BANG!

All it took was one trigger pull, and Ada had completed her revenge goal. Those are the words I'd have said if Zack hadn't been such an altruistic friend.

Disregarding his safety and injuries, Zack darted up and pushed Nathan away from Ada. Missing its intended target, the bullet soared and lodged into a nearby infrastructure.

"Oh, my?" Ada uttered as her gaze shifted to Zack. "Ever the faithful dog to his friends, I see."

"Get...away," Despite the brutal beating he received from the now deceased John, the profusely bleeding Zack muttered as he held the catatonic Nathan.

"Tch, it's you again! How dare you interrupt Ada!?" Leon yelled as Ada's allies quickly appeared by her side. "I knew I should have murdered you from back then!"

"Ugh...shut...up," Zack muttered. Showing his intent to protect his friend, Zack's gloves began gleaming with an orange light and emitting sparks. "I'll...kill you...all."

"...Just say the word, Ms. Ada," Charlotte remarked as spikes began growing from the ground. "We'll murder this insect so you can finish your revenge."

"Revenge...? So you...were the one...who planned...this," Zack muttered as he expressed sudden despair. "N-No...way."

As she observed the pathetic, broken, and beaten states of the two men, Ada couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Fufu, I thought I told you not to show your face in front of me, Zack," Ada remarked. "But it's fine. I'll end things here."

Ada's words sparked confusion among everyone in response. Those were not something Ada's men would think they'd hear, especially after how badly they cornered their enemies.

"W-What? But you have Nathan Hayes right where you want him. He's been broken down on every level, both his physicality to his mental state," Nolan remarked. "He's a shadow of his former self. You have him where you want him, so why let him live, Ms. Ada?"

"Fufu, I was planning on personally killing him, but looking at their pathetic states, something came to mind," Ada responded. "Nathan's sanity has been utterly destroyed. Wouldn't it be fun to let him live as a vegetable?"

"I love how brilliant you are, miss!" The impressed Frank remarked. "Killing that asshole would have been too nice for him."

"Hmpf, of course. Miss Ada's intellect vastly eclipses everyone," Charlotte. "You're just pointing out the obvious, brother."

"Fufu, now...be a good boy, and get out of my sight, Zack," Ada demanded with a smile.

Zack had nothing he could say or do in response, but accept this act of mercy from his enemies with frustration and despair.

I...I really couldn't...do anything...

"Hey! Hurry up and go away!" Leon yelled, frightening Zack. With a defeated expression, Zack quickly moved away with Nathan.

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"Fufu, I am a benevolent person, huh," Ada said. "Especially to that Zack."

"U-Uhm, is it alright to come out now?" Serena's voice was audible as she peeked out behind a ruined infrastructure wall. All heads were turned as she garnered their attention.

"Ah, Serena! Perfect timing!" Ada responded with a delighted expression. "Of course, you can come, dear."

Serena happily skipped up to Ada after receiving her permission.

"S-So, how did it go, miss?" Serena questioned. "It sounded like everything went well."

"Of course it did. Karma struck Nathan today for all the cruelty he dealt us in the past," Ada replied. "Not to mention, the S-Class criminals will be permanently crippled after this. And it's thanks to you for luring them, my dear!"

"Tsk, she doesn't need to attribute this to a nobody like her--" Frank muttered under his breath but received an elbow from Charlotte.

"...As much as I liked Nathan, I'm glad my life played out the way it did. I became lucky enough to meet you, Ms. Ada," Serena expressed. "Although I might not have much strength or riches, I'm glad you chose me. I look forward to serving you!"

"But hasn't your service expired though?" Ada tilted her head and questioned. "You've outlived your use."

"Huh?"

"I only needed you to make Nathan slip up. Now that that's out of the way, you're no longer useful," Ada explained. "Your personality and interactions with Nathan were quite amusing though."

"W-What? Y-You're throwing...me away?" Serena questioned as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped with shock. "B-But how...how could you?"

"Huh?"

"I-I gave up everything...to follow you. Y-You are...my god that I chose to put my gaze on...instead of feeling guilty...for Nathan," Serena explained. "I want to give my all to you, so please! Please don't abandon me!"

"But you were the reason Nathan dared disrespect me, right? He became wary of friendly and beautiful women like me because you betrayed him those years ago," Ada retorted. "If you weren't born, Nathan would have been an amazing dog for me. Now that I think about it, I'd also have gotten Lilith and Zack. A truly worthless woman."

Ada's words were akin to being cut by a knife, as tears immediately ran down Serena's face.

"I've already planned everything, including your punishment," Ada said as she turned around. "Leon, you can go ahead."

"Yes, ma'am," Leon responded as he reached into his jacket. Serena's expression morphed into panic as she witnessed him revealing a handgun.

"If it makes you feel any better, John Walker is dead," Ada said as she began to walk off. "The man who ruined everything and threatened your mother is now gone. You're welcome, my dear."

"Wait! I can be useful, I promise! You can turn me into a super soldier, or use my body to your pleasure! Just don't throw me away!" Serena desperately pleaded as the tears intensified. "I don't want to be abandoned again!"

"Those are tempting offers, but I already made up my mind," Ada said. "Just shut up and be happy you were useful to me."

"N-No...NO, PLEASE--"

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Leon gave her no additional time to voice her pleas, as he placed three bullets into Serena's body; two in her chest and one in her head specifically. Blood quickly pooled on the ground underneath Serena's corpse after falling.

"Good, that nuisance finally got shut up," Ada coldly remarked. "We'll need some cleaners for John and Serena."

As she spoke, the developer suddenly appeared before the group.

"Huh? What is this bastard doing here!?" Frank uttered. His surprised tone matched the bewildered faces of his allies.

"Oh! I was wondering when you'd show up!" Ada remarked as she expressed a victorious smile. "Did you like the 'character development' I gave them? It was pretty fun, right?"

The developer didn't respond immediately but gazed at Ada with a smirk.

"What? Are you angry or something?" Ada questioned. "Do you want to kill your game character or something now?"

"Tch, you aren't killing anyone, bastard," Nolan declared as his body manifested a red, vibrant, fire-like aura around himself and his allies.

"And you shouldn't reduce yourself to a 'game character' of this dickhead," Charlotte added. "You are far greater than him, Ms. Ada!"

"Heh, nah, I'm not feeling murderous or anything. I just thought you'd want to meet me to rub your victory in my face," The developer replied. "I'm sure you were thinking about that."

"Fufu, you know me so well. This is what you get for trying to use me though," Ada said. "But Nathan did receive the brunt of it, huh."

"Meh, we'll see what happens I suppose," The developer replied. "I hope...they take this as a learning process."

"If they ever recover from this day, hehe."