Number 7

'Calm. Calm. Calm.'

Opening her eyes, Eclaire spoke to herself as if recounting a chant as she etched another mark into the wall.

'Calm... I am calm. I am calm.'

Finishing her etch, the woman dropped the shard, taking a deep breath as she stood up.

Then, grabbing the stool at her side, she threw it into the wall with a loud crash.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!?"

Grabbing her bedsheets and pillows, the woman began to tear the room apart as she shouted out in rage.

"IS HE INVINCIBLE!?!? CAN NOBODY FUCKING KILL HIM!?!?!"

She had been pushed beyond the edge.

"I DID EVERYTHING!!! EVERYTHING! I SACRIFICED MY MIND, MY BODY, EVEN ALL THOSE DAMN PEOPLE!!!!"

Throwing a bookshelf to the ground, the woman panted in rage as she tore down the room.

"IS THERE NOTHING I CAN DO TO DEFEAT HIM!?!?"

Panting for breath, the woman shouted these words with tears forming in her eyes, falling to her knees as she sobbed.

"I... I went through all that pain... so that all those prisoners would listen to me... or at least so they would fight him for me... I knew I was weak - I accepted that I was weak! So I relied on others! I gathered so many... more than any normal human should be capable of handling! Yet that man... that man..."

With a whimper, the woman planted her face to the ground in sorrow.

"He wiped the floor with so many people like they were nothing..."

She had severely underestimated his combat abilities.

No - to even say that she underestimated him would be wrong.

His abilities were far beyond human.

She had assumed he was strong. Terribly strong.

But what man was capable of such a feat?

The only conclusion was that he was no man - but a beast.

"What... what should I do?"

Her options had run dry.

No matter what sort of plan she formed, it would fail.

If she tried to assassinate Gerard herself, he would kill her before she was able to.

If she hired someone else to do so, he would kill that person without issue.

If she tried to checkmate him with multiple assassins, he would sniff out their plot and kill them in one fell swoop before they could act.

If she tried to incite a rebellion, no matter how many people were present, he would defeat every last one of them.

'Have I exhausted all my options?'

As she fell into despair, the girl looked forward with a blank expression, unable to think of any other solution.

[Have you forgotten about the other precautions you've taken?]

Yet as if the voice of a demon curled up into her mind, Eclaire was not allowed to fall into hopelessness.

[If you're not capable of defeating him... then why not just wait for those who are capable to show up?]

'Do you... really think they are capable of such a thing?'

Sometimes, hope can be a poison.

[Who knows. But you can't give up until you know for sure, right?]

But at other times, hope is necessary.

For even if a solution is impossible - one must still move forward.

Even if one knows that no solution exists, that movement is necessary.

For without movement, no solution will ever present itself.

And that movement is exactly what will create an opportunity.

"I guess... you're right."

Standing up, the woman regained her resolve once more.

"Thanks, Four."

As she left the room, determination in her expression, she chuckled to herself at how pathetic she was being.

"I can't let a single failure stop me."

And looking back, the woman witnessed the wall of scratch marks, quickly turning back as she replaced the mirror to cover it.

"Or a thousand."

Looking at herself in the mirror, the smile once more returned to the face of the woman.

"If my opponent is a monster... then all I have to do is face him against another monster."

----

[Attempt Number 6]

Isabella Stirling - the little monster who was the creation of Sheldon Stirling, the third son of the Stirling family, the nephew of Gerard Stirling.

This girl had gathered a group of powerful subordinates with haste after Sheldon had been slain, however this was all nothing more than a facade.

The real mastermind behind the entire plot was Marcus Coran.

A man who claimed to be nothing more than a businessman, however based on her meeting with this man - Eclaire knew that he was far more than just that.

He was a devious strategist - one who worked with the hand of a general as he looked down upon the battlefield from above, everything flowing according to his mechanisms.

Even Eclaire's movements were a part of this man's plan - movements which he couldn't possibly account for. This man was someone who was so overprepared that he planted surprises that even he himself didn't know about.

'If you yourself don't know about your own plans... then how could your enemy find out?'

The alliance that Eclaire had entered with this man had remained a secret, of course. Her actions had been taken completely independent of him. Even now, if they were to meet, he wouldn't remember her as an ally - but as an enemy.

Even so, Eclaire's role had been set in stone. She was to take on Gerard.

Marcus Coran, Sylvia Berith, Bradley Vendetta - these three among the five held abilities.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times she had retried during their encounter, Eclaire was unable to find out the true properties of their abilities. Whether she attacked to obtain the knowledge or tried to negotiate them, she was never even given a hint.

For seemingly obvious reasons, the group had become intent on keeping their own abilities secret even from their allies.

"We will defeat our enemies - that is all there is to it."

This was one thing that Marcus had said in one of the lost worlds.

'Can they really defeat Yakov though?'

This was the boiling question in her mind.

Certainly, they must have been powerful. As ability users, they should at least be able to stand on the same ground as Yakov.

But would they be able to win against a man that even Eclaire couldn't defeat no matter how hard she tried?

Certainly, her ability was not one of combat. Even so, her ability allowed her to defeat normal humans in combat easily - or at least seemingly so - by sacrificing herself multiple times in order to learn her opponents patterns and move perfectly to avoid their attacks.

It was an ability that made Eclaire appear perfect to a mere spectator. Yet Yakov seemed to counter her with ease, changing his actions exactly based on her movements.

She couldn't predict him like a normal person, since any minute change would be reflected in his motions.

If she showed rock, he would show paper. If she showed paper, he would show scissors. If she showed scissors, he would show rock.

Such was her experience trying and trying again in direct combat with Yakov.

'But... my ability is not all powerful. And his shouldn't be either.'

It was exactly because of the limited nature of her ability that she wasn't able to face Yakov - but perhaps someone with a different ability would be able to do so.

'But that brings the other ability users into question...'

Eclaire had begun to suspect that there were other ability users among the executives, but she had yet to confirm these suspicions.

She didn't exactly have any way to confirm this without directly attacking them, after all. She didn't want to reveal her own abilities either - not that it would matter if she planned on resetting.

Even so, she wasn't going to endure another potential death while picking a fight she didn't know anything about. Those three already seemed to hate her enough.

'So if there are three ability users on Isabella's side... add me, and that makes four. There are at least two on Gerard's side, Gerard and Yakov... but the three executives might have abilities of their own, which would make it four vs. five.'

It was slightly disadvantageous, but that all depended on the specific abilities of the opponents.

'Perhaps I should have taken the time to figure out their abilities... but I would have no way to communicate that information to them without revealing myself as a traitor.'

Eclaire decided that she would leave the executives and the soldiers under Yakov to the invaders, and rely on them to break through and make their way to Yakov and Gerard.

'Surely they understand the threat that Yakov poses, and they will send their most powerful soldier to him. The others will take care of the rest somehow. That must be their plan to invade.'

Isabella had already taken out some of the former clients the previous night in a facade where she had claimed that the bloodhounds had killed off her subordinates - another criminal gang that held some clout.

Of course, Eclaire knew that such a thing was likely all a part of Marcus' plan. They were trying to lure out some of the fourth branch's most powerful players to eliminate them before the fight even started.

'So basically... they'll show up today and attack. That was the plan. And if that's the case, I'll rely on them to win their respective battles... and hope that one of them is able to make it inside to face off with Yakov.'

At that time, when Yakov headed off to face a dangerous foe - one who hopefully would be capable of distracting even him - Eclaire would make her move.

She would kill Gerard at that time, and even if Yakov won, she would already have taken the throne.

Thus, Eclaire moved forward with her sixth attempt at taking the life of Gerard Stirling on that day.

----

The day progressed without incident.

During the morning, Eclaire had managed to skip out on Gerard's declaration to the people. It was because she had encountered him in the hallway at that specific time that he had invited her to declare his Queen, and the fact that she didn't make an effort to be there influenced the flow of events.

Instead, Eclaire continued her work as usual, overseeing the people that she had brought into the hotel.

She didn't make any flashy moves, nor did Yakov make any attempt to kill her.

'Just how does he obtain his information?'

This question continuously pressed at Eclaire, who was desperate to learn the inner workings of the ability.

Whenever she tried to do something, Yakov always seemed to be able to thwart her plans - but the exact timing of this always seemed to differ.

Sometimes she was allowed to take certain precautions before Yakov would show up or deem her death as necessary. Other times he would kill her preemptively, in order to prevent a worst case scenario from occurring.

'Is it that he is informed right before a checkmate occurs so that he can prevent such a thing from happening?'

Such a terrifying thought - yet it was consistent with his actions.

If he was informed of her actions at a time that he could prevent them from succeeding, that would mean that he would never be caught in a scenario where he couldn't respond.

He would always be able to find a way to counter Eclaire's plots before it was too late for him.

'No... I can't assume that yet. If that were true...'

It would have been the same as accepting defeat.

If such an ability truly did exist, combined with Yakov's own physical prowess and quick thinking, it would make for an unstoppable combination.

'But he has been unstoppable to this point.'

This unshakable fact left just enough room for that terrifying reality to remain as a possibility.

'Regardless... I need to see who they send and how they match up against Yakov.'

With this goal in mind, Eclaire continued about her day as if nothing were unusual.

Time passed, and eventually the afternoon came.

At that point, while she was making her way down the halls, one of her servants rushed up to Eclaire.

"Lady Eclaire!! I've been looking all over for you. Sir Yakov told me that you've been requested for a meeting in the conference room. All the executives are to be present."

"Is that so? I suppose I had better go then. Thank you."

With a light nod, the woman waved the man off, turning away as her eyes lost every shred of friendliness that they had held.

'It would seem... that the invasion has begun.'

----

"Finally, we have all arrived."

Standing at the head of the conference room, Yakov and three others glanced towards Eclaire, who entered the room - clearly later than the others.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't know we were having a meeting, and I was only informed just now. Is something the matter?"

Taking up a nonchalant tone, Eclaire grabbed a seat without a shred of seriousness in her expression.

Of course, in reality, she was anything but.

This very facade of carelessness was but a persona, meant to portray her as someone who could not have possibly been plotting something.

"Indeed, there is something happening. Unfortunately, I have received the news that the five former clients who were sent out to assist in avenging Isabella have all been killed."

"EH!? ALL FIVE!?"

Celia shouted out in shock as Yakov uttered these words, unable to comprehend the scenario.

"Wait just a minute, Yakov. That doesn't seem right at all.", Melissa added. "Those men and women may not have been on our level, but they were still skilled in their own rights. Extremely skilled, might I add. If they were all killed so easily, then-"

"You are exactly correct."

The rich girl was interrupted by the gentleman before she could even finish her sentence.

"The opponents... are extremely dangerous."

"Then what is the plan?"

Pressing forward, Valerie glared at Yakov, at which the man gave a light nod.

"Now, before that even, I think we need to better understand our enemies here."

Taking a seat, the man sat in front of the four as he folded his hands.

"Our enemies are not an enemy gang, as we were originally informed. Our enemies are in line with Isabella herself."

"EH!?!? What does that... how could that be!?"

Celia didn't seem to hold back her evident shock as she looked around from one person to the other.

"How do you know that?", Melissa asked.

"Regardless of how I know, that is the case. Unfortunately, it would seem that a betrayal has occurred within the family. Well, that girl is not technically related to the Stirling family by blood, so this might have been expected. Regardless, her subordinates who were apparently killed still live, and they will be coming to attack this place."

"So those bastards that had the gall to come into this place, eat our food, drink our drinks, and ask us for help... they're going to just march in here and attack?"

Melissa seemed to be filled with irritation on hearing this, at which Yakov nodded patiently.

"That is the case. As for these intruders... Valerie, Melissa, Celia. You three will guard the exterior. Take as many soldiers as you need. I myself will remain back to guard Gerard. As for you, Eclaire... well, you will be tending to the boss as well."

'Eh?'

Suddenly, Yakov gave a strange order.

Rather than assigning Eclaire to the battlefield like the others, he instead specifically assigned her to tend to Gerard.

'That's... strange, isn't it?'

It was exactly what she wanted.

If she could be close to Gerard, then she could kill him with ease while Yakov was off fighting an attacker.

'Why would he... is he trying to keep a close eye on me?'

That had to be it.

There was no other explanation. By all logical means, Eclaire should have been sent far away from Gerard - yet she had not.

"That will be all. Please report to your respective positions immediately - and do not yield with your lives."

Thus, everyone headed out.

The three quickly left, and soon enough Yakov was the only one remaining in the room, standing by the door as Eclaire thought to herself.

"Are you coming, Eclaire?"

"Ah! Sorry, I must have dazed off. I'll be right there."

"I see. I'll be waiting."

Gathering her bearings, the woman quickly stood up as the man nodded, closing the door on her as he left her alone.

As she approached the closed door, the woman stopped for just a moment, closing her eyes as she entered a state of thought.

'Should I do it?'

Taking a deep breath, she nodded to herself.

'There's no going back... but this is good enough reason.'

With this, Eclaire set her retry point to that moment.

'Now... I'll be assigned to Gerard's chambers - no matter how many times I retry.'

Opening the door, the woman stepped forward as she headed through the halls.

'And there's nothing that anyone can do anymore to change that - because this much has been set in stone.'

----

Perhaps it was her intuition.

Perhaps it was her prior experiences.

She did not know.

However, while this decision would limit Eclaire's options by locking everything that had happened on that day up to the meeting, it would also prevent Yakov from making any further preparations for her actions beyond that point.

One of the most important aspects of her ability was that she could retry from a given point. The closer that point was to her change in strategy, the more unexpected her actions would seem, and the more difficult they would become to predict.

For Yakov, that would create a disparity in his information. While Eclaire had a plan this time around to wait for the invaders to appear, Yakov would be under that impression at the retry point, had he already figured out her plans.

In the case of failure, changing up her strategy would be a drastic shift, and as such it may be all the more effective.

'But... I have no intention of failing.'

With her plot in mind, Eclaire made her way to Gerard's room with haste, at the orders of Yakov.

'This time... I'll obey orders. I'll wait until someone shows up, and I'll kill Gerard after Yakov has already left.'

In theory it was a flawless plan.

How would Yakov possibly know about something that she hadn't told a single soul about?

However, Eclaire was not so naive.

She understood that Yakov's method of gaining information was beyond the standard for a human.

Coming upon the room, Eclaire knocked a few times as she took a deep breath, preparing herself to enter.

"Come in."

The guttural voice of the man that she wished to kill could be heard from inside the room, at which the girl opened the door.

Relaxing in a chair, the man didn't appear to be worried in the slightest. He gave off an aura of complete carelessness, as if there was no possible way anything could go wrong.

Of course, with the man standing next to him, perhaps such an assumption was the truth.

'I'll wipe that confidence right off your face. Just wait.'

"Ah, Eclaire. Why don't you prepare me a drink? Maybe grab one for yourself as well. We've got time."

"Of course, Sir."

With a smile, Eclaire obeyed the orders of the man - not because he had ordered it, but rather because she did so willingly.

'Of course, if I refused, he would have ordered it to be done.'

She had only the choice of whether to be forced or not. In the end, she would obey of her own free will.

'But... there is a difference.'

By choosing willingly to obey, she would at least have control over her own actions - meaning that she could control the way in which she obeyed, so long as she obeyed.

For example, if she were to be ordered to kill a man, the weapon she used would be her own decision. If on the other hand, she refused to do so, she would automatically pick a weapon without her own input.

This was a crucial component to the Reign ability that Gerard held.

In essence, by giving in to all of his orders, she was able to freely exercise her will within those orders.

"Here you are."

As Eclaire poured Gerard a drink and handed it to him, the man immediately took a sip of the fluid, wiping his mouth with a satisfied expression.

"You too, Eclaire."

"Yes, Sir."

With moderation, the girl took a small sip from her own glass - ensuring that she remained sober while satisfying the orders of the man.

Time passed, and the two continued to drink for a while.

'Gerard is a large man... and he can handle his alcohol quite well. Getting him drunk is no easy task, and Yakov wouldn't allow such a thing to happen unless he was absolutely certain of Gerard's safety.'

"It would seem that we have some... unexpected company."

Suddenly, Yakov seemed to perk up as his eyes fell upon the door, at which Eclaire sat up as well.

"Eh? You mean..."

"I will be right back, Sir. Please excuse my behavior as I take care of a few issues."

"Huh? Oh, alright. Do as you need."

"Thank you."

With this confirmation, Gerard waved Yakov off.

Sitting in that seat, Eclaire watched the man as he prepared himself, however soon enough she realized that something was off.

For this man was approaching her - and fast.

"I see. So you've invited these people here... in order to distract me. Is that the case?"

In that instant, Eclaire felt the barrel of a gun pressed to her forehead.

She opened her mouth, unsure how to respond as she gazed up to the man, who now stood in front of her with a furious expression.

"Pitiful. If you were going to betray the Leader, then you could have at least done it with your own two hands without involving outsiders."

At that moment, a bang was heard.

Gunpowder filled the room, and the scent of blood quickly overtook it as a body dropped to the ground.

"So she really was a traitor... eh?"

Gerard looked down upon the woman, then up to his subordinate with a saddened expression as he took another swig.

"Unfortunately. Now then... if you'll excuse me, I have another to take care of."

"You're not going to die, are you?"

Just before Yakov left, Gerard asked this question, at which the man turned back with a gentle smile - one filled with a hidden bloodlust.

"No, of course not."

----