CRACK!
The heavy stone brick shattered into pieces right against Eleven's forehead.
Twelve, whose palms were still pressed together, finished his prayer completely unbothered. A soft, divine light washed over Eleven, instantly healing his shattered skull and cramped shoulder muscles.
Twelve opened his eyes, glaring down at his partner. "Please do not waste Heavenly Blessings like that."
"Hey, don't talk like that!" Eleven grumbled, wiping a smear of blood from his forehead. "You can literally spam them unlimited times!"
"Do you not find it embarrassing to constantly beg for help from someone else?" Twelve replied dryly.
"Nah," Eleven answered bluntly.
Twelve let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Shut up and go kill him."
Eleven grinned, charging straight at Null like a wild bull. He threw a devastating right hook, but Null ducked beneath the swing, snatching another brick from the rubble and slamming it directly into Eleven's face!
THWACK!
The brick exploded upon impact, sending blood spurting from Eleven's nose. But Eleven didn't even flinch. He reached out with a massive hand, grabbing Null by the collar, and slammed his own forehead viciously into Null's face!
BANG!
Before Null could recover from the headbutt, Eleven drove him down, slamming his body into the hard cobblestones. Eleven mounted him, pulling his massive fist back. "Now I'm going to beat you until you die!"
Before his fist could descend, Null's hand whipped out from his jacket.
BZZZZZZT!
Null jammed a high-voltage taser directly into Eleven's ribs. A surge of lethal electrical current tore through Eleven's nervous system. His muscles locked up, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed sideways onto the ground, completely unconscious.
Flashback — Max's Estate
Max stood by the study window, looking down at Null with a deeply serious expression. "So... how do you plan to fight them?"
Null looked at his own hands. "I don't know."
Max let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Be grateful your childhood friend is filthy rich."
Max walked over to his desk, pulling out a heavy leather pouch stuffed with platinum coins, a heavy high-voltage taser, and a compact, heavy metallic handgun. He pushed them all toward Null.
Seeing the firearm, Null immediately shook his head. "No, no. I don't need a gun."
"And why not?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because... it's too much," Null muttered.
"It looks small now, Null, but trust me—in the near future, you are going to thank me for this."
"Max, listen—"
"Null, cut it out!" Max interrupted firmly, his voice softening. "What is the point of me being filthy rich if I can't even help my best friend in a life-or-death situation?"
Present Day
Null pushed himself off the ground, clutching his bruised chest. He drew the compact gun from his coat, his eyes locking onto Twelve. "Max... you were actually right."
Twelve looked at the unconscious Eleven lying at his feet, slapping his own forehead in disbelief. "Idiot Eleven... now I'm definitely not going to use my blessings to heal you."
Null raised his gun, stepping forward. "Then who is going to save you from me?"
"See for yourself," Twelve said calmly.
Before Null could pull the trigger, Twelve moved with terrifying, unnatural speed. He closed the distance in a blur, driving a brutal kick straight into Null's stomach!
"Gah!" Null gasped, winded. He tried to swing the taser with his other hand, but Twelve struck his wrist with a sharp palm strike.
The taser slipped from Null's fingers. Twelve caught it mid-air, but Null reacted instantly, delivering a heavy left hook straight into Twelve's cheek!
POW!
Null snatched the taser back as Twelve stumbled. But Twelve quickly regained his footing, grabbing Null's wrist and driving another heavy kick into his midsection!
The force forced Null back several paces, dropping the taser onto the stone. Desperate to create space, Null snatched a loose brick from the ground and hurled it. Twelve casually deflected the flying stone with the back of his hand, charging at full speed.
Twelve grabbed the fallen taser and jammed it against Null's ribs, firing the current!
BZZZT!
Null gritted his teeth through the agonizing shock. Ignoring the electricity tearing through his nerves, he reached out, grabbed Twelve's collar, and slammed his head violently into Twelve's face!
CRACK!
Twelve's grip loosened, the taser slipping from his hand as he staggered backward, bleeding heavily from his nose.
Suddenly, Null heard a faint rustle of gravel behind him. His sharp senses flared.
Without turning his body, Null spun his arm around and fired four rapid shots toward the sound!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Eleven, who had just regained consciousness and was trying to launch a surprise attack from behind, took all four bullet-piercing rounds to his torso, collapsing back into the dirt with a groan!
However, firing at Eleven cost Null his hold on Twelve.
Free from Null's grip, Twelve instantly clasped his hands together in a desperate prayer.
"My Lord...!"
A brilliant golden pillar of divine light struck Eleven's body. The four bullet wounds sealed instantly, his stamina completely restored!
Reinvigorated by the divine spell, Eleven roared, launching himself at Null with terrifying velocity. Before Null could re-aim his weapon, Eleven drove a mountain-shattering punch straight into Null's chest!
BOOM!
The blow sent Null flying through the air, crashing violently through the stone wall of a nearby house
"COUGH!" A thick spray of blood burst from Null's mouth as he slumped in the rubble.
Eleven stepped through the dust cloud. Null desperately swung a punch from the ground, but Eleven casually deflected it, grabbing Null by the throat. He lifted Null effortlessly, smashing him repeatedly against the standing brick wall!
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Meanwhile, in the realm of souls...
Leo stood before Michi, his spectral form trembling with anger and confusion. "You had everything... yet you are so strong! I had nothing, and everything I ever cared about, I lost! Why?!"
Michi stepped off his wooden crate, walking over to Leo. Without warning, he brought his hand down, slapping Leo hard across the head!
SMACK!
"Listen to me!" Michi growled, staring into Leo's eyes. "I started in this world the exact same way you did! The difference is, I didn't wait for power to be dropped into my lap—I seized every single opportunity that came my way! Unlike you, who threw away every advantage you ever had just for your 'dearest friend' Null!"
Leo blinked, taken aback. "What... what are you talking about? I never got opportunities like you!"
"Really? Let me count them for you!" Michi sneered, holding up his fingers.
"First: when you first met Null, he destroyed an entire kingdom in a fit of rage and passed out from complete physical exhaustion. You could have easily handed him over to the nearest authorities and claimed a mountain of gold as a reward! But you didn't—because he was your 'friend.'"
Michi raised a second finger. "Second: Max! You're thinking about him, right? Max used forbidden dark rituals and illegal magic to build his immense fortune! That's the real reason he was so desperate for Null to leave his house! He couldn't risk Null's Axiom erasing his wealth spells!"
Michi leaned in close, his voice dropping into a manipulative whisper as he raised a third finger.
"And the biggest one... Iris. She desperately begged you to run away with her. She loved you with all her heart. Refusing her broke her completely! If you had accepted her back then, you would never have suffered in the past, and you wouldn't be suffering right now! But what did you do? You rejected her! Why? Because Null needed you! Because you believed you were the only one who could help him!"
Every single word hit Leo like a physical dagger. The memories flashed before his eyes—Iris's crying face, Max's anxious eyes, Null's endless battles.
Leo dropped to his knees, his spectral hands shaking uncontrollably as the dark realization washed over him.
Everything Michi said was absolute truth. Every choice, every sacrifice, every ounce of pain he had endured since entering this world... was tied directly to one person.
"So..." Leo's voice trembled, hollow and broken. "The root... of all my suffering... is Null?"
Michi smirked down at him, his predator eyes gleaming in the dark.
"Yes."