Hearing this "Edolas Marco's" words, Marco twitched his mouth. Wasn't this basically giving no useful information at all?
'It couldn't also be because of my appearance, could it?'
Marco complained inwardly while gesturing with a hooked finger, signaling the "Edolas Marco" to hand over the "Star Stone" for his personal examination.
"..."
Clutching the "Star Stone" tightly, Edolas Marco struggled internally.
Clearly, he knew that once he surrendered the "Star Stone," it would be difficult to get it back.
"Whoosh."
After a moment of hesitation, Edolas Marco reluctantly threw out the "Star Stone."
After all, if he didn't hand it over, he would die immediately. It was better to try to meet the other's demands first.
Humans are like this—the instinct to survive is incredibly strong.
To overcome this instinct, one must possess great conviction, ambition, or righteousness.
But obviously, these are not traits ordinary people have, and Edolas Marco clearly lacked them.
Thus, even though he knew his chances of survival were slim, he still yielded, abandoning everything he could in the hope that Marco would spare his life.
"Snap."
Marco caught the "Star Stone" and examined it carefully.
However, before he could study it further, the [Saint System] suddenly popped up and directly absorbed the "Star Stone."
[Ding! Obtained special item Star Stone!]
[Star Stone: A special item that can activate disabled system functions. (There are two Star Stones in total.)]
[Currently able to unlock the "Shop Function." Unlock now?]
Looking at the system prompt, Marco was stunned.
This was an unexpected turn of events—the "Star Stone" was actually used to unlock functions?
Although Marco had guessed that the "Star Stone" might be related to him in some way, this final function was truly beyond his expectations.
Moreover, there were actually two "Star Stones" in total.
Did that mean he had one too?
But he had never seen it before, and in the "Earth Land" world, he had never heard of anyone encountering such a thing.
"Is there a second one?"
Marco didn't rush to unlock the [Shop Function]. Instead, he looked at the "Edolas Marco" before him and asked seriously.
"No, at least I've never heard of one."
Edolas Marco shook his head firmly.
If there really was another "Star Stone" out there, the person who possessed it would definitely not be unknown.
"Great." Marco grinned.
This was really not good news!
To be honest, Marco believed what this "Edolas Marco" said.
At the brink of life and death, this guy wouldn't hold back a second "Star Stone" if he had one. If he did, he would have already used it earlier.
'Could it be... there are other worlds out there?'
Looking at the (two pieces) prompt, Marco considered this possibility.
If a "Star Stone" existed in "Earth Land" as well, it should have already gained worldwide fame, just like the situation in "Edolas."
But the reality was that it hadn't.
In "Earth Land," only Marco used this kind of power.
'This is really complicated. Just how many different worlds are there?' Marco sighed inwardly.
It seemed he wouldn't have to think about the other piece for a while, as he hadn't even heard of another world.
Unlike "Edolas," the other world was clearly well-hidden, and Marco hadn't caught a single hint of it.
Seeing Marco remain silent for a while, Edolas Marco, sitting on the ground, felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
Death itself wasn't terrifying—what was terrifying was waiting for death. Edolas Marco was now enduring this torment, yet he still clung to that faint hope of survival.
"Oh, I forgot about you."
Marco snapped back to reality, noticing the distress of the figure sitting on the ground. He casually remarked, then raised a finger.
"Buzz!"
"BOOM!"
A Scarlet Needle shot out, instantly blasting this "Edolas Marco" into fragments.
Without the enhancement of magic power or magical artifacts, this "Magic Killer," who had once dominated the world of "Edolas" and earned a fearsome reputation, was nothing more than a mere mortal.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!!!"
However, after Edolas Marco was blown apart, his scattered remains all transformed into a mass of magical energy, absorbed by the [Saint System], leaving not a single trace of his existence behind.
[Ding! Mission "Gemini Twins" completed!]
Mission Progress: Defeat "Dark Side" Marco (Completed)
[Claim mission reward?]
The system popped up a notification, prompting Marco to claim his reward.
"..."
Marco didn't move, because a series of images suddenly flooded his mind—scenes from another person's life.
These images played out like a movie on fast-forward.
In Marco's mind, the scenes flashed by rapidly, giving him a rough understanding of the life of this "Magic Killer" named Edolas Marco.
Truth be told, it was rather unremarkable.
First, he was picked up by a lonely old man and raised under harsh living conditions.
Then, at just ten years old, his adoptive father died, and he began wandering.
He activated the "Star Stone," and from then on, his life spiraled out of control. He joined the Magic War Corps and became the "Magic Killer."
It could be said that after activating the "Star Stone," his life shot straight into the fast lane of an action-packed story.
"Too bad you weren't the protagonist of this life's drama."
After watching these images, Marco simply shook his head and tossed these "stories" into a corner of his memory.
Marco didn't care much about the story of this "Edolas Marco."
If anything, the slight enhancement he gained after the system absorbed this guy was more noteworthy.
As for what exactly was enhanced, Marco couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it seemed to be on a spiritual level—a rather mystical sensation, as if his mental resilience had grown stronger, making him less prone to breakdowns or severe mental shocks.
In any case, some improvement was better than none, and Marco accepted it gladly, though he didn't understand the principle behind it.
Could it be that this guy was originally a part of him?
"Claim reward."
Marco didn't dwell on it further and directly chose to claim the mission reward.
This was the "Gemini Gold Cloth"—another "Gold-level" Cloth that would significantly boost his power.
Just like the last time, a powerful magical aura overflowed, dazzling golden light shimmered, and the special effects of the Gold Cloth were fully displayed.
The overflowing magic formed a terrifying shockwave that directly destroyed everything in the vicinity, but in the end, it was all blocked by the "Crystal Wall," though the luxurious residence was completely reduced to ruins.
Substantial magic shot up into the sky like a towering pillar, stirring the stars above.
The stars appeared, radiating light and flickering continuously, even if their brilliance was somewhat faint.
Everything that happened here naturally attracted a great deal of attention, and the entire royal capital was alarmed by this terrifying magical fluctuation.
Marco remained unmoved, quietly waiting as the starlight scattered across the sky.
The light of the stars gradually dimmed, growing fainter and fainter until only the figures of the two brothers flickered in the sky.
[Congratulations, the Gemini Gold Cloth has been unlocked!]
A system panel popped up with a message, accompanied by a flash of golden light, revealing the unique constellation symbol of Gemini.
The [Gemini Gold Cloth] entered Marco's System Space.
"Hiss~"
Marco took a deep, refreshing breath, once again feeling the immense Star Magic permeating his body.
The sensation of every limb, bone, and cell being cleansed, and the swirling, galaxy-like source of magic growing brighter, as if it were a true universe.
From this, it seemed that every time a [Gold Cloth] was unlocked, this would happen—it wasn't just the first time.
Marco sensed that his magic capacity, magic recovery speed, and physical strength had all significantly improved, with effects no less impressive than the last time.
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