Author's note: Just wanted to say thank you so much for 500+ reads! That means so much to me. Thank you so much for your support! I've also recovered from being sick, so I'm hoping to write more chapters now.
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A snake-like figure rose up from the sand and slithered his way towards Khun's unmoving body. The snake leaned down to take Khun's suspendium earrings.
"Huh? I thought he would be stronger than that. That was too easy," the snake said. You glared at him. "She's paying me a lot of money for someone so weak... She's got plenty of money, I guess. Well, good for me anyway, tee-hee. With that money I can get out of this place. It's all thanks to you, pretty boy. You won't need these earrings anymore, so I'll..."
"Don't." You said in a stern voice. "Don't touch him."
"Oh?" The snake stopped and looked at you. "Well... he's already dead. I don't see why not. Looks like the pretty boy wasn't alone, after all. Guess I have to kill you to, huh?" Just then, Khun grabbed ahold of the snake's arm.
"Who are you?" Khun demanded. "Who paid you to kill me?"
"K-Khun?!" You stared at the blue haired boy, as your eyes widened in disbelief. 'He's alive?!' The snake leaped back.
"Y-you!! How can you be alive?! The poison went right through your heart! How?!" The snake asked.
"It didn't," said Khun.
"What? Armor inventory?"
"I brought this just in case... and it was quite helpful."
"You're an E-rank regular. How could you have something so expensive?" The snake continued on with his questions.
"My dad gave it to me. Well... at least I believe so."
"You mean you stole it from him?" You muttered. 'I mean... you stole manbarondenna, and you managed to steal my heart. What else is new?'
"So..." Khun began, "Who paid you to do this?"
"Do you think I'll answer you?" The snake taunted, "I don't think you understand your situation... I'm not some weakling who's gonna lose to a light bearer in a one-on-one fight!"
"I think you've got it wrong..." Khun said as he ran behind the snake and pulled him into a choke hold. "I'm not a light bearer 'cause I'm bad at fighting. I'm a light bearer 'cause I like giving orders." The snake screamed. 'Dang, Khun... that's kinda hot... I mean what. Focus, (name), this guy just tried killing your own teammate... You need to go help.' You got up and stood in front of the snake. Khun loosened his grip around the snake's neck, but it was soon replaced by the knife you held up against the throat of the snake.
"We're gonna ask you again," you threatened. This time you didn't shake at the possibility of having to kill someone. After all, this snake tried to kill Khun. "Who was it that ordered you to kill him?" You pressed the knife against the snake's neck even tighter; it left a cut in red. Khun already had a knife jabbed into the snake's back, but that wasn't enough for the snake to talk.
"The rabbit ears! The girl with rabbit ears!" The snake screamed out, "I didn't see her clearly because it was too dark! But I'm sure! She said she'd pay me if I killed the person sneaking around this statue!"
"What else?" Khun asked into the snake's ear. You could almost feel his breath against your face.
"That's all I know! It was the first time I ever spoke to her! P-please let me go now. I told you everything I know."
"You did? Then you should die now. Because you're useless," Khun said as he stabbed the snake to his death. The snake fell to the ground and you and Khun walked away from the body together. "Anyway... A light bearer who can hack like this... and a hired killer... Who are they trying to catch using the devil's right arm as bait?"
"I'm not so sure... You don't think this was to lure us in... right?" You asked as you gave Khun a concerned look. There was loud rumbling from the giant hand tower.
"It's getting noisy over there. I guess our teammates have also been trapped..."
"But we've all been training... so... we should be prepared, right?"
"Right. Myself included," Khun said as he took out a small blue device and hooked it up to his lighthouse. "After meeting that blue weirdo on the test floor, I've studied a lot too. So that I never experience that humiliation again, I studied how to trace the hacking." Khun smirked as he typed on his lighthouse. "I'll get you... using the trap you used on us."
"Wait... you can do that?" You asked. Khun nodded and he continued to type on his lighthouse. "That's so cool! Also..." You glared at him. "You didn't tell me that you were going to fake your own death... You had me worried and full of guilt..."
"I had to make it believable for that snake," Khun explained, not taking his eyes off of his lighthouse, "if you knew, I doubt you'd be able to fake it."
"I... Yeah... true." You sighed. "So, what next?" You looked over at Khun. His eyes were wide in shock. "Khun?"
"Apple...? Darn!"
"Wait... Apple? You mean Apple from our team?" You ran alongside Khun. "You mean to say that she hacked your lighthouse? That this was a trap for us from the start?" There was no answer from Khun; the two of you kept on running closer to the giant hand.
"Novick! Ran!" Khun called out as the two of you made it to the entrance.
"Over there!" You pointed at the two bodies that laid in a pile of rubble. "Are you guys alright?"
"Don't take another step! Or everyone here dies!" A girl with rabbit ears shouted.
"Wait... rabbit ears?" You looked over at Khun. "Is she... the girl who sent that snake guy after you?"
"I installed a bomb inside the hand of Arlen. If I press the button, the hand will be blown up and we'll die. So don't move unless you want to die." You felt Khun grab your hand, to prevent you from running forward.
"Wait! What are you..." a figure with long brown hair said as he got cut off.
"Darn it! Who are you guys?" Khun yelled out as he still held onto your hand. "Why are you doing this? Who is your target?"
"We're just ordinary regulars who live in this tent village. But not this man," explained the rabbit eared girl.
"What?"
"His name is Jue Viole Grace. He's going to be the newest FUG slayer in the near future." The rabbit eared girl went on and on about how this dark brown haired man would be their savior and what have you. "He has come here to kill you himself, Khun Aguero Agnis! That's why we sent a spy to your team and how we succeeded in bringing you here! Everything was planned to bring you here!" Khun's eyes widened in shock.
"Khun..." You trailed off.
"Yes, what she says is true, son of Khun," the dark brown haired man spoke, "I tried to kill you. That's why I laid this trap and waited for you." You tightened your grip on the knife that was underneath your cloak. The figure continued to speak, "But I've changed my mind after seeing you. I seek to be the embodiment of your greatest fear. I would enjoy seeing you run away in fear more. I will be merciful this time and let you go for my amusement. Run away, Khun Aguero Agnis... and wish that we will never cross paths again." Khun just chuckled.
"Khun, maybe we should just go..." You trailed off.
"Hey, slayer nominee," Khun called out. "I don't know where you're from, but you should practice more to seem like an evil king. You evil act is like right out of a lame novel. It's too obvious that you're acting. What was that? Your acting made me cringe. You're... trying to let us go on purpose, aren't you? Why? Tell me honestly. Don't beat around the bush."
"I meant what I said," the figure said as he turned his back towards the two of you. Just then, Ran shot lightning at the rabbit girl, and knocked the button out of her hand that would activate the bombs. Novick ran up to her and snatched the button. The long haired figure snatched the button back and handed it back to the rabbit girl, and quietly said something to her.
"My lord Jue Viole Grace said that 'he wanted to be nice and let you go, but you're ruining it with your own hands! I'm furious now and shall give you death!' Apologize with your death! Fools." The rabbit eared girl said as she pressed the button.
"No! Mr. Khun! Ms. (name)!" The figure called out.
"Bam...?" You barely let out.
"Run away, Mr. Khun, Ms. (name)! It's a trap! Run away! Now!" Rubble fell around everyone. Novick grabbed you and made his way out along with Ran.
"Wait! Khun!" You called out. You couldn't break out from Novick's grasp. "Novick! We need to go back for Khun! He's going to die!" There was a huge explosion. "No!" The hand you had outstretched went limp as you cried into Novick's shoulder. You, Novick, and Ran all sat in another area, safe from harm's way.
"No... No... No... Why... What did I do you?! No!" You heard a voice cry out.
"Phew... It seems that we've survived," said Novick. "Hey, you alive Ran? (Name)?"
"Yeah," said Ran. You said nothing and instead stared down at your hands.
"And Khun... Is he trapped under the rubble of the hand?"
"N-no..." You said as your vision grew blurry. "Please don't leave Khun to die..." You slowly drifted off into sleep. 'This is way too much for me... Is Bam alive? Is he Jue Viole Grace? Is Bam working with FUG? What about Khun? Is he safe...?'
You slowly woke up and realized that your cloak was gone. You were in a new location with both Novick and Ran. In fact, the two of them were seated and drinking something.
"H-huh? W-where are we? Where's Khun?" You sat up and looked around frantically, as you tried to remember the events that unfolded the previous night.
"Khun's gone. And right now we're forced to be teamed up with that rabbit girl, Jue Viole Grace, and FUG," Novick explained.
"What? Gone? The hell do you mean by..." You trailed off as you remembered what happened. "He's... dead..." You slumped down into the seated as you tried not to cry. "I never got to tell him..."
"Hey, you three," said one of the members of FUG, "Get ready. We're going to the workshop battle."
"I really don't like this team..." said Novick.
"Yeah." Ran muttered
"But it's the best among the teams I've ever seen." You stared out the window in silence as you all came up across a giant ship.
"I-is that the Archimedes?!" You called out and pointed at the giant ship. "One of the legendary ships?"
"Quiet," said a silver masked figure. He put braces on you, Ran's, and Novick's ankles.
"H-hey! What the heck?"
"I said quiet." You gulped. The three of you were lead outside to where Jue Viole Grace was.
"Hey, Viole," Novick spoke up. "Can you tell this iron mask to take off these footcuffs? We're not criminals. It's hard to move around. Shouldn't you trust your teammates?"
"Trust you? You should thank Mr. Viole that you're still alive."
"It'll be so easy to fight at the battle like this, won't it?"
"Take them off, please, Mr. Reflejo," Viole said softly. The silver masked man, Reflejo tried to argue. "They don't have a place to run away to. I'll take responsibility for it, so release them."
"Please take these off... It hurts..." You whined.
"Yes, take this off. It's annoying," Ran grumbled, "He said it's an order. Don't you obey his orders?"
"I'll be keeping an eye on you, so don't do anything stupid," said Reflejo. Novick tried to test the masked man, and was immediately pushed back.
"Is there anything else that makes you uncomfortable?" Viole asked.
"Why are you being so nice to us?" Novick asked.
"Because you're friends of Mr. Khun's." You winced as you heard themention of Khun. 'This must be Bam... right?' You gave Viole a suspicious look,then you walked off with Novick and Ran. 'Someday it's been... But... I guess it's time to move on. I need to keep climbing thetower. I mean... I can't keep getting distracted by others. I've made it this faralready.' You sighed. 'I'm sorry,Khun...