The red circle surrounding Alister broke like glass as he stared down at his hands, where red electricity coursed between his fingers.

  Helen rushed forward and lunged at Alister with her Honor Spear. The spearhead extended and snaked through the air before crashing into the ground in front of Alister. He easily jumped back before impact.

  "How could you do this to us? Do you even understand what you've done?" Helen screamed as she slashed at the head of Alister, who ducked without looking away from his sparking hands.

  "I almost saw my daughters again!"

  The red sparks stopped around Alister's finger. He nodded to himself and then started walking toward Helen, who shot off her spearhead in response.

  Alister bobbed and weaved through the snaking attack before driving his fist into Helen's stomach, where she had been stabbed earlier, undoing the healing he had done earlier and causing her to cough up blood.

  Helen gagged as her body flew into the wall behind her.

  Alister side-stepped a punch from Raul, who stumbled to the ground in exhaustion. Alister jumped up and then stomped Raul's head into the marbled floor, causing an explosion of rubble and dust.

  Alister spun around and caught Richard's sword mid-slash, leaving Richard in shock.

  "Wow, they weren't lying about increased stats, or maybe all of you are just too tired, and Mana exhausted to hit me. Looks like you guys ran out of Mana against the Death Emperor anyway," Alister said as he slowly twisted Richard's shaking rapier down before punching him in the temple, sending him to the floor.

  Alister stared at his right hand and tried to form a ball of yellow Mana, but it quickly flickered out.

  "This new System healed my body, but my Mana still hasn't recovered yet."

  Richard gritted his teeth as he rose back to his feet by using his sword to support himself. Alister ignored him as he brought the red System menu back up.

  "So I can't keep both, huh," Alister said to himself as he stroked his chin. Richard stared down Alister with disgust as he scrolled through the red status menu in front of him while nodding his head.

  "Alister, what are you trying to accomplish by becoming the Death Emperor? I'm confused, you don't want to return home?"

  Alister stopped scrolling through the menu to give Richard a shocked look before scoffing and dismissing the red menu.

  "I'm surprised you haven't figured out what I'm planning. Despite our many disagreements, I always thought you and Warren knew me the best. Not that it matters."

  Alister grabbed Richard by the neck to raise him into the air. Richard slashed at Alister's head, but Alister grabbed his right hand and crushed it, causing Richard to scream in pain.

  "Here's something that's confusing me. Why would anybody want to return to Earth anyway? There's no Mysteria there; we live shorter lives, and, worst of all, we have to answer to governmental powers like lapdogs. Our lives don't matter there. I thought I had no choice but to return, but this System changes everything for me," Alister said as Richard dropped his sword as he began to choke from the lack of air.

  Alister held up his free hand to Richard as red sparks coursed through his fingers.

  "But here? There's no limit to what we can do here. Countries cower in fear of our power, and the people literally bow down to worship us," Alister said as he tightened his grip on Richard's neck. "No one can control us. We could be gods here."

  Explosions carpeted Alister's back, causing him to lose focus and drop the unconscious Richard.

  Izick thrusted his knife towards Alister's head. Alister whipped around and elbowed Izick in the side, knocking him away, but Izick threw two cubes as he crashed into the floor.

  The black cube unwrapped into straps that latched onto Alister's face as the blue cube stuck to his chest and shocked him.

  Alister shook as he stumbled backwards to rip off the blue cube before tearing the black straps off his face.

  Alister ripped off the last strap only to see Izick flying at him to stab him through the eye with his outstretched knife, causing him to shout in pain.

  Izick wrapped his arm around Alister's neck and drove his knife further.

  Alister growled as a black teardrop-shaped diamond materialized in his hand and then smashed it into Izick's head.

  Izick rolled across the marbled floor until he slid to a stop, holding his bleeding head. Alister yanked out the knife from his eye with a grunt and tossed it away.

  His eye and face wound glowed red as his face healed back to perfection. He looked down at Izick, who glared back at him with gritted teeth and one eye open from the blood streaming down his face.

  "You've been waiting for years to do that, haven't you?" Alister said with a smirk as he lightly tossed the black diamond in his hand.

  "You ruined everything. Do you feel nothing for betraying Arekia and abandoning the Staff Hero's party? What about everything we worked for?" Izick said as he stumbled to his feet. Alister chuckled as he walked towards Izick.

  "The Staff Hero's party? Those NPCs were glorified meat shields. Pay 'em well, slap' em around a bit, and they'll do whatever you want. They were a means to an end," Alister said as he smirked and pointed to Izick.

  "And you're no different."

  "Alister!" Izick screamed in rage as he charged at Alister with a knife in his hand. Alister fiddled with the black diamond in his hand until it changed into a small knife.

  Alister kicked Izick in the chest and then lunged forward to slash down at his body. Izick backed away as he lifted his knife, only for Alister's knife to rip through his like paper and slice Izick's sternum.

  Izick gritted through the pain before reaching down to pull another knife from his boot. He charged once more, unleashing a flurry of strikes at Alister's head and body, but only sliced through the air.

  Alister caught Izick's right arm and snapped it with his hand. Izick howled in pain from his broken arm as his legs began to go weak.

  Alister stabbed at Izick's head, but the Scout lifted his left shoulder to intercept the knife, embedding it deeply into his shoulder blade.

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  Alister pulled out the knife from Izick's shoulder before slashing at Izick's chest and joints, leading up to a kick in the stomach. Izick gagged as his body fell limp to the floor.

  Alister grabbed Izick by the hair and dragged him to a wall, where he propped him up.

  "Why am I wasting time on you again?" Alister said as he knelt to hold up Izick's head and push a knife to his neck. He brought up a red translucent menu and paused for a few moments as he studied it.

  He dismissed the knife into black smoke and grabbed his face as he laughed.

  "That solves everything. I'm such a genius!"

  Alister tapped a few buttons on the red menu, then swiped it away.

  His right hand began to glow red.

  "I-I did my job…I survived each time for the sake of the party. What did I do to deserve this?" Izick said in a low voice as his consciousness slowly began to fade away.

  Alister stared down Izick with a stern expression as he lifted his glowing red hand in front of Izick.

  "Izick, even I have to admit it, you have served me well. I've had seven Scouts die miserably before you arrived, and you came back every single time."

  "Then why?"

  "Because strength equals freedom. You're weak and insignificant. Your lack of strength causes you to run and hide like a coward when you should crush your enemies. You were born to serve, not conquer. For that very reason, you deserve shackles for your weakness."

  Izick gritted his teeth as he slowly raised his left fist to tap Alister's chin, who ignored it like it wasn't even there.

  "Only the strongest will obtain true freedom. I intend to become the strongest and never be looked down upon again, but that won't have anything to do with you in the end," Alister said as he made a gun sign at Izick's forehead.

  "NPC, you're fired."

  A red bullet of Mana shot out of Alister's finger and struck Izick's head.

  Pain like nothing Izick had felt before radiated from his forehead down to his feet as some unknown force permeated his body to what felt like the depths of his soul.

  Izick couldn't even scream in pain as blue and red scales invaded his vision, blocking out the laughing Alister before a loud boom sounded off, and everything quickly turned to black. The last gasp of his fading consciousness struggled as thoughts of hatred, resentment, and regret washed over him in mere moments before the sudden silence.

  ***

  Warmth, soft heat coated Izick's face. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a sterile white ceiling above him. He tried to move but felt excruciating pain radiating from his heavily bandaged left shoulder and right arm in a cast.

  The soft bed beneath him, the single chair and table, and the high window above him told him everything he needed to know. He was in a hospital.

  A passing nurse in her white uniform suddenly stopped when she noticed Izick with his eyes open. Her mouth opened slightly before turning around.

  "Doctor Eramy! That boy is awake!"

  Rapid footsteps came down the hall until a doctor in a white coat walked through the door and stared at Izick, who was still clearly waking up and feeling sluggish.

  "Go get that Jhasi woman."

  Minutes later, Mill burst through the door and ran to Izick's bed, where she knelt to get level with him.

  "Izick! You're finally awake! I was getting really worried for a moment there…" Mill said somberly as she got up to grab a chair and sit down near Izick.

  "How did I get here? The last thing I remember was…ugh," Izick said, grabbing his bandaged head with his left hand as the memories returned of the raid on the Death Emperor's castle flooded in.

  "Alister! That bastard ruined everything! Where is he now?" Izick said through gritted teeth as his head began to ache. Mill looked down at her feet. She shook her head.

  "Nobody knows. The king has been searching for him and the Death Emperor's castle, which seemed to have seemingly disappeared overnight four days ago when we raided the Death Emperor's castle."

  "Wait, four days?" Izick said, shocked, as he stared at Mill.

  "Ah, I meant to ease you into this, but you've been in a coma for four days. The doctors and Healers here don't know what caused it, but you were unconscious when the Spear Hero dropped you off here. She apparently teleported you and the Heroes away from the Death Emperor's castle," Mill said as she pointed to Izick with her hand.

  "I'm sorry about your injuries. An unskilled Healer patched you up before I could get to you because investigators held me up. My healing won't be as effective now that someone healed you before me. I wish I were there when you first got hurt. Sorry, I couldn't keep my promise," Mill said as she twiddled with her fingers.

  Izick looked to Mill, who shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

  "Mill, you were questioned by investigators? Are you OK?" Izick said with a worried face. Mill opened her mouth and closed it before walking to the door, looking outside, and closing it.

  She returned to her seat and stared at Izick with a serious and stern expression.

  "I wanted to avoid telling you this so soon after you just woke up, but our situation is dire and can change at any moment, even while you're lying here injured."

  Mill grabbed Izick's left hand.

  "There's no easy way to say this, but the King of Arekia has branded Alister and his party as traitors to the country of Arekia. The Staff Hero's party has officially been dissolved."

  Izick stared blankly at Mill before shaking his head in disbelief.

  "No, no, we did nothing wrong. Alister was the one who backstabbed everyone. We supported the other Heroes in the raid, the other Heroes can confirm this!" Izick said, his voice rising.

  "We know that, but the public opinion is vile right now, so the king had little to no choice."

  "Then how are we alive right now? Traitors of Arekia are usually imprisoned and eventually put to death."

  "You can thank the Sword Hero for that. He pleaded with the King of Arekia to pause the imprisonment and executions of traitors attached to Alister, since he argues that many were mercenaries unrelated to Alister's selfish actions. Though this is only a verbal agreement, and we're still getting investigated, so things can change overnight."

  "So the other Heroes are still alive?"

  "Yes, the Bow Hero supposedly drove off Alister while the Spear Hero teleported the party away. However, public opinion is also quite sour for the Heroes, so they likely can't help us too much politically with Alister's betrayal…"

  Izick pulled his hand away from Mill and banged his fist into the bed repeatedly.

  "Mill…my pension plan is gone. Treachery and disbandment of the hero party are enough to erase the pension as if it never existed. That money for Cylvia is gone. She's going to die," Izick said as he covered his eyes with his left hand.

  Tears rolled down his face as he began to sob uncontrollably.

  "Those three years…all of that suffering. What was the point of it all?"

  Mill watched as Izick sobbed quietly, unsure of what to do next.

  "Sorry, Mill…can you give me some time alone?" Izick said with his hand still covering his face. Mill got up from her chair and tapped Izick on his arm before heading towards the door.

  "I am truly sorry about all of this, Izick, I really am. I'll come back a bit later with some food," Mill said before walking out the door and closing it behind her.

  Izick kept telling himself that now wasn't the time to cry and despair, but the pain of Alister's betrayal and losing everything burned in his chest.

  He went silent for a few minutes before wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his hospital shirt before rubbing his eyes.

  Now really wasn't the time for this. Cylvia was still alive as far as he knew, and he wasn't dead. Maybe there was some way to recoup some of the pension money or appeal to the king to reinstate his pension?

  Whatever the solution, he wasn't going to find it crying in a hospital bed.

  He sighed as he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling, but some sort of blue box floated above him instead of the ceiling.

  Izick sat up in his bed and scurried backwards, startled as the blue box followed his eyes and floated in front of his face.

  "W-what is this thing!"

  [ Welcome, [Izick Hajago Featherbelle] to the Hero System! ]

  [ You have been chosen as Arekia's next [Staff Hero] and wielder of the [Honor Rod]! ]

  [NEW QUEST: Defeat the [Emperor System] and bring peace to Arekia and the greater world of Estra]

  [REWARD: ?????]

  The blue screen blinked red, then rapidly flickered green and black, and returned to blue, but the listed reward constantly changed characters and flickered red.

  Izick's eyes remained wide as sweat poured down his face. This wasn't real, right? Maybe something was wrong with his eyes?

  Some letters kept changing or disappearing altogether, but one set of words remained constant.

  "Welcome to the Hero System?"