Chương 94: Battle of Nothing III

The distant floating dot remained still, unwilling to budge despite his clear victory. A fight to the death. The terms had been clear. Evel gnashed his teeth, reaching into his pocket for another card. From the corner of his vision, he saw Graham scrambling on the ground as he repeatedly failed to hold up his gun with his disfigured hands. Behind him, Blake lay face up on the ground, his body unmoving. He took steady, wheezing breaths as his blood continued trickling out of his body.

His eyes slowly lost their colour as he inched closer and closer to death. Unless the Mayor immediately called the fight off, he'd die. He returned the cards to his pocket.

"I've won," He repeated, his words firm this time. The forest went silent. Evel refused to move, and his eyes remained fixed on the faraway dot.

"It's a fight to the death, is it not?" The cold, hateful voice boomed down on the forest as the figure rapidly approached. With him, a gust of wind and a wall of aura pressed down on Evel. The Mayor stopped near the top of the treeline, his body eclipsing the sun behind him.

"The fight is over." His voice was shaky, but he managed to stay on his feet despite the overwhelming pressure.

"They can no longer fight. What's left?" Blake was bleeding out behind him. Graham stared at his dying friend like a husk. There was no more fight to be had.

"What's left?" The Mayor scoffed.

"It seems I wasn't clear on the terms." The figure grew, bursting forward until he was just a few meters in front of Evel. A surge of aura pulsed out of him.

"Kill them." Shit I– Kill them? Evel's eyes refocused, reaching into his pocket to grab one more metal card. He was in the middle of a battle, and the only way to win was to kill his opponents. It was the only way he could survive. But was it right to kill someone who was fully defenceless and forced into fighting him? Evel took a step forward. They'd come for his life, of course, it was right! He had to kill them no matter what! Graham didn't react, his eyes still fixed on his copper-headed buddy.

Good, it just made it even easier for him to do what needed to be done! Suddenly, a vibrant flower, tall and upright, bloomed at his feet. Its petals were a golden yellow, with deep orange tones outlining them. He needed to kill Graham. Another flower bloomed at his feet, this one climbing up his legs. I need to… I need to kill? Then another. Before long, a whole field of marigolds bloomed by Evel's feet, crawling up on his body before reaching his head. Kill?

Then all at once, the flowers absorbed the foreign Energy and his lucidity returned. He halted, returning his cards to his pocket with shaky hands. Taking an equally shaky breath, he turned back to his teacher.

"He's right, the fight's over," Albert sighed.

"One side has already suffered a death." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Suffered a… Evel's head jerked to Blake's body, which lay on a bed of flowers lifted off the ground. Below the bed, a deep pool of blood from Blake's injury had formed. Evel clenched his jaw. There was absolutely no reason for Blake's death. Dammit. The Mayor was powerful, absurdly so. He probably could have saved the young man at any moment.

Instead, he let him die for nothing. If the intention really was to punish Evel for spying on him, then why did Blake have to die? Dammit. This whole battle was for nothing. He was too weak. Too weak to deny the Mayor's order to battle. Too weak to dominate the fight so hard that he could incapacitate both of them without putting their lives in danger. If I were stronger… Wouldn't the Mayor have just sent someone to match his strength?

If he were stronger than the Mayor, wouldn't someone even higher up on the chain be able to control him as he wished? Nothing has changed. Evel staggered backwards, as his eyes returned to Graham. The man was a statue, looking at his dead friend through hollow, empty eyes. The only part of him that moved was his violently shaking hands. Blood trickled down from Evel's lips from his deep bite, but only a numbness followed. Even his destroyed arm was numb. No progress.

"Very well." The Mayor smiled, a cruel smile extending from his face.

"Then I must congratulate you. You've surpassed my expectations." Evel forced himself to hold eye contact, his breathing shaky. If he were stronger than the Mayor, then could all of this have been avoided?

"Your life here will be allowed to continue. Any information you intend to sell should be run by me beforehand." The Mayor's gaze travelled to Albert, "Any objections?"

"None." Then, without even bothering to get Evel's confirmation, he turned to leave.

"Information." Evel finally whispered. The Mayor paused, turning back.

"Hm?" Albert narrowed his eyes, but remained silent.

"I have information I'd like to sell." Evel spat.

"Blake's death. Graham's state. Caused by the Mayor's secret task." He paused.

"I plan on selling it to every organization separately." The forest went still. Nothing moved on the Mayor's face.

"You'll get your credits," he replied at last.

"But I wonder how far that information travels before it stops." Then, his body boomed into the distance. Evel didn't stop looking, even after the figure had all but disappeared. He'd survived against two foes at the same stage as him. No, he'd completely won. But no matter what he did, he couldn't find himself feeling satisfied about it. Albert walked over to Graham, extending his arm forward.

"Here." The dishevelled man looked up at Albert, who'd arrived with the magician responsible for his best friend's death, his gaze dull, and his breathing shallow.

"There are people who care about him, right?" Albert softly asked. Graham didn't reply, staring at the strange vial in Albert's hand.

"Don't they deserve to know?" Graham turned to face Blake's body one more time before his entire body slumped.

"Yes," he choked.

"They do."

"Take the potion," Albert urged.

"I can leave his body here, if you'd like."

"N-no," His voice was airy and scattered.

"Bury him. Please."

"Alright." Albert twisted the vial open and got onto one knee. Stabilizing Graham's face with one hand, he used the other to pour the blue liquid down his throat. Then, he walked to Blake's body. With a few quick hand movements, he weaved together a sturdy brown orb. It gently floated, slowly descending on the pool of blood below. The ground split, giving space for the bed of flowers and the dead man they held to slowly descend into the ground.

Graham pushed himself to his feet, using his misshapen hands as support. He staggered to the body and sat down beside the hole in the ground. He held his head low with his eyes closed. Albert gave him one lasting look before returning to Evel.

"Come, I've got another potion at home," Albert said, looking at Evel's mangled hand.

"I don't think Graham will reveal your secrets, either." Evel's gaze remained glued to the distant horizon. After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke, each word more difficult than the last. He remembered it clearly. The very first thing Albert had forced him to consider.

"Should–" Evel choked.

"Should I really just quit?" His teacher gave him a long, pointed look before shaking his head.

"Because you'll never reach the Mayor's power?" He asked, beginning the walk back towards his home. Evel followed closely, taking a sharp breath. He always assumed the stronger he got, the more control he'd have over his own decisions. How much of that was really true?

"Am I even capable of reaching that power with my affinity? Even if I do reach his power, will I really have my own agency?" Albert didn't reply immediately, walking slowly along the path and leading Evel along the way.

"You saved Graham with your power, didn't you?"

"B–""Every time you get stronger, you get more options. If you were in the same state as when you arrived in the city, you would have died in the battle. You got stronger, thus survived." Albert chuckled.

"Look at you, pitying yourself over having to kill opponents that wanted to kill you." Albert reached over and gently patted Evel on the back.

"The Mayor's ability is insidious, and your wounds are deep. Your mind and body are in no state to make a big decision like that. Rest up, and only then can you consider it." Evel staggered along, remaining silent for the remainder of the journey. When they arrived at the house, Albert went in, grabbed a potion and handed it to Evel. He gulped it in one go, then turned to leave.

"Don't want lunch?"

"No," he replied, a deep, uneasy frown stapled to his face.

"I have information to sell that may not be relevant for long."