Everyone Else Has a System

Amelia used her magic to create a wide ring for us while Adara took her stance as if she was preparing to put her life on the line. Her eyes were concentrated on me, nothing like the nonchalant behaviour she had just a moment ago.

I observed her face and smiled a little before loosening my shirt a little and breathing a bit as I stretched and then spoke,"come at me with all you have got."

Hearing my words, I see her vanishing from there and reaching right in front of me with her spear almost reaching my neck and I take a swift step to the left before parrying her attack with my own spear.

Then I take a few more steps back and observe her speed increasing more and more as she decreases the gap I created within moments and I sigh before muttering in my mind,'Blood Sacrifice: Zeroth moon.'

My speed increases and I vanish behind her, making her eyes open wide, but immediately after that her speed also increases, and she starts attacking me with her spear, which I dodge with little effort.

I see her concentration increasing with every passing moment and the more she was fighting, the more she was adapting to my movements. Her speed was also increasing accordingly and I think… I saw her smile a little.

-Swish!

-Clank!

Instinctively, I pushed my spear behind and blocked her attack, which I couldn't really see with my own two eyes. I turned around only to find another couple of attacks coming at me, which made me feel both shock and relief before I smiled and…

-Clank!

-Clank!

-Clank!

I used the Reaper's spear style to cancel all her attacks, making her feel more amazed at me before she smiled excitedly and then

-Swish!

-Swish!

-Swish! The only thing that I heard was the footsteps of Adara moving around. Even with my Zeroth Moon, I still couldn't see her moving around. I then closed my eyes and increased my already heightened senses to another level using Spirit Magic.

For some reason, in the place where Amelia lived, the amount of Spirit Magic was at least double of that outside.

I rotated my scythe in the perfect position and…

-Clank!

Blocked the attack of Adara from my front. Opening my eyes, I saw her making a really shocked expression before she vanished again, becoming apparently more faster than before and I sighed before speaking,"I think it is about time we end this," and then

My eyes turned black

My spear turned black

My clothes and my hair turned black as well…

"Shadow Style: Spear Art: Spearmaster's Third Strike," I muttered, and Adara knew something was wrong with this attack.

She stopped running around and moved in front of me with a defensive stance as she looked at me with a really analytical and calculative mind. Her eyes were really focused on my spear, but that wasn't going to help her because…

About a hundred spears out of Dark Magic had already been formed in the air above us. That was not all, I too moved towards her at a speed that she hadn't seen me moving before… it was at least 5 times faster than before, making it hard for her to dodge.

She had already noticed the spears above showering down and was trying to find an escape route from them, while also trying to attack me… however… I was too skilled for her to escape from me.

The spears soon reached her and before they could reach her, I kicked her, pushing down on the ground. She saw the spears moving towards her in a rapid space when one of the spears almost reached her eyes but… It stopped.

-Click!

I then clicked my fingers before smiling and speaking,"I won."

All the spears vanished from there as if they had never existed. Adara stood up with a defeated expression on her face before she looked at my appearance, which was changing from the black hair to white.

I turned to her with a smile as my eyes turned back to green and said,"You are strong but you have quite a lot of weaknesses."

She looked at me for a few moments and acknowledgingly said,"I already know that."

"I have ways with which I can help you get strong… much stronger than you already are," I smiled at her, however instead of getting joyous, she was making a sad and confused expression as she asks,

"Why?"

I looked at her and sighed, as I knew what she was asking.

"Why are you helping me? What did I do for you? I don't like to take favours… I am the type of person who can't help but feel suffocated until I return the favour of someone… But I want to get stronger as well… I don't want to be left behind, but I don't know how I can do it when I can't bring myself to take someone else's help…" She spoke and I made a sad smile and she got angry again as she spoke,

"There it is. That smile… that pity stained smile… the smile, the look that says that you are going to help me without taking anything in return but…. Aidan… I can't… I have this disease… this tendency… this thing… that unables me from taking help from anyone. Please tell me there is a motive behind you offering me to help… Please tell me that there is something that you are gaining from it as well, that I will be able to help you in return and return the favour."

It was an odd feeling. Even in the previous timeline, she never took my help, even in the most mundane tasks. If I forced her to do anything, she threatened to leave me, which was even more odd…

"It makes me sad… but I guess I can understand… if it is a deal you want rather than a free help… if it is a deal that is going to help you accept my help… I have something for you," I spoke as I moved towards her as I observed her half teared, half saddened face.

Perhaps she wanted help but she couldn't take it… perhaps she didn't want help but was desperate to get strong? I don't know… but I am going to make her strong… strong enough to take on the top 12 of the previous timeline all by herself. That is how I am going to repay the previous timeline, Adara. Even if I have to lie to her a little.

"Yeah, so… I need you to go on a mission for me this summer and the next and a few more… I need you to finish a piece of work for me. Will that be fine with you? In exchange I will help you out and make you strong enough to defeat your current self with a single slash," I spoke, and she observed me for a few moments before nodding slightly and then smiling at me as she spoke,"Thank you Aida-"

"Zero… call me Zero," I spoke and her eyes widened even more than her eyes darted towards the Principal before turning at me as she asked,"by Zero… do you mean that Zero?!"

Have I already become this famous that so many people know about me… then what is the point of keeping this second identity? Hmmm.. well since I already started using this one, I guess I should continue using this for now.

"Which Zero are you talking about?" I asked, getting confirmation for one more time and she then narrated the whole thing about aliens invading and stuff, which made me chuckle as I nodded before asking,

"How do you know about that incident? Wasn't it kept a secret or something?"

Though Adara shook her head as she spoke,"Hera told me about it. She said that she had a connection with someone in the higher ups and they told her about it."

'Hmmmm Hera again, huh? The Vice President sure is mysterious though,' I thought as I turned to Adara and spoke,"well… I guess I can ask that to her in person later on."

Adara nodded before muttering,"but still… to think someone as important as that is standing right in front of me. This is a bit overwhelming."

I just chuckled at her before speaking,"is it really that overwhelming?" and she nodded before speaking.

"I don't know whether you know or not, but according to Hera, you are currently considered as one of the strongest people in the entire world. In fact, the most dangerous as well. The most mysterious as well… people are ready to pay billions and billions just to find out about your identity and location."

I listened to her and thought about selling my Zero identity to them to earn some bucks cause in the end, Zero isn't really all that special as well… it won't harm anyone knowing about my past… in fact it would make them even more confused. Hmmm… now that I think about it, it's not that bad of an idea, is it?

"Aidan… I mean Zero, you are giving a really mischievous smile right now," said Adara as she looked at me with a slightly scared gaze.