Chapter 130: Odd Guy(1)

"Liam, come here."

Luke motioned Liam to approach him and take a seat in the open chair in front of him. Liam then took a step forward and sat on the seat Luke had offered him without asking any questions. Liam then gulped and glanced forward.

Luke has a serious expression on his face as he looks at him. It's already dark outside, and the moon shines brightly through Luke's window. For some reason, his serious expression and relaxed attitude in his chair with the moonlight shining behind him made him appear intimidating to Liam.

Why is he feeling this way? Why does he feel... Nervous?

Liam gulped again, his fists clenching with nervousness. He then began to gather his bravery and stared directly into Luke's purple eyes. There was a long period of stillness during which no one dared to speak as they stared at one other. However, as Luke began speaking, the silence was quickly broken.

"Who are you, Liam?"

"Huh?"

Liam was puzzled by Luke's sudden odd question. Luke simply remained silent and observed Liam's actions. Nash isn't here since he told him to go to bed early with Snow so that no one would interfere with whatever Liam does if he ever turns into the insane man Luke just witnessed on his grave. Nash has become increasingly protective of him in recent days, and if he sees Liam turn into that insane state, Nash will kill him without hesitation, he knows it. He must deal with this on his own because he is the one who brought Liam along; he cannot allow others to intervene and be harmed.

Luke just glanced at Liam's still perplexed expression and began to think.

There was no mention of Liam turning insane and being fight-crazy in the novel. He's also not arrogant and constantly shows kindness to those he cares about. The Liam he knew is always there for his teammates and never speaks harshly to them, so...

Who is the Liam he saw on his gravestone?

A Liam who is foul-mouthed, bloodthirsty, and discourteous... Is that really Liam? Is this his secret identity, which isn't revealed in the novel? If so, why? Why has he only shown up now? What happened to him? Was that the cause of his death? Probably not, because even if someone died, it wouldn't be enough to cause someone to change drastically like that.

Luke frowned, he is thinking for a long time. Why? How? What is the most likely cause? What exactly is it? A visibly pleasant and caring individual and a nasty, irresponsible one... Those sound like two very different people...

'Wait, two-?'

Luke came to a halt in his thoughts. His thoughts had gone absolutely blank. This isn't what he's thinking, is it?

"B-brother Luke... What exactly are you talking about? I am Liam."

For a while, Luke stared silently at Liam. Luke then took a deep breath and spoke to Liam with utmost seriousness.

"Let me speak with him, Liam."

Liam blinked a couple of times. His brow wrinkled slightly, but he still smiled, even if he was confused. Luke may be fooling around because he isn't feeling well today.

"Brother, are you perhaps tired? We should chat again when you're feeling better-"

When Liam heard a voice in his head, he stopped talking and moving. It's a loud and arrogant voice.

• HAHAHA! Amazing!!! He already figured it out! What a fucking scary guy! HAHAHA!

Liam's eyes shook, and he became increasingly puzzled. Liam then reflexively covered his ears with his hands, sweating profusely as a result of his fear and bewilderment. Liam frowned and tried to cover his ears so he wouldn't hear the loud voice, but it was futile since he can still hear the voice very well, and it appears that the voice is laughing at his actions.

• Ha! Dumb brat! Even if you cover your damn ears, you won't be able to get rid of me! Now pay attention to what he says and give me a chance to speak with him!

"Wh-what...? Talk?"

Luke's expression became hard in response to Liam's actions and remarks. So he's correct... Inside one body, there are two people. Is it a second personality? Or is it something else bigger than that? Whatever the case may be, Luke has finally figured out what's up with Liam. Now it's time to talk to the other guy who has been living with them unknowingly rent-free.

"Liam, let me talk to him."

"W-what? How?"

When the voice inside his head became louder, Liam frowned hard and closed his eyes.

• Just let me use your dumb body! Relax yourself and let me take over!

Liam opened his eyes and looked at Luke with confusion and nervousness. He appears to be pleading to Luke for assistance. Luke merely sighed and looked at him.

"All you have to do now is close your eyes and relax. I'll be alright; let me talk to him first so I can figure out what's wrong with you."

Liam took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He then calmed down all of his nerves and normalized his breathing. Luke just looked at this with slight nervousness. Luke sat in his chair, his fist clenched, waiting for the other guy to appear.

Liam eventually opened his eyes after a long period of waiting. But he's no longer the Liam Luke and everyone knew...

"Ha! Finally! The brat took a while to get a hang of switching with me! What a fucking relief to breath actual fresh air!"

Liam then smirked playfully and sat down, laying his feet on the table and resting his hands on the back of his head. Liam began to act as if he owned the place, which irritated Luke. Luke grumbled as he stared at the shoe on the table. Liam scoffed when he saw this reaction.

"Ha! Look at you, you wanted to talk to me, but now you're disgusted with me?"

Luke fell silent and locked his gaze on Liam.

"If I were you, I'd be careful with my tone; after all, this isn't your place."

Liam smirked and stared down at Luke as if he was judging him.

"Oh? What's this? You're telling me what to do now?"

"You damn disrespectful bug, sit down properly."

Luke then activated his [Phoenix Aura] and directed it all at Liam, causing him to scowl in irritation. Liam then clicked his tongue and sat his feet on the ground. He then smirked at Luke like a madman while maintaining eye contact.

"Let me tell you something, you blasted brat. Your phony intimidation power isn't going to work on me. Now stop using that ability on me, it's too flashy that it is blinding my eyes. Also, watch your mouth. I am not a softie like this kid; I can kill you at one slice."

Luke frowned. The 'kid' that he's referring to must be Liam. Luke sighed and turned off his aura. He then looked at Liam straight in the eyes making Liam smile playfully.

"Tch, you really got her stubbornness. It irritates me that you act so much like her."

Luke's eyes twitched a little. What did he just say? Her? Who is the person he's talking about?

"Who are you talking about?"

"You didn't even know about her? Just how the hell did you grow up? Anyway, let's talk about something else; I am not in the mood to talk about her."

Liam's rude acts caused Luke's eyes to squint. He had a strong desire to punch this man, but he was able to restrain himself.

"All right, first and foremost, who are you?"

Liam grinned as he stared at Luke.

"My name is Liam Arantza, and I am a legendary swordmaster from ancient times."

Before speaking, Luke blinked a few times.

"Your name Liam as well?"

"What's wrong with that you brat?"

"...Anyway, you claimed to be a legendary swordmaster from ancient times. Did you grow up to be a nobleman or something?"

"Stupid, a noble swordmaster won't become famous until he does anything beneficial to society and that goes with commoners too. And I am not a noble, that's disgusting. I am a personal knight of one of Reece's ancient kings."

As he struggled to understand what this ancient dude just said to him, Luke's brow furrowed and his mind went blank.

"Alright... So... an ancient king's personal knight... Is currently inhabiting a 21-year-old man's body... May I ask as to why you came here and how you got there?"

Liam sighed as he sat back in his chair.

"I am one of the people who fought in the great ancient war. We took a lot of damage, and everything became a shambles. Like bubbles, everyone died so quickly."

Luke's expression became serious.

"Great ancient war? Can I ask the reason behind that?"

"It's a long story, and I'm too lazy to tell you everything. But basically, everyone died and I am the last one standing. Since the main enemy is still alive, I felt angry at the fact that we all died but that fucker still lives so I made a deal with the God of Darkness."

Luke blinked a couple of times more and ran his palms across his face. This man is currently telling a significant historical event, but he is unable to explain it all, not because he cannot remember the details, but because he is lazy... And he said that with a look on his face that suggests he doesn't give a damn.

'He's kind of like me...'

Luke rubbed his temples and frowned. He then let out a sigh.

"What happens next? How did things go after you struck a pact with the God of Darkness?"

For a while, Liam remained silent before scratching his head. He appears to be recalling a negative memory and appears irritated.

"The deal is that I will reincarnate in the timeline that the God of Darkness chooses and in return, my memory will still be intact. But there's a prize for that..."

Liam groaned and pointed disgustedly at himself.

"I have no choice but to stick with this kid. This kid is my half, but with a different and weird-ass personality. I have to stick with this kid to continue existing."