Kondo realized that he was stuck against a wall standing horizontally in midair. Above him stretched an endless blue sky, while before him stood someone who looked exactly like him.
The only differences were his eyes and the permanent smirk adorning his face.
Kondo looked around in confusion before turning back toward him.
"Where am I?"
The white-eyed Kondo shrugged.
"What difference does it make? No matter where you are, you're still you. It's not like anything will change. Besides, this is the place where I reside inside you."
He slowly stepped closer.
"Those ideals you were talking about earlier... let's see how true you can remain to them."
Kondo frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
The white-eyed Kondo laughed.
"Now isn't the time for explanations."
He stretched out his hand.
Dark smoke gathered around his palm before condensing into a pitch-black sword.
The blade looked as though it had been forged from living shadows.
"It's time to fight. So, shall we begin?"
Without waiting for an answer, he dashed toward Kondo.
Kondo instinctively jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike.
"What are you doing?!"
"What happened?" the white-eyed Kondo mocked. "Don't tell me you're going to start crying again like a crybaby. Shut up and fight me."
He attacked again.
Kondo desperately leaped from wall to wall, barely managing to evade the relentless assault.
"How long are you planning to run?"
While dodging another slash, Kondo stop and shouted,
"Can you at least tell me why you're attacking me?!"
In the next instant, the white-eyed Kondo appeared directly before him.
"You'll have to fight me first."
The black blade pierced straight through Kondo's stomach.
"Kgh...!"
A horrifying pain exploded throughout his body.
The white-eyed Kondo pulled the sword free and laughed.
"Is that really all you can do?"
Before Kondo could even recover, the sword flashed once more.
His head separated from his body.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Kondo's eyes snapped open.
He found himself standing against the same wall once again.
Panicking, he immediately grabbed his neck, checking frantically to make sure his head was still attached.
After confirming that everything was intact, he let out a trembling sigh of relief.
When he looked up, he saw him again.
The same smile.
The same black sword.
The white-eyed Kondo rushed toward him without hesitation.
Seeing him charge, Kondo quickly jumped away.
"Will you stop attacking already?!"
"No. Fight me."
Kondo struggled desperately just to dodge the overwhelmingly fast attacks.
As he attempted to retreat, the white-eyed Kondo suddenly kicked him.
The impact sent Kondo flying through the air.
Crash!
He smashed through an entire wall before finally managing to stop himself.
Steadying himself, Kondo shouted,
"Will you stop, please?!"
The white-eyed Kondo laughed.
"No."
A moment later—
Slash.
Kondo's head fell once more.
His eyes opened again.
He was back.
Everything repeated.
The third time, Kondo found himself trembling in fear.
The fourth time, he desperately struggled to survive.
The fifth time, something inside him began to break.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Fifty.
Seventy.
One hundred.
One hundred and fifty.
Two hundred.
No matter what Kondo did—
He died.
Whenever he tried to ask a question, he died.
Whenever he stopped moving, he died.
The cycle continued for what felt like an eternity.
Eventually, Kondo simply stood there.
He no longer even thought about dodging.
There was no point.
No matter what he did, death awaited him in the end.
The white-eyed Kondo stood before him, black blade in hand.
Strangely—
He wasn't attacking.
"What happened? Won't you attack??"
The white-eyed Kondo laughed.
"On whom? I can't see anyone here.."
Kondo forced a faint smile.
"Are you joking? I'm standing right in front of you."
The white-eyed Kondo interrupted him.
"A living corpse who can't even protect himself. Someone who can't fight. What exactly is someone like that supposed to save?"
Kondo remained silent.
He gave no reaction.
"You're afraid someone might get hurt. Is that some kind of joke?"
The white-eyed Kondo lunged forward.
Kondo jumped away.
"Someone who can't even fight for himself—how can he possibly stand before anyone else?"
Pointing the black sword at Kondo, he declared,
"I'll break your will, take over your body, and kill everyone."
He laughed as he continued attacking.
"What difference does it make? You can't fight me anyway. Do you think you'll be able to stop me when I take over your body and kill everyone?"
His smile widened.
"When I kill your mother... how do you think she'll feel? Being murdered by her own son?"
For the first time—
Kondo became irritated.
He caught the incoming blade with his bare hand.
"I think you're talking a little too much."
The white-eyed Kondo forcefully pulled his sword free before kicking Kondo away.
Kondo landed gracefully on another wall and regained his footing.
Appearing before him once again, the white-eyed Kondo mocked,
"What happened? If you can't even protect yourself from me, how are you going to fight those demons?"
Kondo glared at him.
"Oh? Are you angry?" the white-eyed Kondo sneered. "Are you going to let your anger consume you? You're seriously a waste of piece."
Kondo slowly closed his eyes.
He calmed himself.
Seeing this, the white-eyed Kondo smiled and leaped forward to kill him.
Kondo simply focused.
Then—
He felt something beneath his feet.
His eyes opened.
The white-eyed Kondo was already upon him.
Instinctively, Kondo thrust his hand into the wall beneath him.
To his surprise—
His hand passed straight through it as though the wall were made of water.
The next moment, he pulled something out.
Clang!
A completely white sword blocked the black blade.
Its hilt resembled a swastika.
For the first time—
Kondo had stopped his attack.
The white-eyed Kondo looked at the sword and laughed.
"So, you've chosen it. Looks like you can finally fight me."
Kondo remained silent.
He simply continued blocking.
The white-eyed Kondo pulled back and struck again.
Kondo managed to stop it, but the sheer force pushed him backward.
Without giving him a chance to recover, the white-eyed Kondo rushed forward and unleashed a barrage of attacks.
As Kondo desperately defended himself, the white-eyed Kondo laughed.
"Have you ever wondered why humans always prioritize themselves so much?"
Kondo remained silent, deflecting each attack with his white sword.
The white-eyed Kondo continued speaking as their blades clashed.
"I'll tell you why. It's because of emotions."
Finding an opening, he suddenly drove his foot into Kondo's stomach, sending him flying backward.
As Kondo struggled to regain his footing, the white-eyed Kondo continued,
"For humans, what they believe to be right is always right. But what's right isn't always truly right, and what's wrong isn't always truly wrong."
Kondo stared at him seriously.
"What are you trying to say?"
The white-eyed Kondo smirked.
"Then tell me—what makes right, right, and wrong, wrong?"
Kondo had no answer.
The white-eyed Kondo answered his own question.
"Perspective. The way people choose to see things."
He pointed his sword toward the endless white structures around them.
"Imagine this. A king invades a neighboring kingdom. He destroys everything, plunders homes, steals all their gold, and even takes away their food."
His eyes narrowed.
"The defeated king can do nothing but watch. His people die, and those who survive suffer from starvation for years to come."
He paused.
"But on the other side, the victorious king expands his territory. Using the stolen gold, he helps his own people and ensures that none of them ever go hungry."
He looked directly into Kondo's eyes.
"So tell me... whose fault is it? Who is truly in the wrong?"
Kondo remained silent.
The white-eyed Kondo pointed his sword at him.
"I'll tell you."
"There is neither right nor wrong there."
"The only thing that changes is perspective—the way people choose to see events. That's what creates heroes and villains."
He continued,
"The people know that their king stole wealth through war and caused another nation's suffering. But do they care?"
"No."
"They only care whether their own stomachs are full and whether their children are safe."
"They'll praise their king, glorify his achievements, and carve his name into history with golden letters."
"And the defeated kingdom?"
"They'll blame their own king and call the victor evil."
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"It's all just a game of perspective."
"The same act can be called righteous or evil depending on who's looking."
"That's nature's law."
"If you're weak, you'll be crushed."
"And no one will ever care about your perspective."
Suddenly, he lunged forward.
Kondo raised his sword and blocked the incoming strike before immediately counterattacking.
As their blades collided again and again, the white-eyed Kondo spoke.
"Humans are forever bound by their emotions."
"Even if they pretend to coexist peacefully, the greed inside them never disappears."
"Greed for power."
"Greed for survival."
"Greed for more."
"To protect themselves, humans will do anything."
His voice grew colder.
"Even if God himself descended into the world, humanity's greed and fear would never disappear."
"Even if God destroyed all evil, humans would return to their old selves a hundred years later."
"Even if you, me, and God stood together, human nature could never truly change."
He rushed forward once more.
"If you remain weak, you'll become just like that defeated king."
His eyes gleamed.
"But I want to become the victorious king."
"The king who always puts himself first."
Both of them charged simultaneously.
Clang!
Their swords collided violently.
Kondo barely managed to hold his ground.
Seeing this, the white-eyed Kondo grinned.
"So, you've still got some strength left."
He pushed harder, forcing Kondo backward.
"Then tell me—whose side are you on?"
"The good?"
"The bad?"
"But good isn't always good, and evil isn't always evil."
"Both sides have their own reasons."
His smile widened.
"But in the end, only the winner is remembered."
"The victor alone writes history."
Their swords continued clashing relentlessly.
Although Kondo was struggling, little by little, he began pushing back.
For the first time—
They were evenly matched.
Seeing this, the white-eyed Kondo smirked.
Black lightning suddenly crackled across his sword.
Kondo failed to notice.
That was his mistake.
By the time Kondo realized something was wrong—
It was already too late.
The white-eyed Kondo swung his sword horizontally with all his might.
BOOM!
A crescent-shaped slash made of black lightning erupted from the blade and tore through the air.
The attack struck Kondo directly.
CRASH!
His body was blasted backward, smashing through multiple walls as he plummeted downward.