The Fall of Fraud Phantom Mutiny

"C'mon, we have to go!!" Honora was pulling Dorothy and Archibald with her, making her way towards the exit of the cafeteria.

"W-We can't just leave Bertram to fight for us, we have to do something!" Cried, Archibald.

"Don't you dare say that! Bertram is giving it his all out there, using everything he has to save our lives. Don't let his death be in vain!!" Honora closed her eyes as she ran down the corridor, visibly anguished.

Dorothy and Archibald could only follow behind her footsteps, hearing the sound of explosions behind them.

"Hey!!!" In the distance, Dorothy, Honora, and Archibald could hear a familiar voice call out to them.

"V-Viper Fang!" Honora came to a stop, releasing both of their grips as she hugged him around the waist, "Viper!!" She dug her face into his chest, weeping as she clung to his shirt, not letting him go.

The bruised Viper Fang proceeded to hug around her chest, releasing a sigh of relief, grateful to still have his friends alive, "Honora… Dorothy, Archibald, I'm glad you're doing okay."

"Isabella… s-she-"

"I know." Viper Fang would cut off Honora, evidently pissed from his expression, "I heard what happened—so I came to avenge Isabella, and destroy this spirit once and for all."

"No, you can't!" Honora pulled her body away from his chest, gripping his wrists as she looked up at him, "Bertram is using everything he has to buy us time to escape. He's on his last HP… after his intrinsic ability runs out… he's going to die."

"Even… Bertram?" Mumbled Viper, squeezing his eyes in torment, "Everyone is dying… like… actually dying!" Viper Fang gripped the side of his head, pulling his hair, "They're fucking dying, and there's nothing we can do about it! They won't respawn back in the game, they'll die forever! They'll never come back!! Why, why is thisssss happening?! Why??"

He ripped chunks out of his scalp, slamming his forehead against the wall.

Blood splattered against the wall, dripping from his brows as he cried his eyes out.

Tears streamed down his face, and his legs became shaky, eventually losing their strength as he fell to his knees, weeping his eyes out.

The others could only watch, gazing at the ground, mourning the death of their friends.

The pain felt unreal.

Everything that was happening would feel like some sick joke.

But this was reality.

And there was nothing they could do to prevent it…

"Is that the best you can do? As a barbarian class warrior, I expected more from you, but you're just swinging around that halberd of yours like some mindless brute." The Grim Reaper dodged side to side, ducking under certain attacks as Bertram continuously pursued it, "Futile." She backhanded Bertram, knocking him away.

"Gaaah!!" He flew backward, crashing into a few tables, crumbling them whole, "…Heh… was that backhand the best you could do? Maybe you're the weaker one here."

"What did you say?" The Grim Reaper frowned, approaching the half-dead barbarian, "Your intrinsic ability, devotion, will run out soon. You have two minutes remaining, but sadly you're all out of MP, so you cannot cast any spells at the moment." She lifted her foot, stepping on his gut, "You gave it your all to save your friends… but from your impudent behavior, I shall not let them escape. I'll wipe away every single soul inside this Guild! Down to their last atom!"

"You… bitch!" Bertram grasped her ankle, fiercely gazing at her, "Don't… you dare!"

"Hmpf. Don't I dare, you say?" The fraud Isabella lifted her hand into the air, casting blue flames above her palm, "Everything you've done up until now was in vain. You wasted your precious life over nothing—I will destroy every single soul inside this guild, and it'll all be your fault, for insolent behavior."

"You egotistical maniac! Leave them alone… don't do it!!!"

The players inside the cafeteria huddled up together, fearing for their lives.

"Hahahaha, there's no one in this Guild who can stop me! Prepare to meet your doom!" The flames above her hand would expand, getting larger, and incinerating everything within meters around it.

"…Honora!!! Take everyone and run away!!!" Bertram used every ounce of strength to call out to his friends, hoping he could reach them.

"That voice… was it… Bertram?" Exclaimed Honora.

"W-We have to go! Bertram is telling us to run away, something bad is about to happen!" Archibald fled down the corridor, running for his life.

Everyone else followed behind him… except-

"Viper!" Honora stopped in her tracks, turning around to call viper's name, "C'mon, what are you doing? We have to get out of here!"

"…It's no use… I rather die."

"What?! Stop talking nonsense, this isn't like you at all. We have to escape while we have the chance, let's move it!"

"Just… go without me."

Honora jogged towards him, picking him up under his shoulders, and placing him on her back.

"Looks like I'll have to give you a piggyback then!" Viper lost his will to continue, but Honora wasn't gonna give up so easily, she ran down the hallway, following Dorothy and Archibald, "Guys, wait on me! I have Viper Fang on my back!"

"Honora! Tsk… Damnit!" Archibald turned around, making his way back, and opened his personal hub, "Here, try this!" He summoned a potion inside his hand, throwing it underneath their feet which gave them its effects, "A novice potion of haste! This should do the trick."

"Wow… thank you, Archibald. Alright, let's get a move on!"

"…Say your last goodbyes to your beloved guild, once and for all, Insolent worm!"

"Damnit… everyone, take cover!!" Bertram shouted towards the players as most of them surrounded their bodies in a magical Forcefield.

But… it seemed like it wasn't enough.

The blue flames inside the Grim Reaper's hand would constantly expand until it couldn't expand anymore.

Like a pipe bursting with too much pressure, the hell flames exploded in an omnidirectional assault, engulfing the entirety of the cafeteria.

"Aaahhhhh!!!"

"P-Please… someone, save us!"

"I'm scared… I'm scared!! Aahhhhh!!"

"I'm gonna dieee-!"

The players screamed in anguish as their Forcefields were penetrated, and their bodies and souls were being erased from existence.

The pain was unreal, some tried resisting the hell flames, but they didn't have what it takes to resist a divine blessing.

Some bodies fell limp to the ground until they vanished into nothingness.

The Hellish flames would traverse the entire Guild Base, eventually reaching the bottom floor corridor.

Dorothy, Archibald, and Honora could feel the intense heat approaching them.

They ran… as fast as they could.

Escaping the explosion at Mach 5 speeds from the novice haste potion, they believed they could make it in time…

However—

"Gyaaaah!" Honora could feel the flames consume her body.

"Waaaaahhhh!! Huaaaaaa!!" Viper Fang screamed in agony as he fell off her back, rolling back and forth on the ground, "Help me, help me!!!"

"…Nraaaaah!" Archibald would be consumed by the fire, falling to his knees whilst his flesh was melted away, revealing his skeletal structure, "We… couldn't make it…" His entire body evaporated, leaving nothing left of him.

"I'm sorry Bertram… I'm sorry we couldn't escape like you wanted us to…" Honora cried, watching her body slowly disintegrate into nothingness.

Viper Fang melted away, crying from the torment.

"Nnn…" However, Dorothy was surrounded by skeletons, and Overlords, who shielded her body.

They fell, one by one, risking their life to protect her after she summoned them.

The flames were too intense.

She whimpered, covering her head like a frightened child.

There was no one… no one in this world who could help her.

She could hear everyone outside of her skeletal fortress die, burning away into oblivion.

"…I'm… scared…" She mumbled, proceeding to hug her knees while each skeleton dropped, one by one.

The flames were about to reach her…

She was about to meet her end…

"…Someone… save me… please! Someone, save me!!!" She lifted her head back, calling out to Terra herself.

Anyone… can anyone hear her? She hoped.

She prayed.

She cried.

But it wasn't in vain—

"Did you call for help, Dorothy?"

A deep voice could be heard, standing directly behind her, inside the hell flames itself.

Dorothy widened her eyes, as her tears stopped.

"I've come to rescue you, are you ready to return to me?"

"Who… are you?" The frightened Dorothy asked.

"I am Emperor, Ruler of Mankind."

"Emperor?" Dorothy stared at the ground as memories started flooding her mind, "…Em…Emperor…"

"Yes, that's right. It seems you forgot who I am. Though… I made it that way, so you could have your own life, and forget your creator."

"Emperor… E-Emperor! Emperor!" She slowly started to remember, standing up inside her skeletal protection, "Please, Emperor, save me!"

"Fumu," I snickered, "Very well." It seems Dorothy remembered me, it just took my name, and that was it.

Thank god.

Thank god that she called out for help.

She's my avatar after all, if they're in desperate need of saving, I am alerted and given their location.

That's why I knew she was in trouble.

Lifting my hand into the air, I said, "Absolute Null." Casting B-tier Arcane Magic, Absolute Null allows me to nullify all magic, spells, and buffs. It surpasses any Debuff magic in the game, considering it's the Arcane type.

Flames like this? It was fodder for someone like me.

The entirety of the flames perished, revealing the scorched corridor.

"Stay behind me." I walked through the hallway, approaching the source of this destruction.

It was time to lay waste to the assailant.