Ascension: Online

"Looks like it's your turn, Furuwa," I remarked, shooting her a sideways glance.

"… Kaze," she suddenly said. "Do you want to make a bet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What bet?"

"If I win this fight… you don't kill that guy you fought just now. But if I lose, you can do whatever you want."

"… And why exactly should I accept this bet? It's not like I need your permission to do something."

"If you refuse, I will snitch on you. They may not believe me, but I can at least make them somewhat suspicious of you."

My expression darkened as I glared at her.

"Why are you so insistent?"

"Because I don't want you to walk down the wrong path," Furuwa replied, eyes fierce and determined. "We are in the same boat now. I definitely don't want to work with a murderer."

Then, she turned to Hina-nee.

"Sakura-senpai. He is your little brother. Shouldn't you be teaching him killing is wrong, no matter the reason?"

"Chiaki-san… unfortunately, that is not true," Hina-nee sighed. "Killing is necessary sometimes. You should probably head up the stage now, but I'll explain it to you after if you're still confused."

Furuwa took a deep breath and began to walk away, but then stopped after a few steps.

"… Kaze. I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to take the bet?"

"…" I sank into thought.

My evaluation of Furuwa had been off the mark. Originally, I had thought she was cold-blooded and able to kill if needed, but turns out I was wrong. A person like her who cannot finish her enemies off will eventually die sooner or later.

Back when I made my first kill on that sickleboar, Aisa had told me this world was vastly different from my old one. Here, killing was as natural and necessary as going to work or school back on Earth. Furuwa, however, failed to understand that.

I'm sure she knew — she just didn't want to accept it.

I should've known, back when she stopped Jim from killing Qin Yao. Despite being cold and stubborn on the surface… she actually had quite the kind heart. Normally, that would be a good thing, but she, unlike Hina-nee, did not possess the ability to harden it when the time comes.

She was right, however. Had it been the old me, I never would've considered killing Xuan Kun. The fact that I thought of this now was definitely related to me consuming the Blights and losing some of my emotions. The six I've consumed so far have all erased emotions relating to goodness, such as pity and empathy.

Put simply, I was slowly turning cold and ruthless, quite naturally too. The change, to me, didn't feel sudden at all, though to my peers, it must've been. In a way, I could see where Furuwa was coming from. Unfortunately, due to my lack of empathy now, I was unable to understand her stubbornness.

Could I keep using her as a pawn, if it's like this?

Tools are made to be used. I didn't need a useless one.

"Sure. I'll take the bet."

Furuwa walked onto the stage after hearing my acceptance.

I decided to give her one final test — one final chance to show me she could change.

*****

(Furuwa's Perspective)

I stepped onto the stage, where my opponent was waiting. He was an obese man who looked to be in his thirties and wore a crooked grin on his face.

"You've kept me waiting, young lady," he smirked, revealing his yellow and uneven teeth.

"Too bad," I replied coldly and took out my sword from my inventory.

Lionel Kratos — that was his name. It sounded glorious and royal, but really, the man standing before me right now looked more like a burglar than anything. He took out his own weapons, two short knives.

"I've seen you fight before. You're pretty good with that sword," he complimented, though it felt extremely fake.

"I've seen you fight before as well. You're pretty good with your dirty methods," I responded in turn.

"My, my… thank you for the praise. But just for the record, everything I've done have been well within the scopes of the rules."

"Just barely…" I muttered in disgust.

"Kekeke…" the man laughed darkly.

"Both sides, ready up! The battle will commence in 3… 2… 1…" the mayor raised his hand into the air as the drummers got ready to strike.

"Go!"

Not wasting any time, I applied all the buffs I could to myself.

'STR: Boost.'

'AGI: Boost.'

'INT: Boost.'

'DEX: Boost.'

I immediately sprinted towards Kratos, using Accelerate in the process to… well, accelerate the process.

However, he merely took out something from his pocket and dropped it on the floor. Immediately, smoke rose up and blocked my vision, filling my lungs up as well.

"Cough, cough… hack…" I panted, quickly getting out of the area.

I had witnessed Sakura-senpai experience this once before, so I knew to get out as soon as possible. A few seconds later, the smoke dispersed, revealing the man within.

"Ho… you got out before I could slice you to pieces. Unlucky."

"Tch… fight me fairly, using those two blades of yours. Or are they just for show?"

The man burst out laughing. "If you think taunts are going to work on me, you're gravely mistaken. I will use whatever tools I have at my disposal to win. It doesn't matter how I do it, victory is victory."

"… Bastard!" I yelled, frustrated both from the conversation with Kaze earlier and now this guy's irritating attitude.

'True Edge!'

I raised my sword up high into the air. As its green glow slowly became brighter and brighter, I swung it, cleaving the air in front of me.

A crescent-shaped blast of green energy shot out of my blade, flying towards the man. Not expecting this sudden attack, his eyes widened as he was struck by the fast-traveling projectile.

"AGH!"

He nearly fell off the edge of the stage as he slid backwards, clutching his chest where I hit him in pain. I didn't let him get the chance to recover, however, as I immediately dashed forward and stepped on his chest, pointing my sword at his throat.

"Done already? So weak, for all your big talk."

The man's face looked up at me. There were tears in his eyes as he slowly raised his two hands up in surrender. I blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry… please let me go…" he sobbed.

The expression was so pitiful and genuine that I couldn't help but give in. Everyone deserved a second chance. Everyone deserved forgiveness. Killing, was not the answer.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Slowly, I took my foot off his chest and turned around.

"Fine. But don't ever use those underhanded methods of yours aga-"

"HAHA!"

A loud laugh came from behind me as I quickly spun around in shock, but it was too late.

The man jumped on top of me, pushing me to the ground from behind.

"Ngh-!" I groaned in agony as the man's full weight fell on my spine.

He placed one of his knives against the back of my neck and laughed darkly.

"Kekeke… oh, my sweet, naive, girl… you are far too easily trusting," he shook his head and chuckled. "Have you learned your lesson? Never trust a thing your enemy says, and definitely don't let them go once you've gotten them in your grasp."

"Y-You… bastard… I already… beat you…!"

"Oh? The judges haven't announced the victor yet, have they?"

"K-Kuh…" I gritted my teeth, trying desperately to push him off. But alas, his weight was far too heavy.

"You're too naive, little girl. In this world, someone like you is going to die sooner or later. It just so happens that day is today."

The man raised his other dagger, preparing to lop my head clean off.

No… how could this… how could this be…?!

"See ya, Chiaki Furuwa."

I closed my eyes, preparing for my life to end.

Kaze, Sakura-senpai… I'm sorry. You were right, after all…

But then, as the blade swung down, my eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Wha-!"

A jolt of electricity shot through my body, powerful and disorienting.

"AHHH!" The man was stunned from the shock emitted, and he fell backwards after a short spasm.

I panted heavily, slowly getting up from the ground. I spotted my sword laying a short distance away on the stage. It must've been knocked out of my hand when the man collapsed on me.

I quickly made my way over to it, footsteps disorganized and legs weak. Still, I managed to pick it up, then use it as a crutch to walk over to my opponent, Lionel Kratos. He lay on the ground in a messy position, shaking slightly from the remaining shock of the electricity. To be honest, it was a miracle he was still alive.

But not for long.

I stepped my foot on his chest for the second time that match, and this time, I wasn't about to let it go.

My arm was still weak, but I could lift my sword. Raising it high up into the air, ready to bring it down, I said my final words to him.

"… You taught me something today. And you… will also be my first training dummy."

Eyes forged with burning fire, now with a new glint of death within them, I tightened my grip on the handle of my blade.

"Goodbye, Lionel Kratos."

I brought down my sword.