Agony didn't even begin to cover it.
Before Yugo and the others—who stood choked with emotion at the sight of Adam, a man who had clearly witnessed the depths of hell—he began to recount the moment he first learned of the Reincarnation Game.
"The thirty-first game was almost identical in nature to the one currently underway. A world whose internal structures had been decimated by shortsighted Reincarnators was eventually wiped out by Masterminds who had amassed more than enough power to do so..."
"Weren't there any rules? A safety device or something?" someone asked. "Like, if the Reincarnators are wiped out, the game ends? Or maybe the people and places unrelated to the game get restored once it's over...?"
"...There was nothing. Not a single thing. No matter how utterly ruined the world becomes, the Gods don't even look back, let alone repair the damage caused by their amusement. That is exactly why this game must be brought to an end...!"
Adam had watched as human lives were snuffed out and their world was reduced to ash.
He had seen it all—even the twisted, malicious expressions of his fellow Gods as they laughed, treating the slaughter as if it were nothing more than a spectator sport.
"...There were those who screamed after their sons and wives were butchered. Countless lives were snuffed out in an instant before they could even process the horror. Many were driven to madness by the sheer tragedy of it all... It is wrong. It must be stopped. Witnessing the devastation of the world used as the Stage for the thirty-first game, I desperately sought to put an end to the Reincarnation Game, but..."
"And then you lost to the other Gods and were taken prisoner," Yugo finished for him.
The group, having heard the path Adam had walked, shared a collective reaction. They had reached a consensus to trust him, at least for the moment—until Eugene spoke up.
"Listen, Adam... there’s something I need to ask you."
"...It’s about your son, Yugo, isn’t it?"
The moment Yugo's name left Adam's lips, Eugene’s eyes flew wide. He lunged across the bed, seizing Adam and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Yes! And you’re going to tell me everything! Don't you dare try to hide a single thing!"
"F-Father! Please, calm down!" Fee cried. "Adam is still weak! You can't be so violent—!"
"Be quiet, Fee!"
"It's all right, Fee... As Yugo’s father, he has every right to ask," Adam said softly.
Eugene continued to clutch Adam's collar, his voice a roar as he turned on the boy trying to restrain him. Adam, sensing the raw pain behind the man’s rage, allowed the fury to wash over him, his own face twisted with guilt.
"...Maybe it’s not my place to say anything, given I didn’t even realize my own child had been replaced by a stranger. But... but... that boy, Yugo... he was my son...!"
Perhaps some shred of naive hope had remained buried within him. He had wanted to believe that his son had truly reformed, that being disowned had finally turned him into a decent man.
Even though the change had been so dramatic it was as if he were literally a different person... Eugene had never imagined that the son standing before him was actually someone else entirely. In truth, it was a supernatural phenomenon far beyond anyone's imagination. And yet, as a father, Eugene could not stop himself from bellowing at Adam now that he was forced to face the reality.
"If the man inside that body now is a soul named Yugo Kurei... then where is the Real Yugo? Where is my son?! Tell me, Adam!!"
It was surely the question Fee and the others wanted answered. It was the question Yugo himself wanted answered. And yet, it was the one thing everyone was terrified to hear.
If they were confronted with a cruel reality right now, would they be able to keep their composure? Even if they could handle it, would his friends and family ever be able to look at Yugo the same way again? Trembling with anxiety, the group waited with bated breath for the answer.
Finally, Adam spoke.
"Regarding that... I’m sorry. There is a specific order to how I must explain this. I need to address the other parts first."
"Adam! That’s—!"
"I have no intention of dodging the question," Adam insisted. "But this is an incredibly complex matter. If I don't explain it in the proper order, neither I nor anyone else in this room will be able to truly grasp the situation. Please, I beg your understanding."
"---!"
Eugene stood there, speechless, before slowly releasing his grip on Adam’s collar. Though clearly far from satisfied, he stepped back, his face a mask of desperation as he struggled to rein in his emotions. After a brief nod of acknowledgment toward Eugene, Adam turned back to the rest of the group.
"Let’s continue. It may be a bit of a detour, but there is something vital I must explain to you all. It concerns the two powers of life that all humans possess."