The Antagonist (4)

As we reached near the elevator area on the sixth floor, Robert alongside a few of his faction members and a few staff members was sitting there.

"Looks like you did your job perfectly."

"All thanks to your instructions."

"For your last job, have this video edited like I asked previously." I passed my phone to him and continued to get inside the elevator.

Ice looked towards me.

It would be hard to guess her expression with her mask on but she surely wants to know what I'm talking about. But I didn't want to explain what can be seen in a few minutes so I just feigned ignorance.

Ice followed me silently but didn't stop staring at me.

As we reached the underground floor, I received the edited video on Irina's phone.

As I looked at the video I got from recording, I smiled with confidence and passed the phone to Ice Demon.

It was dangerous but seeing how she knew Irina's name and how she revealed her secret relation with the old man, I think she can be trusted.

As she saw the video she understood what it meant and who was the culprit among the Executives.

After reaching there I tried to navigate where the location of the secret meeting was. After walking for a while I started to hear a voice.

"You arrived fast Controller."

"I thought I was late?"

"Nah dude, I just received the message less than 10 minutes ago and I was already at the ground floor so I rushed here immediately."

I stopped walking while signaling Ice to look.

Turns out, I wasn't able to find them because the meeting didn't start until now.

"Now we just have to wait for Ice Demon and Mr. Assistant."

"I thought I would be the last one."

The people present there were Controller, Crystal User and finally Cupid, who sat on top of a car silently looking down.

"So Cupid, what's this about?"

Cupid looked up twisting his head in an awkward motion and answered Crystal User's question -

"I found out who the Invisible Hunter is."

They both paused and looked at each other for a second after which Crystal asked -

"So he was among the Joint Freedom members! We should wait for the other two to come before discussing any further though."

"They won't come."

"Huh?"

"I said they won't come. Also why did you come?"

"Didn't you send the message to all the Executives to gather at the garage."

"No, I understand now, you were in cahoots with this bastard."

Cupid took out his hand holding a gun from his behind and continuously shot Controller thrice.

"Have you gone insane!" Crystal screamed.

I was a little shocked by the sounds of the gunshots so I didn't notice it quickly but the bullets have stopped midway in the air before reaching to Controller.

I tried to look at what happened to bullets but all the three of the bullets fell on the ground before hitting anything.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding between us." Controller tried to calm Cupid down.

"Hannah... She told me everything! Everything how you were actually the one posing as Invisible Hunter." His voice trembled as he spoke.

Even with Cupid's mask on, one can say with certainty that he was on the brink of tears.

"All about the fake persona of Invisible Hunter and all about mastermind controlling from shadows... and revealing the... existence of Relics to Public." Cupid's voice broke as he completed his sentence. His mask was covering his face but he was crying.

"Huff, I can't do this anymore." Crystal looked at Controller and spoke.

"So you'll admit it now."

"I don't know how much she told you about but I guess since you are attacking us, you don't know about the contract right?"

"What contract?"

"No, you don't need to know."

As he said that, Cupid's mask fell off, pupils of Cupid's eyes turned completely black. He raised his left hand holding his pistol but then his hand stopped midway.

"Leave me..."

"So that you can shoot us? No I'll humbly pass on that."

The one who stopped his movements was Controller. Seeing around, the bullets on the grounds were also crushed when stopped by him.

I honestly didn't think their Relics can be used in such a way. It reminds me of a saying I once heard - "The weapons are not dangerous but the hands holding them are."

Such a thing exactly fits this scenario. Despite holding humanity's one of the most dangerous inventions, Cupid looked powerless compared to the two, who didn't even have an offense type Relic.

"Now I regret using his Relic, those eyes look so bad." Ice who was silently watching this, while lightly clutching my shoulder spoke up with a sense of disgust in her tone.

"Looks like your time to shine is near." I whispered.

"Well after Mage's death, I don't think we can ask you to join us so it looks like this will be a farewell with you."

"I'm sorry but we both also have a will to live."

Saying that, Cupid's head tilted backwards and he tried to touch his neck with his right hand, as if he was getting choked.

"Is it now?" Ice asked.

"Wait for a bit." But I told her to wait for a little more.

I have to take action with patience but if I act too late, Cupid can even die.

"Now." I said with a calm voice and disappointment in my mind.

As soon as I said that Cupid dropped to his knees panting heavily and Crystal User and Controller stood as if they were frozen stiff.

"Ice Demon..?" Controller looked back to locate us, his breath was visible in the air like he was in a snowy mountain.

Seeing the suitable time to appear I walked out of hiding.

"Looks like we caught you red handed?"

"Assistant?! We-" Crystal User said with a slight difficulty in talking.

"Are you going to give an excuse now? About unintentionally almost killing Cupid?"

"He tried to shoot us, we had no choice!"

Despite how sure I am, they truly didn't say anything unnecessary. I really thought I'll make them confess here but it doesn't look like I have the luxury to do that.

"I would have believed that if you refused to kill White Mage as Controller spoke."

"We were just startled."

"Hmm... Sorry, I don't believe you at all. I asked my few acquaintances in Healer's faction to collect all the evidence of you murdering White Mage."

"Wh-what?!"

Finally Crystal User who answered each question quickly and firmly until now got a crack in his voice.

"To summarise this as quickly as I can, I'll just tell you the obvious ones like the remains of sleeping drugs we found in Mage's coffee, the recording of Controller's hand movements in the room at the exact moment Mage died and of course the contract signed by you and the online streamers you hired to spread the content all over the internet."

After hearing my long explanation of evidence I could see Crystal User slowly trembling in disbelief.

"That doesn't prove it! It isn't enough to accuse us of being the Invisible Hunter!"

"I see... Jake was your real name, right Controller?"

"What?!" Crystal User got another shocking reveal, while Controller didn't let out any voice or physical reaction to it.

"Are you telling me, the place where White Mage went to change her clothes was also rented by Mr. Jake right here was purely by coincidence."

Of course that was the only place where they could put sleeping pills in her cup without making others notice.

"..."

The one who surprised me by being the most calm in this situation was Cupid. Despite not being the person in question, the affair going on between his lover and his lover's killer may turn out to be true.

"We-we don't."

Unlike Controller who still looked calm, Crystal User was at the brink of breaking with another push I may win but a little risk would be... right now will...

I took half a step back without alarming the two and whispered my command to Ice Demon and started walking towards them.

Controller suddenly clenched his chest while crouching from severe pain.

"Jake?!"

"Well Healer and Spider may have protected you but unfortunately you killed them and cut off your escape."

With that I showed him the final light of hope while being lost in the cave with only one way ahead.

"Healer! Healer is alive!"

"What?!"

"T-Tom..." Controller tried to speak but got down on his four limbs unable to tolerate the pain.

"We didn't kill her, she is knocked out but she is alive. I cannot locate her anymore but like before she will give out her own location by her flow."

"Of course I know that." I said that in a gentle tone and placed my hand on my chest.

"Huh?"

"I was there when you attacked her after all."

"Huh?!"

And the hope of light turned out to be that of a fire.

"Ha ha ha ha"

Hmm...?

Controller still on the ground started roaring with laughter while struggling with pain.

"Tom, you were right."

"Jake?" Crystal User looked at Controller with confusion.

"He really did not have much evidence to corner us, he made this tiny skit to make us confess that we attacked Healer. An incident that only he and the person being Invisible Hunter should know." He slowly got up from his position and faced Crystal.

"What..?"

Ice instinctively released him as he started laughing but there was no way the pain until now would vanish all of a sudden.

Is he actually finding this situation amusing for some reason or has he finally lost it. He may still have a surefire way to escape this situation but that would mean he's trying to make time for it.

"Don't you think it was odd that Cupid was shocked by your appearance and even I overlooked the fact that it was true that you got the message after me."

"Scary. Sounds like you were a tough opponent whom I won against because of luck." I said.

I only told Cupid about Controller because he would believe that and then I sent the message to Crystal later when Cupid left the room, of course if he took his phone or it had a lock I would've used Irina's number and a slightly different plan.

"Wait you're... doesn't that... would mean..." Crystal User's voice had completely lost its energy. The feeling of deception I got from his voice left with his boldness.

"Mr. Assistant, can I ask you one thing?"

"Trying to get some time?" I asked in a mocking manner.

"No. We're surrounded by your men in the garage's exit and elevator, it's just a curious question."

How did he...

"Because I would have done that as well."

It looks like he was aware of his situation but he could still have a last minute escape plan.

"What?" I replied.

"Why are you getting involved in Freedom?"

"What does that have to do now."

"I wanted to know more about you. Freedom is an easy place to make money and get authority, one can even say it's a shortcut to underground politics."

"Hmm."

"Of course a man like you would not need protection or a place to pass your sense of justice right?"

"I wonder." Either way I should finish this before he starts another rant, that would probably be a waste of time like this.

"Mane do-"

"How cruel. I just wanted to know if you're the person who was here to avenge Author."

I looked at him with shock and lost my usual calm tone.

"What.. did you say?!"

"Jake-" "ICE!" Crystal User tried to interfere, but I screamed at Ice Demon signaling her to attack.

"Huh?! Uh- Yeah." As Ice Demon understood my intentions she attacked Crystal User making him take a fall on the ground.

"Your only friend, Faceless Author was killed by-" As he was completing his sentence he fell back facing the ceiling.

I dashed towards him and picked him up by his collar.

"By who?! Stop this joke!"

"No no, no no no NO! That contract we- we-" Crystal User in a similar fashion collapsed suddenly in the middle of his sentence.

Mark and the rest of the members of Irina's faction ran out of hiding to understand what had just happened.

Cupid who stood there silently since my arrival took a few steps towards Crystal User and looked at me as he said -

"He's dead."

I gripped the collar of Controller knowing that the person whom I was expecting my answers from faced the same fate as Chandler.

With letting out a heavy breath I released his collars and let his lifeless body fall on the ground.

I stood up unable to hold my anger I ripped open the mask off my face breaking it's hook mechanism and threw it on the ground with all my strength.

"God dammit!" I yelled.

I started panting heavily, looks like the anger of this kind is taking a toll on my mind and body alongside all the list of things I did to get here.

"Please calm down and order what we should do next." Mark said in a cold yet concerned way.

I sighed and bent down to pick up my mask. From the looks of it, it broke from the impact.

Not so shockingly I got calm right after it. I'm not a man carrying a load of emotions so just one emotional outburst once a year should be enough to vent out all the stress stored in me.

"Separate two teams from the rest, the first one will look at the camera footage for suspicious behavior or anyone entering the building after White Mage's death. The second one will inform the situation to Order and let them handle the rest. The remaining ones will get along with Golem's team and break the news of Invisible Hunter along with all the evidence and take the two culprit's faction's Vice Heads for interrogation."

"On it." Saying that all of them with the exception of Mark and Sera left.

"Mane, bring me another mask."

"Didn't think it would end like this." Ice, who was usually cheerful talked in a much lower tone.

Cupid finally started coming towards me. It was quite easy to guess what he wanted to say.

"I suspected it but you made it obvious when you said you were there when Healer was attacked. You-"

"Something that you both are hiding?" Ice interrupted his sentence.

"He contacted me yesterday saying that Healer was attacked by Controller and that Hannah was helping these criminals in their acts of Invisible Hunter."

"But you still allowed her to do it?"

"I didn't want to believe that Hannah was working with those bastards. I wanted to trust the person I loved."

Saying that he grabbed my suit's collar and raised his right hand.

Ready to hit me, Sera and Mark screamed at him -

"Sir Cupid?!"

"What the?!"

But he stopped before hitting me, lowering my gaze I stared at his eyes without a light of emotion, I was ready to get hit for what I did.

"I was going to hit you until your face was unrecognizable but seeing how you are just a brat who hasn't even grown a beard I forgive you."

"That's a change of heart for you." Ice provoked him further.

Does she want me to get hit? Also it's kind of rude for sparing people because of their insecurities... I'm trying alright Cupid!

"Also it seems, the thing you spoke about losing the only person who understood you was true alongside all the things you said to me on the phone today."

Nope, I was totally bluffing at that time. Me and Chandler were never close enough to be compared with lovers like you. But I'll refrain from asking for a punch to the face.

"Geez, what are those old fuckers doing, making kids like you and Healer replace them. Here you can wear my mask." He passed me his mask which had dropped earlier.

"I'll pass on wearing your mask covered in your sweat, tears and spit for the time being."

"You're also one cocky brat."

"Then how about mine?" Ice suggested.

Yes Please!

"No thanks..."

Mark brought me a mask which had a different colour from the previous one.

As we entered the fifth floor and walked inside, all the eyes of Freedom were on me. Unlike me entering the first time it wasn't a mere curiosity or jealousy but this time it was I, whose presence was applying pressure on them.

The announcement was made but the last two remaining Executives cleared the situation to all.

Unlike yesterday, I couldn't escape their eyes and camouflage alongside the walls in the corner or flee to an emptier floor. Today, I had to greet each one of them and shake their hands no matter how awkward I was behind the mask.

But even in this scenario one thing did not leave my mind. Controller suddenly knew my connection with Chandler and Crystal User didn't only try to interrupt that but also begged in despair as if he knew that Controller died because of saying something.

All this leads to one thing. My first hunch about this case being related to Chandler was correct.

What part of it? I don't know but if I had to guess it would be the unexplainable power to kill someone in whatever scenario, the killer himself showed me the demonstration of how he caused Chandler's improbable death.

"With such power one can even call him a God." I got chills with just the thought of it.