Eclaire had poisoned every bottle - except for one.

The one that Gerard would order her to drink.

By doing this, she posed no threat to Gerard. Her actions would not result in his death, and Yakov would not have any plot of hers to kill him revealed.

Eclaire would not be revealed as a traitor - for she had no intention to betray Gerard.

However, in his suspicion of her, and in his own arrogance, Gerard ignored the orders of Yakov and invited Eclaire into the room.

As a direct result of his suspicion, the bottle of alcohol that he suggested to drink was a different one than Eclaire had suspected, resulting in a death that she herself had not intended.

Or at least, not at this time.

The vagueness of her actions could not have been defined as any assassination attempt on Gerard, thus such information was not revealed to Yakov.

Even then, Gerard, in his own suspicions, had ordered Eclaire to drink the poison herself - and this she did without complaint.

At that moment, she had resigned herself to death, and had decided to try again.

Yet perhaps after witnessing so many deaths and failures, Number Four had pity on her.

And so, with abilities unique to experiment Number Four, she had released an antidote into the body that she had inhabited.

Thus, Eclaire was allowed to live without retrying - even after having died.

----

'Just who has the gall to attack this place? And to make it inside... he must have evaded the executives.'

Yakov found himself rushing through the halls, heading towards the man that had invaded the hotel.

'Perhaps I will die here... or perhaps it will come later. But I will give everything to prevent this man and his leader from achieving their goal and destroying this hotel.'

He would die today - that much was fated.

Even so, he would use the remainder of his life to protect this place, which he had assisted Gerard in building.

'To think that I would become someone so reliant on my ability... it's quite pathetic, isn't it?'

With a bitter smile, the man heard the footsteps of another as a certain man turned a corner of the hall.

"Ah... you're the strongest one, aren't you?"

Stepping out without reservation was a man who had red hair, bearing a casual smile as if he were taking a walk in the park.

Despite the fact that he was deep in the middle of enemy territory, he bore no sign of fear or concern. His nonchalant attitude made Yakov wonder why this man could hold such confidence, however this was answered almost immediately.

[Any attacks made upon this man will be reflected back with interest.]

The voice that spoke to Yakov had no personality - it was merely an emotionless robot which held no feelings towards the statements it made.

Even so, sometimes it's statements were quite cruel indeed.

'I cannot attack him? No... I can.'

"What is your goal?"

Posing this question, Yakov prioritized the gathering of information in an attempt to avoid needless conflict.

"My goal... eh?"

With a smile, the red haired man seemed to chuckle to himself, closing his eyes in thought as he was asked this question.

"I'm here on business. I have a request from a certain client, and I'm here to fulfill it. Is that enough reason?"

"Plenty."

With a grin, Yakov immediately understood.

After all - he too had done everything in the service of Gerard for the sake of this business - and his role as the Janitor.

"Then... you intend to destroy this place?"

"Destroy is a bit dramatic. Rather than destroy... I would prefer to consider this as a restructuring of the organization… starting with the executive management."

As the man responded, he reached his hands into his pockets, approaching Yakov as if to provoke him.

"You don't have an issue with that, do you?"

And as the two men faced one another with mere inches between them, Yakov laughed as well.

"Unfortunately, I do."

Bringing his face forward to whisper into the man's ear, Yakov responded in a calm tone.

"I won't work for anyone except for the owner. And if you wish to rip this hotel from him... then I will have to enter a state of noncompliance with the new policy."

"That's quite unfortunate."

Holding his hands out as he turned around, showing Yakov his back, the man seemed to invite an attack.

"I suppose you'll have to be laid off then."

----

Yakov's fist flew with precision, at a speed that no normal human would be capable of dodging.

Despite the repercussions that he would experience upon landing this blow, he had resolved himself to fight.

However, his opponent was no mere man.

"A bit hasty, aren't we?"

With the slightest tilt of his head, the man dodged the blow with ease, at which Yakov jumped back in caution, retaking a fighting posture.

"You're quite capable. How many years has it been since I've met a man who could dodge my blows?"

"If that's the case, your opponents were all pretty weak, weren't they?"

The man seemed to taunt Yakov with a grin, but Yakov wouldn't fall for such things. He maintained his composure, chuckling at the man's strange statements.

"I would be a bit more cautious if I were you. This is just a warning. People who land blows on me don't tend to get away unharmed.", the invader warned.

The man didn't even hold up his fists, nor did he take any sort of fighting pose. Perhaps if Yakov didn't know better, he would think that the man was mocking him.

Yet this man was doing nothing of the sort.

"You don't particularly mind if you get hit. Isn't that correct?"

"If it happens, it happens. And if it happens, then consequences will naturally occur. Whether I get hit or not is of no concern to me."

"Because if you do, your opponent will feel much greater pain than you - is that not correct?"

"Haha... perhaps you've figured me out."

"Your ability reflects damage back upon anyone who harms you."

"You knew. And yet you still threw a punch at me - one with intent to kill, at that."

At this statement of Yakov, the man seemed to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why is that?"

At this question, Yakov folded his hands behind his back, also taking a nonchalant pose as the two spoke from opposite sides of the hall.

"You believe that you are invincible. No... perhaps you are, to a certain degree. So long as your opponent is aware of your ability, they are unable to kill you, and they will be reluctant even to harm you. For what man in his right mind would give up his life to kill another man?"

With these words, Yakov couldn't help but to grin as the two seemed to fall upon the same page.

"I've seen many, though none were in their right mind.", the man responded.

"Indeed."

And with a smile, Yakov took a fighting pose once more as he rushed forward.

[Dodge right]

[Jump back]

[Block left then counter]

The robotic voice spoke commands into his mind, which Yakov executed to a tee - a feat that only one extremely skilled in combat would be capable of doing.

Without fail, Yakov perfectly reacted to the blows of his opponent as the two entered a melee.

However not once did either man land a single blow on the other.

"Your speed is inhuman."

"And yours."

While they ran alongside one another, jumping from one place to another as kicks and punches flew, the two men spoke casually as if their fight was nothing more than background noise.

"Why do you dodge if my blows will be reflected back to me? Are you concerned with the damage you will sustain, and wish only to damage me with your own blows?", Yakov questioned.

"Not exactly. I suppose this is a form of... mercy."

"Hah... mercy, you say? So you're telling me that you're going easy on me?"

"Yes. And no."

The man's answer contradicted itself.

"I am easy mode."

"What does that mean?"

"If you're lucky, you won't find out. To be frank, I have at least some respect towards you, so I don't want to subject you to any more torment than I have to."

"Thank you for your concern."

Suddenly, the two men stopped their fighting, stopping at a certain point in the hallway as they faced one another.

"Are you prepared to die to kill me?", Bradley asked as he gazed into the eyes of Yakov. "Is that how important this place is to you?"

"It's quite important to me, but more important is that this place is important to the Leader. And I will give my life for his dreams."

"Why is that?"

"He saved my life long ago. So I will use this life to benefit him. It's as simple as that."

"Loyalty... eh?"

Bradley seemed to form a bitter smile as Yakov spoke such noble words, even if his loyalty was aimed towards such a rotten man.

"It's a concept that this world is devoid of. You've shown me something rare."

"Perhaps this world is devoid of all the virtues and noble intentions that one may believe in. But that doesn't prevent us from obtaining those virtues for ourselves. Even so... I have no intention to be so virtuous. I am well aware of the hideous nature of my crimes, and I have no intention to hide those sins."

With a nod, Bradley seemed to smile.

"The average human."

With this single phrase, Yakov looked at him strangely, raising an eyebrow at his statement.

"What about it?"

"While there may be specific cases of extreme virtue and extreme evil, these cases are both exceptionally rare - yet why is it that these cases define the morality of the human person?"

Pausing the fight as he monologued, the man looked to the ceiling, pacing back and forth throughout the hallway as Yakov watched patiently.

"When we see someone excessively moral, we like to write stories and sing praises of the great achievements of humanity. We like to uphold heroes, as if these heroes define humanity - representing us and our moral character. On the other hand, our denouncing of extreme evils is seen as a reflection of the justice that unites humanity against such evil."

As he spoke, the man suddenly grimaced, as if recalling a bitter memory.

"But why is it that we only ever use such extreme cases to represent our nature?"

Looking at Yakov, the man continued.

"The average human - is this not what we should be basing our evaluation of humanity upon? Should we not take all of the collective responses and reactions of the common person, and consider this behavior to be the true nature of humanity?"

"I'm not quite sure what your point here is.", Yakov responded honestly, at which the man seemed to chuckle with a painful smile.

"The average person is far more wicked than we would like to believe."

"I cannot disagree.", Yakov added. "And perhaps this is reflected in the state of this world today."

"When presented with the choice of benefiting oneself at the cost of harming another, the average human will almost always choose to persue their own benefit. Why is this? Perhaps it is because they don't see the harm they cause - this is a large part of it. But beyond that, there is something far more disturbing. Take a man who wishes to go on a date, for example."

Raising his finger, the man now leaned against a wall - and the fight almost seemed to dissipate as the two engaged in philosophical discussion.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Almost always, the man has the sole intention to bang whatever pretty thing he can find and rush away the moment he finds himself burdened with any responsibility. You'll find all sorts of these men rushing about clubs, hitting on women and trying to find whatever quick pleasure they can obtain."

Holding up his hand, the man didn't stop there.

"Of course, the women are no different. They attend such clubs, dressing in such a manner as to show the entire world that they have no sense of shame, and care not about who or what looks at them. The men focus only on the women who seem easy and are beautiful. The women focus only on the men who seem rich and handsome. The others are thrown to the gutters, labeled as creeps or ugly and forgotten by the rest of the world."

With a sigh, the man's expression warped to one of pure disappointment as he spoke.

"Why is it that we hold no value for virtue unless there is beauty or success behind it?"

Then, stepping forward, Bradley approached Yakov, though he held not the slightest bit of malice in his approach.

"I'll tell you. It's because we are creatures of desire."

As the man came in front of Yakov, Yakov slowly reached his hands into his pocket, not making any sudden move yet slowly showing that he was carrying a pistol.

Slowly, Yakov held up the weapon, not making any sudden movements as he made the man aware that moving any closer would result in his death.

"We hold no concern for true character. We only care about what makes us feel good. We label these things as good, as virtuous, as just - regardless of the true nature behind them. We view things only how they seem, and take these things at face value. And the results of this..."

However as the man spoke, he came close enough to Yakov to the point where they could feel one another's breath, placing his very forehead on the pistol that Yakov held without the slightest notion of fear.

"Are a corrupted society where the average human has no true concern for anything but themselves."

"And are you any different? Am I any different? Is there any person in this world who has dared to go against this norm - this standard that we have created?"

With these words, Yakov threw back a question at the man, whose head was right in front of the firearm, at which the man smiled destructively.

"No."

And at that moment, the red haired man grabbed Yakov's hand, taking control of the situation as the two entered a strange battle of strength.

"That's why I'm here."

Yet with these words, the man did the unthinkable.

He himself pressed Yakov's finger down upon the trigger.

Bang!

And with this, a bullet shot straight through his own head.

Blood flew, and Yakov merely watched with a straight expression as the man killed himself, baffled yet calm as he witnessed this strange scenario.

'What a strange man.'

Lowering the weapon, Yakov turned his back on the man, who didn't fall to the ground even in death.

'Certainly... he was not average.'

[Turn around.]

Yet right as Yakov was about to leave this place and return to his post, the voice of revelation spoke to him - at which he immediately shot backwards.

'Wha... how... who... is that?'

For at that moment, he saw something which made him doubt his very eyes - a strange sight that went against all logic.

The man who stood before him was no longer there - replaced instead with the figure of a woman.

This woman, whose red hair was the same color as before, stood with a bullet hole in her forehead, blood running down her face as she smiled.

[Ahhhh.... now you've gone and done it.]

She spoke with a blood curdling malice, yet her beauty seemed overwhelming, even to someone like Yakov who held no such desires.

[You killed my man, didn't you?]

She carried herself with a crazed expression, veins forming in her eyes as she took each slow step towards her prey.

[How unfortunate... though there wouldn't have been any reason to let you live.]

And at that moment, Yakov realized something - and there was no need for anything else to be revealed to him.

[After all, someone with loyalty to one of our enemies would never come to see things the same way.]

This was the moment he would die - and his attack would be reflected back to him without any way to escape.

[You would only ever become an obstacle.]

'Will this woman kill Gerard? Or will the man?'

He didn't understand how such a thing was possible, but in the last moments he had in this world, Yakov asked this question, invoking his ability one final time.

[This person will not kill Gerard.]

Yet with this answer, Yakov breathed a sigh of relief.

'I see. Then... I will accept this tradeoff.'

[Therefore... it's better this way, isn't it?]

He would give his life in exchange for keeping the man who had kept him alive to this point, and the dream that he held.

[Now you can die... knowing that you did everything you can - and still came up short.]

And with this statement, the woman disappeared from Yakov's sight.

In an instant that even Yakov could never possibly hope to comprehend, the woman was behind him - with the very pistol that Yakov had shot Bradley with in her hand, pressed to Yakov's own forehead.

[This is the true nature of humanity.]

Bang!

[I am nightmare mode.]

Thus, Yakov died.

For the third and final time.

----

"It really is too bad. If he wasn't so loyal, I would have been fine with letting him live. He might have even become a useful ally."

[He would've killed himself if his boss died. He's the serious type that views failure as unacceptable, and he wouldn't have had any further reason to live.]

"Hmm... that's quite sad, isn't it?"

[It's also a bit poetic, though the fact that such a man could exist is quite unnatural. Most humans are self centered, so to find someone like that...]

Bradley spoke with Three, heading now towards the office.

He had accomplished his goal - to kill Yakov, who was undoubtedly the most powerful figure in this hotel - which was the reason why Bradley was sent.

After all - he was unkillable.

With Three's regenerative abilities combined with Revenge, anyone who 'killed' him would inevitably die themselves, but in doing so Three would intervene and prevent any death in the true sense of the word.

'Of course... if he had some way to kill our souls...'

[What are you thinking about?]

'Ah, I was just thinking about if there was any way we could have lost to him.'

[I don't think so.]

Coming across the office, Bradley stopped before he entered.

"Are you ready? The man behind this door is the one in control of this entire operation."

[One just sent a message. Apparently this man holds the Reign ability.]

"Reign? And what does that one entail?"

[Anyone who has submitted to him and recognized him as their boss or leader will be subject to his orders. Like a King who reigns over a subject, his orders will be absolute, and his subjects will be forced to carry them out.]

"Hmm... is that so?"

With a grin, Bradley entered the room, throwing caution to the window.

"So when faced with someone who isn't his subordinate, he's nothing more than a regular human."

[That's correct.]

"Do you think that his subjects will want revenge?"

[I'm certain of it.]

"Then it's a job."

However as the man opened the door, he was greeted by the body of a man, and standing above it was a woman.

Blood covered her, staining her pure white hair as she looked up with a welcoming smile, a strange expression across her face.

"Ah... Bradley. I was expecting you. But I've already taken care of this part."

"If I recall correctly... your name is Eclaire. And you're one of the executives of this branch."

Looking down to the body, the man assessed the scenario quickly.

"But this would mean that you're no longer an executive, I suppose."

"If that's how you see it, I suppose so."

The woman responded to his comment with a dangerous smile, however the man was no foreigner to danger.

"Are you an enemy?", Bradley asked.

"My only enemy is this man. As a matter of fact, I'll have to thank you for distracting Yakov. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you."

"I see. So you were planning on our arrival?"

This woman was clearly dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

"I was."

"And Marcus even went through all the effort to conceal it... how did you know that we were coming?"

Bradley spoke with a genuine curiosity, and while he didn't consider this woman to be a threat, Three seemed to think otherwise.

"I have an ability, just like you do. I'll leave it at that."

"That man Yakov... did he have an ability?"

When Bradley asked this, the woman in front of him seemed to twitch her eye, as if the question irritated her.

'He defeated Yakov without even knowing his ability?', she thought.

"He did.", she responded.

"What was his ability?", Bradley pressed.

"Reveal."

With this single word, the woman headed out of the office, making her way past Bradley without concern for the invader before her.

'How does she know that I'm not going to attack her?', Bradley wondered.

"He could reveal the most efficient strategy to achieve his goals, and the intentions of those who went against his goals - as well as their weaknesses and abilities."

"Ah... that must be how he was able to dodge my attacks."

Nodding in approval, Bradley grinned in understanding.

"And you? What are you going to do from this point on?"

"I have to negotiate with your leader."

As the woman made this statement, Bradley almost let out a laugh.

"Leader? And which one is our leader? Ah, you must mean Isabella. That was all just a facade, you know."

As Bradley informed Eclaire of the deception that they had performed in pretending to be members of the third branch, Eclaire immediately turned back as she faced him with a raised eyebrow.

"It has to be Marcus, no?"

And with these words, Bradley closed his eyes in resignation.

"Hah... I guess it does seem that way, doesn't it? I'm surprised you figured that much out, but I don't particularly follow anyone. I'm sort of an independant who has his own agenda. And my agenda lines up quite well with what Marcus is doing here, so I decided to ally with him."

As Bradley explained this, Eclaire seemed to nod.

"Is that how it was? Hmm... well, regardless, I need to speak with Marcus. He likely only knows me as an enemy, so I need to ensure that he doesn't kill me when he takes control."

"Takes control... just where did you get that idea from?"

Bradley couldn't possibly understand the strange notions of the woman, however she seemed to be certain in her assessment.

"With Gerard dead, there has to be a new leader. Of course, I planned to do it myself - but if I hand over the position to another I won't have to deal with such a burden. Why do you think I went through all the effort to get all the people to love me so?"

"Ah.... you're sly, woman."

Nodding in understanding, Bradley let the woman head off, approving of her schemes.

"Love... it's quite a powerful tool. Isn't it?"