Sora stood a few meters away, watching Rachel collapse to her knees. Her trembling hands clutched her stomach, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood pouring from the wound.
The smell of iron filled the air as she coughed up blood and struggled to breathe. The figure of his clone trembled before vanishing entirely, leaving no trace of its presence. Sora's icy gaze lingered on the spot where it had stood, as if acknowledging its role in what had transpired. He glanced down at Rachel, his eyes devoid of pity.
Using clones and swapping positions with them wasn't new to him, but this time, he had done it with one purpose in mind: to avoid sullying himself by holding her in his arms. The thought of touching her after all she had done disgusted him.
Rachel's eyes moved to him, her pain and confusion evident.
Her vision blurred as weakness overwhelmed her body. The powerful mana within her refused to listen to her commands, unwilling to help her recover. Her natural regeneration was also stopped for a reason she was unable to understand. She was utterly helpless.
With an almost casual gesture, Sora waved his hand, dismissing his [Powerful Suggestion] and the effects of his [Spatial Element], which were crippling Rachel.
He sensed her life force flickering, as her existence grew fainter. Yet, as death was about to embrace a new friend, Sora spoke in a calm tone.
"Don't be in such a hurry to die."
A faint glow surrounded his hand as he activated a healing skill. Rachel's body convulsed, the bleeding stopped, and her breathing began to steady.
Sora crouched next to Rachel and stared down at her. "We're not done yet."
"Why did I fall for it? When did I let my guard down?" Rachel, remembering the series of events, could not understand.
Sora understood the meaning behind her words, "It's true. With your nature, it is impossible to betray you. But I guess I have a certain charm you can't resist... And you don't need to raise your guard in front of me. Whether you resist or not doesn't make a difference to someone of my level."
Rachel's eyes opened wide, "You even know about [Charm]... So you know about this world ... Why be so serious when you know, Sora..."
Sora stayed silent for a few seconds.
"You did not know that when you killed my brother. You didn't know it when you killed me." He said. "Even then. Even if you did know. There was no need to betray us. You could have chosen to explain your skill to us, and maybe we would have discovered a way to help you achieve your dreams. Your innate skill and mine have a synergy that is so insane that I can't imagine how high you would have climbed with my help. But you did not trust anyone, and chose to step on your husband and best friend's corpses because of your inferiority complex."
Facing Rachel's silence, he continued, "You had everything. And you threw it away. I even had a tiny part of me that always wanted to believe that you were manipulated or that someone took your identity."
Rachel looked away as Sora's gaze was too difficult for her to face.
"What would you have done after returning?" He asked.
Rachel seemed to be lost in thought.
Sora seemed tired of it and stood up. "You must know that you reap what you sow. Someone would have killed you, sooner or later with the number of bodies you're leaving on your path. "
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As he raised his sword, he heard Rachel say, "I wanted to be in the limelight..."
She paused. "I wanted to know what it felt to be talented..."
"I wanted to be special."
"After getting that quest, I thought my wish was granted..."
Sora was curious and asked, "A quest?"
Rachel sneered, "You know about it. You've seen my memories... I've met the requirements to get a ..." She paused, as if something interrupted her, before adding, "Seems I can't even mention what it is."
Sora was disappointed. 'I hoped she was allowed to reveal details herself, but it seems this isn't the answer.'
"I don't know what I would have done if I returned by everyone's side. Part of me wished you'd be in awe at how strong I've become and forget what I've done."
Sora shook his head, at looked at the defeated expression Rachel had on her face.
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He remained silent for a while before sighing.
"I'm honestly tired of all your nonsense. Let's end this now. But one thing's for certain—I'll make sure you never go anywhere.""
Rachel, who had been quietly resigning herself to her fate, still reeling from the 'betrayal' she believed she'd endured, froze at his words.
Her head snapped toward him, her voice trembling. "What do you mean?"
"You won't return. Wherever you thought you sent Nathan and me, you won't go. I'll make sure of it," he said coldly.
Rachel's eyes widened as the weight of his words sank in. Panicking, she struggled to find the right response.
"Don't do this, Sora," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Please… This is all just a…" Her words cut off as her hands flew to her chest. She winced in pain. "Damn it! These warnings…!"
She gasped, trying to stand up, before turning back to him. Seeing his cold gaze, she shouted, "SORA! THAT'S TOO MUCH! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?!"
Sora raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face with his left hand.
"Shut your mouth. I'm not asking for your opinion." Holding his sword in his other hand, he took a deep breath before returning it to his inventory.
"Today, you'll pay for what you did. Consider this the interest on the debt you've piled up."
In a blur, he disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of Rachel. She lay on the ground, her teeth scattered across the floor. Her face was swollen, blood dripping from her nose and mouth.
Without hesitation, Sora grabbed her by the hair with one hand and forced her up.
As he started accumulating energy and materialized a [Sentient Elemental Nexus], he heard her mutter a few words.
Rachel's voice, weak but cutting, broke the silence. "You've become quite the sociopath yourself, Soso... Knowing I helped turn you into this… it actually eases my pain a little."
Sora frowned at her words but didn't stop.
The small [Sentient Elemental Nexus] was created using [Autonomous Mana] in his psychic domain. It knew exactly what to do.
Without hesitation, it left his hand, piercing Rachel's skin and burrowing deep into her chest.
Rachel's body trembled [Sentient Elemental Nexus] entered her chest, its energy spreading through her body like a virus.
For a brief moment, there was no pain—just an odd warmth, as though it was harmlessly merging with her.
The warmth turned into a burning sensation, like molten lava coursing through her veins. Her eyes widened in terror as the agony hit, far beyond anything she had ever experienced.
Sora stared at Rachel, as her presence was being erased from existence. Her final words echoed in his mind, sharper than the sound of her current screams.
"You're becoming quite the sociopath yourself, Soso."
He clenched his fists. 'Am I?'
His gaze drifted to his hands—bloodless, yet far from clean.
'Does it even matter that I feel nothing now? That I killed her without a moment's hesitation? She was nothing but trash, and I simply took it out.'
'Your betrayal didn't make me this way,' he thought, shaking his head to dispel the shadow of doubt her words had left behind. 'I chose this path. This is the person I became to survive. To endure the war. To ascend the tower.'
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He exhaled, his eyes clearer. 'You were just a temporary goal. A stone in my path that needed to be crushed.'
Unwilling to prolong the process, Sora watched as his skill tore through Rachel from within, obliterating her completely after long seconds.
His eyes stared at the empty space for a few seconds. A series of notifications,however, brought him out of his reverie.
[You have killed a player who has not initiated a fight with you.][Player Killing penalty: 24-hour suspension from accessing safe areas.][20% Experience malus for 24 hours.]
He reached into his inventory and withdrew an item, reading its description and thinking, 'Creating soul-based items like this… Alius really is a genius. And choosing to explore soul power will prove useful today.'
[Big Soul Stone][Description: The user can attempt capturing a soul with it. The Soul Stone can hold a captured soul.][Restrictions : Soul must be level 180 or below. User must have higher Soul level than the target.]
Holding the [Big Soul Stone] in hand, he focused his soul power, pouring it into the artifact.
The stone began to glow, releasing a net of Soul Power that expanded rapidly around him. Its threads moved through the air, scanning for remnants of Rachel's soul.
'Whether this world is real or just a simulation, it doesn't matter right now. What matters is ensuring she doesn't wake up—here, in our original world, or wherever our bodies might truly be.'
The net completed its sweep, gathering the remnants of Rachel's soul. As the process concluded, the artifact glowed softly, signaling its success.
'If dying in this world means returning to our original bodies, there's no way I'll let you wake up before me', he thought.
His gaze shifting from the soul stone in his hand to the sky above his head.
Sora looked up.
The air felt strangely quiet, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the heavy knot in his chest began to loosen.
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