The World Is Mine For The Taking

Leon’s POV

I watched the message that that bastard had broadcast across the entire world, and honestly, it felt like I had just witnessed someone publicly lose whatever common sense they had left. The whole thing made him look like he was going through some kind of midlife crisis because, seriously, what the fuck had he just declared for the entire world to hear?

The way he talked almost made it sound like he was inviting someone to beat the living shit out of him without caring about the consequences. Then again, I guessed that was only the natural conclusion to everything that had been building up until now. That man had been planning something like this from the very beginning, and it finally looked like he had decided to stop pretending otherwise and show everyone exactly what he wanted.

After hearing the declaration from that man, Zoey, who also happened to be his daughter, looked visibly conflicted, and the hesitation on her face was impossible to miss.

Even though Zoey didn’t seem to have any sort of healthy relationship with him, he was still her father at the end of the day. Right now, she had chosen to stand on my side, which meant she was technically opposing her own father. Thinking about it a little more carefully, though, the better way to describe the situation was that she was standing against the entire world she had originally come from, and that wasn’t exactly an easy position for anyone to be in.

Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by any of this whatsoever. If anything, she looked like someone who had simply heard a piece of mildly interesting news before moving on with her day. Meanwhile, Zes appeared to be in a situation much closer to Zoey’s. She had once served as a lieutenant in that world, so naturally she still had subordinates, comrades, and acquaintances living there. People she had worked alongside for years would most likely end up standing on the opposite side of the battlefield once the fighting finally began.

"My father has always been like this," Zoey said quietly. "Once he decides that he wants something, he’ll keep moving forward until he gets it. That’s something he’s been telling me ever since I was a child."

"It sounds like your father’s a bit of a pain in the ass," I replied.

She let out a quiet laugh after hearing that, and for just a brief moment, the heavy atmosphere around her became a little lighter. Unfortunately, that smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, and the sadness behind it became obvious again.

"Well..." she began softly, "even though I call him my father, he never really did anything that I’d honestly describe as fatherly. Even so, I still tried my hardest to help him however I could. I spent so much of my time researching other worlds and gathering all kinds of information for him because I wanted him to accomplish what he was aiming for. But..." She lowered her gaze for a few seconds before continuing. "I guess none of the effort I put into all of that really meant anything in the end."

She sounded bitter.

Calling it simple bitterness honestly didn’t feel accurate enough anymore after hearing her speak like that.

The disappointment in her voice had obviously been building up for years, and now it sounded like all of it had finally come spilling out at once. It wasn’t just resentment anymore. It sounded like someone who had spent her whole life hoping for approval that was never going to come, which honestly made the whole thing feel even more depressing.

"But... you’re conflicted, aren’t you?" I asked after giving her a moment to collect herself.

She slowly nodded without trying to hide it.

"I am," she admitted honestly. "I want all of this to come to an end, and of course I want my father to lose. He has absolutely no reason to do something like this. He’s trying to enslave this entire world simply because it’ll benefit him personally. I hate the thought of him treating the people here like nothing more than tools he can use to become even stronger."

She paused again before quietly letting out a long sigh.

"But... even after saying all of that, he’s still my father. As his daughter, a part of me still feels like I should be following his wishes. That’s how I was raised, and it’s not easy to simply throw all of those feelings away."

I understood exactly where she was coming from.

A parent could be the worst person imaginable, yet they were still the person who raised you, and that kind of connection wasn’t something you could erase overnight just because you wanted to.

Sometimes people instinctively looked the other way when someone they loved did something completely fucked up, even while knowing deep down that what they had done was absolutely wrong. Feelings didn’t always follow logic, and family was probably one of the biggest examples of that.

"You don’t have to root for him," I told her calmly while looking directly into her eyes. "And you don’t have to root for this world either."

She slowly lifted her head and looked back at me with a confused expression.

"You don’t have to choose a side simply because everyone else expects you to," I continued. "You don’t have to decide who deserves to win or who deserves to lose just because a war is about to happen."

I gave her a small smile that I hoped would ease at least some of the weight she was carrying.

"You don’t have to root for anyone, and that’s perfectly okay."

I spoke firmly because I genuinely believed every single word I had just said.

Sometimes refusing to pick a side was the healthiest decision someone could make, especially when both sides held people they genuinely cared about.

She had already met countless people in this world and built real friendships with them over time. People she laughed with. People she trusted. People who had accepted her despite where she came from. Expecting her to cheer while her father killed them would have been completely unreasonable.

At the same time, the world she originally came from still held people who had been part of her life for years. Friends. Former comrades. Subordinates she had worked alongside. People who had shared victories and failures with her long before she ever met us.

Those people would soon become enemies on the battlefield, and that alone was painful enough without forcing her to choose between them.

Given everything she was carrying on her shoulders, asking her to wholeheartedly support either side would have been unfair from the very beginning.

Right now, the best thing she could do wasn’t deciding who deserved victory.

Instead, what she really needed was the freedom to stop worrying about who would ultimately win or lose, because carrying that burden alone would already be more than enough for anyone.

"...Okay." she replied with a smile.