บท 22: 21st Adversary: Ace Of Spades
"Sir, we've confirmed that the Black Spades and their former leader Ace have engaged in battle."
NoFace received a report from a female subordinate.
"I see. Keep monitoring the situation."
"Yes."
He leaned back in his office chair.
"So Igor really persuaded the Black Spades to betray Ace. His personality really is twisted. It's too bad, if he had a different personality to go with his intellect, he would've been quite a crime lord."
He sighed.
"He most likely threatened the Black Spades in secret before he visited us. Having Ace fight the people he's been grooming for over a year is pretty sadistic….Still, it didn't take much for the Spades to betray Ace. That says a lot about the type of leader he was."
One of the commercial districts of Noir was in complete disarray. Explosions resounded as people scattered in all directions. Black Spade was attacking Ace from all directions.
"Leg + Arm Boost!"
Orange light engulfed Ace's arms and legs. He blasted off the ground. He slammed his fist into the nearest person. They flew through a building and crashed into the street. He spun around with a kick. He forced a man's head into the asphalt. Two men flanked him with swords. He jumped over them. He twisted his body. A laser grazed his cheek. Zach popped up above him. They crossed punches. Ace's punch landed first. Zach's head flew back.
(He tried to counter my punch with a headbutt, huh?)
Ace landed on the ground. He was rushed again from all sides by swords and daggers.
(They're avoiding the use of ranged weapons to prevent friendly fire when attacking together.)
He lifted his arms in the air. Swords stabbed into them. He blew away three men with quick kicks. The rest tried to pull their swords but they wouldn't budge.
"You're all showing good fighting sense. I would be proud that I taught you well if you didn't turn on me."
He swung his arms. The swords were ripped from their hands.
"I didn't teach you how to fight recklessly did I? Do you know why?"
His body flickered. The men were blown away with fist marks in their chests.
"That's because you were all too weak. You can only afford to fight meticulously."
The men slowly started to get to their feet one after the other.
"I was sure that I killed at least some of you. You're tougher than I give you guys credit for. My training must've been more effective than I thought."
"That's where you're wrong, Ace."
Zach approached Ace with a bloody face.
"We haven't gotten any stronger. We don't have your talent or passion to grow so fast. We're normal thugs. In your own words, NPCs."
He rushed at Ace again. Ace rushed at him. Zach gathered wind around his fists. He threw a punch with all of his weight. Ace stepped in and threw one of his own. Their fists clashed with a boom. Zach's arm was blown back. Ace stepped in and hit him with an uppercut. Zach's body rose off the ground. Ace slammed his fist in him and forced him into the asphalt.
"?!"
His eyes widened when Zach grabbed his arm.
"I-If you're wondering how we're still alive, ask yourself."
The rest of the Black Spades attacked Ace from all directions. Zach locked his legs and arms around Ace's shoulder.
"Shit!"
Slashes, stabs, punches, kicks; Ace was bombarded with all kinds of attacks.
"Ace, aren't you curious why we betrayed you despite everything you did for us?!"
Zach poured all of his strength into locking Ace's arm.
"Don't you want to know why the ones attacking didn't hesitate to betray you when given the chance?!"
"Defense Boost!"
Orange light covered Ace's body like a second skin. The attacks started bouncing off him.
"I'm not the least bit curious."
He lifted Zach off the ground and stood up straight. He ignored his attackers and locked eyes with him.
"Just as NPCs can't comprehend the actions of a Player, a Player can't comprehend the thoughts of an NPC."
Zach gritted his teeth. He headbutts Ace with all of his might. His head felt as if it hit a wall.
"It's because you say things like that, it's because you think like that why we couldn't see eye to eye."
Ace slammed him into the earth and burst open the asphalt. Zach laid out on the ground. Ace turned and faced the rest of Black Spades.
"So you guys hate me right?"
His eyes narrowed and the orange light around him grew wide and wild.
"Then, come kill your hated enemy because I will kill mine!"
The Black Spades started stepping back but halted and gripped their weapons.
"Die, Ace!"
They rushed at Ace roaring at the top of their lungs.
"I'll make it so that you'll never respawn. Attack Boost!"
He turned into an orange beam. He popped up in front of the closest Spade. He thrust his hand out. It shattered his weapon and pierced through his heart. His blood splashed on Ace's face. He pulled his hand out of the man and his corpse it the ground.
"That's one."
The others didn't stop and attacked him with everything they had. Zach watched on as he lay on the ground. He could clearly see the hatred in his comrades' eyes, in contrast to the indifference in Ace's.
"…I wonder how you see our deaths? Does it look like pixelated graphics or a realistic fighting game?...Just how is your ability making your brain process everything?"
The Black Spades were Zach's pride and joy, so when Ace took it away from him he naturally hated him. However, the hatred quickly weakened when he saw how Ace treated him and the others. Yet, it's the way how Ace treated them that his hatred didn't completely disappear.
"Despite how obvious it was that you weren't a bad guy and genuinely wanted us to grow stronger, you've never seen us as equals. Forget that, you didn't even see us as people."
Non-Player Character, NPC for short. It was a term for extras in video games.
"It's because you treat us like NPCs rather than comrades why the others never warmed up to you. You weren't any different than the manipulative Nebulous you're trying to defeat…That's what I thought at first."
It was three months after Ace had taken his gang. Zach was recovering from Ace's brutal training and went for a walk. It was then he spotted Ace with a girl. He recognized her as Ace's little sister. He hid before he realized it.
"You're still not getting along with them?"
"Yeah. It seems that we just can't connect."
"Hah~. This is why Sora and I were against this plan of yours. This is our fight, don't drag unrelated people into it."
"I'm just trying to create the best conditions for the eventual raid."
"That, that way of speaking. I'm sure that's the reason why you guys can't connect. I bet that you call them NPCs all the time."
"...."
"I knew it."
Hina sighed.
"Listen, Ace. Sora and I know you can't help talking like that because of Boost Player, but they don't. So it's natural they'd feel offended. Your brain was rewired to be like a game character, but that's not an excuse. Try to see them as people even if they're not players. Don't worry if it comes off as awkward, keep trying. I mean it seems like you like them anyway."
She patted his shoulders.
"Remember, some games reward you for being kind to NPCs. Relationships are sometimes like that too."
"….I guess."
"....."
Zach watched as only a few members stood before Ace. They were heavily injured but showed no interest in backing down. He sat up ignoring the creaking from his muscles and the cries from his bones.
"After that, I kept a close eye on you. After a while, I started to notice your attempts to get along with us. They were clumsy and went unnoticed by the others, but I noticed."
He stood up. Blood seeping through his teeth. There was no one left other than him to stand up to Ace.
"Before I knew it, I couldn't take my eyes off you. I even found your clumsiness appealing."
Ace turned around and slowly walked towards him.
"Looks like I was never fit to be a gang leader."
Zach showed a beautiful yet bloody smile.
"I mean I ended up becoming a fan of the guy who took my gang from me."
Ace stood in front of him.
"Say, Ace. Was it worth it?"
"What was?"
"Throwing away your humanity for that power of yours?"
"...."
"I can tell, you know. I've been watching you for a year, after all. You don't understand the human heart. You act carefree and maybe like a clown sometimes, but in truth you're just indifferent towards most things. The only things you enjoy are strong enemies and your siblings."
He placed his hand on Ace's shoulder.
"It might sound shallow coming from a background character like me, but that kind of life is sad."
He pulled a knife from his waist and thrust it at Ace. His attack missed but Ace's didn't. He pierced Zach through his stomach. Zach smiled and dropped the knife.
"You're right. It does sound shallow coming from you. Especially after you pointlessly gave up your life."
"Pointlessly, huh?...I guess to you it was. After all, a death like this won't affect your story that much."
He looked at his dead comrades on the ground.
"However, to them, it meant a lot. When Igor approached us they didn't hesitate to sell you out. They knew you would kill them all but I guess they had enough bowing down to others. Whether it was you, Igor Rigoni, or Nebulous, they had enough of being seen as nothing but pawns. A pretty stupid reason to die, right?"
His grip tightened on Ace's shoulder.
"But as the guy who dragged them into this shithole, I have a duty to follow them into hell."
"...."
Zach's grip loosened. He fell to his knees. His eyes became dull. Ace silently looked down on him. Zach looked up back at him.
(…I have a lot of regrets in this world. Some small and some large. But if I had to pick the one I hated the most…)
He smiled.
"It's the fact we couldn't understand each other in the end."
His body swayed.
"I hope you meet them soon…"
He hit the ground. His vision darkened as he descended into eternal darkness.
"…That Player who can help fill the hole in your heart…"
"..."
Ace watched Zach bleed out on the ground. He silently placed his hand over his heart. His nails dug into his chest.
"Oh, am I late?"
A voice came from behind him.
"I wanted to see the show, but I guess I took too long to get ready."
It was the first time he heard the voice but he already knew who it belong to.
"Oh, well. I guess you should be warmed up after slaughtering your friends…I mean, traitors."
Ace slowly turned around and faced Igor and his gang.
"Yeah, I'm warmed up."
The earth and air trembled as a grin crawled on Ace's face. Igor's eyes widened. Soon, a grin appeared on his face.
"Good. Then let's get started."
At the same time, Miko was walking towards a building dressed in military clothing and a red skull mask.
"Let's get started."
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