“If someone was, you all wouldn’t have planned to end me here, right?”
Unknown to Alister, the system let out a notice: [Notice, -??- has been detected.]
[-??- has increased by 2%.]
Still gazing at Rex, Alister suddenly smiled, an act one would consider uncharacteristic for him given the current scenario.
His sharp sets of teeth revealed themselves, causing each of the Reapers to feel a chill run down their spines.
Their plan was to say the signal jamming also affected them; it was the only way Kai would have all the time he wanted to deal with Alister. But now it seemed that plan had backfired. “So as long as there is no one watching, then there are no witnesses.” Alister said. Alister’s maw opened, and a torrent of golden flames erupted, engulfing Rex. Rex screamed in agony, and the rest of the Reapers watched in shock as he was consumed by the flames. His screams died out as the flames finally consumed him, leaving nothing but charred remains.
[Ding! [2/6] targets eliminated.]
[All stats +30%.]
Alister slowly turned his head to face the others as he said with a touch of excitement, “That’s two, four more to go.”
Jin gritted his teeth, his ash-colored mana shining bright in his eyes as he aimed his rifle at Alister’s eye again.
He fired, but Alister swatted the bullet away with his claw. The recoil of the gun from putting so much mana into it sent a shockwave that knocked Jin off his one good leg.
Alister suddenly darted towards Jin, appearing before him, pausing to look down at him, his shadow covering him menacingly.
“Now, let’s make that three.”
He suddenly grabbed Jin’s neck and lifted him off the ground. Jin scrambled as hard as he could but couldn’t break free.
Alister then pulled back his other hand, straightening his finger, making his arm take on a spear-like shape.
With a sudden burst of speed, he plunged his arm through Jin’s chest, his hand emerging from his back, covered in blood, dripping to the sands below.
Jin gasped, his heart pierced through. This was the end for him, but he didn’t want to go out without a fight. He pulled out a small platinum dagger from his side, proceeding to stab Alister with it, intending at least to wound him. He put all his strength into his arm to be able to swing as powerfully as he possibly could.
CLANG!
The knife shattered harmlessly against Alister’s scales, its pieces falling to the desert sand. In that shock, he lost hope, his strength waning, limbs eventually going limp.
[Ding! [3/6] targets eliminated.]
[All stats +30%.]
Alister turned his golden eyes towards Mira, Kai, and Kael, his gaze piercing through their souls like a predator hunting prey. He then said, “Now, which of you would like to go next?”
Mira, having witnessed Rex and Jin’s gruesome deaths, felt fear grip her heart. She hesitated, her legs trembling, her breath hitched, her eyes shaking. “W-we can’t do this… He… He’s going to kill us… All of us,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
In his thoughts, Kai’s mind raced. ‘Helxon… Help me… I need more power…’
Helxon’s voice echoed in his thoughts, – ‘Unfortunately, Kai… One must first offer something to the dark one before he lends his power to them.’~
Kai gritted his teeth, managing to rise to his feet, mumbling, “This… Wasn’t what you promised me. You said you’d give me more power, enough power to kill Alister…”
Helxon, although he couldn’t be seen, smiled sinisterly as he replied, ‘That was under the assumption that he was human trash as you described… But as I’m sure you can see, he’s a monster.’~
Kai gritted his teeth, his left red eye bleeding as he slowly walked to pick up the daggers he dropped when he was struck by lightning earlier. “Are… you saying that as I am now, the dark one can’t do anything for me? Anything to make that bastard pay for what he did?”
As he spoke, his grip tightened around the hilt of his dagger, gazing at Alister in the distance with an angry expression, teeth gritted.
Helxon smiled even further as he replied, ~ ‘Well, there is one way…’~
“What is it? Tell me, tell me no-”
Just then a red system window materialized before Kai, causing him to pause and look in shock when he read what he saw on the system window.
‘You… You’re asking me to…’
~ ‘Yes… I’m glad you understand. This is the only way, you have no other choice.’~
For a moment there was a pause before Kai then raised his head, murmuring, “Are you telling me… That this… This is the only way?”
~’Yes, it is. Have I ever lied to you?’~
~ ‘Don’t you want to get revenge for Yanzi?’~
~ ‘Don’t you want to see her wake up?’~
~’Don’t you want to make him fear you? To make him suffer?’~
“I do, but… What of sacrifices? Can’t I offer up the dead bodies of my teammates?” Helxon raged in Kai’s thoughts, – ‘Unacceptable! The dark one only takes offerings slain in his name! Not random casualties.’~
~ ‘Besides, even if you were to continue offering sacrifices for power, then you would need to do this first.’~
Kai gritted his teeth in anger, with a touch of fear as he asked, “But won’t I… if I…”
~ ‘Fear not, young one.’ ~ Helxon said, reassuring him, ~ ‘The dark one has taken a liking to you, so you need not worry. Simply believe and display your sincerity, then you will be rewarded without fail.’~
Kai took a moment to gather his nerves, then he thought to himself, ‘I’ll do whatever it takes to make him pay, to see her smile again, and if this is a necessary step in doing so, then it’s nothing compared to all that awaits me.’
Kai was still recovering from his injuries, but he didn’t let that stop him from what he planned to do next. He teleported behind Alister once more, daggers positioned for a strike.
Alister anticipated the move, twisting his body and swatting Kai away with a casual flick of his tail. Kai hit the ground hard, coughing up blood and gasping for breath.