13. Fool me twice

"So you're really going to do it?" Fiera asked as Harvey headed toward the King's castle. "You stuck to your word."

"It's only been five days, not a full week. I'm actually ahead of my word," Harvey snickered as he crouched down, smoothing her hair.

"Make sure you come back, Not-So-Stinky Adventurer," Fiera replied, and Harvey smiled before entering the castle with Hive.

Entering the castle, a gust of wind swept past them, instilling a momentary fear in Harvey. Despite the wave of unease, he quickly gathered himself, pushing forward through the castle.

Harvey glanced around, sensing multiple presences in the room with them. "Are you certain about this?" Hive inquired as they pressed on.

"I'm not leaving here till one of us is dead." Harvey looked at Hive, "And I'm leaving."

Wielding his blades, Harvey prepared for potential attacks from the sides as they advanced. The scenery in the lengthy passageway began to transform, with the torches on the side of the walls extinguishing mysteriously.

As darkness enveloped the surroundings, Harvey swiftly activated his night vision. Quickly, he deftly parried an assailant's attack, he had been surrounded but it didn't matter, petty attempts like this only meant X wanted to gauge his strength.

Harvey swept his foot, unbalancing the last of the men. He glanced at him, there was a name over his head. A player had joined the faction in their ranks, probably on the promise of power. But what would he do? Harvey pointed his blade at the man's neck, would he kill everyone in line with the faction or only the faction members themselves?

Removing his blade from the man's neck, Harvey held it as they entered an empty room. Hive walked ahead. "Sorry for putting you through this," He apologized.

"Am I scared? Yes. Do I want to be here? No. But... this is going to free everyone in Falusha, it might not be an exit. But it's good enough, everyone living comfortable lives. Hive stopped, turning back to Harvey. "X's room lies behind that door."

Observing the golden door, Harvey sensed the formidable presence of a powerful adversary behind it. Despite his four years in a labyrinth, this opponent might surpass any he had faced. He gulped, approaching the door and pushing it open with both hands.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Applause resonated through the room as a masked man, his name blurred overhead, sat on a throne and observed Hive and Harvey approaching. "Hajun the condemned, I must say you didn't get your reputation for being easy to kill."

"Well you know, when you play enough you just get good at it." Hajun continued walking forward, Hive stopping ways behind.

"Oh before we start, sorry for your loss. Elizabeth was it? Her life was a mere test after all. I almost feel for her."

"A test?"

"Oh, that's right." X got up from his throne, descending the steps "We needed to know if the newbies would actually... you know, 'Follow the cause' so we put them to the test, one after you and the other after your girlfriend, of course, we didn't expect them to actually win but when I tell you I was happy when one of them came back with a skull next to her head."

"I'll kill you."

"I'm sure you will." The man laughed, further angering Harvey.

"Her death was pointless, and so is your revenge but since you want to fly, I might as well clip your wings myself." A giant obsidian mallet manifested in the man's hand, and in the blink of an eye, he struck Harvey so forcefully that he crashed through a pillar and into a wall.

"Harvey!" Hive screamed out.

"Harvey? Well, would you look at that?" X walked toward the dust cloud formed by Harvey's crash. "You got yourself another girlfriend, without avenging the last? C'mon, that's low."

"Shut up," Harvey exclaimed as he rose, he was too consumed by his anger to evade the earlier blow, and now half of his health had depleted.

"My mother always said I had a big mouth!"  Advancing at Harvey, X swung his mallet so swiftly that the air itself seemed to cry out in pain. Harvey leaped over the swing, closing in on X with his blades, delivering a combo of slashes and strikes.

"Slow," X muttered, using the base of his mallet to shield against Harvey's attack. "Form 5: Weighted Rock."

Harvey found himself pinned to the ground as the mallet, pressed against his sword, became exceptionally heavy, impeding his movement. Gazing upward, he saw X rushing in with a kick.

Quickly he dematerialized his daggers. using his elbow to defend against the kick, materializing his blades again, he rushed toward him, his blades cackling with electricity as he looked for a stun.

"Stone Grasp."

Harvey was stopped in his tracks once more. However, this time via a spell by X, his feet were firmly held by the ground, resisting his attempts to break free.

"You're too angry," X remarked, strolling towards his throne and casually sitting down. "Girls don't like an overly aggressive man, you know? Or maybe they do? Hmm."

Undeterred even by his inability to move. Harvey swiftly hurled his electricity-infused dagger at X, but with a quick head swipe, he evaded the incoming blade, "Still I can't even begin to imagine what you went through in that hell hole of a labyrinth— eating shit to stay alive, you're a better man than me Harv."

"Shut up." Muttering under his breath, Harvey struggled to comprehend why he was so agitated, especially since this opponent wasn't Harlow. Despite attempts to calm himself, his heart continued to race, his head throbbed, and a red haze clouded his vision. Until his blades were stained with a liquid of a similar hue, he wouldn't stop.

X's strategy was clear — to provoke Harvey and divert his focus from the fight. Disabling him emotionally was the key, as X was well aware that rushing in recklessly for the kill would only prompt Hajun to counter with his broken, technique. "The greatest gamer in the world with a cracked-out ability, RNG can be quite unfair," X thought to himself.

Harvey re-summoned his dagger, using it to shatter the stone restraints on his legs. Freed, he approached X seated on his throne.

Summoning his mallet back into his grip, X rose from his throne with a yawn. "Second round? Let's get this over with, so I can—" He lifted his mallet, skillfully blocking a strike from Harvey who had darted toward him with an overwhelming pace. "Sneak attacks won't get you very far."

Harvey leaped backward, hurling his blade at X, who deflected it with his mallet. The expression on X's face screamed out. 'You've tried this trick before.' However, the initial attempt had been a feint.

"Static Teleport!" Harvey teleported to his thrown blade, catching X off guard and landing a successful slash on his sides, inflicting his first bit of damage on the faction member.

X retreated hastily, witnessing his blood flow onto the carpet. A jolt had surged through him, almost stunning him, but fortunately, the blade hadn't lasted long enough for the effect to take place.

Once more, Harvey charged at X. As he attempted to deflect the incoming slash with his mallet, Harvey skillfully ducked beneath the massive weapon, delivering a powerful punch to X's chin. X staggered backward, blood streaming from his nose due to Harvey's impactful strike. "So, you've returned, Hajun!" X bellowed.

"Thank you," Harvey sighed, feeling a memory of Elizabeth dissipate. "Round three." He called out.

"Well, it wasn't any fun dominating anyways." X charged at Harvey without his mallet, and Harvey mirrored the movement, discarding his daggers as they engaged in a hand-to-hand battle.

Harvey unleashed a rapid series of strikes, each intercepted and redirected by X, who spun around and delivered a forceful kick to Harvey's chest.

Though pushed back, Harvey swiftly reentered the fray, using his knee to breach X's defense before seamlessly transitioning into a roundhouse kick.

In close proximity, X seized the opportunity to use his innate technique. "Cause and Effect is an almost invincible technique," X pondered, unaware of its potential downsides. "While I don't know the precise drawbacks, Harvey needs impeccable timing, or it will fail." With this in mind, X rushed at Harvey, executing a powerful swing.

Harvey assumed a defensive stance against the incoming strike, but to his surprise, he found himself immobilized, taking a direct hit to the jaw. As Harvey crumpled to the ground, X capitalized on the opening, leaping onto him to deliver a forceful blow with his mallet.

Rolling away from the mallet swing, Harvey couldn't pinpoint the reason behind his momentary paralysis. Something felt amiss—was it a spell? No, as there was no discernible elemental energy in the attack. It also wasn't a form since X hadn't manifested his mallet, indicating that it was most likely tied to X's innate technique.

The nature of X's mysterious technique eluded Harvey, but he recognized the safety provided by its cooldown. Yet, without a full understanding, he couldn't afford to grant X breathing room. Rushing toward X with a rapid assault, he counted each second that passed by. "Four, five, six—"

Observing X's retreat, Harvey speculated that the technique might require space to activate. However, this theory was immediately debunked by the initial activation, which occurred at close range

Determined to test his hypothesis, Harvey closed the distance, clashing his swords together to unleash a shocking burst of electricity that momentarily stunned X. "I got him!"

In a decisive move, Harvey aimed a lethal strike at X's neck. Yet, in a sudden twist, he was halted mid-swing, providing an opportunity for X, now free from the stun, to counter with his mallet, forcefully propelling Harvey against the wall. With a single blow standing between him and defeat, Harvey chuckled, drawing X's attention.

Harvey had unraveled the mystery behind X's technique, a revelation so glaringly obvious that he laughed at his oversight during their initial encounter. "A technique that temporarily halts everything in a close range," Harvey revealed, and X regarded him with visible unease, even concealed behind his mask.

"A good observation, but can you truly defend against it now that you know?" X questioned, his anxiety growing by the second.

X had a point – understanding the technique and effectively countering its impact in the midst of combat were two distinct challenges. However, using the technique he had used to unveil the secret behind X's ability. Harvey was confident he could prevail in the next clash when X activated his technique.

As the sun fell below the horizon, casting a warm glow on the battlefield, Harvey and X locked eyes. In an instant, they closed the distance between them, the resounding clash of metal against obsidian reverberating through the nearly vacant halls of the castle. Harvey's foot struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust and debris as the intense battle unfolded.

X swung his mallet at Harvey, but upon contact with his adversary's blade, he initiated his technique, freezing Harvey in place. "This marks your end, Hajun. Even with all your knowledge, you lose," Declared X.

However, as X prepared for another swing, Harvey evaded, driving both blades into X's chest, a river of crimson streaming down his arms. "I win," Harvey asserted.

Adrian coughed, removing his mask and gasping for breath. Harvey directed his gaze to the name above his head, now revealed as Adrian. X fell to the ground, staring at the sky. "You used the falling debris as a signal, then you used that cursed technique of yours."

"Adrian… Miller." Harvey realized who he had fought, it wasn't his friend but they had played against each other once.

"Do you think this is your victory?" Adrian sneered.

Harvey gazed at the squirming Adrian, "My subordinates are now aware of your name and technique. Regardless of your actions or whereabouts, you'll be pursued like the rat you are, along with everyone dear to you. FOR THE REMAINDER OF YOUR MISERABLE LIFE, HARVEY, A BOUNTY WILL BE ON YOUR BACK!"

Prepared to end Adrian's life, Harvey swung his blade, but a sudden, sharp impact pierced his back – a large, razor-sharp star. "No..." Harvey uttered, slowly turning to find Hive, sword in hand, the culprit of the unexpected betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Harvey." She muttered.