Ross: "You understand now why you can't win, right?"
Tsk!
Ross: "You can understand now why you have no chance of winning against me, right?"
Whatever I try, nothing seems to work.
Ross: "You get why you are the inferior Psychic here, right? Right? RIGHT?"
I always deal some damage to him but then he heals himself completely within a second.
It has happened at least 10 times now. Each time, I have tried something different to stop him from healing or finish him before he gets the chance to but he always manages to not be knocked down and then heal.
He's the worst, most annoying opponent anyone could face, which reminds me of a different Psychic, who always ran away from his fights despite having the power to fight, much to all his opponents' annoyance.
Kais: "Tsk! Bastard!"
Well, the thing I hate the most in my life is Ozyllus and his plans.
But you know what, Ross Green? The thing I hate the second most is my past self.
So, reminding me of that annoying shrimp really isn't good for your health.
Ross: "Now, what next? You are giving up, right?"
He asks, clearly looking down on me.
Ross: "You aren't going to try some other trick, are you? You realize by now it'll be pointless, right?"
Kais: "You and your 'right?' needs to understand that, sometimes,"
I charge straight towards him.
Kais: "it's better to shut up!"
I charge with the speed of a cheetah at its prime. But, it still is not fast enough that a Hellfire wouldn't be able to dodge.
Hence,
Ross: "You lost your mind and now aren't even thinking about strategies? Is that it?"
He mocks me as I stumble down on the ground as my attack is easily avoided.
Ross: "What a foolish-"
But, just then, his neck is chopped with a glass pane and he comes stumbling forward right towards me, where I put a heck of a lot of energy into my fists and chop on his throat, making blood spew from his mouth.
My chop sends his body flying backwards, where the glass pane is used to break his neck once again, an action that floors him on the ground, and gives the glass pane-user ample time to continue chopping on his neck so he is finally able to behead him.
Chop! Chop! Chop!
And so, the glass pane-user does continue.
Blood gushes out of him like it's water while his hands and legs are tied down by my Psychokinesis.
He isn't completely immobile but his throat has been destroyed enough that he can't make out words and he's tied down enough that he can only move enough to make the chops he's getting become more painful.
Kais: "I hate to do this to anyone, even a psycho like you, but this is what you get for going against me."
Ross: "B-blurgh! F-fcjk y-y-yu! … Y-tu on-nli wun c-cux l-luuc-ck!"
He barely makes sounds but I can kinda understand what he is saying, and it's the most classic 'loser's speech' if I have ever heard any.
But,
Kais: "Why, in the world, do I sense deceit in your words?"
This should be the end. This should have been enough to take him down. And these words he is saying now should be genuinely spiteful murmuring of a loser.
Yet, it feels like he's only acting like this. It feels like he doesn't actually think he's lost.
But, why!?
Ross: "O-O-O vel, u f-f-fuul!"
Kais: "Tsk!"
Alerting myself, I look around.
Could it be that there's someone else in this room? I try to sense it and pick it up from reading Aura. Yet, I don't sense anyone except the three of us - me, Ross and my Psychic body-double playing the executioner on Ross' neck.
But, I know what he is saying isn't just a bluff.
There must be something up his sleeve still that he believes can get him out of this situation.
I'd love to have the confidence that it won't be anything I need to worry about but cautiousness is ingrained in my head far too much for it to not start ringing now.
Ross: "Y-yu l-l-luuz!"
And then, he says so, making me click my tongue, and right on cue, the whole ceiling comes crashing down out of nowhere, with absolutely no warning or indication beforehand.
The marble roof weighing tons of pounds falls on us.
Even while reading Aura a few minutes ago though, I never really felt anything wrong with this roof.
So, why?
In the brief moment I get before this dome of marble crushes me beneath it, I question that.
And, as soon as the marble touches my skin, I get the answer.
Kais: "You bastard!"
There was nothing wrong with this roof because there was everything wrong with it.
It didn't feel out of place because a weed growing in a farm that is full of weed doesn't necessarily draw attention.
Maybe that example isn't the best one though.
Maybe, a more accurate example would be how it's not surprising when a politician turns out to be corrupt if he belongs to a party that is full of corruption.
Ross: "Now, you finally realize that you are the loser here, don't you? You are finally going to admit that you lost, right?"
This man - earlier I thought he had come to the shrine before all this because he predicted or was cautious enough to realize that he would need to teleport here at some point.
But, that was short-sighted of me.
When he had come here earlier to make it a place he could later teleport to, that wasn't the only thing he did.
Back then, he took the entire shrine apart and then put it back together like it's made of lego toys.
Because of that, because the entire structure of the shrine was meddled with, the structure changed and the unconnected roof or walls or pillars that should have felt out of place seemed normal, as if that was the niche it was built with or something, allowing him to use them when he needed.
But, even though this was an incredibly clever move, the thing that I am more surprised about right now is the same as before.
Within the short amount of time he got between my body-double getting distracted by noticing the roof falling and the roof falling on us, he healed himself completely yet again, and even teleported himself away, leaving me here to be crushed as I am.
Kais: "..."
Strangely though, even as my legs are turned into mint and my entire body is pulsating with incredible pain, I don't get the natural urge to scream in pain that anyone should be getting in this situation.
In fact, instead of that urge to scream, I am calm enough to rationally think about all these things.
Ross: "What's wrong!? You would at least scream, right?"
Ethan has countless times mocked me on how I get trapped in self-introspection, on how I always end up thinking too much about my mind, on how I spent too much time trying to figure myself out.
Well, if there's anyone in the world who can explain why I don't feel like crying in pain right now even though every inch of my body is burning with pain, if there's anyone out there who can explain why my physical pain and the stimuli reaction have become disconnected, I'd be happy to stop trying to figure myself out.
Ross: "A-a-are you for real!? You seriously have no reaction to THAT!?"
I have been told that I have the potential to change the course of this war, even though I never felt anything particularly special about myself.
I have been told that I have the potential to right all the world's wrongs, even though I never felt anything particularly special about myself.
I have been told that I am someone who basically has everything one needs to become a hero of an epic, even though I never felt anything particularly special about myself.
And then, add to that my general ease with which I accept anything inhumane, and my emotions not coming out in situations like this, and Ethan Kales, you still think it's wrong for me to spend time trying to understand the enigma that I am?
*******************************
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Ethan: "Tsk!"
Touching his head because of the headache he feels as soon as he is teleported to Kesley, Ethan clicks his tongue and tries to calm himself.
But in the couple of seconds that he takes to accomplish that, Gabriel appears there as well.
Gabriel: "Sorry about that!"
He says as he knows well about the headache any non-Psychic feels when teleported over long distances like that.
Ethan: "Well, you are not forgiven, you loser!"
He says with a level of plain annoyance that would make most people uncomfortable, Gabriel included.
Ethan: "So, what was it that you needed my help for anyway?"
He asks then, as he looks around and finds the scenery of the city just the way the Hellfire Laurie Brown showed it.
Gabriel: "I need you to find some people."
Ethan: "What?! Do I look like a Sherlock Holmes or something?!"
Gabriel: "Well, you are probably the closest to him this crappy world has to offer."
Ethan: "Heh! I seriously doubt that!"
While using his eyes to try to analyse the state the city is in, Ethan finds something else to be annoyed by.
Ethan: "From what I can pick up, this destruction was definitely done by a Psychic."
Gabriel: "Are you serious?"
To cause this level of destruction, and to do with Psychic prowess, the list of suspects who can pull that off is very short.
Ethan: "It was probably a simple charge of energy you guys do by Aura Manipulation. But, the amount of energy and the amount of willpower required to hold that energy - the guy who did it couldn't have been much weaker than the Phoenix, if maybe not stronger."
He says, already having realized who the perpetrator would be.
Gabriel: "T-that means … I can only think of one person who could fit that description."
Ethan: "Well, I can think of two. And, I guarantee it's not the one you are thinking."
What Gabriel Washington, or any man in his position would automatically consider the prime suspect, would be the strongest man in the world - Walter Schmidt.
But, Ethan knows quite well that he wouldn't have done something like this.
Something like this, it could only be done by a 'God', or someone who thinks they are a God.
Ethan: "Back to our earlier topic though,"
And strongly suspecting that telling Gabriel that it was Ozyllus' handiwork wouldn't convince him, Ethan changes the subject back.
Ethan: "Who is it that you want me to find?"
He asks, reminding Gabriel of the topic, who, quite firmly answers,
Gabriel: "My family."
Ethan: "Your family should be in Ruri, not Kesley."
Without being very surprised, he points that out.
Gabriel: "And how the hell do you know that they were in Ruri?"
Taking Gabriel by surprise though, Ethan still continues in a calm tone.
Ethan: "I keep tabs on the information related to as many important figures, even those that are losers, as I can."
Gabriel: "... is that so?"
With a sigh, the Hellfire says,
Gabriel: "Well, I guess you haven't been able to get the latest information then."
Ethan: "And what is that?"
Ethan asks, his curiosity starting to peak.
Gabriel: "When the Phoenix gave me this mission, coincidentally, I came across something horrible."
Ethan: "Describe 'horrible'."
Feeling uncomfortable but knowing that there's no choice and that he doesn't have too much time to waste, Gabriel explains to him everything.
Gabriel: "My fiance and my in-laws were killed right then."
Ethan: "Oh, the reason for your revenge took place right then, huh?"
Ethan scoffs, not at himself or the Hellfire in front of him, but at a certain word the Hellfire had said a few seconds earlier.
Gabriel: "Anyway, as you know, it was Bronzer who did it. And, since I was going after him, I didn't want him to be able to use the same tactic once again. So I-"
Ethan: "Ahahahaha!!!"
Hearing everything he has said and knowing everything he is going to say, Ethan can't help but laugh.
Ethan: "Y-you … hahaha … you asked the Phoenix … to bring them to Kesley and keep them safe?"
He laughs continuously as he asks, utterly bewildered by the stupidity of the man in front of him.
Gabriel: "What's so funny about that?"
Ethan: "Heh! What indeed!"
Ethan Kales looks at the wreckage all around him, smirking at things no one can see, and tells the Hellfire.
Ethan: "Your family's dead."
Gabriel: "Why you- You haven't even checked yet-"
Ethan: "I don't need to check, you idiot!"
He says with a smirk that doesn't at all mock the Hellfire but hurts him even more than mockery could.
Ethan: "Your family is dead. And they didn't die in this incident by the way. They became Vampire food quite a while before this ever happened."
Gabriel: "What!? What the hell are you-"
Ethan: "When you asked the Phoenix to bring them here to keep them safe, did you tell him to prioritize their safety before they reached here?"
Gabriel: "N-no, but-"
Ethan: "But? Seriously, 'but'? Do you not know a single thing about Rosevelt's personality? If you tell him to keep them safe after bringing them here, he won't let anyone touch a single hair on their body after bringing them here but before they reach here; if they are killed, slaughtered, beheaded, chopped into a million pieces, that's none of his business."
Gabriel steps backs, unwilling to admit the truth in Ethan's words.
Gabriel: "But, why … why would … Rosevelt a-allow that?"
Ethan: "Because you idiot, when you would have ideally come back to this city with us, having completed your mission like the diligent slave you are, and then you would have found all of them dead, and in the worst way possible … it would have been fun to see your reaction."
Gabriel: "..."
Silence, complete silence surrounds Gabriel.
His whole resolve and his firm exterior have come crashing down with the words Ethan has yelled at him.
It's true that the Phoenix, who seems to not care about the consequences of his actions, who seems to think that everything is meaningless because everything with meaning has already ended, it's true that someone like him might use an opportunity like that to his advantage to satiate his boredom.
But,
Gabriel: "What if … what if … how could you possibly know they were attacked anyway!? Maybe no Vampires ever attacked them and they reached the city safely!"
Trying to convince himself rather than Ethan, he says those words, to which Ethan scoffs.
Ethan: "Yeah, right!"
Gabriel: "It … it may …"
Ethan: "You seriously believe it was JUST A COINCIDENCE that Bronzer attacked your family right when you got that order from the Phoenix?"
Gabriel: "It … it's p-possible!"
Ethan: "Possible? Me killing Walter Schmidt with a rock is also 'possible'. But, you know what? The amount of LUCK I will need for that to happen, I will never have it."
Gabriel: "..."
With a slump of his legs, he falls to the ground, staring at nothingness in despair.
Gabriel: "So … so what does this mean!?"
He isn't even sure what he is asking, but he is probably not asking something pointless.
Ethan: "Well, it means that the bastard strategist of the Vampire Kingdom predicted your every move, and because it seemed like fun, Rosevelt let go of countless chances of capturing or killing him, essentially betraying the Dragon Alliance, which is also something that bastard predicted, which doesn't really make sense how and why but …"
Scratching his head over Bronzer and Rosevelt, two of the greatest enigmas he has ever had to deal with in his life, Ethan sighs and looks back at Gabriel as he says,
Ethan: "For YOU though, it just means that you now are where I, Kais and Sona were 12 years ago."
Gabriel: "..."
Ethan: "In a pit of despair, with nothing left to lose."
*******************************
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And if you like the story, you can support it by voting with power stones, recommending it to others and/or giving a review.
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