"You... you... you..."
Staring at the familiar face of Marco standing before him, Edolas Marco's expression finally shifted to one of terror.
If he had initially thought this was someone using magical artifacts to disguise themselves as him, he no longer believed that now—because this guy could even channel Star Magic!
"Do you also have a Star Stone?! That's impossible!"
Edolas Marco slumped to the ground, his face filled with disbelief.
The "Star Stone" in his possession was the key reason his abilities were so exceptional and the foundation of his confidence to dominate the world.
While the entire world's magic was depleted, he could channel "Star Magic" for his use.
This "Star Magic" was far more refined than ordinary magic, naturally allowing him to prevail in every situation.
Edolas Marco firmly believed that no one else in this world possessed such an ability—at least, he had never encountered anyone like that.
"Where did you get this thing?"
Marco slowly stepped forward with curiosity in his eyes.
He was genuinely very curious.
His gaze fell on the "Star Stone" clutched in the hands of "Edolas Marco."
This small, prismatic crystal could actually channel the power of the stars—it was truly miraculous.
"This is my treasure! Don't even think about taking it!"
However, Marco's gaze and his question seemed to strike a nerve with "Edolas Marco."
The latter immediately burst into a furious rant, entering a state of high alert. In simple terms, he was practically hissing with rage.
"Ahhh!!!"
Edolas Marco gripped the "Star Stone," continuously urging it to respond
He refused to give up!
All along, the stars had obeyed his commands, supplying him with magic capable of eliminating so many Mages!
Yet, the facts proved that the "Star Stone" in his hands dared not "hiss" in Marco's presence.
The commands issued by the "Star Stone" couldn't cross the line set by Marco's will.
With just a single thought, Marco completely obliterated those commands. As a result, "Edolas Marco" naturally received no response from the stars.
"Impossible... impossible..."
Edolas Marco's eyes were vacant, unwilling to accept the truth.
"My treasure... my treasure..."
Staring at the "Star Stone" in his hand, Edolas Marco seemed to have lost his mind, muttering incessantly.
It appeared he had lost all will to fight and had simply given up resisting.
"I much preferred the face you had at the beginning."
Standing in front of "Edolas Marco," Marco spoke.
The current look of utter despair on this guy, paired with a face so similar to his own, made Marco feel quite uncomfortable.
"My treasure..."
"Edolas Marco" continued to repeat the words, as if he hadn't heard Marco's taunt.
But as Marco stepped closer, his expression suddenly turned vicious.
"DIEEEEE!!!"
With a ferocious glare, Edolas Marco grabbed a greatsword beside him and swung it at Marco, who had approached him.
The strike was powerful and heavy—clearly, this had been his plan all along. His earlier display of weakness was merely a ruse to lull Marco into lowering his guard.
"Whoosh!"
Marco's figure vanished, and the great sword swung through empty air, naturally hitting nothing.
This caused Edolas Marco's expression to darken.
But he didn't hesitate, immediately rising decisively to pick up the great sword and resume fighting.
The previous madness on his face had completely disappeared. No matter how shocked or distressed he felt, survival was now paramount.
He had never abandoned his will to live!
"Why bother? You know death is inevitable."
Marco sighed as his figure reappeared on a nearby sofa, sitting comfortably.
He gazed at the "Edolas Marco" holding the great sword, his eyes completely devoid of emotion.
Compared to before, this current version of "Edolas Marco" - desperately fighting for survival and putting up a last stand - was somewhat more pleasing to Marco's eyes.
Though their personalities might differ greatly, at least he wasn't making such an undignified spectacle of himself.
Edolas Marco remained silent.
Seeing Marco sitting on the sofa at a distance, he rushed towards the nearby window without hesitation and slammed into it.
He still had some wits about him, understanding that escaping this enclosed space was crucial.
"BOOM!"
However, though the window shattered, he was thrown back violently, landing hard on the floor in a most awkward manner."
"That's..."
Staring at the seemingly invisible yet very real "Crystal Wall," Edolas Marco's mind went completely blank.
"Could it be..."
Edolas Marco's gaze shifted to Marco, who remained calmly seated on the sofa.
The shock and fear in his eyes became tangible once again.
"Correct, everything's sealed."
Marco nodded, smiling as he gave the affirmative answer.
He knew exactly what this "Edolas Marco" wanted to ask.
"..."
Edolas Marco fell silent, then raised his hand and threw the great sword aside, this time tossing it much farther away.
"Click."
Simultaneously, the silver armor on his body vanished - he had directly exited combat mode, his entire body relaxing.
"Now can we have a proper conversation?"
Watching this series of actions from "Edolas Marco," Marco maintained his smiling, harmless appearance.
"Please ask anything you want."
Edolas Marco plopped down directly onto the floor, playing with the "Starstone" in his hand as he spoke obediently.
"The origin of this Starstone."
Marco posed his first question, still quite curious about the "Starstone" matter.
As for this "Edolas Marco" himself, Marco actually had little interest.
In his eyes, this guy was essentially a walking "Gemini Gold Cloth" that definitely needed to be eliminated.
Marco's decision to kill him wasn't just because this guy was wearing his face, but more because of all the things this person had done - deeds sufficient to solidify Marco's resolve to kill him.
Edolas Marco raised his head, seemingly lost in recollection.
Just when Marco thought he wouldn't get an answer, the guy suddenly spoke.
"I've had it since childhood. My father said when he found me, this Starstone was placed beside me."
Gazing at the "Starstone" in his hand, Edolas Marco let out a long sigh.
Why had he been so convinced that others couldn't possess such power?
Precisely because this was a special item he'd possessed since infancy.
After all these years, he had never seen anyone else possess it, nor even heard of it, so it was perfectly natural for him to develop such thoughts.
But he never expected to stumble today.
"Who exactly are you? And who am I?"
Staring at Marco, gazing at that face, Edolas Marco asked in bewilderment.
He truly couldn't make sense of any of this anymore.
Edolas Marco knew that if the appearance and abilities of the person before him were real, then there must be something wrong with his own origins.