Return Of The Strongest Player

With a gaping hole through her heart, she had perished.

Blood streamed down her body endlessly, causing a pool of crimson, viscous liquid to form on the ground beneath. She sat on the ground with her legs crossed, visible organs, and unfocused eyes.

Her trembling hand finally stabilized, and she went limp.

It seemed like her hip muscles tore, and her face landed flat on the ground beside her. 

The hair she spent hours styling… it dipped in the pool of her own blood, symbolizing the pitiful end of her life. The students screamed, trying to escape the banquet hall instantly. The crowd rushed outside.

Gary, Caroline's date, wasn't beside her. He was nowhere to be seen.

At Caroline's untimely death, the banquet was cut short. The crowd rushed outside, desperate to escape the place. If the students knew there was a possibility of death at the banquet, they would've never attended.

Caroline was quite a popular person, and was fawned over by men quite often. The fact that she'd been killed without any known perpetrator was terrifying. Moreover, her current appearance was sickening. Many students couldn't bear to witness her current state.

The staff of Arcadia Academy desperately attempted to stabilize the condition, but it simply wasn't possible after such an incident. The grand banquet at the end of the school's year had gone to shit.

However, it was far from the conclusion.

In fact, the show hadn't even begun yet. 

'Where's Gary…' Arthur thought, gritting his teeth as he desperately searched for the muscular man, but to no avail. He was not within the swarm of students desperate to escape the hall, and neither was he hiding somewhere within the hall.

It was like he'd simply disappeared without trace.

The crimson-eyed man suspected something when Gary and Caroline separated from them, but this was not within his expectations. Arthur was aware that Gary was a spy, but murdering a person he'd spent the entire year with?

That was too far.

'I would've done the same…' Arthur thought, letting out a very bitter chuckle. But that didn't mean he wouldn't rip Gary to shreds if he was revealed as Caroline's murderer. The crimson-eyed man hated to admit it, but he'd gotten attached to his roommates.

It wasn't to the point where he would risk his life, but Caroline deserved justice.

"Evan, carry Alisha outside," Arthur ordered, revealing his longsword from within his formal, black tuxedo. He ripped his coat and shirt apart, leaving himself topless. It was the best way to prevent obstructing his movement.

"But…"

"Do it, Evan," Jake insisted, ripping his coat and shirt, too. He, too, brandished his sword, as he had expected something to go wrong. 

It was confusing, though. The Ainsworths were supposed to strike first. It was what they'd planned, and what was expected to occur on the day of the banquet. Was Gary truly affiliated with Arcadia Academy?

No, the most confusing part was how the information had been leaked.

The information was sealed by the Ainsworths and the Jester Organization… but there was one variable they hadn't expected.

"Fuck!" Arthur shouted, enraged. 

"What happened?" Jake asked, silently watching Evan carry Alisha out of the banquet hall. He hoped for the students rushing outside to be safe. He hoped there wouldn't be an ambush outside.

"Kevin Miller…" Arthur muttered, clenching his teeth as tightly as possible. "Kevin Miller was the one variable we missed. The Millers… they allied with Arcadia Academy and the Campbell Family…"

"Kevin and Athanasia…" Jake muttered, letting out a bitter chuckle. "We're fucked."

"Not necessarily."

"Arthur… It's two of the world's powers against us," Jake said calmly. However, internally, he was trembling. There was a high possibility he would perish today. 'Should I have escaped alongside the students?'

Then again, Arthur did save his life…

"Yes, that's true," replied Arthur. But he seemed so calm. Jake could sense a trace of anxiety from the crimson-eyed man, but that was it. It was simply anxiety… not fear, anger, or any other negative emotion.

Simply anxiety.

"So, what do we do?" Jake asked, clenching his teeth. Arthur and Jake were the only ones that remained in the banquet alongside the corpse of Caroline, which no one had bothered to carry outside.

"Jake… carry Caroline's corpse and bury it," ordered Arthur, assuming a stance.

"What?"

"Now!"

Jake knew Arthur's words were not to be argued with, considering his current state. The dirty-blonde-haired man rushed towards Caroline's corpse, but at that moment, it was like lightning fell behind him.

Boom!

"Quick, Jake!" Arthur shouted as a blinding light collided with the ground. The crimson-eyed man's body dissolved into the light, and Jake's eyes widened. However, he respected the man's words.

Rushing towards Caroline's corpse, he quickly slicked it on his back. He then carried it outside, paying no mind to the organs and blood that fell on his body. Such minor inconveniences could be ignored.

Clenching his teeth, he simply ran.

Once Jake had exited, the light encompassing Arthur dimmed, and a lady appeared before him.

"So you were the one who colluded with the Ainsworths," said the woman, tying her hair back as she prepared to engage in battle. She was petite.

"Yes, Ms. Gomez," replied Arthur cheekily. "I was the one who colluded. I previously admired your skills, but it seems you couldn't detect the mole, even after a year of knowing me. It's truly a pity."

"Your words are sharp, Solace," said Mr. Gomez, summoning a storm of mana beside her. "Can you back them?"

"If I couldn't, I would have run away," said the crimson-eyed man, letting out a chuckle. It was like he was mocking Ms. Gomez for underestimating him. "How stupid do you think I am? It's a pity, Ms. Gomez."

"I think you're plenty stupid," said Ms. Gomez. "Otherwise, you would have left the banquet alongside the others. I'm sure you thought you could make the first move, but…"

"Don't overestimate yourself, woman. Just because that bitch Athanasia recruited you doesn't mean you're any one important."

At that moment, several crescents shot towards the crimson-eyed man. However, instead of evading them, he simply stood there, crossing his arms and gazing at the approaching attack arrogantly.

Boom!

"Took you long enough, Gregorio."