CHAPTER 9 - DEMON'S LUCK

Laplace was concentrating on keeping a poker face. This game was way too good for her. She had won it the instant it began. That was what she thought, until it actually started.

They were in the third round already and she'd folded for the first two. She planned to knock out the other players by making their cards the same but so far the game progressed like regular poker.

It was almost impossible for it to go so smoothly. She suspected that someone was doing something she couldn't see.

The votes were usually always different so the cards was chosen at random. The card pool to pick from was the problem, it wasn't even an option to create a perfect hand like a straight or flush. The first win was a pair. The second was two pairs. The bets were also conservative, so the winners didn't earn up to 200 each time. Worse still , some players folded and showed no intention of attempting to win.

It could be a facade but it certainly was better to avoid conflict and get out of here.

That isn't an option for me. I must win because those guys won't lose. Everything I need is already here, I just have to figure it out.

She assumed Coulomb would catch up sooner or later. She had high hopes for him and was still going to support him.

They voted for the fourth card and she used her ability to check all the cards in everyone's hand.

Too convenient.

It's like they're playing with their hand revealed.

The four cards were 4 of spades, king of hearts, queen of clubs and 9 of clubs.

The players mostly held clubs. She almost choked when she spotted the cards, four held a four of clubs.

They were going for the least victory, expecting the others to kill themselves going for the higher values.

The other two who hadn't folded had a 9 of clubs and a queen of hearts. She had decided on 9 of hearts and diamonds a long time ago. She knew they were too scared to go too high, so she was going to win by forcing a three of a kind.

That should get their attention.

They made bare minimum with no raises. Then two of the four slated for death folded for some reason and the voting ensued by the 5 players who hadn't folded.

She checked the cards they had again. One of the fours picked a 4 of hearts, the other chose 9 of diamonds. She casually switched the suit of her card after spotting the remaining two. As she thought, some idiot was actually betting on a royal straight. He had a joker and the last had a king of clubs.

The joker holder was betting on getting a 10. So he would vote 10. The others voted and luckily one picked 9 of clubs and she voted for it too.

Three down. Three of a kind versus two pairs.

Allright!.

My first win.

She had the highest amount. Since three people were eliminated and two happened to be the previous winners, she earned quite a lot. It seemed she'd be winning by reaching 5000. She did a quick calculation, she was holding 4495 chips. A little more and it would have been the end.

Her initial battle resumed.

Who knew keeping a poker face was actually harder when playing poker?

=========================================

Schrodinger was losing.

Big.

She thought her ability would give her an advantage but it wasn't useful if it wasn't a random selection. There had been no random selections so far, she had already lost 430 chips in three rounds.

I need a miracle.

This is where I unlock a hidden ability that's too OP.

I will win this.

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In Einstein's room, the game was going great. The triplets made a proposal that was readily accepted.

Ein was fascinated by the sole source of light hanging from the ceiling so Stein didn't see any reason to disagree. The Savants should take the test as a pair aiming for a split pot. The game should be settled in one round where everyone goes all-in the turn after choosing their first card.

Within 5 minutes, they had separated into 5 teams and formed strategies for victory. At least, everyone had someone they were expecting to help them. The only problem was who would really help. Now, it was time for the big play.

There was no guarantee that everyone would put all their chips down.

"All-in".

"All-in".

The voices of two boys rang clearly. It was followed by three voices that sounded as one.

There was one factor that made the choice easier, Einstein and Edison would be making the first play. They were the least trustworthy due to their strength, so it would take an idiot to try anything funny.

Jolly popped up on the screen after everyone made the play.

"I don't like what's happening here".

"It's not like it's against the rules, is it?", a girl sitting close to the screen asked.

Jolly looked like he was pissed, then he looked like he was pouting.

"For a skeleton, you're pretty good at making faces. "

"Eliminated!".

Her smugness disappeared instantly and her face turned pale.

".... Is what I would like to do, sadly I can't. What I came here to do was to provide motivation. You're all probably thinking something like this : As long as I can get out of this alive, I can climb the regular way and no one is stupid enough to betray everyone because they're going to get killed by the others so the traitor wouldn't do anything also. "

Jolly smiled.

"But are you sure that one person isn't strong enough to take out 9, huh?".

He disappeared and a clip of a game appeared.

Stein immediately spotted Newton and notified Ein telepathically.

After the scene of carnage played out, Jolly returned and winked. The screen died shortly after.

"Time to vote the last two cards, please select your second card. "

Ein didn't know which of the triplets spoke but he voiced his support. There were a few seconds of silence, Einstein's team was popular and they knew that it was Newton. They couldn't be sure that the video was real though.

"I'm still in support of the plan.", the girl who spoke with Jolly said.

"Of course you'd be, you're voting with Einstein. If they win, it's your win.", The boy opposite her shouted.

"You're too loud.".

"The chips are in, the cards are set. Folding is still an option but one thing is certain, the game will end here."

Order was restored by a Savant who had been silent throughout the game. His inky eyes moved quickly from one Savant to another. After getting everyone's attention, he asked for them to make their votes simultaneously on his count.

I wonder if Laplace's opponents would be this careful.

"3"

As long as she saves it for a winning strike, she should be alright.

"2"

Ein?.....you ready?

"1"

Yup, let's do this.

The twins tightened their grip on their meshed fingers and everything froze. Everything was tinted grey.

"We have to be fast, if we're not quick enough, they'll notice our fatigue when we return."

"Mmmn...".

They teleported to each of their opponents and checked their cards and votes. Edison hadn't picked yet which made Stein smile. He checked the next Savant's and saw he hadn't picked too.

Stein, break out, now!.

They returned to the chair and undid the ability.

Stein bit his lip. He turned to face the Savant who sat beside him. It was a child who was probably 9 or 10.

His face glowed with an otherworldly innocence that could only mean he was up to something.

Damned single digits.

"Well, you're right in assuming that we can't use that ability again for a while, however......".

All the Savants became tense at Stein's words. They appeared combat ready.

You only made things harder.

The twins gripped their pistols with their free hands.

The chair they sat on materialized in the chandelier, it shattered it and sprayed tiny bits of glass on the Savants while plunging the room into darkness simultaneously.

Ein used his ability to slow down their relative time and they drew and fired at the chairs that their opponent's sat on.

The room was illuminated by a dim glow in Edison's previous location. Under different circumstances, someone might have had a laugh at the lamp. Two dots, one blue and the other red, marked the base and it shattered a few seconds later.

Lamps appeared in the room in different places, one after another. They were also destroyed in a few seconds after their appearance.

The other Savants weren't idly watching. They made coordinated attacks on the twins.

Stein, it's your turn.

Stein didn't need to hear those words. He teleported the instant the fireball coming for them was within his arms reach.

The instant he materialized, another fireball was dangerously close, he tried to teleport but that required some prep time. He quickly bent space to protect them, it was a conditioned reflex he gained because of a certain child. The flames curved around them and he realized that he had instinctively moved to shield Ein even though it was unnecessary.

They knew where you were going to appear.

Yeah, I can't risk teleporting anymore.

They noticed that the flames had completely surrounded them and that the temperature inside the barrier was rising.

Ein, I'm going to have to drop the barrier sooner or later.

They planned to kill us all along. They were never interested in the game. They know where we'll appear and can transmit information rapidly.

Telepathy?

The only way I can think of, it's possible that they're reading our minds instead of predicting where you'll appear.

Isn't that too OP?

Ein felt the urge to roll his eyes.

A... Then I just have to teleport without thinking.

They heard a child chuckling as Stein thought of those words, Ein pulled Stein's elbow with his second hand and nodded. Stein teleported once he read his brother's mind.

Outside the barrier, the room was lit up by several lamps and the Savants were equipped with flashlights and tiny LED bulbs on their clothes.

It was obvious that they figured out that their ability to destroy objects was linked with light. Stein regretted rushing to destroy the lights earlier on.

His eyes flickered from the non-existent chandelier to the fireball headed for him, then to the Savants focused on him below.

He found the child who sat beside him at the back of the other Savants, he was probably the telepath.

He took the safest spot, furthest from the location Stein thought of.

Stein shielded himself again and immediately began preparing for his next jump. As soon as he was able, he teleported.

The boy's smile turned into a frown as Stein's thoughts were transmitted to him.

To Ein?

His ability let him under concepts created by the targets mind, so it was impossible to hide behind codes.

His brother?

But his brother is with him.

A hand rested on each of his shoulders and he understood that he underestimated the twins.

He felt a warmth in his body and he knew that he was going to die there. He saw his teammates turning to face him in slow motion.

"So this is what it feels like to die."

"Huh?".

"Don't be stupid."

He turned to face the twins.

"This is Ein's ability."

"Mmmm".

"Oh.... Okay, what did you want to say?".

"You got rekked, noob."

Ein sighed then he moved his brother's hand away from the boy's face and kept it in his hand.

"Sorry, he's bad at expressing himself. What he wants to say is GG. I'm really surprised someone created a strategy to beat us, to be honest we wouldn't have won without Laplace's help."

"What happened?".

"You were focused on Stein because of his teleportation, right?".

"Your most dangerous ability was sealed, so there was nothing to worry about."

"I'm really amazed that you came to these conclusions from the available hints, I really don't want to kill you but I have to pick them instead."

"What are you talking about?"

Ein noticed that the fire shooting girl was already facing them and was starting to move her hand.

"We recently obtained an item that let's us share our powers while we're in contact. I teleported to your back and my brother teleported to me."

"I was thinking that he had hidden his true ability and could transport two objects simultaneously, I guess I was wrong. You slowed your descent with your ability so that I wouldn't hear you. I should have payed more attention to you, I was so focused on the place he would appear."

"Mmmm..."

"I know that this is the wrong thing to say, but don't lose. I won't accept you losing to this bunch when you managed to fool me with a simple trick."

"We can handle this much."

"Teleporting without thinking..."

The boy chuckled as they left him. The twins dug their fingernails into their skin. The boy fell and the fireball passed over his body, only to strike the barrier again.

Why did you make only his heart explode, I thought he pissed you off.

I didn't want to get my clothes dirty.

You could have prevented that with your ability.

We're taking out the pyrokinetic girl first.

Ein understood without asking, he just wanted to see his brother's embarrassed face. The rest wouldn't be able to stop them, no matter how hard they tried.

They teleported to her back, she was expecting that and had surrounded herself in a sea of flames.

This is a problem.

Mmmm.

We'll just have to take the others down first.

Safe in their barrier, they plotted how to mur... take down the other Savants.

They teleported and placed their hands on each of the Savants except Edison and the flame user. The seven didn't stand a chance, they were watching and waiting for a chance to beat the twins but their barrier was unbreakable.

In a minute, 7 more bodies were on the floor.

Ein heard something break and he set up a barrier and then took his eyes of the girl for a few seconds.

He saw the triplets holding fire extinguishers.

"Huh?".

"Hey!.... What are you doing with those?".

Three white jets smothered the girl immediately the words were out of her mouth and the twins teleported to finish the job but they heard a gunshot.

The girl dropped.

"We pick King of Hearts and King of Clubs".

"We pick King of Diamonds and King of Spades".

"Vote for Queen of Spades".

"Vote for Queen of Spades".

Stein and one of the triplets, presumably Alpha, exchanged words rapidly as they chose their cards and voted. In the end, it was still a game of Poker with standard Texas Hold'em rules.

"Aren't you afraid that we would try to kill you?".

"I don't think a bullet can get past our barrier."

"I meant with the rules."

Ein became silent. He was thinking of how to phrase his thoughts.

"Did you know that you were going to be betrayed after they were done with us?".

"We considered it and decided that we could handle them."

"That kid, the telepathy, he'd have been your downfall."

"We could have....".

"I can see I was wrong about your ability, perhaps you can create anything that you want but he would know whatever you want to make and he would have prepared the rest for it."

A retro game cleared music played and they watched their brothers return to their side.

"How did you beat him?".

"Ein ?".

"It's okay, don't say anything."

Alpha didn't care, he asked his brothers what they were talking about and then he turned to the twins.

"You're acting like you're letting us live."

"The plan isn't bad for something you came up with only a few minutes ago, but those guys were definitely...".

"Hold up right there."

Ein tilted his head at the irritating voice. He felt like crushing the boy right there. Alpha took his most threatening pose.

One of the other two dashed to the middle of the burning fuses. The third took over.

"Stein, right?.... We received a message about the event before we came in, didn't you?".

"No".

"But you guys walked in boldly and....Never mind, we planned to take you out with just her but she got those guys to help without telling about any details that might scare them away. She was probably expecting us to share the win with her."

"I'm not going to hit him so leave me alone, Beta".

Oh, so that's Beta, so I'm speaking to Gamma. This is so hard. I don't think I should say anything about it though.

"You guys should wear different colors."

"Ein... ".

Stein jumped when he heard his brother's deadpan voice. He was going to reprimand him but Alpha just had to attack at that moment.

"Oh..... It seems that this thing is too stupid to tell us apart."

"The words of an irrelevant clone has no effect on me."

Alpha's smile didn't budge when Ein countered with an air of superiority.

"You're irrelevant."

"Pfft, you s......"

Ein's lips moved but his voice wasn't heard.

"She didn't disclose her name or how her ability works, did she?".

"No".

"What were we even talking about again?".

"I guess we'll leave it at that for now."

Stein sighed, he'd lost track of the conversation and why it felt so important before was now a mystery to him. He shook his head and freed his brother.

"Your barrier blocks sound?".

"Uh... Yeah?".

"Oh, he transmitted it telepathically."

"Wh... Come to think of it, we didn't get his name."

"Tch, I really should have spared him instead of these morons."

Stein didn't need to use his ability to know what his brother really felt so he didn't suggest the obvious that they could take them down now.

If he wants to keep pets for fun, that's not a problem. If they ever become a threat, I'll kill them.

"Did you say something just now?".

Ein spun around as if he sensed Stein's gaze or heard his thoughts or maybe even both. Stein smiled and held his hand.

"Nothing at all."

"Is that so?".

Ein didn't look like he was buying it but then a second later he turned back to the screen and frowned.

"I wonder when Jolly would free us."

=====================================

"How does it feel to be forgotten?".

"This is my ideal working condition."

"Yes, Yes, you work in the shadows, scheming and plotting, pulling the threads on the marionettes around you."

It was completely dark even though there were several screens surrounding the two who spoke so the sarcastic one didn't see the other person's eyes rolling.

"Do you remember the conditions I set?".

"Someone I know must name me as the traitor and no other person should, but I must not give any obvious hints."

"I really love the game you designed, so it would be a shame to have to kill you. Three of your four friends have pretty much passed, so what's your next move Coulomb?".

"Next three rounds, the rules are changing. Remove ten random cards from the pool and switch to Omaha hold'em rules and double the blinds."

"That makes the game longer for Laplace since they'd have to be more careful, but she would still win with her ability."

Coulomb turned to the screen showing his last hope as she fidgeted when she lost a third time.

======================================

Jolly appeared on screen to explain the new situation and the Savants in Schrodinger's room didn't show any anxiety about it.

Schrodinger decided she would try to go big this time. She decided to choose two Kings and bet aggressively, however the other Savants merely folded.

She earned only 110 chips. Even if she kept it up, at that rate, she would still lose to the boy hoarding chips by a wide margin. She sneaked a peek at his face to check for signs of foul play.

He happened to look at her at that moment and their eyes locked, he adjusted his glasses and made his bet for the fifth round.

It was obvious that the game was his victory, he didn't have to play seriously to win. All he had to do was to prevent the others from making big bets and he'd win eventually. He just had to sit until the fourth card was voted for and then he could drop out there or move forward depending on the situation.

He raised 1000 just before the fifth card was revealed. If anyone lost to him there, he would win. So they folded and he was now well above 3000 chips.

The 6th round came and everyone tapped out immediately.

====================================

After her big win, the rule change came and Laplace knew that the game was going to become harder.

Her opponents should understand a little of how she won and would not do anything reckless.

Her thoughts were proven to be accurate as they folded for all three rounds. Thanks to the blinds being doubled, she won 60 chips and was now at 4555.

======================================

"Coulomb, what now?"

"Double blinds again, remove another ten random cards, Manila, the cards they discard also count for elimination. Make that clear to them. "

"Hehe, now you're just being obvious about scaring them. "

=======================================

Schrodinger was finally broken. When the new rules appeared she gave up. It was almost impossible to win with almost all the good hands gone. She wasn't alone. The others shared the same feelings. They just wanted to survive and get out.

She folded again and the others did the same.

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Laplace obtained 120 more chips thanks to the rules. The threat of elimination preceded that of losing. She watched as her opponents succumbed to despair and felt pity for them.

Only an Evil mind can conceive such a game. Coulomb would have loved it.

She felt like she had figured something out but when she tried to trace the origin of the feeling, she was broken out of her reverie by a now familiar skull's voice.

======================================

"I'll be making the rules for the final round, double blinds again, no quitting this time, 10 less cards and back to Texas Hold'em as an added bonus, those who win this round would also be rewarded. "

"You already said they can't quit, why the dumb encouragement?..... 24 card pool and 25 cards needed, someone must be eliminated in this round."

"Exactly."

"There's going to be more fighting."

"Now you gettin' it."

======================================

Laplace hoped a fight wouldn't start. She had a few tricks up her sleeves, literally, most courtesy of Coulomb but she doubted that it would be efficient if everyone came at her.

They all bet the lowest they could and when her turn came, she raised to the amount the 2nd highest had.

She was confident that she would survive with her ability.

She didn't need to do anything after that, a quick glance at her opponents hands showed her that everyone of them would die.

She sighed as the last card was voted for and two Savants turned pale. The rest revealed their hands and found that they shared at least one card with another while she had two unique cards.

They suffered the same fate as the others who were eliminated.

I wonder what happens to Savants when they die in the game?

======================================

I'm going to lose.

Flop.

I'm going to lose.

Turn.

I'm going to....

I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE!.

This rule is exactly what I need, I will make a comeback.

Who cares about luck?

I'M SCHRODINGER!.

Cheshire, come out.

Do something, anything. Change the cards somehow. If I can't do that much then why do I have this abilities?

She ignored the stares of her opponent (probably because of the cat that materialized from air) and locked eyes with the cat.

As you wish.

She dropped the Cat when she heard the reply.

Be careful, you'll ruin my fur.

You can talk?

Are you an idiot?

Cats don't talk.

You know what I mean.

You seriously don't understand your abilities, do you?

She was pretty much way past insanity in the eyes of her opponents. That's what anyone would think if someone was making faces at a cat.

The game broke her.

The same thought ran through their heads and gave them courage to keep playing.

The name of this world is quite perfect for you. It's your playground. You can do whatever you want here.

If you really want to, you can do anything.

Okay, but right now all I want is to win. Can you do that?

No.

Huh?

I cannot.

But you said....

Only you can, I am just a guide. A piece of your power.

"Is she going to pick a card any time soon?".

"Can she even play anymore?".

Schrodinger heard her opponents concern about her mental well-being. She broke her index nail in anger.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was about to open her eyes when she saw it.

Ropes?

She grabbed the cat again and he protested by meowing loudly.

She felt like she understood what he said. She voted for her card and then stroked the cat while waiting for the rest.

A small, black heart appeared on the cat's back.

Zubeneschamali couldn't dodge the ball that time because of me. I did that. And I can do it again.

Another heart appeared.

You had only one shot last time. This time you have...

9. A cat has 9 lives, right?... That's exactly enough.

The cat became silent and looked at the floor. She was never going to stop limiting herself.

Another heart appeared.

You won't be able to call for my help for a while.

Can you speed this up?.... And don't kill them.

The cat curled into a ball and disappeared.

The Savants revealed their cards unaware that their choices for one of their cards were not their own.

Schrodinger won with a pair of Aces.

However, despite her efforts, two Savants were eliminated. The second card, the one she didn't choose had caused it.

======================================

"Well, that was unexpected."

"Yeah."

"You're gonna die."

"Maybe I might."

"Last game's over, time to pick the traitor. I doubt someone who has already won would still pick."

"We'll see about that."

Jolly made the announcement that the game was over and that the losers still had a chance.

Only one Savant remained to pick. She was the one Coulomb had been watching since the game began.

"Your teammates are gone, you lose."

"But she going to get it right and she's someone I know, you should have access to all footage, so you can check."

Schrodinger let go of a few of her shackles.

Laplace has proven herself.

The twins are tougher than I imagined.

Newton can kill if she has to.

A brilliant success.

And then there's her...

===============================

The rooms were opened after Jolly announced that the game was over. Most of the Savants weren't interested in the Selection game after and left immediately. The winners stayed behind.

Jolly appeared and congratulated the survivors. Then a giant cylinder descended. The winners stepped in and left.

==================================

"Thanks for saving me."

"Aren't you worried that your team didn't notice."

"Not really, I was always counting on you from the beginning."

"How do we go up now?".

"Easy, one of my rewards was an item that let's me call a cylinder anywhere I am. Since we're allowed to go up 10 floors... Well, I can go from anywhere."

"I want to go now. "

Coulomb accessed his panel and withdrew a card. He sliced the air with it and a cylinder descended.

He entered and extended his hand to the girl who saved his life.

"Let's go, Joule."

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