deadlock—that's what you think, right?"

Suddenly, a man's cold voice entered her ears, causing Junji to open her eyes wide.

"So close—"

The moment she turned her head, a large hand pressed firmly against the girl's delicate face, as if it were a torture device.

Can't move!

It's not a petrification curse or binding magic, but a physical inability to move:

The wind pressure that swept over her body was harder than steel, making it difficult for her to even move a finger!

The overwhelming difference in strength was pressing on all the joints in his body, and even his thoughts stopped, making it impossible for him to understand what was happening!

The moment she had the thought of resisting, before she could even utter "All things in the universe," she was slammed down by a force comparable to a falling meteorite, crashing violently into the solid steel roof and causing the rock-solid platform to shatter!

"cough!"

However, she is still conscious... As long as she is conscious, she will not lose!

Not only that, it can also turn the tide of battle in an instant!

"Damn it, ugh... the fourteenth movement, the transformation of cause and effect!"

The war princess angrily raised her eyes, gazing up at Iori from the crater. As soon as she finished speaking, all her injuries vanished in a flash of light, reappearing on Iori's body—

Zheng!

In a daze, she heard a sound like a snapping string, and the injuries that had disappeared reappeared.

Her bones were crushed, her skin was torn, her muscles were twisted and decayed, and her eyeballs felt like they were about to be crushed out... All kinds of pain surged in an instant, causing her to let out an unbearable scream!

"Ahhhhh... How could this be... The myriad phenomena of the universe..."

As the blue crystals, flowing like water, shimmered on her body, the military princess gradually calmed down, and all her injuries were healed, but shock remained on her face.

"You...how could you..."

“You seemed to be trying to do something just now. Although I don’t know exactly what happened, trying to touch something too far away is bound to end like this, just like Icarus who was burned to ashes.”

Iori stood at the edge of the pit, coldly looking down at the military princess.

He possesses the power to sever fate, and although he cannot manipulate cause and effect like the military princess, he can easily sever the threads of cause and effect that attempt to entangle him.

The existence of this power meant that the military princess posed little threat to him.

"You should be fighting Hiko Jusai... What are you right now?!"

Junji couldn't accept it. In her perception, the battle between water and fire in the distance was not over yet... So what was this that appeared before her eyes?

And...the levels are different!

While Aizen Iori was strong before, he never possessed the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that Aizen Iori exuded!

The atmosphere is completely different now...

In the original setting, Aizen Iori is on the side of justice; although exceptionally intelligent, he's just a bit cunning. But now...

That's not the look a "good person" should have!

“I didn’t want it to be like this either. I originally planned to play my role well and happily play along with you to finish this pretend play game… I didn’t expect your abilities to be so strange, and your emotions and personality are far from as stable as they appear.”

Iori shook her head:

Junji was more naive and emotional than he had imagined. Although she looked like a boss, she was actually just a child.

"The script should be about Aizen Iori, a fan-made character, defeating the military princess demon king, who is also a fan-made character. It should be exciting, touching, sacrificial, and funny... fully satisfying the public's taste and making the name 'Aizen Iori' memorable to everyone."

"You...what are you talking about?"

The military princess's eyes were vacant as she murmured a question.

"What a perfect story, why do you have to flip the table?"

"Summoning someone like the old man of the mountain... Hiko Shikisai, given my 'settings,' it's a bit unreasonable to expect to defeat him without taking any damage."

"No, no! What, what are you talking about?"

Junji felt her nerves were completely on edge, and she couldn't understand what Iori was saying at all.

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

A story... whose story? Isn't this my story?

You...you're just a character who gained life because of my influence!

"Adorable reaction~"

Iori smiled slightly: "The reason you have an absolute advantage over ordinary characters is because you can read their stories."

Whether it's Meteora, Mamika, or the red-haired female swordsman from before, you, as an 'external observer,' are fundamentally different from them.

In detective novels, the smartest character is never the famous detective or the phantom thief, but the author himself, followed by us, the readers—because we're from different dimensions.

Even the most ingenious narrative tricks become clear once you turn to the end and look back.

The same applies to other works; how could characters whose fates are fixed by words and images possibly stand against you, who can manipulate cause and effect?

"But, you..."

"Is it strange? Why do I possess this power? Why can't you predict my actions at all? Why can't you understand my thoughts and words? — Use your brain, think carefully, Miss Altair~"

"Well!"

Junji's eyes widened: "That name... how did you know it?"

"Can't you understand even with this much guidance?"

Iori countered, "How did you come to know Meteora?"

—Although I found this on the internet, this explanation is still more helpful for Altair to understand the gap between the two.

"!!!"

At this moment, the silver-haired girl felt the whole world become distant, as if she were in a dream and had no sense of reality.

"You mean I...no, you...but how is that possible!"

"I told you when we first met that, as an 'observer,' I am on a higher level than you."

"But, but you, like them, are just figments of human imagination—"

"When did you start to have the illusion that I am a [character]?"

Iori smiled slightly: "And what makes you think that all the information on the internet is correct?"

Does this mean that because it originated online, we have an extra level of trust in it?

"..."

The military girl sat dejectedly on the ground, her legs spread apart like a duck, her oversized uniform piled up in disarray.

"How could that be... But... if I developed consciousness... it's indeed possible for something above me to appear... But!"

For some unknown reason, Junji suddenly raised her head, her square eyes revealing an astonishing willpower.

"I won't lose to you!"

"Oh?"

"I must take revenge on this world! This... this world that abandoned her!"

No matter what, even if I'm beheaded, tortured, or burned alive, I will neither die nor stop; I will destroy everything, no matter how many times it happens!

The military princess pounded the ground with her fist, gritting her teeth and saying hatefully, "If one isn't enough, then ten; if ten aren't enough, then a hundred! By giving life and freedom to all the [characters], there will surely be beings capable of destroying the world, and there will definitely be people who can defeat you!"

"That's quite true."

Iori remained unfazed and said calmly, "If you're so determined, even I can't stop you, but to be honest, I'm a little disappointed."

"……what?"

"Such a special and powerful ability, yet it's only used to 'destroy the world,' which is really...unimaginative."

Iori shook her head slightly: "I knew from the beginning that you couldn't be doing this for 'change'. Things like making up for regrets or saving the world might fool naive magical girls, but in the end, they can only deceive those who are obsessed, self-deceiving, and unwilling to face reality."

I also guessed that you harbor ill will towards this world and that you do these things to retaliate against certain people or things.

What disappointed me was that it was too mild.

"mild?"

Junji could hardly believe her ears.

"Of course, something that ends in an instant isn't that terrible. If it were me... there would definitely be something much crueler waiting for this world."

Iori's eyes flickered slightly: "However, you and I are on opposite sides now, so your wish will not be fulfilled."

"Ah!"

Junji forced a smile: "So what if you're stronger than me... My existence will never disappear, and there's no point in trying to seal me away!"

Aizen Iori, I admit you are a terrifying opponent. I can neither see through your thoughts nor know your trump card.

But you absolutely cannot stop me, and there is no such thing as—"

Snapped!

Iori snapped her fingers, interrupting Altair, whose face immediately showed an indescribable look of embarrassment and annoyance.

"You, you guy..."

"Don't be angry. Although I sometimes like to tease people, I'm generally a good person and a gentleman."

As Iori spoke, he reached out his hand, and under the gaze of the military princess, a little girl with short silver hair slowly emerged from his shadow.

The girl had a beautiful face that rivaled anyone else's, but her expression was quite cold, even carrying a strong resentment and murderous intent, which made Altair frown.

"Two against one is no different."

"Not always."

Athena held a peculiar lantern in her hands… or perhaps a birdcage? and handed it to Iori, inside which rose a fist-sized, ghostly blue flame.

“…What is that?”

Altair stared at the will-o'-the-wisp in a daze, and suddenly felt a tightness in his heart!

"What's wrong……"

"It's so small... Even if the Earth Mother herself collected them, this is all she could find?"

Iori was not satisfied: "As expected, it took too long. Have you searched all the places you should have searched, Athena?"

"Yes... Master."

The silver-haired little girl's voice was devoid of warmth.

place?

Junji was startled and subconsciously looked around. She suddenly realized that she was actually at a train station platform, and... she knew this place!

"here it is!"

"This place must be filled with regret for you, right?"

Iori lightly weighed the birdcage, not even glancing at the military princess, and said leisurely, "I don't know your story, nor can I understand your thoughts, but just to be on the safe side, I had my subordinates collect some information."