“Who… is… that?” Those were the final thoughts of Jack Sparrow as his crystal badge shattered and encased him in a shimmering aura before disappearing, leaving behind two ominous black flags fluttering in the air.
“Hmm? Isn’t he pretty weak?” Aether thought, a smirk playing on his lips. freewebnvel.com
Since Aether bore no particular enmity towards Jack, he decided to finish him off with two powerful punches, each reverberating with a sickening crunch, followed by a swift, forceful kick to the stomach that sent Jack sprawling.
“Well, whatever…” Aether shrugged nonchalantly and glanced at the hologram where Jack Sparrow’s name was still labelled as retired…. except his points were reduced to zero.
Aether chuckled inwardly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction, before turning to his clone, who was trembling visibly in fear.
‘Hmm, he’s acting well,’ Aether thought, pleased with the performance.
He then spoke in a casual, almost prideful tone, “You look different from the others… I don’t mean to say you’re handsome or anything… Though You are the most handsome one I ever saw… anywho it’s just that you didn’t wear those crystal badges like the rest. Why?”
In the control room, Delphine and the Principal heard that and couldn’t help but twitch their lips, their thoughts aligning in unison, ‘It’s definitely him!’
The Principal then frowned, puzzled about how Aether had managed to acquire a rare and costly clone spell. ‘Did the Empress help him?’ she wondered, casting a glance at the Empress seated beside her, now empty as she was with her daughter.
“I-I begged the Principal to let me in to save the Princess,” the clone stammered, his body quivering.
“You begged that old ha— ahem, Principal, and she let you in… What the hell? She must be so bored that she’s doing whatever she wants…” Aether said, shaking his head with a pitiful expression directed at the clone.
Veins bulged on the Principal’s forehead, ‘It seems I need to teach him a lesson… really!’
“Anyhow, give that to me,” Aether demanded. The clone shook his head defiantly.
“Tsk, I’m telling you, be a good boy… I don’t want to break your handsome, beautiful face,” Aether’s tone turned icy and narcissistic.
When the clone continued to refuse, Aether’s patience wore thin, “I suppose you leave me no choice then!” In a flash, he appeared before the clone, delivering a gut-wrenching punch that made the clone collapse with a pained gasp.
Puffff!
The clone fainted, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
Aether nodded in satisfaction, appreciating that his clone was following the plan perfectly. He took the remaining two flags from the clone and walked away without a backward glance at the pitiful figure crumpled on the ground.
…..
…
As Aether left the scene, a black bat flying towards the stadium noticed a figure below. “Hmm? Who is that?” it wondered as it felt familiar for some reason, frowning before swooping down to investigate.
“AETHER!” The bat transformed mid-air into a stunning blonde-haired girl.
Landing gracefully beside the unconscious clone, she asked in a horrified tone, “W-What are you doing here?”
Seeing the clone’s faint breath and battered body, her expression darkened. Her heart trembled with anger, and her eyes turned a fiery red. “I’m going to pay back whoever did this,” she vowed, her voice trembling with rage.
Gently, she picked up the clone in a princess carry, her movements tender despite her fury…[A/N: With Tokyo Ghoul’s Background Music]
The clone remained motionless, complying silently with his master’s orders not to move an inch!
Meanwhile,
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 21.8%↓]
“Huh?” Aether frowned, seeing his survival rate decreasing inexplicably. He shrugged it off, noting it was just a minor drop, and refocused on the ongoing battle.
“You are strong… Saintess,” Thalia said, her voice strained as she held her wounded body, blood seeping from numerous cuts.
“Y-You too…” Helena panted heavily. Though she bore no visible injuries, her body was at its limit after the prolonged fight. Her breathing was laboured, sweat pouring down her face as she steadied herself.
Surveying the devastated surroundings, they realized they were the only ones left standing; all their team members had already been eliminated.
“Why don’t we finish this with a single attack?” Thalia proposed, her face set with determination.
“Okay then!” Helena nodded, mustering every last bit of her power. She conjured a massive globe of energy, glowing brighter than the sun, its light blinding and intense.
Thalia smirked, readying herself to unleash her full strength and cut the globe in half.
“Come On!”
“Here you go!”
But then,
ssssssshhhhhhh
An icy sound echoed around them, making both women flinch as the temperature plummeted abruptly, their breath visible in the freezing air.
Both frowned, eyes darting around warily. Thalia shouted, “Who is it?”
“….” No one answered, the only response the biting cold that intensified with each passing second.
“Coward!” Thalia sneered, trying to provoke the unseen enemy. “Show yourself!”
“Coward? Who?”
Hearing a neutral, almost bored tone, both Thalia and Helena flinched, turning to face the direction where a hooded figure emerged from the shadows.
“Of course you, who else hides their face?” Thalia snorted, readying herself for battle. She could sense the figure’s strength, a power that surpassed her own.
Helena frowned, sensing the potent aura but noting the absence of malice or killing intent. The figure’s presence was disconcertingly calm.
“Hmm…” Aether nodded, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Being a coward is better than being a warrior.”
“Huh?” Thalia frowned, taken aback.
Aether continued, his tone mocking, “At the end of the day… cowards are the ones who see the dawn, not the powerful warriors.”
Thalia’s eyes blazed with anger, feeling insulted, ‘How dare he say cowards are better!!’ she thought furiously.
“Warriors are the ones who sacrifice their lives for the dawn, you coward!!” Thalia sneered, about to lunge at him and crush his beliefs, but—
“Wait… something’s wrong,” Helena said, her voice urgent, sensing an eerie calmness settling over the battlefield.
“What do you mean—”
“HISSSS!!!”
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!
A humongous white snake burst from the ground, its massive tail crushing both women…. Just before their bodies could be obliterated, their crystal badges shattered, and they disappeared, leaving behind two flags each.
If not for their legs being frozen they would able to escape with a 10% possibility, but they were totally focused on him, not the surroundings so they paid the price!
“Hehe… small fry!” Aether nodded in satisfaction, patting the head of Snowflake, the giant snake.
“Massstteerrrr~”
“Good girl,” Aether praised her.
[+3000 Affection]
Surveying the remaining flags, Aether’s smirk widened with satisfaction. He glanced at the hologram displaying the current standings:
Raven Noir: 100 Points (Retired)
Kaelen Darkfang (Eliminated)
Aria Zephyr: 300 Points (Retired)
Jack Sparrow: 0 Points (Retired)
Leon Dragonheart (Eliminated)
Helena Sunfire (Eliminated)
Kai Frostblade (Eliminated)
Finnian Sunfire (Eliminated)
Nyx Shadowfall (Eliminated)
Aqualina Naiadia (Eliminated)
Ashara Nightfire (Eliminated)
Aurelia Scarlet: 1200 Points (Retired)
Thalia Crimsonclaw (Eliminated)
“Look at that, I really got ten… ah… must be my luck,” Aether giggled, draping himself over Snowflake’s massive body, “It’s time to end the contest!”
Snowflake hissed in agreement, slithering towards the stadium at high speed, her scales glistening in the cold light of the bright sky!