"Whoosh!"
A massive fireball struck Cid, instantly blasting a huge crater where he stood. Flames engulfed his entire body, burning through parts of his clothing.
Using the force of the explosion to propel himself backward, Cid soared into the air, spinning 720 degrees in mid-air before landing and rolling 540 degrees to the side.
The moment he stopped against the wall, he smeared the blackened ash from the explosion over his wounds and squeezed a blood bag to feign a critically injured, dying state. It was a flawless performance worthy of an Eminence in Shadow.
"I must commend you. To have lasted this long against me, your willpower far surpasses that of ordinary people."
Grendel walked over slowly, clapping lightly, as though he held Cid in high regard.
"But, that's the limit of your abilities…"
Grendel's expression shifted. The corners of his mouth curled up maliciously as he shouted excitedly.
"I'm going to kill you right now, and then hunt down your companions, hahaha…"
"It's over? No! Wait! I can still hold on."
Jerking his head up, Cid protested. He still had three moves left in his "extras" strategy.
"Hahaha…"
Hearing this, Grendel burst into laughter.
"You actually still think your comrades will kill that worthless Beastman and come rescue you? That's absolutely hilarious, hahaha…"
Glaring at Cid with scorn, Grendel wore an expression that practically begged to be punched.
"Let me tell you this. The chances of your companions killing that worthless Beastman IS practically zero. Where that worthless Beastman is headed, an Evil Dragon even stronger than me is guarding it.
Although both he and I are fed up with that worthless Beastman, for the sake of the plan, he'll definitely kill your companions to prevent failure. How's that? Feeling pretty hopeless now?"
Excitement and mockery danced in Grendel's eyes as he imagined the mental collapse on Cid's face. But Cid's reaction was…
Huh? Who even understands what you're saying? Stop rambling and just get on with it. After these last three moves, I'm done.
"Continue. Didn't we agree? You won't leave here until I'm down."
Facing Grendel's amused gaze, Cid—unsure how to respond—remained expressionless, his voice weak but resolute.
"Hah. Looks like you trust your comrades quite a bit…"
Seeing Cid remain unmoved, Grendel narrowed his eyes and gave a cold laugh.
"Fine. Let's say, for argument's sake, your companions manage to kill that worthless Beastman and come to save you with its head. Do you really think I'd keep my word?"
Will this ever end? Just get on with it already!
His mind screamed as Grendel still didn't move. Cid couldn't help but clench his fists.
Grendel, who had been watching him the whole time, noticed immediately and burst into an excited laugh.
"Looks like you've figured it out. That's right—I never intended to keep my word. Even if your companion really did kill that worthless Beastman, I'd still slaughter every last one of you, hahaha…"
You don't actually think you're pulling this off, do you? I never believed for a second you'd let us go. Just get on with it!
Grendel's rambling had successfully broken Cid's composure, and a flicker of anger appeared on his face.
"Exactly! That's exactly what I wanted to see!"
Throwing himself to the ground, Grendel stared intently at Cid's furious expression, his face brimming with malice and madness.
"Do you know what I was thinking when I hit you earlier? I could feel your pain, yet I sensed no anger or resentment toward me.
And those ridiculous dodging moves of yours—I felt like nothing more than a tool helping you unlock achievements.
Just as I thought, only a beating filled with resentment and rage is a real beating."
"Why are you still blabbering? If you're satisfied, just get on with it. Don't you know villains die from talking too much?"
Reminded by Grendel that his anger was affecting him, Cid quickly composed himself, returning to his usual expressionless demeanor.
"Hahaha… Now that it's come to this, do you intend to bury your pain inside again like before, forcing me to endure a beating devoid of passion? I won't allow that!"
Standing up, Grendel looked down at Cid, who lay on the ground.
Great, he's finally going to make his move…
"I know your weak spot—it's your companions, isn't it? You have a deep bond with them. That you're willing to sacrifice yourself for them truly moves me…"
Thanks for the compliment. Just get on with it!
Standing before Cid, Grendel raised a hand to his face, feigning deep emotion at the sight of Cid and his companions, and wiped away a few crocodile tears.
"But let me tell you a secret: your companions don't seem to care about the sacrifices you've made for them. Instead of going after that worthless Beastman, they ran straight for the base's exit. It's puzzling—where are they going, and what are they up to?"
Speaking with a tone of curiosity, Grendel wore a mocking smile as he looked expectantly at Cid, eager to see his reaction.
"Go on, game… go on!"
Cid spoke, his eyes fixed on Grendel, his voice filled with resolve.
"Since we worked so well together earlier, I'll give you one last chance. Make your move!"
"So you're willing to fight for time for them even after being abandoned by your companions? That really makes me feel…"
"Alright, that's enough talk. Though I'm a bit puzzled that I still have three moves left, I declare: it's now time for the Eminence in Shadow to shine."
Grendel looked deeply moved, but Cid had already lost interest in listening. He staggered to his feet, and the calm Magical Power within him began to flow.
"For the sake of your friendship, fine. Let's continue our game."
The flowing Magical Power ceased. Cid raised his head with a look of joy, only to meet Grendel's smile, brimming with malice and mockery.
"I was just kidding. Next, I'll take you out first, then kill your companions. Hahaha…"
The smile vanished from Cid's face. He stared at Grendel expressionlessly, as if looking at a corpse.
"Hahaha… Had your laugh? Time to send you on your way."
Stopping his laughter, Grendel raised his fist, gathering immense Magical Power within it, and swung at Cid with a face twisted in madness.
Unlike before, when Grendel had restrained himself to the absolute limit of what Cid could withstand, this strike held nothing back. It was aimed solely at erasing Cid from existence.
Watching Grendel's fist hurtle toward him, Cid began to consider what kind of entrance would best suit an Eminence in Shadow in the "Trolley Problem" scenario.
Cid loved the Trolley Problem because, in his view, it was the perfect scene for an Eminence in Shadow's appearance.
The premise is simple: a madman has tied five innocent people to the train tracks. A runaway train barrels toward them and will crush them in moments.
There is a lever nearby; pulling it diverts the train to another track, saving the five people.
But on that alternate track, the madman has tied another innocent person.
If you pull the lever, you save five people but kill another.
Would you pull it or not?
Normally, there's no room for an Eminence in Shadow in this scenario. But if one were to appear, what would they do?
The answer: an absolute powerhouse who punches the train away to save everyone, then slaps the person who set up this dilemma to death.
Earlier, Grendel presented the trolley problem, which essentially provided the lever.
When he chose to stay behind alone and let the others leave, it was like pulling the lever—saving Sayaka Kirasaka and the others on the original track while sacrificing himself on the other track.
Now, as Grendel's punch draws ever closer, it's like the train approaching.
It's time for the Eminence in Shadow to make his entrance.
"Whoosh!"
Magical Power surged through the underground space, sending a gust of wind as sharp as a blade that carved deep gashes in the walls. Grendel's punch, imbued with overwhelming Magical Power, missed its target.
But Grendel was no longer surprised by Cid dodging, for a pitch-black figure clad in a black overcoat had appeared behind him.
"Gurgle…"
The sound of flesh tearing came from Grendel's chest. As Cid withdrew his arm, which had pierced through Grendel, not a drop of blood from the wound touched Cid's arm.
Thanks to the Dragon race's immense vitality, the injury—one that would instantly kill an ordinary person—left Grendel severely wounded but alive. He still had enough mobility to mount a counterattack.
His dragon wings unfurled behind him. In his critically wounded state, Grendel could no longer maintain his human form and began shifting back into his true dragon body.
"Ugh… Guh!"
He tried to turn and counterattack Cid, but before completing the movement, a fist slammed into Grendel's abdomen. Immense Magical Power detonated again, punching a hole in his stomach.
"You've just rung the death knell for yourself."
Casually uttering the words, Cid stepped forward. His right hand grasped Grendel's head, sent flying by his two previous strikes. Magical Power from Cid's palm penetrated Grendel's flesh and focused within his brain.
"No!!!"
Feeling the power compress, expand, condense, and transform its properties, a sense of dread washed over Grendel. He could not help but scream in despair, even entertaining the thought of begging Cid for mercy.
"Thank you for your generosity. I will never forget your support."
He opened his mouth to speak, but before the words could leave, the Magical Power concentrated in his brain erupted fully.
"Aaaah!!!"
A tortured scream tore from Grendel's mouth as the power in his brain split into seven streams, coursing through every part of his body.
Under the combined influence of his injuries, pain, and the battle, Grendel revealed his true form: a massive black dragon filling nearly half the underground chamber, covered in pale black scales and standing on two legs.
Thick limbs, razor-sharp claws and fangs, imposing horns, wings stretching to absurd lengths, and a long, massive tail. Compared to a typical dragon, this creature resembled a giant imbued with dragon traits.
The first stream of Magical Power dispersed into the blood throughout Grendel's body. He felt a suction force from his core, drawing all his blood to a single point. Once concentrated, the power compressed and solidified the blood into a single bead.
The second and third streams split toward Grendel's wings. Defying normal biological logic and ignoring the survival of other organs, the wings absorbed flesh and blood from his body, strengthening to the maximum.
With this unnatural growth, the wings shed their bloated appearance, becoming lean, agile, and far more defensively capable.
The fourth and fifth streams flowed into the dragon horns on Grendel's head, absorbing skeletal pressure and fusing the body's scales into the horns. Though not visually remarkable, their absolute hardness made them among the world's strongest materials—top-tier fighters could not destroy them.
The sixth stream remained stationary, forming a special Magical Art that absorbed all of Grendel's Magical Power.
The seventh fused into his skeleton, preventing his bones from crumbling despite the absorption by the dragon horns.
Cid surveyed the seven items and nodded in satisfaction.
Dragon Blood Pearl: absorbed all of Grendel's body, granting dragon lineage if consumed.
Dragon Wings: absorbed the body, underwent first compression, extremely fast and highly defensive.
Dragon Horns: purely hard, top-tier material.
Magical Art: holding immense Magical Power, casually set aside as a tool—essentially recycling a bomb.
Dragon Bones: absorbed in magic and structure, only for display, an irrefutable world-class collectible.
Satisfied, Cid noted the efficiency of his method: not a single part of Grendel's body went to waste.
"Boom!"
A thunderous roar shook the house violently. Cid gathered the items and focused on a certain direction.
"Such an intense Magical Power fluctuation."