Chapter 31: I am Dynamite

"I forgot who she is," Sakimi said.

I sucked in a shallow breath. "What about Ayame? Or your parents? Do you remember them?

"I've never heard of Ayame. I don't have any memories of my parents, either."

"Then, what do you remember?"

"I remember you, Ares. The Hierophant. Enzo tasked me with killing you, but when I heard Marigold's voice, I just couldn't do it. It was like something inside me was—"

Sakimi's eyes grew wide, and she convulsed on the ground.

"Hey!" I said. "What's going on!"

Veins bulged on the girl's face, and after a few more moments, she stopped. Her eyes had changed. Sakimi's once-soft gaze returned to Beatrice's glare of contempt.

Mana gathered around the air, forming embers as Sakimi mouthed the words, "Within my blazing heart of stone, I call on the—"

Before the girl could finish the incantation, I jammed my sword's hilt into her mouth, creating a makeshift gag. She squirmed and tried to push me away, but I held her down with all my might.

It was a good idea to take away Sakimi's staff. If I didn't do that, she would have been able to use incantation-less spells.

Still, it broke my heart that I had to treat Sakimi this way.

Marigold arrived the next moment with the rope that I had requested. She then helped me gag Sakimi's mouth and restrain the arms and legs. All the while, Sakimi resisted and tried to break free, but she was still just a weak child.

"What now?" Marigold asked when we finished.

Sakimi continued to squirm on the ground with fury in her eyes.

"We're taking her with us. Once we kill Enzo, it might break the spell that he put on her."

"We'll have to tie her onto the saddle so that she doesn't escape."

"Yep."

And so, I got onto Vortigern with Sakimi. Marigold sat at the driver's seat as usual. Once I fastened Sakimi to the saddle, we headed off to the top of Mount Candoskr.

The air was still gelid to the touch. As we traversed through the village, we passed by people who were frozen in place, caught in various positions. It reminded me of images from after Mount Vesuvius's eruption, which had cast molds on the residents of Pompeii.

If Glaciate created normal ice, the villagers might still be alive, but the spell did immense damage upon initially casting it. There was no hope in saving all those people.

Marigold and I remained silent for the duration of our travel. Sakimi kept trying to yell at us through her gag, but once we exited the field of ice, she quieted down, realizing the futility of her struggles.

A few hours later, we arrived at Enzo's palace once again. The first time I fought here, the heavy atmosphere threatened to crush me, but now, I only felt annoyance.

Annoyance that I still had to kill that piece-of-shit Enzo, and annoyance that Sakimi was turned into a man-eating demon.

Vortigern walked up to the front entrance, and the massive doors opened inward. When we entered, I swallowed my breath.

"What the hell happened here?"

In the original game, the environment in a boss fight could be destroyed, but it would always return to normal if you ever challenge them again.

When I fought Enzo the first time, only a few parts of the balcony and the floors should be destroyed, but now, the entire room looked like a tornado had razed it.

The balcony and columns were no more, having been reduced to rubble.

Many parts of the walls were missing, the stained glass window was nothing but a few shards, and fissures lined the once-pristine tiles.

"No way," I muttered.

Did someone come here just before us?

Marigold cracked the reins, urging Vortigern to continue forward.

From this distance, I could make out the shape of a figure on the throne, but it wasn't until we got closer that I could fully discern the situation.

A spear had impaled Enzo through his heart, emerging through the back of the seat. His face was etched in utter shock, lacerations covered his body, and his halo was missing.

Enzo was dead.

When I looked back to check on Sakimi, she was still a demon.

Fuck.

It didn't break the spell.

"I didn't expect to see you here," a man said.

I've heard that same voice somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Who's that?" I asked.

A cloaked figure jumped through what remained of the stained-glass window, crushing shards of rubble underfoot. He then raised out his hand, causing the spear to dislodge itself and fly back to his palm.

Finally, the man lowered his hood, revealing dark-brown slicked-back hair, a neat goatee, and a bushy mustache. He had a stern and chiseled face with slightly droopy eyes that gave off a somewhat relaxed expression. The man also wore a pendant around his neck that had a yellow-colored rune with a backward G etched on it. I forgot what type of rune it was.

It took me a second to recognize him, but I finally realized who it was.

"Iago," I seethed, getting off the spinebear.

"That's right."

"Were you the one who did this?" I asked.

"Obviously."

In a split second, I had crossed the distance between Iago and myself.

I held the man's throat in my right arm and held him in the air, saying, "You bastard! First, you stole my weapon, and now, you stole my kill!"

If I were the one who had killed Enzo, I would have gained at least three levels, and I would have gotten the Fire Shield item.

"Wha...hold on...!" Iago stammered, struggling to speak from my chokehold.

"You just had to fuck everything up again, Iago."

"Let him go!" Marigold said.

I glared at her. "You stay out of this!"

"He killed Enzo. He's our ally!"

"Yes! That's right!" Iago said. "I helped you!"

"You didn't help a single bit."

"Do you...still have a grudge from that one time? I'm very, very sorry! I forgot to apologize, so I'm sorry for that too. I missed the chance to get the Frigid Edge, and I wanted it from you, but I realized that what I did was terrible...I am deeply sorry!"

I loosed my grip.

Iago took advantage of my concession by kicking my chest with all his might, breaking free, and sending me staggering backward. The man rubbed his neck as he got back on his feet.

"Man, why are you so high-strung, Ares? I apologized. I hope we can get along now."

"I still have to know one thing," I said.

"What is it?"

"Before, you said you're a player character. Just who exactly are who? Did Virgil allow you into the game like me?"

"Virgil? Oh...yes. She was the one who hired me to test the game."

"How do you fit into the lore?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the Hierophant."

"But I'm supposed to be the Hierophant."

Marigold and Sakimi were left utterly confused as they watched the conversion unfold.

Iago let out a short laugh. "That's strange. I guess we're both Hierophants then."

Just how much has Serial Slain 2.0 changed from the original game? Now, there are multiple Hierophants?

"Welp," Iago said. "I have a place that I need to go to, so—"

"Hold it."

"Why?"

"There's still a score that we have to settle."

"I apologized, didn't I?"

"Call me emotional, sentimental, or vengeful, but I won't forgive anything that you've done until I beat the shit out of you."

"Come on, man. I just stole a little weapon."

"You don't know the shit that I had to go through to get that 'little weapon,' and you don't know how much more I've lost because I didn't have the 'little weapon.'"

Iago curled his upper lip. "Does the Frigid Edge really matter that much to you? I can give it back if you want it."

"No. That won't bring back anything that I've lost."

"It's not like beating me up will bring back anything either."

"You right," I said. "But I'm fucking angry right now. I need a goddam punching bag before I lose control."

"You should think rationally, Ares. This won't help you."

"Shut the fuck up and fight me, you son-of-a-bitch," I snarled, drawing my sword.

"Fine," Iago said, strapping his spear behind his back and drawing a menacing ice blade—Frigid Edge.

"Stand aside," I said to Marigold. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Evidently, Marigold wanted to object to this fight, but it would have been pointless.

I wasn't gonna back down.

When Marigold realized that, she got back onto Vortigern and traveled to the edge of the throne room where they would most likely be safe.

"This is your final chance to back down," Iago said. "I don't want to fight right now."

"I'm gonna slice you up until you've got nothing left."

"So be it."

Iago and I circled each other like two apex predators conflicting over territory. Even though I was extremely high-leveled, I had no idea about any of Iago's capabilities. On top of that, he managed to defeat Enzo without any other party members, so I have to assume that he's just as strong as me.

Suddenly, Iago became invisible.

The next thing I knew, a blade was sticking out of my chest.