Neo roamed the campus aimlessly.
"Should I have given the Trident to Elizabeth before the mission?
"Maybe I should have sent Sir Sebastian too."
He could not decide if his choice had been perfect.
"I sent Elizabeth while she was in her weakest state to make sure the Fate doesn't retaliate against her.
"If I had given her too much advantage, the Fate could've interfered.
"But did I make the right choice…."
Charlotte's words swirled inside his head.
'Elizabeth trusts you. That's why she put everything on the line for you.'
Neo clenched his fist.
"If only I was strong enough that I didn't have to depend on others, I wouldn't have to put Elizabeth's life on the line ."
Neo found himself to be pathetic.
Even after everything that happened, he would have done the same if he had another chance.
The Temple of Void was too dangerous to let them grow.
They had a huge hand in causing the world's end.
"Even if a few stragglers are left, the Temple of Void is officially finished."
Neo laughed bitterly.
He extended the world's life by a decade in exchange for almost sacrificing the life of someone close to him.
That's why he had to resort to underhanded methods.
"I have to be stronger."
His eyes glowed with renewed resolve.
He would enter Shadow Windows and try to find his Shadow.
If he didn't find his Shadow until the day he got his exoskeleton surgery, he would stop looking for his Shadow in the Shadow Windows.
"It's time I stop dawdling and enter the World of Shadows."
He had to take risks if he wanted power.
Mars' Private Training Room, Mars Dorm, Demigod Academy
"Are you sure you want to do this here?" Arthur questioned.
"Let's get over with this quickly and make a plan to defeat Neo."
He stood in the center of the room.
Jack, Arthur, Felix, Nathan, Clara, and Sean were present around him.
A man, with brown hair and thick limbs, stood near the door.
"You should do this at your clan," Nathan muttered nervously. "They will be able to help you if something goes wrong."
"It's fine. The Clan has sent Uncle here."
Mars directed his gaze towards the man far from him.
The others followed his gaze and nodded.
Mars took out a fist-sized black box.
His friends retreated a few steps to give him space.
He opened the box, revealing a bullet within it.
"A true soul weapon."
Jack muttered with a complicated gaze.
"It feels weird knowing Neo had been carrying something like that around like nothing."
"Well, he spends millions like it's nothing."
Jack agreed with her with a helpless smile.
They stopped talking when Mars took out the bullet and held it in his hands.
A few minutes passed, and Arthur opened his mouth.
"Maybe you should drop your blood on it to bond with it—"
Arthur's mouth clamped shut and he covered his ears when suddenly a high-pitched noise screeched.
The noise was coming from the bullet.
The screeching increased.
"It feels like an attack…."
Arthur clenched his teeth.
He tried to use his Sound affinity to stop the screeching.
Felix, the weakest among them, started to bleed from her ears and eyes.
Arthur was about to help her when she stopped him.
"H-help Mars. You c-can help me later."
Felix was on her knees, unable to handle the pressure oozing from the bullet.
Mars, at the center of the screeching, had his eyes closed.
His face remained motionless.
It was as if he was saying an attack of this level was nothing for him.
The screeching suddenly stopped.
The bullet shot out of Mars' hand and flew towards the group at a blinding speed.
Arthur dodged the bullet at the last second.
It hit the wall like a cannon and left a deep crater.
They were shocked, unable to understand what happened.
Jack suddenly shouted.
Mars struggled to speak.
He had grown extremely thin.
His hollow cheeks and shriveled muscles made him look like he had been starved for a few weeks.
Blood dripped from his hand.
His fingers were mangled when the bullet shot out of his grasp.
Jack supported Mars and helped him sit.
They had grave expressions.
Jack bandaged and applied medicines to Mars' damaged arm.
Mars chuckled when he noticed the despondent atmosphere.
"It's fine. There is no need to be shocked . I expected something this to happen."
Their excited expressions from minutes ago were nowhere to be seen.
Felix opened her mouth.
"It's fine. I told you I never expected much."
It was clear to them Mars failed to bond with the True Soul Weapon.
Despite Mars' calm expression, Felix could see the despair and relief hidden behind his gaze.
While they were trying to console Mars, the man from Ares Clan took out the bullet of the wall and placed it back in the black box.
Mars called out to him before he could leave the room.
"Leave the weapon here before you go."
The man turned around.
"You've failed to bond with the weapon, Mars Everhart.
"Since you lost its ownership, it now belongs to the Clan."
"Who ordered you to do this?"
"...The Clan Council."
"Sigh." Mars shook his head. "The Clan head has given me his word that the weapon belongs to me.
"You should know what would happen to you if you go against the words of the Clan head."
The man's face hardened.
The fear behind his gaze was evident.
"The Council won't be able to protect you," Mars added.
The man clicked his tongue after minutes of contemplation.
He left the weapon inside the training ground and left.
"Please bring that to me," Mars said.
Arthur picked the black box with the True Soul Weapon inside it and returned to Mars.
Mars held the box in his hand.
"I can't bond with it."
He raised his gaze and looked at Felix.
"So, it's better for someone else to have this."
He threw it towards Felix lightly.
She caught it in her hands, her eyes wide.
"What are you doing!? You can't give me something precious —"
"Felix," Mars smiled weakly.
The blood loss was making his head light.
Before Felix could refuse, the box exploded.
The bullet, as if alive, dug into her hand.
Floor B-4 Hargraves Mansion
Neo walked through the white corridors with a tired gaze.
His clothes were tattered and covered in blood.
He had been clearing Shadow Windows for the last few days with no success.