Last Pact Standing (13)

Julien vanished and reappeared with a lanky man, swiftly knocking him unconscious. Without missing a beat, he disappeared again, returning moments later with a bulky figure, who soon met the same fate, collapsing to the ground.

"Sister Amelia, can you have them wake up 5 minutes later?" Jackie asked the nun. 

"Yes." Amelia responded and went to apply a spell on the unconscious people. 

Her, Julien and Jackie moved to a bit of a distance and pretended that these people didn't exist. 

Five minutes later.

"Ugh, my neck hurts…" the young girl muttered as she stirred awake.

The two men followed suit, groaning as they sat up.

"Where am I?" the girl asked, looking around in confusion.

"Where's the rest of the group?" the lanky man wondered aloud.

"Who are you two?" the bulky man demanded, eyeing the girl and the lanky man suspiciously.

For a few moments, confusion gripped them as they struggled to get their bearings. Then, they spotted a small group of three figures not far off.

Assuming they might be allies, the trio made their way over. But as they drew closer, their pace slowed, eyes widening in surprise when they realized one of the figures was a woman in a nun's robe.

"The nun! That's the nun!"

"Shit! We might be in trouble, hide!" 

The two men pulled the young girl with them and hid behind a boulder. 

"What is happening?" The girl asked. 

Staring at the trio in the distance, the lanky man said, "We were told about that world-level threat having a nun by his side, weren't we?"

"…yeah?" The girl remembered it. 

"That is exactly that nun." The bulky man pointed out. "One of two beside her is the threat we need to eliminate."

"Oh…" The girl finally connected the dots and understood. "…oh no. That's not good then."

"Indeed." The bulky man replied. 

"Shhh. Prepare for attack. They're coming." The lanky man said. 

The three went silent and waited for the person to arrive. 

A brownish-orange haired teen walked in the front with a tall nun wearing a red blindfold. 

Behind them, a raven-haired teen was following with a sword clutched in his hand. 

From the looks of it, the three understood that it was definitely the black-haired boy in the back that was the threat. He was said to be strong, but he did not look like that. Maybe the leaders had assessed him wrong. 

In any case, if they could give the head of this boy to their leaders, they would be rewarded heftily, both inside and outside the Tower. Their journey to the higher floors would be smoother and they won't lack any resources whatsoever. 

The nun and the orange head boy went past them. When they were at a considerable distance from the black-haired boy, the three got out of their hiding and stealthily went closer to him.

Julien walked at a casual pace, deliberately putting some distance between himself and his teammates. 

As Jackie had predicted, the three players they'd kidnapped earlier were following him, lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush and finish him off.

Once Amelia and Jackie were far enough away, Julien heard a faint rustle in the bushes. 

In the blink of an eye, a hand clamped over his mouth, yanking him backward into the trees.

"Mhhfff! Mhhhfff!" Julien pretended to struggle, his muffled sounds adding to the act as he squirmed in the player's grip.

He glanced up and spotted the young girl from before, flanked by a lanky man holding daggers. Their expressions were steely, eyes sharp.

Feigning a fierce struggle, Julien broke free from the grip.

"You're not getting away!" growled the bulky man, lunging forward with surprising speed.

"Cut him off!" the lanky man shouted, moving swiftly to block Julien's escape.

Before he knew it, Julien was surrounded.

They closed in, weapons aimed at his vital points, their faces twisted in determination.

Acting fast, Julien charged the bulky man, landing a solid punch to his face, which left him momentarily dazed. But no sooner had the blow landed, the lanky man struck from behind, his dagger flashing toward Julien's back.

Julien ducked just in time and swept his leg out, sending the lanky man crashing to the ground.

Without caring for her teammates, the young girl charged next, her speed catching Julien off guard.

"Oof!" Julien grunted as her dagger plunged into his stomach, the searing pain shooting through his body. Blood dripped from the wound as the blade twisted in his flesh.

"Die!" she screamed, pulling the dagger out, ready to strike again.

"Wait, wait, let's talk about this!" Julien gasped, staggering back, clutching his bleeding side.

"Dieeeee!" The girl didn't listen. She screamed again and charged forward like a maniac, ignoring his plea. She was dead set on finishing him off.

"Damn it, fool!" Julien cursed and spat a mouthful of blood to the side.

*SLASH!*

A blade cleaved through the air in a gleaming silver arc. 

Blood sprayed like a mist crimson mist, painting Julien's face in a warm, sticky veil. 

His face was devoid of any expressions as he watched the headless body of the girl running towards him with the dagger. 

When it reached him, it did one final, futile strike at his abdomen.

*Thud!*

The dagger failed to even pierce his skin and the headless body crumpled on the floor. 

The girl's hands trembled as if struggling to complete the attack. Her body swayed and caused blood to spill everywhere. 

The metallic tang of blood hung heavy in the air and etched the gore memory deep into Julien's consciousness. 

He wiped his face with the back of his hand and glanced down, at the lifeless body of the girl. 

A hand appeared on his shoulder and he heard a low murmur from a familiar voice. 

The numbing pain from his abdomen vanished, but Julien was too focused on the girl's corpse to notice it. 

"That's how it will be in every step of life, Master."