Rey, amidst his confusion about which path to take, paused to consider his options. He realized that fleeing now would mean never facing a stronger adversary, as the protagonists in mangas and novels often do. Although he had no desire to emulate those main characters, their relentless fight for their loved ones still captivated him. Consequently, he always sought challenges beyond his grasp. Of all the opponents he had encountered since meeting Aiden, only Jacob had exerted a pressure on him that was unparalleled.
Determined to surmount this obstacle on his own, without Aiden's intervention—who had previously dispatched the real Jacob within minutes—Rey yearned to grow stronger.
With resolve, he made his decision and selected his definitive course of action.
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The screen vanished, and he turned to Jacob, who was grimacing in pain, his body shrouded in Zero particles.
"Jacob, it seems this will be our final confrontation, and I doubt either of us will emerge unscathed. One of us is destined to perish here," he declared. The particles he had drawn from Jacob morphed into a dagger. Although it quivered slightly, as if unstable, he managed to maintain its form while conversing with Jacob, buying time.
"You're correct, but the one fated to die today is you, kid," Jacob retorted, charging at him with a sword reduced in size. He swung at Rey, who dodged with ease and countered by targeting the unprotected areas of Jacob's armor.
Suppressing his cries, Jacob launched a flurry of attacks, giving Rey no opportunity to strike. Yet, Rey found openings, and after fifteen minutes, both were gasping for air, their stamina depleted. Jacob's body was riddled with cuts, while Rey, though only slightly scratched, was healing at a sluggish pace.
Rey sought an opportunity to inflict a devastating blow.
They charged, weapons drawn, and exchanged blows. Both missed, but Rey maneuvered behind Jacob and spotted an unarmored section on his leg. He struck the back of Jacob's knee, eliciting a grunt and bringing him to his knees.
Unable to stand, Jacob found himself at a disadvantage. Seizing the moment, Rey absorbed his weapon into his body, receiving a notification that he had acquired another particle fragment, now possessing two-thirds of the total, enhancing his protective coverage.
Throughout the battle, Rey had been bare-chested, relying solely on Zero's assistance to shield himself. Now, he was prepared to conclude the fight.
"You are the one destined to perish here, Jacob. But it seems you have already met your demise in my world," he declared, withdrawing the final dagger he had concealed.
"You were right, young one; someone was indeed destined to die here. And in the face of death, I couldn't grasp your words, but today seems to be my fortunate day," he proclaimed as he evaded the hurled dagger, conjured a club from the remaining particles, and slammed it down upon him.
He continued to pummel him repeatedly. Rey, caught off guard by this onslaught, was unable to evade and found himself relentlessly battered. Bloodied from every direction, his ribs fractured under the unyielding assault.
With a few more strikes, Jacob paused to catch his breath and surveyed the boy's condition, teetering on the brink of death.
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"See, I told you today was my lucky day, and that you were marked for death. But I grow weary of calling you 'kid.' Tell me your name; I shall remember it as I lay claim to this world," he stated, struggling to rise but confident that the boy's artifact would grant him full recovery.
"No, Jacob, today marks your end," he retorted, attempting an action that refused to heed his command.
"Still so arrogant. Even with your defiance, do you truly believe you can triumph over me?" Jacob taunted, seizing the particles from him, which then enveloped his lower body and aided him in standing upright.
"It is my confidence that seals your fate here," he declared, a gleam igniting in his eyes as his long-awaited desire came within reach.
Jacob mistook the boy's fervor for madness, a side effect of his defeat, and failed to detect the looming threat. By the time he realized, it was too late; the danger was literally hanging over his head and then piercing through it.
As he pondered his next move, Jacob was shocked to feel a dagger protruding from his mouth, the pain was unbearable. But before he could react, he was already succumbing to death, collapsing to the ground not far from Rey, who cackled wildly. The scheme he had longed to execute had finally succeeded here.
Earlier, the dagger Rey had thrown was deflected by a machine and dropped to the ground. After being overpowered, Rey attempted to wield it against Jacob. Despite struggling to control it, he was convinced that Jacob, overwhelmed by exhaustion, hadn't noticed. And so, Rey waited, biding his time until he could recover and stand.
Eventually, fully healed, Rey rose and approached Jacob's body to retrieve the final piece.
The man, anxiously awaiting a notification, grew increasingly impatient to the brink of madness, as the system remained unresponsive and his eagerness to awaken and reunite with his family intensified.
Yet, his patience bore fruit as the very thing he longed to see drew close to his eyes.
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< Killing requirement: - (34/34)>
< The condition has been met and everything is ready for host to clear the realm.>
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Upon hearing the verdict, he didn't hesitate for a moment, piercing his head with his dagger, taking his final breath in the realm.
Desperate to know if Evan and his mother were safe, he hastened his own death to flee the realm.
He found himself in the familiar void where he always returned upon death. Unlike before, where he moved forward, this time he receded. A light grew behind him, and turning, he saw a massive orb of light approaching. Engulfed by it, his eyes snapped open, and he awoke in his bed, as always. Fearful, he checked the time; it was 7:12 am, sunrise, and he was late for school, which started at eight o'clock.
"Aiden, Zero, Victor, is anybody here?" he whispered. Receiving no response, he was about to search for his mother and sister when all three appeared before him.
Overwhelmed with relief and joy, he glanced at them only briefly before rushing outside to see his mother working in the kitchen and his little sister Emmy, in her school uniform, eating at the table.
Emmy looked up to see her brother descending the stairs, appearing as if he had run 15 kilometers, his body soaked with sweat, his face flushed, and tears streaming down his cheeks.
"What happened, brother? Why are you crying?" she said, running toward the man who had fallen to the floor on his knees, wiping away his tears.
Upon hearing Emmy, Jasmine also turned back to see Rey's condition. Fearing something had happened to him, she ran toward him.
Both bent down on their knees, asking him what had happened, but he simply wiped his face, embraced them both, and said, "It was just a nightmare, and I thought I lost you both."
They were both taken aback and began laughing at him, thinking he was now acting like a child. But only he and his spirit knew the extent of his suffering.
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Meanwhile, Victor, who had witnessed this, turned to Aiden and said, "We thought he was going to become a monster, but I think he's good now."
"You're right, but I didn't expect him to kill Jacob in that condition, and even using our skill, he was not much better but quite good for a newbie," Aiden replied as they both nodded and vanished from the place, leaving him to enjoy a family moment he deserved for himself.