Return Of The Strongest Player

"It's you…" Arthur muttered, gazing at Gary with widened eyes. The latter's demeanor was casual, as if this sort of thing was a natural occurrence. His halberd was proudly clutched between his fingers.

"Of course, it's me," Gary replied, lowering his halberd. He then displayed his back, leaving him vulnerable. However, Arthur and Jake knew better than ever that it was simply a tactic to force them to attack.

Gary, instead of attacking, approached Athanasia's wooden desk, glancing at the documents spread across its top. Without hesitation, he sat atop the chair behind the desk before retrieving an object from the inside.

Then, he extended his arm, displaying the object. It was a purple, diamond-shaped fragment. 

"Is this what you want?" Gary asked, tilting his head before cracking a smile. Jake glanced at Arthur at that moment before clicking his tongue. It seemed the crimson-eyed man truly wished for that object.

Arthur, on the other hand, was shocked.

The fragment Gary held in his hand was supposed to be hidden in a vault. It was something no one except Athanasia had access to, and something Gary wouldn't touch, unless… someone was powering 'it' using a different means…

The fragment wasn't connected to a pipe, which meant they had brainstormed a method to transport… no, it couldn't be…

'All of this will turn to shit if I don't get that,' said Arthur inwardly, clenching his teeth as he stared at the smug expression encompassing Gary's face. The latter knew what the former was planning… everything about it, too.

Arthur couldn't hide anything.

"Were you the one that killed Caroline?" Arthur asked, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. The hilt clicked before a metallic noise permeated his surroundings. Assuming a stance, Arthur's eyes grew deeper.

"What?"

"Did I stutter?" Arthur asked, tilting his head emotionlessly. "Or do you not understand the language I'm speaking in?"

Gary let out a chuckle. "Yes, it was me. It was pretty easy to kill that bitch, if you ask me. Did you also see how I placed her hair in a position where it would be covered in blood after a while? Cheeky, right?"

Silence.

Jake simply watched. Arthur's face didn't display any significant reaction, but it was quite obvious what Arthur was thinking. Jake could understand the man even more, now that he'd revealed he was his first friend.

The pain…

His thoughts must have been jumbled. 'He doesn't know what to think…'

Jake knew Arthur couldn't fight in the state he was currently in. However, he needed the object that lay in Gary's hands. He glanced at Arthur again, who was channeling his pitiful remains of mana across his body.

'Fuck, I gotta do it,' thought Jake, letting out a deep sigh.

Jake channeled mana across his entire body, allowing veins bulging with mana to appear on his skin. Arthur and Gary noticed the influx in mana, and while the former directed a look of confusion, the latter simply smiled.

"It looks like the dog is planning something," said Gary, fortifying his defense using mana.

Jake lifted the heels of both feet before flexing his calves. Finally, with a loud bang, he detonated his calves, spraying blood across the area. Suppressing the pained groan, Jake burst forward at terrifying speeds.

A trail of mana and blood remained.

It was like time stopped. 

Jake's body traveled several meters in the time it took Gary to blink once. He closed the gap within a second before extending his arm. Jake grabbed Gary's face before smashing it into the ground.

Then, he quickly stole the fragment before tossing it to Arthur.

"Go!" Jake shouted as Gary stood up.

With an expression of utter shock, Arthur squeezed the fragment in his hands. A shrill shriek escaped Gary's lips as Arthur glanced at Jake. With a thankful expression, he took off into the distance.

Immediately, a massive amount of mana pushed Jake into the wall. 

"You fucking–"

With a scream, Gary punched Jake's abdomen, messing up his internal organs. The latter suppressed tears as he suffered a beatdown he would remember forever. However, he didn't give up.

"Shut the fuck up," said Jake, swinging his sword. As a horizontal trail was left behind through Jake's mana. A gash appeared on Gary's chest, and veins bulged from his throat. Tear escaped his eyes.

Desperate, Gary rushed across the room, trying to chase Arthur as he disappeared into the distance. Although Gary was powerful and could probably destroy Jake, the former was not sane.

Through the element of surprise, Jake had destroyed Gary's sense of reasoning.

The latter was to guard the fragment using his life, but the fragment had been stolen, and he was alive. One couldn't imagine the torture he would have to endure if he lived. The sheer thought had reduced his mental health to a joke.

He couldn't imagine… he couldn't imagine.

"No…" Gary muttered under his breath, shedding tears. But he couldn't remember the reason for his outburst. He had lost everything. The means was quite underwhelming, too. It was too much for him to handle.

His sprint was obstructed by Jake, who smashed his face into the ground once again. It was a brutal beatdown.

Finally, once Gary's eyes had lost their luster, and all that remained of him was a pitiful physical body, Jake decided to end things.

The latter lifted his sword, aiming it towards Gary's throat. With a single slash that surpassed all slashes, he sliced through the muscular man's neck. Blood burst from the clean decapitation, serving as a symbol of victory.

Not of Gary's, but of Jake and Arthur's.

Now, it was only a matter of time, like it had always been.

*

Arthur rushed across the hallways, exiting Arcadia Academy through the window. Since Mr. Mason and Henry were still duking it out, the window was the safest option to escape the school building.

Immediately, Arthur approached the basement, which was usually locked.

He smashed the door using his bare fists, drawing blood. But he didn't care.

Soon, he entered the darkness.