Hegemon’s gaze snapped toward a newly reformed, pristine-looking version of Loading. His voice dripped with disdain.

  “Going to steal more abilities this time?”

  Loading met his glare, his expression unwavering. “You mean my abilities. I'm just using what I've created.”

  Hegemon’s response was immediate. “Then I’ll use the abilities I’ve mastered.”

  As Hegemon spoke, a solid black trench coat materialized over Loading’s form, its fabric shifting unnaturally as though woven from shadows. Seven blurred, skeletal hands emerged behind him, swirling in a chaotic yet precise motion. At first glance, they mimicked the appearance of their original user, but something was distinctly off. They carried the same twisted energy that had once belonged to the Corrupted King V?rher.

  Without hesitation, the hands sprang to life. Each one ignited in a crimson glow—the same hue as Strength. In rapid succession, beams of raw power erupted from their palms, each one surging toward Hegemon. As soon as one beam fired, another followed, relentless and unyielding.

  Hegemon moved. His body wove through the onslaught with terrifying precision, each crimson beam slicing past him as if repelled by an unseen force. Closing the distance between them in mere seconds, he lunged past the hands, his movements fluid and unrestrained.

  Loading barely had time to react before Hegemon’s foot slammed into his raised arms, the impact crushing them against his own chest and sending him hurtling backward. Before he could recover, Hegemon vanished—only to reappear behind him mid-flight. A skeletal fist struck Loading’s back with devastating force, reversing his trajectory and launching him in the opposite direction.

  As Loading tumbled through the air, one of his skeletal hands flared a bright blue. The hand shot forward, faster than even Hegemon could react, latching onto his arm with an unshakable grip. Before he could break free, Loading yanked him forward with overwhelming force, dragging Hegemon straight toward him.

  The other five hands pulsed with yellow energy, forming a circle with their palms facing inward. Without warning, they unleashed a barrage of yellow orbs, each one crackling with immense power. The final blue hand released Hegemon, immediately joining the others in the relentless assault.

  Hegemon’s movements were razor-sharp. His hand shot up, deflecting the incoming orbs one by one, redirecting their explosive energy away from him. But while he focused on the projectiles, two dark blue spinning discs materialized at his sides.

  A [!] symbol flickered into existence above Loading’s head. Before he could act, the symbol disappeared, distorting space itself. The battlefield shifted.

  In an instant, the world around them dissolved into nothingness, plunging them into an abyss of utter darkness. No—it wasn’t the Abyss. It was the inside of the Mainframe. The vast, infinite void of the metaphysical construct wrapped around them, pressing against reality itself.

  Hegemon and Loading stood suspended in the eerie silence, the presence of something unfathomable looming over them.

  Then, it appeared.

  The essence of the Mainframe manifested before them—a writhing, chaotic mass of raw power, pulsing with knowledge and horror. And behind Loading, an embodiment of horror itself emerged, its red glowing eye staring at Loading, what felt unreal yet undeniably there. A glowing red axe pressed against Loading’s throat, its cold edge humming with restrained violence.

  Laughter echoed. It came from everywhere. From the Mainframe. From Hegemon. The echoes intertwined, distorting, merging into something deeper. Hegemon reached out and touched the Mainframe’s essence. The world snapped back.

  They reappeared in the metaphysical plane, but now, the air was different. Reality itself seemed to tremble at what had just transpired.

  With a simple snap of Hegemon’s fingers, hundreds of thousands of orbs materialized, filling the space around them. Each one pulsed with latent energy, orbiting them like a swarm of miniature stars.

  Loading reacted immediately. With a wave of his hand, reality twisted—forcing Hegemon forward against his will. The space between them collapsed in an instant, and Loading reached out, his fingers phasing through Hegemon’s throat, nearly grasping his spine.

  For a split second, their eyes locked. Hegemon’s gaze flared—a soul-piercing, inescapable stare. For the briefest fraction of a second, Loading felt fear. A primal, instinctive terror. That hesitation was all Hegemon needed.

  His grip snapped around Loading’s arm, glowing white-hot as an immense shockwave erupted outward. The force threatened to tear Loading apart, but Hegemon held firm, preventing him from being flung away.

  Loading’s skeletal hand flared green, forming a protective barrier, but it wasn’t enough. With a flick of Hegemon’s wrist, a single orb shot forward, striking Loading dead center. Then another. And another.

  Each impact detonated violently, sending tremors through Loading’s body. Hegemon timed each one perfectly, ensuring the destruction was methodical—agonizing—without outright obliterating him.

  The continuous barrage of pain and destruction seemed endless, but he refused to break. Summoning every ounce of his will, he unleashed a final countermeasure—a stasis field.

  The energy around them froze, locking both combatants in place.

  With control reestablished, Loading attempted to rewrite Hegemon at a fundamental level, using brute force to alter his very existence.

  The overwhelming power of the Mainframe coursed through both of them, yet as Loading tried to twist Hegemon’s form, something shifted.

  As Loading lunged at Hegemon within the static void, the moment his foot touched the distorted space, reality itself quivered. With a slight movement from Hegemon’s hand, the Code Manipulator manifested once more, its presence distorting the very essence of the battlefield. A crimson vial shattered over the floating button, the liquid dripping onto its surface as Hegemon reached out and pressed it. A deep, echoing click reverberated through the void, and in an instant, Hegemon pulled forth his crimson longsword—a relic from long ago. It pulsed with an ominous glow.

  The very fabric of reality around him twisted as if it were rejecting its own existence. The laws of space, time, and logic fractured in an instant.

  The air thickened with an indescribable weight. Colors bled into each other, forming impossible hues that defied mortal comprehension. The very idea of "up" and "down" ceased to have meaning. Loading’s own sense of self fractured, his perception flickering between countless versions of himself—ones that had lived, ones that had died, ones that had never even existed. Hegemon’s blade stretched and compressed between a mere dagger and a towering greatsword, uncertain of what it was supposed to be.

  His sword slashed, but the cut did not follow normal trajectories—rather, it removed the very concept of defense from Loading's existence. The attack did not wound his body, but rather the notion that he could protect himself.

  Loading stumbled back, his body existing and not existing in the same moment.Loading’s body flickered in bursts that were sometimes whispers, sometimes roars, sometimes absolute silence. The battlefield itself was no longer a battlefield—it was shifting between being a wasteland, a throne room, an endless abyss, and something else entirely, something that no mind could comprehend.

  Hegemon extended his hand, a slow and deliberate gesture that seemed to stretch infinitely within the warped space between them. The moment his fingers made contact—though it appeared as if they never truly reached—Loading’s body turned stark white in an instant. Without a sound, he vanished, only to reappear outside the radius of Hegemon’s influence, fully restored but unsettled.

  Before Loading could react, Hegemon was already upon him, materializing mid-swing as his blade came crashing down with devastating force. Instinctively, Loading conjured a barrier, a shimmering construct meant to halt the assault. But with a mere graze of the blade, the barrier unraveled, its essence dissolving like mist in the wind. The momentum of the attack carried forward, the blade now poised to cleave through Loading himself.

  With a desperate burst of speed, Loading evaded, barely escaping the fatal edge. But Hegemon was relentless—his strikes came faster than comprehension, each one carving through the very fabric of existence. Then, in a single overwhelming motion, the blade connected. The force of the impact sent Loading hurtling backward at incomprehensible speeds, his body tearing through layers of reality as if they were mere paper. He crashed through the unseen barriers of the Outterversal structures that guarded the entrance to the Mainframe, his trajectory spiraling through Reality Six and then further into Reality Seven.

  When he finally collided with the surface of a distant planet, the impact was apocalyptic. A cataclysmic explosion erupted from the point of impact, annihilating the entire world in a blinding surge of destruction. The shockwave rippled outward, shattering continents, boiling oceans, and reducing the planet to cosmic dust—yet, as if reality itself resisted such finality, the world glitched, its broken form seamlessly reconstructing back to its original state as if nothing had happened.

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  Undeterred, Loading propelled himself off the surface, meeting Hegemon in mid-air. Their clash resumed, each strike a collision of cosmic force, each blow distorting the very dimensions around them. Yet, as Loading maneuvered through the onslaught, he noticed something unsettling—the place where Hegemon’s sword had struck him earlier had not returned to normal. The streak of white across his body remained, refusing to fade like it should have.

  Hegemon, undeterred by this revelation, struck again. This time, his blow sent Loading spiraling back down onto the planet’s surface, his impact carving an even deeper crater into the land. With a merciless glare, Hegemon descended, pressing his palm against Loading’s chest. Instantly, the entire side of the planet beneath them began to glow, the light intensifying to an unbearable radiance.

  And then—obliteration.

  The entire planet detonated in an unfathomable burst of raw power, its existence wiped clean from the omniversal canvas. Loading’s form was consumed in the explosion, reduced to nothing within the incandescent fury of Hegemon’s wrath.

  But Hegemon wasn’t finished. With a single flap of his wings, an earth-shattering shockwave erupted outward, the sheer force of it reverberating across the omniverse. Stars detonated into supernovas, planets crumbled into cosmic debris, and the very fabric of reality trembled beneath the sheer magnitude of the vibrations. Every universe, every dimension, felt the tremor—an unrelenting wave of destruction that knew no bounds.

  And yet—he returned.

  As the residual shockwave faded, Loading reappeared behind Hegemon, his entire body glowing an intense, blinding white. He was in the process of being destroyed again, his form unraveling at the edges, but he remained, defying annihilation itself.

  As the silence between them stretched, Loading suddenly spoke—not with his usual air of superiority, but in a strangely casual tone.

  "The fact that you’re somehow not faster than me is astonishing," he remarked, almost amused. "You were given abilities directly from him, and yet, at times, you still can’t even keep up with me."

  With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the chaos around them flickered. The hyperverse behind him glitched, unraveling for a moment before seamlessly restoring itself to its unscathed state. The planet that had been obliterated mere moments ago followed suit, its destruction reversing as if it had never happened at all.

  "It seems that even with power beyond my own, you still can’t win... because you’re the one using it. This is the strongest you will ever be—and I will use that to finally rid of him."

  His voice reverberated through the void, echoing in all directions. The energy surrounding Hegemon shifted slightly, as if reacting to something deeper beneath his exterior. And then, Hegemon scoffed.

  "Okay, hold on a damn minute." His tone was sharp, laced with growing irritation. "So you’re telling me that you’re going to use me to kill some other guy because you can’t do it yourself? And on top of that, why the hell are you so damn cryptic all the time?"

  Hegemon’s wings flickered with power, his aura intensifying.

  "I’ve died more times than I can count for you to sit here and give me vague riddles like ‘he is why I’m doing all of this.’ Like, just tell me who this guy is! Maybe—just maybe—we could’ve worked something out, and none of this would’ve been necessary."

  His glare sharpened.

  "But no, instead, you stand here insulting me to my face and even threatening someone who’s actually looked out for me this entire time—because you are a complete nutcase! Whatever the hell you are, you’re definitely not the brightest bulb in the damn box."

  The space around them fell silent. A suffocating pressure built between them, the weight of their clashing power distorting the fabric of existence itself.

  Loading, unfazed by Hegemon’s outburst, simply tilted his head. "You are an outlier, Hegemon. That is why I set you on this path—to prepare you, to mold you into the tool needed to take him down."

  He paused, then continued, his voice layered with something deeper—contempt, exhaustion, perhaps even something resembling desperation.

  "Since you’re so eager for an explanation, I suppose I can grant you that before you die. He is Eternity—the one who created me. The one who forged even the abilities you wield now. Every conduit was formed from him. And because of the way he binds your lives as conduits to his will... I’ve grown tired of his reign."

  Hegemon stared at Loading blankly for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, his jaw parted.

  "You’re telling me... that even after all this, even after I literally just offered to help, you’re still not going to listen to any sort of reason?" His tone carried a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

  He waved a hand vaguely. "And what the hell do you mean by ‘Eternity’? Is that supposed to be some kind of metaphor? Because if he actually is eternity itself, then this entire fight is pointless. You can’t kill something that always has been and always will be. It’s like you’ve never seen a single damn movie in your life!"

  Hegemon groaned, placing his skeletal hand against his skull as if he were developing a headache—if that were even possible for him.

  "How is it that the smartest being in this entire reality is also somehow the dumbest thing to ever exist?" He paused, glancing at Loading as if expecting an answer before shaking his head. "You know what? I have a lot more questions, but I feel like if I keep asking, I’m just going to get dumber responses."

  He crossed his arms and waited, watching Loading intently, as if expecting some kind of reaction—anger, irritation, something. But there was nothing.

  Finally, Hegemon raised an eyebrow. "Do you just not get mad when people insult you? Or is it just that you’re fine throwing insults?"

  Loading’s expression remained as neutral as ever. His response was flat, almost mechanical.

  "I do not have a soul."

  Hegemon muttered under what would have been his breath, "Yeah, clearly."

  Silence fell between them again, heavy and unyielding. The sheer weight of their power warped the very space around them.

  Then, with an exhausted sigh, Hegemon straightened his posture. "Alright, this is gonna go one of two ways. Either I’m about to tear your body apart so fast you won’t even have time to react... or you’re finally going to pull something actually interesting out, and we can continue this very stupid fight."

  As soon as Hegemon finished speaking, Loading raised his hand—faster than Hegemon could even react.

  In an instant, Hegemon’s body was forcefully teleported directly in front of Loading, as if reality itself had obeyed his command. Instinct took over—Hegemon’s skeletal fingers clenched, and in a flash of glowing green, his Code Manipulator materialized, forming a radiant blade. He swung without hesitation.

  Loading caught the blade mid-swing with a single hand.

  Hegemon’s eyes narrowed as he yanked his weapon free, immediately launching into a relentless barrage of strikes. Yet, even as his attacks rained down, Loading blocked every single one—effortlessly, with just one hand. His movements were precise, measured, almost mechanical.

  Then, without warning— A massive energy beam erupted from behind Loading, streaking toward him with devastating force. Without even turning, Loading casually swatted the beam aside with his free hand, sending it spiraling into space.

  Hegemon pressed forward, seizing the opening—his glowing blade slashing in tandem with deadly energy beams shooting from his eyes. At such close range, they should have been lethal.

  But Loading’s form distorted—his entire body glitching, shifting into a warped, unreadable mess, his outline barely coherent. The beams passed through his blurred form as if he wasn’t even there. And then, just as quickly, he stabilized once more, still standing, still blocking every attack.

  Hegemon gritted his teeth. "I should’ve asked this earlier… but what the hell are you?"

  For the first time, Loading gave a direct, concise answer. "I am the Fail-safe."

  His entire demeanor shifted—gone was the amusement, the toying, the passive superiority. He had decided. This fight would end soon.

  Hegemon didn’t waste time. With a quick motion, he created indestructible barriers around Loading, sealing him inside. He raised his hand—the barriers pulsed red, ready to collapse inward and annihilate everything within.

  But Loading barely reacted.

  His arm changed—morphing grotesquely into a skeletal limb gripping a bloody axe. With a snap of his other fingers, the barriers simply vanished—erased from existence.

  Then, the axe swung.

  Hegemon’s hand shot down in response—before the strike could land, the trajectory of Loading’s own arm shifted unnaturally, as if Hegemon had momentarily hijacked control over his limb. The axe whistled past harmlessly, missing its mark.

  Hegemon extended his palm outward—reality itself warped in his favor, expanding and shifting to control the battlefield.

  But in that exact moment— Loading was already gone. Before Hegemon could react, a cold, crushing grip latched onto his spine. Then—. He was hurled.

  Loading’s throw sent Hegemon blasting through existence itself—shattering stars, planets, entire universes and multiverses as he was launched at impossible speed, the sheer force of the impact bending reality around him.

  Far across the void, Hegemon finally regained control, stopping himself mid-air. His Code Manipulator glowed a menacing red.

  His arms slashed through the air in a blur—red, crescent-shaped slashes erupted in rapid succession, cutting across the vastness of space, carving a destructive path right back toward where he had been thrown from.

  The damage he had caused—the holes punched through creation—glitched. Distorted fragments of reality flickered and twisted around the rupture. As the path repaired itself.

  And yet… Loading was nowhere to be seen.