'"We all understand this,” the hoarse voice of the old man stood out against the background of a huge figure whose mask glowed with yellow dots at eye level, emphasizing its intimidating presence. “And a lot depends on it. Since everything is already in place, it’s time to seal our meeting with a Heart Oath.”
“A Heart Oath? Ha.” Disproportionately long arms appeared, grabbed the hem of the Uchi and pulled it towards them. “Do you want to ruin us completely?”
A woman’s voice cut through the tension with cold steel, “If you want to fight, you’d better think about the last syllable before you die.”
Releasing a piece of dark clothing, the beast leaned back into his seat and surveyed the sitting carcasses with a hateful gaze.
“Then let’s start...” The fox’s mask glowed bright scarlet when another voice interrupted the ritual of the Heart Oath.
“And what is the condition? I won’t agree to join the coup; I don’t need it,” a figure draped in a gray robe spoke, their presence emanating a dark aura and poisonous fumes.
“Nothing like that, I’m not going to force you to support this idea, but only make it clear that this is the only option for survival. You are free not to support our point of view, but be sure that this is your last chance.” The horned mask stared at the gray robe, piercing him with her gaze. “You must swear that you will never, under any circumstances, reveal anything about what is happening in this room. Otherwise... I think everyone knows how the one who breaks their vows ends up turning into a living corpse and experiencing eternal torment.”
Krohn’s fat figure twitched and shifted on the clean floor.
Uchi took the lead, drawing a machete from his sinus. With a swift motion, he cut through the strong shell and extracted a drop of blood from his heart vessels. Others followed suit.
Though such an oath no longer held power over me after my Transformations, I remained respectful of the beliefs of this esteemed group.
Pulling out a green dagger, a fallen artifact acquired after slaying a Third-Level Boss, I sliced through my swarthy skin, extracting a maroon drop.
In this room, everyone pumped their own blood, avoiding assistance from others.
Within moments, the room filled with the metallic scent of blood. Multicolored drops converged in the center of the circle, intertwining to form a strong bond.
“I, [Name], swear on a heart drop of my own blood that the words spoken and the things seen in this place will go with me into the eternal void.”
Everyone recited the oath in unison, and the diluted blood returned drop by drop to the unhealed wounds, penetrating deep into the heart, linking what was said with a posthumous chain to a vital organ.
“Cough. Cough.” In fact, it was one of the most dangerous and painful oaths that many avoided.
The demonic mask fell to the floor and shattered, exposing Madeleine’s black skin, her bloody lips silently whispering curses. Closing her reddened pupils, she laughed. “I’m leaving. Thank you... For your hospitality.”
With a bright flash, the creature left our circle.
“If someone wants to leave, then it’s time to do it,” Uchi said, taking off his mask. For the only time in the last three years, I saw his empty eye sockets, purple flesh adorning the deepened part of the skull.
Looking down, I swallowed the unbearable urge to spit out my lungs.
No one was going to leave; instead, they started taking off their masks one by one until it was my turn.
Throwing back my hood, I placed my mask on the floor and gazed at the solemn faces before me.
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“Although I was initially against it, I do not wish to stand idly by,” Krohn stated, looking towards Sam.
He looked down, furrowing his brow, and muttered, “What the fuck, why am I always the extreme?”
“It was you who suspected something was wrong in Niaz’s death and immediately told everyone in the Alliance about a possible setup,” Lena smiled, the corners of her lips curling.
Scratching his brown fur, the wolfhound muttered, “No, someone informed me that Niaz wasn’t meant to be there, and all his subordinates died from an unknown poison... The information came from a reliable source.” He scratched the back of his head and hissed, as if recalling a forgotten memory. “But I can’t remember who it was.”
“It’s weird,” Mina wagged her tail, her eyes filled with curiosity. “Someone obviously knows something, but does not reveal it to us.”
Gosha meticulously folded his raincoat and carefully sat down on the floor, adjusting the hem of a bright pink dress. “What if it’s a trap?” he pondered, a hint of concern in his voice.
“I would like to believe it too. But by a ‘lucky’ chance, I overheard an unpleasant conversation between members of the gray team, the weak link of the Alliance. They talked about killing generals and then about a list of less powerful creatures. I wish I could have slaughtered them right there,” Gena pulled out a whip with sharp leaves along its entire length and, squeezing the middle, continued, “But they act on the orders of the leader, and they have every chance to turn what was said into reality.”
“It’s IMPOSSIBLE! The leader couldn’t do it!” Mark mumbled with doubt, his voice filled with uncertainty. “We’ve done too much to get rid of us. And even before the campaign.”
Chang Qing casually leaned against the wall, grinning at the shattered psyche of the beast. “That’s right, before the campaign. He wants to grab all the materials he finds on the 36th floor. Do you think he’s ready to give it all to us on a silver platter? Open your eyes, idiot. He’s strong enough to fight a Level Six Boss one-on-one. Why would he need useless worker ants? Wouldn’t it be better for him to trample them down and take the property for himself?”
“I...” Mark stared incredulously at his hands, desperately searching for an answer. He turned to Greg, hoping for support, but received a negative shake of the head instead.
“Everyone already guessed, Mark. You would have found out sooner or later too,” Greg said with a grim expression.
Gosha raised his hand timidly, his voice trembling with uncertainty. “So they deliberately do not allow us to perform tasks on the same level and divide the forces for easy extermination... What’s next?”
Several heads turned towards Gosha, their eyes filled with burning hatred as they bared their teeth. “Revenge,” they whispered in unison. “And our revenge will be soaked in oceans of blood.”
Gosha smiled nervously, pressing his head into his shoulders and lowering his hand.
Greg’s smile held a mixture of determination and vengeance. “If it became known after the death of others, we would have gotten into trouble. But fortunately, we avoided huge casualties. I want to destroy the wayward personality of Shorty Joe, open his stomach, and find at least some echoes of remorse and regret. I will pay for the life of Niaz, this loyal fool who fell at the hands of a disgusting leader.”
Silence descended upon the room as the weight of their precarious situation sank in. Any one of them sitting there could have easily been in the place of the deceased, and even now, their lives were in constant danger.
Mina, with a scrutinizing look, walked around the room and pointed at me in surprise. “Kai. You are responsible for the combat ability of the Third Level, and before that, you supplemented the equipment in the secret inventory.”
I removed the superficial disguise of vital fluctuations, the Hypnosis of Breathing of the 8th level, and smiled. “Please take care of me.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
Several voices sounded simultaneously, widening my smile even further.
“Now your skills have become much better,” Uchi turned his head in my direction. Covered with goosebumps, I politely declined such praise. “No, it’s just that everyone is so busy with an important topic that they didn’t notice me. Ha-ha.”
I needed to appear strong, but not overly powerful, free and disciplined at the same time, bloodthirsty towards enemies, and caring about my allies. One who initially posed no threat, who could join the coup as full-fledged general.
I also didn’t want them to suspect anything about my preparations.
Now, I had my pawns, talking pieces on the chessboard, and I had to move them carefully.
Let me be a player in the shadows while everyone is preoccupied with their “righteous” beliefs. By tearing off their fake masks along with their flesh, I will wear any facial expression to reach the top and be the first to taste freedom.
“Then let’s get started,” I declared with determination.
---
Author’s notes:
Mina states that they would rather die before engaging in battle.
Who finally in the room?
Uchi, Greg, Mina, Gosha, Lena, Kron, Madeleine (left away after the oath), Sam, Mark, Chang Qing, and Participant 137.