Sneha: "Are you serious!?"
That question, asked with clear surprise on her face was, up until that point, perhaps the only real reaction I remembered anyone having to Ethan's words.
Ethan: "Well, if you have a better idea, I'll be happy to hear it."
With so much calm in the face of that adversity that one might think he's not even human, he said so and turned one eye to the other female member of our group, trying to ask her the same question.
Sona: "Hah! Whatever!"
She said so, not much fazed but still somewhat surprised and uncomfortable by Ethan's suggested plan.
Sona: "We'll have to deal with them one way or another. If no one has any other ideas, I guess we'll just go with your plan."
Yeah, that's how it happened. That's how we agreed to follow Ethan's strategy to face that problem.
What else could we do though?
We were up against two ridiculously powerful individuals, one of whom was the strongest individual in the world altogether. If we had a plan that seemed like it could work, we had to use it no matter how crazy and unpredictable it sounded.
But,
Kais: "Ethan Kales!"
Before we went out of the tomb and confronted those two monsters,
Kais: "Answer me something!"
There was something I wanted to ask.
Barry, Sona, and even that Dragon had told me that I was someone special. Abyss had hinted at it many times as well. Ozyllus was obsessed with me for the same reason, I presume. Others not mentioned also didn't exactly treat me the same way they would treat any other Psychic.
It truly felt like I was different from others, for whatever reason.
But, that is how it felt from the way they treated me. I, personally, never really felt anything like that about myself.
I mean, I was a pretty normal person in my opinion.
From my favourite pieces of fiction to my favourite sports teams to my favourite pastime activities, everything about me felt pretty normal to me.
Kais: "How am I someone important in the world?"
How then?
At that point, I was determined to not let anything change my mind about what I was going to do. But, that doesn't mean I wasn't curious about things I didn't know, especially things about myself.
Ethan: "How are you different from the masses, you ask?"
And throughout the course of the four days before that point, that man had left enough of an impression on me for me to want to know what his answer to that question would be.
Ethan: "Well, you are the best liar in the world when you need to be."
And, knowing every single one of my thoughts, he gave that answer.
Ethan: "One could even say that you are a master of deception. And hence, you are more invincible in this world that any other human being … save for maybe one."
There were many things to infer from his words, like that 'save for maybe one' probably referring to Bronzer and showing his anxiety towards that man, or even the fact that he gave a reference to Ozyllus with his 'master of deception'.
But, the one thing that struck me the most and possibly started my self-introspection train was the sentence that I was more invincible than anyone in this world.
Walter Schmidt was waiting for us outside.
Even Spectre Dyne, who was with him, was far more powerful than me.
Heck, even Sneha Stone, who was with us, was stronger than me.
And, even then,
Kais: "More invincible, huh?"
He said so about ME.
*******************************
Ross: "Tsk! There's something wrong with you."
He says, stepping back, as he sees me smiling even though I am crushed under the rubble.
Ross: "Y-you are …"
Not seeing your enemy cry in pain is painful for quite a few supernaturals, but seeing your enemy dismissing the pain you dish on them like it's no big deal is just plain terrifying for anyone.
It basically means that they aren't powerful enough to do damage worth crying over, that the difference between their opponent and them is just that big.
Kais: "You want to know what all the hype is about, right?"
I ask with a smile I just can't remove from my face.
Kais: "You want to know why everyone thinks I am someone special? Well, I want to know that as well."
Sadly, by the time I find out, you may not be alive.
I mean, Ethan Kales said that you are 'almost invincible', which is still a lesser praise than 'more invincible than anyone else in the world'.
So, as far as this fight goes, it's only logical that I win.
It would be wrong for you to win when you are less invincible than me.
Losing, for you, wouldn't be pathetic because you will be losing to someone who is invincible, more than you or anyone else in the world at least.
But, losing, for me, would be pathetic, far too pathetic, because I would be losing to someone who isn't even on the same level as me.
Seeing as how I have to defeat Ozyllus and crush his plans and all that, if I lose to someone lesser than me, how can I possibly defeat someone better than me?
Yes, no matter how you look at it, me losing this fight would mean the end of everything.
Since I am supposed to be the hero of this epic, one could even say the entire epic depends on this fight right now.
So, I have to win. I have to win at all costs.
And, since everyone else thinks I do, I probably have the power to win as well.
So, what's stopping me?
Why am I sitting under the rubble doing nothing as if my legs getting crushed is a big deal?
That guy is less invincible than me and he can heal from stuff like this so it's obvious I can deal with it too.
Hence, I stand up, or at least try to.
My healing isn't the best and I know that but I am supposed to be more invincible than anyone despite that. So, I should have some other alternative that would work just fine.
Ross: "Y-you are kidding, right? Right? RIG-"
Kais: "You are shaking in fear, right? Right? RIGHT?"
The smile on my face grows into a grin as I see his legs starting to wobble and his astonishment robbing him of his chance to attack.
Kais: "Now then, let's make the epic interesting."
For a fight like this, a fight which holds the entire epic on its shoulders, certainly there should be more theatrics.
So, I turn to the sky, spread my arms, and yell,
Kais: "You will know the meaning of losing right here, Ross Green."
The clouds in the sky start forming a vortex around me as if creating the passage for a deity to come through. And, supposedly, this deity happens to be lightning.
Ross: "Y-you … psycho!"
100 million volts? 200 million volts? 300 million volts?
No, each bolt of this lightning is 500 million volts.
Yet, it doesn't kill me like it would kill most people.
It makes me feel incredible pain, yes, but just like before, I don't even have any urge to scream. Instead, I can think calmly.
And so, I can see everything happening around me.
I can see Ross Green shaking in his place as he sees me. I can see Sona, in the distance, trying to get through the rubble and come here. I can see the mass of rubble that crushed me just a moment ago.
I can see it all. And I can feel it too.
I can feel my blood burning up, my tendons ripping apart and my bones heating up with a speed that very few may think is even possible for the human body.
They are all burning up, ripping apart and getting destroyed.
And, in the place of their destroyed selves, this lightning is filling me with its unsurmountable reserves of natural energy that my Psychic Potential is processing to form a healing factor for me.
Ross: "W-wh-"
I hear a slumping sound, and as I turn to look towards the direction it came from, I see Ross Green having fallen to his feet as he stares at me with pure shock and horror.
Ross: "You … you … d-did you just … heal?"
He asks me as my crushed legs and my electrocuted muscles are formed back up, and this time, stronger than they were before.
So,
Kais: "Well, I AM supposed to be invincible."
I still really don't get what Ethan meant by me being the best liar when I want to be or the master of deception, but maybe that's a good thing.
*******************************