*Shua*

The wind blows gently, as we wait for our end. However, as I tightly hold Yin, the painful sound of a crumbling city fails to appear. Instead, an annoyed voice takes over the silence.

“Oh, for crying out loud. Bloody pathetic worms. Can’t even make up your minds.” I open my eyes and look at the edge of the tower. Tatsuya’s face has changed. A demonic grin fills his eyes as he swings his mace sideways. “I suppose I’ll have to help.”

“Tatsuya? What are you do-!” Yin has time to cry when the mace slams into Penelope’s side. The surprised salary woman has no idea what hit her. She stares at Tatsuya’s face.

“W-Why?” She has time to murmur before the impact pushes her over the side of Tiendas Tower.

“NOOO!” Yin screams and even I am confused as I see this strange betrayal. A terrible feeling sinks into my gut as I begin to see some inklings of the truth. My own words run through my head.

Some spiders eat other spiders after all…

“By the System, you worms are slow.” Tatsuya seems different. All the respect in his voice is gone. It was all fake to begin with. Now the true him comes out. With blood staining his white robes, he doesn’t seem like a priest anymore. “Ugh, she got my clothes dirty. That won’t do!”

He snaps his fingers and suddenly the blood in his robes begins to move. The red stain leeches out, dripping onto the floor to leave his robe just as white and clean as when we met him.

“What the hell?” Yin hisses as she sees this. “Hei! Something’s wrong with him!”

“Oh, he knows.” Tatsuya’s grin grows wider. “I don’t know how, but this one is different. Aren’t you, Hei? Too bad you didn’t figure it out earlier. Not that it would have made a difference. You’ve all been playing my game this whole time. I was never going to let anyone leave.”

“What are you?” I bend down and pick up my sword and cleaver once more. Though it doesn’t seem like it will matter.

Something tells me that he is not someone who can be killed by such basic weapons.

“Oh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. I suppose…” He lifts a finger, pointing at the sky. “You might call me a god. That must be what we are to pathetic worms like you.”

“You’re no god!” Yin snarls, but I hold her back when she tries to rush out. “You’re a murderer!”

“Please…” Tatsuya looks insulted. “Do you call yourselves a murderer when you throw out a pet that has lost its use? I can do what I please. Murder would mean we’re on the same level.”

“What do you want?” I ask, feeling tired. I think I can see where this is going. “You System Admins always have strange tastes.”

“Oh? You know of us?” Tatsuya, or should I say the thing pretending to be Tatsuya, is surprised. “Well, that’s interesting. I like you. For worms, you’re pretty intriguing. How’s this! Just for you guys, a one-time exception!”

“What?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He points at us, and brings a finger to his neck. Then he mimes slitting a throat. “The quest, there can only be one, right? Just kill each other and I’ll let the one who survives win. But choose quickly, I’m getting tired of this game.”

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“You sick bastard! How can you play with our lives like this! What makes you think we’d listen!” Yin growls but stops as she realizes I haven’t moved. “Hei? You can’t seriously be considering…he’s lying! He’s definitely lying! We can just fight him!”

“Mmm…yea I agree.” Shaking my head, I stay right there beside her. “You already said you were going to kill us all. I won’t give you the satisfaction.” To be honest, as soon as a System God appeared, I already knew this was screwed. It explains everything, how in my past life no one survived Tiendas to tell the tale.

The System always leaves a way out.

Unless someone else is in charge.

“Is that your final answer?” Tatsuya flicks a finger, instantly losing interest. “Oh well, then. I guess I’ll choose for you. Goodbye, interesting worm.”

*Puchi*

I realize then that I made a mistake.

Maybe he really will spare one of us.

With horror, I stare into Yin’s eyes.

Did I just doom her to death?

Then I see the shock on her face as her hands come out to me. Blood splatters, and I sigh in relief.

It’s my blood.

“HEI!” She cries as I fall. “No no no! Don’t go! This can’t be happening!”

“I…I hope you honor your promise…System God. Let her live!”

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.” Tatsuya smirks, watching the drama. “You won’t get to see so it doesn’t matter.”

“Y-Yin…finish me…make sure…I don’t…”

I pass into the darkness before I can tell her to cut off my head.

#

Heh…this place again.

I can feel the world painfully.

It’s cold.

Always so cold when the Gray takes over.

Gradually, the virus begins to burn through my veins. I can’t control my body. But I can hear what’s going on as my sightless eyes open.

“Mmm…that’s more I like it. That’s where worms belong. On the ground.” The System God calling himself Tatsuya laughs as Yin sobs. Her tears fall on me and cool the burning virus but they cannot reach me in this place. “Now…then…”

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!” Yin grabs her katana from my numb hands and my vision is blurry as I see a beautiful girl streak towards a white-robed priest. However, with a flick of his sleeve, the girl is stopped. Frozen by the power of the System God.

“No no no. I’ll pardon your rudeness this once. Little worm, I was going to kill you, but I think it all the more-funny that you should suffer! Go forth into this world and tell everyone a tale they won’t believe! Ahahaha know pain!” The System God holds Yin powerlessly in the air without touching her. A second later though, his expression changes. He stares at me, as my body rises, growling.

No! Don’t hurt her! I beg of you!

My thoughts cannot influence the Gray’s decision. It wants to consume. To feed. And I’ve conveniently given it a powerful body full of experience to do just that.

*Tap*

“Grawwwr.”

My body takes a stumbling step forwards and the System God frowns as Yin dangles in the air, unable to even turn her head and see me.

“What in the System? You…really are different, aren’t you?” He watches as I get closer and closer.

No No No! Just stop! At least go for him, not Yin! Damnit listen to me!

It doesn’t matter how I plead. I cannot yank my body back under my control. I’m just stuck here behind a gray screen watching as I come ever closer to Yin’s helpless body. Though she cannot see me, she seems to realize something is wrong.

“Hei? Is that you? Are you alive!” She says, her voice full of hope. Little does she know that something terrible is coming for her, disguised as me. “You okay? Let’s get this bastard together!”

Her hands scrabble at her throat, kicking at the air, but the System God’s power is absolute. My mouth opens. I feel saliva spill out onto the top of Tiendas Tower as I lumber closer. Then I lean in, to take a bite…

NO NO NO!

“Oh no…we can’t have that.” It is the one who killed me in the first place who ironically saves me from myself. “I see, you’re just a zombie now. Yet I didn’t detect any infection in you before you died. Strange indeed…but in the end, still just a weak worm. I can’t have you ruining my game and eating the winner now! Know your place, loser!”

*Crack*

The world tilts, and a horrible pressure explodes through my neck as the System God uses his strange power to kill me once again. However, this time I’m grateful. For he’s saved Yin. As I crumple and die, I think I vaguely feel warm tears falling on my cold face.

“D-Don’t go…I love you!”

#

“No-“ I stumble mid-step. My heart pounds, as I realize where I am.

Did I die twice?

Am I back at the beginning?