"I found it! Finally, I found it! This is my Clear Plate!!"
His uniform was in tatters, his body was caked in filth, and a faint, foul odor clung to him. Yet, as he ransacked the deserted garbage dump, Cyan let out a triumphant shriek and thrust his arms toward the heavens.
Clutched in his hand was the Clear Plate he had been searching for. His face twisted into an expression of ecstatic bliss as he stared at the object.
"With this power, I won't lose to anyone! I've become the strongest man alive!!"
Firmly believing in his impending victory and glory, Cyan was certain he could finally escape this pathetic existence. First, he would crush Yugo and the others who had humiliated him. Then, he would make a triumphant return to the academy... Or so he planned, until a quiet voice echoed through the disposal site that should have been empty.
"Ah, so you finally found it. Well, it was within the scope of my expectations."
"!? !?"
Startled by the voice, Cyan spun around. He caught his breath at the sight of a man he had never seen before. The stranger watched him with a pretentious, sophisticated air. Cyan narrowed his eyes, bracing himself.
"Wh-who the hell are you? Where did you come from!?"
"I am Conductor Abyss. I have quite a bit on my plate, but I thought I would stop by for a little warm-up exercise... I came to see you, Cyan-kun."
Cyan's eyes widened. This man knew his name. He sharpened his guard, certain that Abyss was no ordinary person. However, he also possessed absolute confidence in the Clear Plate he held. Cyan laughed off his unease.
"Ha! A warm-up? Perfect. I was looking for the same thing! This is perfect timing—a tutorial battle for my new power, isn't it? Fine then. I'll use the power of the Clear Plate to crush you without mercy!!"
"Fufu... then show me. Show me this 'power' you've obtained!!"
Abyss’s smug expression didn’t falter as he generated a red light bullet at the tip of his finger. The moment Cyan saw him fire the projectile, he plunged the Clear Plate into his own chest.
An explosion roared through the dump as the light bullet struck Cyan head-on. Smoke billowed out, carrying a destructive force that belied the small size of the bullet. Amidst the haze, Cyan emerged, having transformed into a Magic Armor Beast.
"Hahaha! I did it! I’m the strongest! No, I've become invincible!!"
He stood clad in a suit of armor that radiated a brilliant golden light. At a glance, he looked like a classic hero, but his appearance screamed of his own heroic delusions and desperate need for attention.
Abyss narrowed his eyes, noticing that Cyan didn't have a single scratch on him despite taking the blast point-blank. Cyan roared out an explanation of his new ability.
"Did you see that!? This is the power of the Clear Plate I found... [Invincible]! Your attacks can't touch me!"
[Invincible]—exactly as the name implied. The Clear Plate [I] had granted him the ultimate power he had envisioned. No matter who attacked or what they used, they could never harm the invincible Cyan. If he couldn't take damage, he was the strongest. No one could ever defeat him.
"I'm invincible! I'm the strongest! No one can stop me! I am the greatest man in this world!!"
His boastful shouts rang out across the garbage dump. Convinced of his new status as the world's most powerful being, he began to laugh maniacally. However, he suddenly fell silent when he heard a low, mocking laugh coming from right beside him—a sound that was the polar opposite of his own frantic cheering.
"Heh... fufu... hahahahahaha!! Hee-hee-hee-hee!!"
"Wh-what's so funny? Have you lost your mind!?"
Abyss, who had previously carried himself with the air of a refined gentleman, was now laughing like a lunatic. Fear pricked at Cyan’s skin. He took a step back. He wondered if the man’s mind had snapped after realizing he stood no chance against such an overwhelming ability. Yet, at the same time, Cyan felt an inexplicable, skin-crawling dread emanating from Abyss.
Cyan tried to bolster his courage, telling himself an invincible man had nothing to fear, but Abyss spoke through his mocking laughter.
"Magnificent! You haven't matured one bit! And you haven't strayed a single millimeter from my predictions! Everything is moving exactly according to my script! I have never seen such a perfect clown in my life!!"
"Wh-what did you say!?"
Cyan gasped, stunned by the man's ridicule. But he still didn't realize the truth. The very reason he had been searching for the Clear Plate [I] with such bloodshot eyes was that this man had programmed that obsession into him from the start.
Cyan had no way of knowing that Abyss was the one who had implanted him with false knowledge and memories of Clear Plates—items that shouldn't even exist in the original Luminous History. Abyss was the one who had created the plates themselves.
Cyan believed he was acting of his own free will, using his "game knowledge" to conquer this world. In reality, he was dancing exactly as his puppet master intended. As Abyss said, Cyan was nothing more than a perfect, pathetic clown.
"Now then, I suppose I should use a Clear Plate as well. Be honored. You will be the first to witness this power!!"
Abyss smirked as he pulled a plate of his own from his pocket. Cyan’s spine tingled with a sense of impending doom as he saw the zigzagging letter engraved on it. Before his very eyes, Abyss plunged the plate into his own body—!