The World Is Mine For The Taking

We followed him without saying much, since there wasn't really any reason for us to remain behind after he had returned.

Even though Leon really did have some sort of resemblance to Tsubasa, there were also plenty of moments when I couldn't help feeling that he simply wasn't the same person.

I hadn't expected Tsubasa to become someone like this, although I suppose people could change dramatically when they were constantly thrown into situations that forced them to adapt and become different from the person they used to be.

Still, the difference sometimes felt far too significant for me to simply ignore, especially when I compared the person I remembered with the man who was now standing in front of us.

It was possible that Leon wasn't Tsubasa at all.

Looking back on everything, there actually wasn't much solid evidence that connected Leon to Tsubasa beyond the strange similarities that Kaori and I had noticed between them.

Most of our suspicion had been based on instinct, little details, and those strange moments when Leon reminded us of someone we already knew.

Perhaps we had simply been putting too much meaning into those similarities without realizing it, especially because we wanted some kind of explanation for why he seemed so familiar.

We continued walking until we eventually reached what appeared to be the end of a hallway, with the passage becoming noticeably quieter as we approached the wall ahead of us.

Leon stopped beside the wall and pressed something that had been hidden along its side, apparently knowing exactly where the mechanism was despite there being almost nothing visible from where we stood.

A moment later, the wall literally opened.

A platform slowly emerged from inside the wall, revealing a strange mechanism that looked completely out of place compared to the ordinary hallway we had been walking through.

"An elevator?" I muttered while staring at the platform in disbelief.

"Come in, and don't ask so many questions," Leon said without even looking back at me, apparently having already grown tired of my curiosity.

"So cold..." I muttered again, making sure my voice was quiet enough that I hoped he wouldn't hear me this time.

For some reason, this guy was incredibly cold, and the longer I spent around him, the more I started wondering whether he really was Tsubasa-kun after all.

Tsubasa-kun could certainly be cold sometimes, but even then, I didn't remember him being quite this distant, blunt, or seemingly uninterested in explaining anything to other people.

We stepped onto the elevator platform together, with everyone making sure there was enough room before Leon pressed another button on the mechanism.

The platform began closing around us before the entire thing started moving downward, carrying us deeper into whatever enormous facility had been built underneath the area.

"It really does feel like an elevator," I muttered.

The platform underneath us continued moving downward for quite some time before eventually slowing down, making me wonder just how deep underground this place actually went.

After a short while, the mechanism finally opened again, revealing another hallway waiting for us.

"Just how big is this place?" I asked while looking around in amazement, because the sheer size of the facility was honestly becoming difficult to comprehend.

The entire place was enormous, and it felt almost unnatural that something this massive could even exist underneath what we had previously thought was ordinary ground.

I couldn't understand how someone could have constructed something this enormous, especially when Leon was supposedly only three years older than us.

The deeper we went, the stranger the entire facility became, and I honestly couldn't help wondering how much more of this place was hidden from our sight.

After walking for a while longer, we finally reached what appeared to be the training center, and the moment we arrived, I immediately understood why Leon had described it the way he did.

It was huge.

The training facility was enormous, with more than enough space for numerous people to practice simultaneously without constantly getting in one another's way.

Leon hadn't been exaggerating when he said this place was better than the training field inside the castle grounds, because the difference between the two places was honestly difficult to ignore.

Several people were already training throughout the area, practicing with weapons and abilities while moving around the enormous facility.

"Oh! Are those the heroes?" a woman suddenly asked while looking toward us, apparently noticing our group almost immediately after we entered the training center.

The woman had enormous, bulging muscles that immediately stood out even from a considerable distance, making her appearance surprisingly intimidating before she had even said anything else.

She was wearing what appeared to be a military uniform, and although most of her body was properly covered by it, the upper part of her uniform was left open enough for her cleavage to be clearly visible.

"Yes," Leon answered calmly. "I'm planning for you to be one of their sparring partners for now."

"Oh~?" The woman immediately seemed interested as she looked us over, apparently becoming much more curious after hearing that she would be fighting against us.

"Hehe! I'd like to have a piece of the heroes myself," she said with an enthusiastic grin. "I've heard that they're young but strong, so let's see whether you actually have what it takes."

"W-We are in your care," we replied, trying to remain respectful despite the slightly intimidating introduction.

"This is Zes," Leon explained. "She'll also be participating in the war. She's from another world, just like all of you, although it seems that her world and yours are different."

We were all stunned when we heard that, since none of us had expected to hear something like that so casually from him.

"So that means..." I started, still trying to properly process what Leon had just told us. "This world and our world aren't the only worlds that exist?"

"There are millions of planets in the universe," Morishita said calmly. "I suppose it was only natural that other worlds would exist as well."

"Morishita is right," Leon replied while looking toward us. "There are many worlds out there, not just yours, ours, and Zes's."

He looked toward Zes for a moment before continuing with his explanation, his expression remaining as calm as it had been throughout the entire conversation.

"And if one world discovers the existence of another, then those worlds will naturally have reasons to fight."

"Reasons to fight?" I asked while trying to understand where he was going with his explanation.

"For resources, for technology, for innovation, or simply because one side believes that taking something from another world would benefit their own," Leon explained without changing his tone.

His expression became slightly more serious as he continued speaking, making it clear that this wasn't merely some hypothetical situation he was discussing.

"Right now, some of the people we're fighting are from the same world Zes came from."

He looked toward Zes again before continuing with the explanation.

"Because of that, it would probably be better for all of you to receive a proper briefing from her as well. You should learn about their fighting styles, their methods, and the abilities they're likely to use."

Leon paused briefly before finishing what he wanted to tell us, giving us enough time to understand the importance of what he was saying.

"If you understand how they fight, you'll have a much better chance of understanding the enemies we'll be facing when the war finally begins."

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