What the hell is going on right now!? I know this light, it's not-God's dimension……but then……does that mean I'm dead? How!?

  "No, you are not dead."

  "Not-God? Hey, what the fuck is this about!?"

  "Yes, I shall explain. To put it simply, I am, for the first and last time, directly interfering in the living world."

  "I don't get it, what does that have to do with me!?"

  I couldn't say why exactly, but I was getting a really bad feeling……

  "I am getting to that. I have, for a while now, considered how to punish those that have broken the taboos I set for this world with such blatant disregard. And I surmised that would be impossible without directly interfering in the living world. Once I had realized that, I decided that if I am going to break my own rule about interference, then I may as well do so properly. The first taboo that was broken, the unnatural creation of life, has already been punished. And now……I need to punish the breaking of the second taboo, the revealing of my existence."

  Wait, hold on……

  "But that would involve the majority of the people in this world, do you plan to punish them all!?"

  I don't like this……a sense of dread was building up inside me, I felt like I could panic at any given second right now……something isn't right……

  "Of course not, such a thing would require more divinity than I possess. No, I will simply erase all memories relating to reincarnation and myself, including from the Reincarnators……they will still remember that they were reincarnated, but they will not remember how. I shall also place an inceptive suggestion in their subconscious that will prevent them from mentioning their past worlds. As for all the inventions resulting from Reincarnators' suggestions, such as the Call spell you suggested, I shall change all relating memories so that they were simply genius ideas, not otherworldly ideas, literally. Of course, while all Reincarnators will be aware that they themselves have reincarnated into this world, they will forget that there are other Reincarnators besides themselves."

  "……why are you telling me all this instead of just erasing my and everyone else's memories? Why am I here right now?"

  "Actually, your memories are the only one that I cannot do anything to……your power has ascended to the point where you might even be considered a lesser pseudo-divine being. But……that is not the main reason why you are here, in fact, it is not even a factor."

  'Lesser' AND 'pseudo', huh? But that was the least of my concerns right now……

  "Get to the point already……why am I here?"

  "Because it is not enough for me to simply undo the effects of the revelation of my existence by manipulating everyone's memories……no, someone must face the consequences for the breaking of the taboo. Tirayze Valaque would have been the first person that I would have considered, but he is dead……and so is Arturo Lagusa, who is equally responsible. With those two dead, the next person who had the most influence in spreading the word about my existence……is you, Kuro Black."

  My bad feeling was getting worse……

  "But I only did that because The Valaque Empire had an advantage over the rest of us by openly discussing the subject of reincarnation!"

  "That does not matter to me. The reason does not change the fact that without you, it would have been unlikely that the details of reincarnation would have spread throughout all the nations, excluding The Valaque Empire. I had already been considering how to deal with this at that point, and had you not meddled, I would have likely been having this conversation with Tirayze Valaque right now. You believed that I could not do anything to you since I told you that I cannot interfere in the living world, therefore you did not hesitate to go against my wishes……but that was not quite accurate, it is not that I cannot interfere in the living world, just that I chose not to."

  "Yeah, I can't deny that……but if I hadn't done anything, The Empire could have destroyed the world, how was I supposed to know that you were thinking about punishing them, huh?"

  "That is none of my concern, I am neutral in the happenings of the living world……either peace or war, it does not matter to me, that is for the living to deal with. The Empire's plan to turn the world chaotic to 'get back at me' was never going to bother me in the slightest. All that concerns me is when the taboos I set for the world are broken. And it does not matter who broke them, regardless of whether they are mortals or divine beings, it is unforgivable. And for this particular taboo……you are the one I have chosen to bear the consequences."

  This can't be real……come on, you've gotta be kidding me……

  "How is that even fair, you can't just-!?"

  "Oh, but I can. Do not bother arguing, I will not change my decision……save your energy and accept it. As powerful as you are, you do not have the means to resist me, you only tower over physical beings, after all."

  Yeah, he's right……I can't even touch him, resisting would be a waste of effort. I need to calm down, losing my cool isn't going to help me in any way whatsoever.

  "You've got me there, I'm powerless to stop you……so, what exactly is my 'punishment', anyway?"

  "Do not worry, it will not be something completely unreasonable……in fact, it will give you a fighting chance. First, I shall create him……"

  Create whom? As I wondered that, something began forming ahead of me, materializing in a matter of seconds. Huh? What the……is that……me? It looked a lot like me, but had white hair and wore a white version of my outfit……

  "This is a copy of your body with an artificial soul that I created using Divine Magic……it will take your place. As for the opposite color scheme, that is simply to avoid confusion."

  Huh? No, that can't be……

  "Hm? Oh, is that my original?" Inquired the copy, opening his eyes and staring at me with a smirk, "So much black……how horrifyingly dull. I guess I should introduce myself……call me Shiro. Hm, as for my last name……White is too blatant and bland……oh, I know! How about Shiro Blanc, as in white in French? What do you think, Original?"

  His hair and outfit may be the total opposite color of mine, and his eyes were yellow instead of blue, but his voice was the same as mine……so were his mannerisms and speech patterns……it was unsettling.

  "What do you mean, he'll take my place?" I inquired to not-God, ignoring the clone.

  "Exactly that. Everyone who knows you, I will replace all their memories of you with memories of him, and when I return you to the living world shortly, you will be outside the walls of the Rustlands, while he will be in your apartment, right where you were just moments earlier."

  No, stop this……the sense of dread and panic inside me were growing faster and faster, I don't want this……

  "You're looking kinda pale there, Original. What's the matter?" Taunted the copy with a laugh.

  "As I said, you will have a fighting chance. The two of you cannot exist in the same world for long, therefore……one of you will have to die before the end of the year, which is less than six months from now. If Shiro dies, then all memories of you will be restored and everyone will be made aware that Shiro was an imposter, you will then be able to return to your life as it is. But if you die, Kuro……then you will cease to exist. Your soul will be absorbed by Shiro's artificial soul, making it a real one and solidifying his existence in not just this world, but for reincarnation upon death……while you will simply fade into nothingness, all traces of your existence gone."

  "Hey, not-God, what happens if neither of us die?" Inquired the copy curiously.

  "Ah, yes. In that event, the both of you will cease to exist. Nothing more, nothing less……one of you must be dead before midnight on the 1st of January, 1676, in order for the other to survive. I realize that you are at a huge disadvantage in this situation, Kuro, therefore……I will allow you to impose a minor handicap on Shiro, anything is fine so long as it does not give you too big an advantage. For instance, you cannot impose a handicap that would prevent him from using Vampire Mode, but you may impose one that would prevent him from using Karma Mode or certain weapons."

  "Seriously? That's not cool, I don't want a restriction like that! Heh, well, whatever……go easy on me, Original!"

  My mind was racing, a mix of negative emotions swirling inside me, I felt like I was being crushed on the inside, my vision narrowing and darkening as my breathing grew ragged……calm down……I need to calm down……I'm not getting out of this, it's inevitable……so I need to calm down and think carefully, or I'll regret it later. I bit down on my lower lip, before taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.

  "Answer me this first……this copy, just how much like me is he?" I inquired in a blank tone, calming myself down a bit.

  "Hm, perhaps you should be the one to answer that, Shiro."

  "Sure, I'm cool with that. I have all your memories and abilities, except for the Vampire King's consciousness, though I do have his Cross. Hm, as for personality……man, you sure have become soft, it's kinda sickening and cringy to see the way you've changed from how you were before, you were so cold-hearted and cool before. That's just my opinion though."

  I don't think I like his mentality……

  "Anyway, I'll tell you this much, Original……I don't care what I have to do, so long as I can gain a real existence, I'll do anything to kill you. Obviously, I'll have to be cautious at the start and act like you to avoid drawing suspicion, since you'll almost definitely be trying to convince your friends that I'm an imposter if you get the chance……yeah, I'll have to be careful to start off. Heh, but the longer it takes for you to kill me, the more reckless I'll probably get. Ooh, the first thing I'll do when we're back in the living world is bang your catgirl girlfriend! Hey, if I killed some of your friends, would you lose the will to live or would you go totally berserk?"

  This is bad, I don't like the way he thinks, because it's the way I used to think……he's dangerous……but now I know exactly what handicap I need to impose on him.

  "Here's your handicap, Imposter……don't you dare touch my friends. Either directly or indirectly, never take any action that would cause them even minor harm, in fact, if they ever are in any danger, you'll risk your life to protect them, just like I would. And don't you even think about touching Persia, not even so much as a single hair on her head, you got that? That's the handicap."

  "Aw, but that's no fun, I had so many great hostage situations planned out, and talk about a cock block, I can't believe you want to deprive me of catgirl sex! Well, not-God, is there any chance that handicap gives him too much of an advantage?"

  This bastard……he's like an amalgamation of all the darkest aspects of my being……

  "No, I will allow it. However, it will only apply to Persia Gerit, Rai Rumel, Key Angor and Azyl Roake, he will refrain from knowingly doing them harm, either directly or indirectly. However, I must refuse your request for him to protect them……if you get truly desperate, you could attack one of your friends, forcing him to protect them……it is a low possibility that you would do that, but it is not impossible. And as you further requested, he will not be able to touch Persia Gerit with sexual intentions, even if she herself instigates it, he will have to resist. If he violates the rules of this handicap, he will immediately cease to exist."

  "Aw, man, for real? Well, fine……I guess I can put up with that. After all, this handicap is only in effect till the end of the year right? If I kill him, then I won't have to worry about it anymore. Once my soul is real, I'll kill everyone you know, imagine the looks on their faces when someone they've trusted for so long brutally murders the fuck out of them!"

  This guy, he's really bad news……I'll have to kill him quickly……but taking everything into consideration, that was going to be easier said than done. He was just as strong as me, and he was in a much better position than I was, the handicap wouldn't slow him down much, if at all……

  "Ah, there is one more rule, this goes without saying, but I will say it anyway……if either of you mention the subjects of reincarnation, other worlds or my existence……you will cease to exist instantly. Now, then, I believe we are done here. I must start the process of adjusting the memories of everyone now. I shall now return you both to the living world."

  "Cool, I'm looking forward to it! Hey, Original……or I guess, I should call you Kuro when we meet in the real world……no, wait, I shouldn't call you that, I mean……why would an imposter have a name, am I right? After all, as far as everyone you love and care about are concerned……you'll be the imposter, not me! Well, anyway……see ya soon, I can't wait to kill you!"

  I gritted my teeth in silence and rage as the endless white around me grew brighter and brighter, until I was forced to blink……and as I opened my eyes, I found myself a couple hundred meters outside the west side of the wall surrounding the Rustlands……the same place I'd first appeared in when I initially reincarnated in this world.

  Damn it……damn it, damn it, damn it! What the hell!? How did this happen, this isn't-!

  "Calm down, Kuro. I just saw what happened through your memories. I was restrained while you were in that other dimension, I attempted to address you but I could not, even your memories were not accessible to me. I know this is quite a shock, but you must keep your composure. It will only be detrimental if you are unable to remain rational and calm," Lazarus remarked, snapping me out of it.

  "Yeah, I know……I already know all that……but thanks for saying it, I needed to hear it."

  "Well, if you die, I will die too, so it is in my best interest to help you as much as I can."

  "Heh, I appreciate your bluntness, former Vampire King," I replied with a slight laugh, before adding with a determined growl, gritting my teeth, "I won't let this be the end of me, mark my words……you hear me, not-God!? I'll play along with this game of yours for now, and I'll survive! But I won't stop there though, once I kill Shiro, you're next! I'll show you what happens when you fuck with me. I may not know how yet, but I'll find a way, I swear……I'll eradicate all traces of your existence someday……you can count on it."

  _____________________________________________

  Author's Note: Now begins The Imposter Arc, which I'm planning to be the most emotionally devastating arc of the story yet, so strap in for the ride! I'll likely upload a maximum of 3 more chapters for this month, but during April, I'll be publishing chapters on the daily, so look forward to that!

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

  Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.