29 Vs 2

Ember eye flew open, slit pupil gazed down at the unconscious body, noting the twisted bones and injuries. “This kid who possessed me is so weak; I am going to die faster with him than when Evan poisoned me, damn it.” 

Green light glowed on the entire body, the twig on his neck pushed out as the body healed. “This kid better be grateful that I'm saving him.” 

The eye then shut close. 

_____________________________________________

“Misuki, is that you?” Yuka asked, confused. 

“Yuka-onee-chan.” At the familiar endearing term, it was without a doubt the Misuki she knew.

“Die!” The man materialized a sword, and Yuka threw her entire body at him, knocking him back. She held his wrists, and they both tussled on the ground, trying to overpower each other. He turned her onto her back as he got on top of her. Unable to materialize weapons, it kept flickering in and out because he wasn’t familiar with how to use his abilities yet.

“Aren’t we on the same team? What the fuck are you doing?” He looked at Misuki running away from them, and that distraction was all Yuka needed to push her hips up, throwing him off. She grabbed the sand on the ground and threw it into his eyes immediately following it with a kick on his shin. His knees were forced to bend. She grabbed the side of his head and slammed it down into her rising knee. That seemed to disorient him, and panic set in as he materialized the sword again, swinging it around wildly, blinking rapidly to see. She dodged the sloppy swing and clutched his own hands and her other hand on the blade. Blood seeped from her left hands but she used her body weight to push him into the ground. He struggled to keep the grip but the blade lowered further down to his neck. He struggled, trying to gain control but it was too late. Yuka raised her right hand and pounded it down, the blade sliced his neck, beheading him. Yuka watched as the body went limp and the blood leaked. 

She stood back up, looking regretfully at the body. Another person dead… She chose not to think about it by refocusing on capturing Misuki. She took a long breath and sprinted at full speed. She was a member of the track team back in high school but she chose to switch careers. Is it just me, or am I faster than usual? 

Ahead, Misuki looked behind her, trying to get ahead faster. “Misuki? Why are you—” 

She went silent as her own thoughts filled in the blanks. She grabbed the back of her vest, slowing down into stillness now that she caught her. Her hand pulled her up, carrying Misuki’s weight as she swung her arms and legs around. “Let go! Let go! Let go!”

“If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead by now.” Misuki froze, her face going blue and bleak.

Yuka stared at her for a moment before gently setting her down on her feet. She remained in the same spot, not moving an inch before Yuka set a hand on her head and caressed her hair. At the small movement, Misuki finally let out a breath of relief, as tears overflowed her eyes. “Yuka-onee-san.”

She wrapped her arms around her neck, crying her eyes out. Yuka patted her back. “It's okay, I'm here.”

_____________________________________________

The screen's neon glow painted the faces of the watchers palely. Ruri looked back at the room where all the sponsors were seated. 

“Well, I'm sure the green team will win no matter what,” Ruri reassured the crowd. Otherwise, everyone dies. The familiar sound of rapid beeping invaded his ears. “It's not time to vote—” 

He looked at the scoreboard and there were twenty-nine votes for Yuka as a villain, while one vote was for the hero. “The round didn’t even finish yet? Your mind might change later on.”

There was silence. 

“Don't tell me I didn't warn you,” Ruri said as he picked up his remote. He checked to make sure no one was watching before he, too, clicked at a button. The beeping sound resounded in the air as the number switched to thirty votes. 

Azrael clicked his tongue, standing tall and overpowering. “Did you not see how heroic she is?” 

Ah, it's definitely him who voted for her as a hero. The sponsor was supporting his sponsee. Ruri sent his sympathy to him. Those who end up in the villain rankings are targeted for elimination by other players. Whoever eliminates anyone in the top 10 in the villain ranking has the opportunity to go home. If they kill players ranked between 20 and 50, they also have the opportunity to go home. The higher Yuka goes up the list, the clearer the bullseye target becomes on her back…for players within the top 10 ranking of Heroes. It also meant Azrael would die, too. Azrael-sama will have a hard time keeping this girl alive. 

“Which part was heroic for you?” Evan let out a scoff, a little annoyed that Hayato was dealt with quickly. 

“Saving the human child,” Azrael said, crossing his arms. He glanced at Evan then Ruri. Ruri's head turned robotically away from him, avoiding his gaze. 

“She knows her; she is acting in her own self-interest and emotions.” Evan dismissed his claims. “As if that makes her heroic.”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? I thought there was no exception for the royal family either?” Azrael kept his gaze on Ruri. A chill went down his spine. 

“Last time, I just wanted to watch the games. Your assumption on my sponsee isn't my fault,” Evan lied flawlessly, “My sponsee is among this group.”

Azrael raised a brow but couldn't push further because he had no proof that points otherwise. Ruri smiled, trying to seem like a peacemaker. “Now, now, a pact is a pact. As you know, the Grim Reaper won’t hesitate to execute if twenty-four hours pass after the binding contract is broken. There is no one who can break or escape the pact.” 

Ruri smiled, but deep down, he was questioning how Evan escaped the pact. Which one of these contestants is that lousy kid? He must have lived. He turned back to the screen. He had a few guesses. Which dead body did he possess? Was it an Elf? Elves' main ability is invisibility, and they usually clash with the fairies a lot… I need to keep an eye on that redhead.

He looked around the room. This is becoming interesting, especially if the elves found out. Ruri smiled, hand behind his back as he looked back at the screen. This is so much fun.

_____________________________________________

A woman with silver hair and gray eyes lay on the ground, hiding behind the bushes as she observed the glowing unconscious body. She looked around before she crawled towards the body. That wound healed quickly. Is he a healer? If I had him as an ally… it might keep me safe from death. If I have to make an educated guess, healing might be a sought-after ability, and it's best to have healers with you.

She decided to shake his body, trying to wake him up. It took a while before Hayato's eyes opened, and he groaned as he held his neck, which was very sore and aching. He was reminded of Yuka. He felt anger rise in his chest. He wanted to punch her as payback for what she did in round one, but she was much more sinister. He feels tears well up in his eyes. She is not the same person anymore.

“H-hey, are you okay?” He snapped out of his thoughts, blinking his tears away. “Who are you?” 

“I'm Silvia! Nice to meet you…” she trailed off as she extended a hand for him to take. He hesitantly took it, noticing the green vest on her. “Ha-Genesis, the pleasure is all mine.”  

“Lovely name you have there.” She smiled brightly, pulling him up from the ground. “I was wondering if we can team up and find the hider together?” 

Hayato blinked. That's right, we are both green. I can team up with others to win, but— Yuka flashed in his memories. “Why do you want to partner with me?” 

“Because we can cover each other if anything happens to us,” she said as if the reason was obvious. 

Can I trust her? Hayato looked up at the sky to see the time: 4:13. “If you want us to team up, I want to know how you will help. What's your ability?”

He wanted a weakness to leverage if she betrayed him. Silvia nodded innocently. “I have the ability to copy myself.”

Silvia smiled as there were two of her before him. “I picked this ability to gather information or a decoy while keeping myself safe. How about you?”

If she was a hider, she might have won this round with this ability. He glanced at her up and down. Her smile was bright and shiny. Suspicious. “I have the ability to… fly.” 

Silvia's smile faltered. “Fly?” 

Hayato nodded. “Do you still want to be a team?” 

She suddenly became serious, her stance changing as she observed him. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze, as if he said something wrong. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing… Let's team up. Can you fly now and carry me with you?” Silvia asked, she was merely testing if he was telling the truth. 

Hayato hovered above the ground and extended his hand. “I've never carried anyone before, so let me try.”

She seemed surprised he could fly. She hesitantly extended her hand, and he gently held her hand, pulling her up with him. “Wow, you really are flying.”

He can see her panicking at being lifted high up. He recognized the trust she placed in him to allow him to fly her this high and that helped him trust her. “Relax, Silvia, I won't drop you.”

His other hand held her hip, and she seemed embarrassed and worried. “You can tell me to relax, but it doesn't mean I can.”

Hayato chuckled at her answer. That’s true. She took a few breaths in and he could feel the tension leave her body. “I know where the hider is. One of my clones found her, so I need you to head northwest from here.” 

So she can use her ability like this. She would be a valuable ally if she can be trusted. “Just know, I'm not good at flying, so this won't be a smooth ride.”

“That's okay.”

He knew it wasn't okay after she screamed his eardrums off.