"Oh? So you wish to reach that degenerate peak as well?" Vanguard sneered in a sickly tone, sadness filling his voice despite the sheer anger of she who stood before him.
Approaching her, he looked down and grabbed onto the woman's shoulder, a cold metal hand gripping tightly. For a second, that very cold armour almost seemed warm. But what was most gripping was his voice, of a dull yet sad monotone echo.
"Listen, you are not foolish, far from it: I admire your spirit, your strength and your will. Words without purpose are meaningless, but purpose without strength is worthless. That is why you, who can display such a pure strength of mind, body and spirit, cannot be foolish."
Waving his hand to the white haired man, Vanguard's tone grew angrier, as if that man's very existence insulted him, made him uneasy. It was somewhat clear he could not let go of that man's defiance, a defiance that was all but too familiar to him...
"But that man, who lacked the power to accomplish anything, is not unlike an infant trying to defy a dragon. Without any strength to change his fate, he will only die meaninglessly. There is no beauty in a futile struggle, one cannot change or protect anything if dead, that is why that man's destiny cannot be anything but loss. While hope may bring strength in one's heart, one must one day realize when that very hope is but fantasy. That is the sad truth of this world..."
"That is why I will not allow this man to defy the heavens. The only one who is to carry such a sin is me. I alone will reach the top, and change this degenerate world into one where none have to suffer the burden of fate ever again. With these hands, I will make sure none will ever have to feel the despair of powerlessness ever again!
"That is why I, Vanguard, will carry on and change this world as I see fit!", he roared in defiance, his own will clashing with the woman's.
"Empress, you will fall like many have, for as long as the chains of destiny bind us, there can be no true winner. I alone will go against the world's will, and win where I have lost. If you truly wish to rise to the top, you will need to defy both the world and I."