Depraved Hero's Path

As loud gasps echoed throughout the vaults,

"When… When did you realize?" Katherine asked, standing beside Elijah.

"When Zarath attacked the first ones." He turned in Marianne's direction. "Marianne's reaction let me know I was right."

All of the Black Army followed his gaze.

"Hm…" Marianne remained silent for a moment. She didn't really want to talk. There was too much on her mind. "The pools of blood around their bodies had stopped growing pretty quickly. The bleeding slowed unnaturally quickly. Their heart rate decreased a lot, but it never fully stopped." She explained.

"If you've noticed that then why were you acting like such a bitch then?" Zarath questioned.

"Acting like a bitch?" Katherine frowned. "I don't like your language, Demon."

"And I don't like your…"

'It was just a hunch. There was no real proof that they would come back to life.' Marianne thought to herself. 'The likelier possibility was that only the winning side gets healed… I didn't think about this being a best-of-three, however. Now, what we need is…'

"We're killing them." Petra said coldly. "All of them."

"Our advantage isn't as clear as it was before." Gin sighed.

"What are you saying? We still have a Bishop more and Pawns. Now that we know we can steal Roles through Pawns, it changes everything!"

"Does it?"

"Of course. Don't tell me you're losing your balls now. I'm the one who got pierced through the heart, and I'm saying we can win this!"

"Not like we-"

"As I said before." Elijah said in the White King's direction. "The question is what will you do now?"

"Kill all of you." Petra answered.

"What do you mean?" Gin asked.

"Your advantage in numbers is pretty much gone now." Elijah explained as the Corrupted Harpies walked over to his side. "Our Skills and Items are much better. We have two Participants capable of flight. Additionally, we can use Magic. Something that you have no way of countering."

"Don't listen to the motherfucker." Petra spat on the ground. "Make me the Queen again. I'll use my Berserker Skill right away and use the advantage to steal their Queen's Tiara."

Gin held a hand to his chin.

"It's like we have a choice…"

"You do." Elijah said, relaxing back in his seat.

Gin's eyes narrowed.

"You want me to Resign? Before the second Game even starts?"

"Since it is a best-of-three, your Pieces have been brought back to peak condition. However, if you lose now, it's unlikely they will be healed. Anyone who dies during the last Game… Dies."

"Even if you manage to get us, we'll heal." Léa added. "We still have two shots, while you only have one."

"Just let them be." Zarath muttered as she spun the Black Knight's Sword, its blade leaving a trail of Dark Magic. "If they can't see what's best for themselves, then that's their problem."

Katherine gulped and took a step forward.

"Resign." She said. "I didn't use my Magic to hurt you severely. Please, Resign. Don't make me do it."

Her words immediately made Gin and Petra think.

It was true. Katherine didn't direct any of her Magic towards any of the Participants apart from Petra. As the Queen, she could handle it. But even then, she had only used Wind Magic. The purple orbs were the scariest Magic, and they hadn't even been launched in a dangerous manner. In the latter parts of the fight, she hadn't even detonated them.

"By the way, I can use some Magic too." Elijah informed.

"So?"

"Just because it doesn't inflict damage doesn't mean it's worthless." Gin explained, holding his hands together with concern.

"Right." Petra said with narrow eyes, remembering the pool of black goo she had been trapped in as well as the Wind Magic that knocked her back multiple times. "Doesn't matter though. We don't get a choice. Resigning changes nothing."

"It does, actually." Léa answered, re-adjusting her glasses. "While you all came to the King's Game directly, we actually challenged other Relics."

"So?" Petra scratched her head with the pommel of her knife, annoyed.

"If you Resign, then only your King will die." Elijah explained. "If we defeat you to win, then there's no way to know whether you will live or not."

"That's if you can defeat us."

"What about them?" Elijah directed his gaze towards the rest of the White Army. "What do they think?"

Petra wanted revenge so badly that she hadn't even taken a second to look at her comrades.

Many of them were still on the ground, shocked by what had happened. Their hands rested on where their wounds used to be.

"They're in shock…" Marianne muttered.

It wasn't surprising. Some had lost limbs, others had seen their own guts spill out of their stomachs.

"The wounds might have healed, but the pain that they felt is still…"

"Doesn't matter." Petra took hold of Gin's sleeve. "If we tell them to fight, then they will. Because if they don't, the same thing will happen again."

"You're right." Gin gulped. "We can still win this."

Elijah let out a sigh. He was done trying to reason with them.

"Have it your way." Elijah muttered, and started the King's Game preparations for the second round.

"It can't be helped then." Léa sighed.

"If you do this, then it means you will be trying to kill us." Katherine scratched her cheek. "I won't be as kind as I was before. You have a chance to stop the fighting."

"How about you Resign, then?" Petra spat out.

"That's not…"

Marianne could feel her hands start to shake.

Everyone had given up on negotiations.

Gulp-

Kill or be killed.

Just the way the world is now. Humans killing each other.

Accept it and-

Marianne took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

"Are you really…" Her Golden Eyes shone brightly, yet her gaze was colder than ever. "Foolish enough to do this?"

"What's the little girl going on about?" Petra sneered.

Marianne's advance actually gave the White Army some confidence. To be precise, the two Rooks and the Pawn, who had almost killed her, regained some confidence.

"The Skill that increased your Stats might be impressive, but it won't help you win. You will lose. You will all lose." Marianne raised her hand, and pointed at each and every Participant on the opposing side. "You will all die."