Not Just to Survive, But to Live with Your Own Colors
"Who are you, really, whispering in my ear all this time?"
"Have all the things I painstakingly built over these years left me because of foolish condemnation?"
"Have all the things I clung to by any means necessary left me, too? What do I have left?"
"Oh, what was it that I was pursuing in the beginning?"
"Perhaps, I want to survive, but I don't want to become the shape you describe. If I did that, I wouldn't be myself anymore, would I? Just something wearing Walter's skin or whatever—what meaning would that have?"
"What you say is truly interesting. Now that even the identity that held me back is gone, what else am I hoping for?"
"You certainly can't understand. Although I'm not entirely sure either, if I just keep going like this, perhaps I might realize something. But there is one thing I am certain of."
"If it were just to survive, then it would be as you say."
"So I must... survive. Not just to survive, but to live with my own colors."
Blue flames suddenly burst from Walter's body.
"Only I can protect this will of mine. Your'shield,' huh? How laughable."
"Even if my body is about to fall apart, as long as I have a breath left, I will no longer struggle."
"Even if I am struggling, I must protect my own will."
"The flames cause the shadow in front to burn in agony, unable to get close."
After a moment, the flames on his body gradually dissipated. Walter's clothes changed, shining with a deep blue light as if they had been polished.
A layer of black flame ignited in his right eye.
Within the black flames, there was still that trace of blue light.
Walter drew his sword from his back. That sword could no longer be called a sword.
Its width and length were extremely mismatched. It was like a combination of a shield and a sword.
After the flames on Walter's body dissipated, the shadow swung again, mechanically.
However, Walter merely swung that greatsword with one hand to block in front of him.
After the shadow's longsword struck the greatsword, it was knocked back several meters by an indescribable, wondrous force.
In that brief moment, Walter swung the greatsword with one hand, thrusting it toward the shadow.
Unexpectedly.
Wrong, wrong.
After the sword was withdrawn, the shadow's wound recovered rapidly.
Walter watched this scene.
"Are you messing with me?"
Just as the shadow swung its sword to strike again, he still used the shield-like greatsword to block.
"Everyone from The Library, how about we cooperate now?"
Roland and Ayou exchanged a look. They didn't say anything, but they both understood the meaning in each other's eyes.
"Finn, you guys hold back Lulu and Mars first."
After Finn and Pierre made the arrangements, the two of them ran toward Walter.
Just as Walter knocked his shadow back again, Roland and Ayou's weapons were already in front of Walter.
The knight's longsword pierced into the shadow's head. The power of the quill pen gradually seeped into the shadow's body, and golden light gradually disintegrated it from within.
The quill pen slashed back at the shadow like a flash of steel.
After the offensive ended, that shadow was still trying to recover.
Walter raised the greatsword in his hand and swung it down solemnly.
At a glance, the blue sword light split the darkness.
"Walter" could no longer rise, finally turning back into a shadow and returning to Walter's feet.
"A shadow should properly follow its master; don't put the cart before the horse."
"Old man, stop complaining for now. Let's deal with the remaining silent shadows first."
"In my view, you should be able to use the power of EGO now, and it's related to defense, right? Cover us."
Walter was just about to retort.
Ayou and Roland had already returned to Finn's side.
"Whatever."
Roland's sword slashed at Mars from behind, successfully transferring Mars's aggro onto Roland.
Seeing this, Lulu also attempted to attack Roland as well.
Just as the fire poker was about to attack, Walter swung a powerful sword energy from behind her.
It hummed and whistled in the air.
It kept cutting into Lulu like a tornado. However, because most of the damage was too minuscule, the shadow had already finished recovering before the next cut arrived.
When the streetlamp shot out a beam of light again, when the light hit Walter's back, it seemed to be absorbed directly by the clothes, or perhaps it caused no damage at all; those clothes were as indestructible as a suit of armor.
"Little one. Come on, let me test you."
Afterward, under the intense offensive, Mars turned back into a shadow.
When Lulu's fire poker hit Walter's body, it made a clanging sound, as if hitting steel.
When Mars's shadow turned back into a shadow, Lulu became angry in a fit of pique.
Excessive desire leads to despair.
Roland's heart rate began to accelerate violently. Adrenaline surged.
This is it—Roland used his slightly more serious power.
Under the offensive of many, Lulu could only rage impotently.
When the two silent shadows were defeated, the shirt emitted a burst of light again, and that light was no longer a dim glow.
Instead, it was like the firelight of a burnt-out match, and the branches on the body burned even more vigorously.
Somewhere on the field, shadows named Friendship solidified.
They were wearing their respective outfits. Their gazes were resilient.
They were Isadora and Julia.