Chapter 103

this is a fictional story by realTensai

They are all dead.

Alvis’ eyes trembled upon the nothingness; his mates, his comrades with whom he had fought side by side, all vanished. Not even their corpses were left.

Dizziness overcame Alvis as his vision started blurring. He couldn’t say if it were tears or blood that ran down his eyes, and even though he wanted to vomit, to get rid of this excruciating feeling, there was nothing left in his body. His mind shifted to Feng and Morgo, two guys with whom he had spent the last few days together.

They are gone.

It’s all your fault!

A devilish voice blamed Alvis in his head, yet he couldn’t even fight against it. After all, he was the one who pushed Gilsymbato into his true form. He was the one who orchestrated the entire fight, boasting confident words and promising them victory.

I’m a pathetic, arrogant piece of shit.

Once again, Alvis had overestimated himself. Once again, his mistakes cost other people their lives.

The quest timer hit zero and the barrier vanished, replaced by their school grounds. Yet, they were still gone.

We couldn’t even complete the quest.

All their struggles, all their sacrifices, were in vain, as Gilsymbato was the one who reaped the rewards they needed so much.

“T-This isn’t real, right?”

Chao fell to the ground, his entire body shaking. Only now did Alvis focus on his teammates, the only ones he could save.

“One second ago, they were all still here. But then… these flames!” Chao couldn’t even form a coherent sentence as insanity took over his soul. “They consumed everything. They devoured everything they touched, not leaving anything behind. If.. If you wouldn’t have saved us, we would be…”

Alvis couldn’t even grasp what these flames were, yet he hoped to never see them again. Gilsymbato’s skin returned and his hair and eyes became red again. He stared at his system, an oddly satisfied grin on his face. No traces of guilt or shame could be seen. Without even looking back, he went on. Yet no matter how much Alvis’ blood boiled right now, he would be a fool to try to stop him.

However, as fate would want it, they appeared.

“Alvis?” Sekki shouted, pure horror in his voice.

Yet Alvis just ignored him, as his gaze was on one person only. Covered in blood that wasn’t his, he exuded, killing intent on par with top tier assassins. The pressure emitting from him had Alvis shaking even though it wasn’t focussed on him. However, it was his eyes that made Alvis question if this was still the same person he called his best friend. His black eyes burned with cold passion, yet the only thing that filled them was void. Alvis had seen these eyes far too often. It was the eyes of a killer.

“Dane?”

“Alvis!” Sekki said as he arrived at his side. Only now did he notice that he was covered in scars, yet they weren’t life threatening. He shifted his head and saw the rest of Dane’s team, Ulmi, Diane, and Xing all in a similar condition as Sekki. “What happened to you? You’ve lost an arm! Your face is covered in blood. What, what…”

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Sekki, who normally was always composed, couldn’t even speak, his brain, no, his entire being having been pushed far beyond its limits. However, as his eyes landed on Gilsymbato and back to Alvis, his face turned grim as he put one and one together.

“Wh-What happened to me doesn’t matter right now.. cough!” Alvis said, coughing blood. “You’re supposed to be on your quest right now. And what happened to Dane?”

Sekki’s chin trembled as his mouth opened and closed again, unable to say anything. Tears welled up in his eyes and he just gritted his teeth.

“He killed Hercules…. To protect us, he became a murderer.”

What? Dane… Dane killed someone.

Alvis couldn’t trust his ears as he instinctively shook his head to deny it. Yet one look at Dane was enough to hammer in the brutal reality. His best friend had walked down the same path as him.

“If a giant survives a mortal combat, they grow in strength. That was why giants feasted in war and had to be stopped by the dragon folk and angels and ultimately be banned on an island. Dane entered the realm of his forefathers. The Dane right now is on a completely different level.”

It was Diane, a fellow half-giant and their classmate that explained Dane’s current condition and the reason for this enormous pressure. Yet it only made Alvis worry more. It was because he knew Dane better than anyone else that he knew what was about to happen.

“Wait,” Dane said, speaking up for the first time since entering the scene. However, the one he spoke to was no other than Gilsymbato, who was about to leave. “Tell me what happened here.”

Gilsymbato stopped in his tracks, his devilish smile flaring up once again.

“What does it look like to you? But I guess I have to spell it out so the likes of you may comprehend. I’ve killed the over two hundred people who took part in this quest.”

He stared right into Dane’s eyes, the insanity in his voice making him snap

“GILSYMBATO!!!”

“You don’t have to shout, giant boy, I’m right here!” Gilsymbato shouted right back at him. “You want to kill me, right? Right!”

“Yeah, that’s right! I will kill you!”

Dane’s killing intent rose, the mana inside him flaring up like an explosion. Yet this just made Gilsymbato smile all the more.

“Dane, stop!” Alvis shouted, his instincts taking over. “You can’t fight him. It’s suicide.”

Dane turned his attention to Alvis and, for the first time since long, their eyes truly met.

“Enough of this bullshit!” he said, veins popping on his forehead. “Do you think I can just let him go after he killed so many people? After he had done this to you?”

He stared at Alvis’ injuries, his bloody body and missing arm, and his face twisted in agony.

Alvis couldn’t respond.

“I have to kill this guy. He must die. You and Lia might have not realized it yet, but if we want to reach our goal of uniting everyone in one big team, this also includes him. We would have to convince him to join our team. And even if everyone trapped in this barrier would join us, he, as the sole person, would oppose us till the bitter end. We have no choice but to kill him. And I’m the only one who can take on this dirty task.”

Dane’s eyes, no, his entire demeanor, showed that his resolve was set. No matter what, he wouldn’t change his mind.

“Still, you stand no chance. You could never beat him on your own!”

Alvis knew it better than anyone else. He had just seen the terror that Gilsymbato had caused. No matter how strong Dane might have become, he was no match for Gilsymbato.

“Yet you still fought against him, didn’t you? You knew about his strength but still fought him, am I right?!”

“B-But, this is because I…”

“You what? You think it’s fine for you to risk your life, but as soon as someone else does it, it’s irrational and suicidal. Just be honest. You still think that I’m weak. That I’m beneath you and someone you have to protect.”

“No, I…” However, no words would leave Alvis’ mouth and he couldn’t answer.

“I’m gonna show you how strong I’ve become. No one will ever think of me as weak again.”

Alvis shook his head. He opened his mouth, cursing himself to say something, to stop him, yet he couldn’t. The pain in Dane’s voice was like poison, rendering him unmovable. Dane still couldn’t forgive Alvis for not letting him fight by his side, yet Alvis could feel that the pain in his voice was even deeper rooted. It was something Dane had carried with him since his childhood.

“I will accept your challenge,” Gilsymbato said, his grin barely fitting on his face. “However, it will be a duel and no one will come to save you.”

“I never expected anything else.”

“Dane, stop this madness already!” Sekki shouted, his voice cracking. “You don’t have to fight anymore. We are safe. Just stop, please..”

“You can’t stop me, Sekki.”

“Game Master boy, create an arena befitting for my fight and make sure no one can interfere until there is a winner,” Gilsymbato said, talking to the sky.

However, it only took a few seconds, and the Priest granted his wish. Just like in a quest, the environment changed and a colosseum in which gladiators fought appeared. Dane and Gilsymbato stood in the arena as everyone else was in the spectators’ seats.

“Dane, no!”

Alvis shouted one last time, but it was too late.

Their death battle started.