THIRD PERSON’S POV

*SWISH*

Five copies of Demon lunged at her in perfect synchrony, too quickly for her to react. Wounds she had sustained earlier pulsed with pain, and she could barely move.

“Bow your head!” The voice was commanding, and in that moment, Demon dropped to the ground instinctively.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Each of Demon's copies fell, bullets piercing their heads with precision.

“You okay?” Clyde called out, running toward Demon with his gun still raised, eyes scanning for any remaining threats. He was panting heavily, adrenaline coursing through him. “Good thing I made it in time.”

“No, I’m exhausted.” Demon’s voice was weak as she leaned into Clyde's support, letting him bear her weight. “Those copycats… they’re strong. They don’t just mimic; they think ahead, like someone’s controlling them.”

Without another word, Clyde lifted her carefully, his arms firm yet gentle, steadying her as her strength waned.

“I wish Conan was here,” she whispered, barely audible.

Clyde looked at her, his expression softening. “Jarvis is with the enemy right now, you know. What if he turns? He could reveal everything to them.”

Demon closed her eyes for a moment, giving a tired but defiant smile. “Nah, that idiot's loyal. He’d die before he betrays me.”

Clyde raised an eyebrow. “You trust him a lot.”

“He’s earned it,” she replied. “I shaped them. I know where their loyalty lies.”

---

In a dimly lit room, the atmosphere was tense. Jarvis sat with his hands bound, his gaze defiant as he looked at the Elders surrounding him.

“Speak up!” The first Elder’s voice was filled with anger as he glared down at Jarvis. “What is Demon planning?”

Jarvis leaned back, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t know either,” he replied with a smirk, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

The Elder’s hand curled into a fist, ready to strike, but Ice stepped forward, holding up a hand. “Let me talk to him.”

The Elder looked at him, hesitant. “He was your friend, but he’s a traitor now. Other Masks died because of Demon, and here he is, helping her!”

“I know what I’m doing,” Ice said, his voice calm but firm. He motioned for the others to leave, locking the door behind them until only he and Jarvis remained.

As soon as they were alone, Ice turned to him, his eyes intense. “Speak up.”

Jarvis scoffed. “You think I’m gonna talk because you asked nicely? Hate to break it to you, but I’m not in love with you.”

“Don’t test me, Jarvis,” Ice’s voice was sharp, biting through the tension. “Are the others still alive?”

Jarvis’s expression shifted to one of mock confusion. “Who’s ‘others’? Didn’t you watch how Demon took them down?”

Ice's fists clenched. “Why did you side with them?”

Jarvis shrugged casually. “Their arm tattoo looked cool. Figured it’d suit me.”

“Why did you dye your hair?” Ice’s tone was cutting, searching Jarvis for any hint of truth.

Jarvis’s smirk faltered, if only for a second. “Takashi has black hair,” he muttered. “Demon… she loves it, so I dyed mine blonde. Can’t have her falling in love with me now, can I?”

Before he could finish, Ice’s fist came down hard, knocking Jarvis to the floor. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he spat out two teeth, the pain searing through him.

“Do you care about anything we’ve been through? Anything we shared?” Ice grabbed Jarvis by the collar, shaking him with desperation in his eyes. “Demon killed Jared and Dos! And you still choose her?”

Jarvis chuckled through the pain, his voice barely a whisper. “I know… but what can I do? I don’t kill women. Not my thing.”

“Jarvis!” Ice roared, kicking him again. “I didn’t think you’d betray us like this!”

Jarvis only smiled, a mixture of pain and defiance in his eyes. He had no intention of breaking; he wouldn’t reveal Demon's plan. Besides, even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could give away, because what everyone thought was her plan… was only the surface of her true purpose.

And for that, Jarvis would die loyal, even if it cost him everything.

Ice’s chest heaved, fists clenched as he looked down at Jarvis sprawled on the floor, battered and bloodied. Memories of their years together flooded back, mingling with a storm of betrayal and grief that tightened around his heart.

“What happened to you?” Ice’s voice cracked, softening against his will. “You used to care about us. You were my brother.” His hand, still trembling, loosened its grip on Jarvis’s collar. For a moment, the fury in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something raw—something vulnerable.

Jarvis looked up, the trace of a smile on his bruised face. “People change, Ice. You should know that by now.”

Ice stepped back, his fists still at his sides but his resolve crumbling. The sight of Jarvis, the man he once trusted with his life, broken and seemingly unmoved by everything they'd lost, tore at him.

“You’d let her destroy everything,” Ice whispered, his voice barely audible. “You’d let her kill Jared and Dos and everyone else... for what? For some twisted loyalty to her?” He felt his knees give way, and he sank down beside Jarvis, hands covering his face as he struggled to contain his anguish.

“Don’t make it sound that simple,” Jarvis replied, his voice softer, almost pitying. “You think I don’t care? I do. Every day, it’s hell. But I chose this. I made my decision, and there’s no turning back.”

“I don’t understand.” Ice’s voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I thought I knew you.”

For a moment, Jarvis’s defiant facade cracked, and he looked at Ice, really looked at him. “Maybe you never did.” His voice was almost gentle, carrying a weight of regret he couldn’t voice.

Ice’s shoulders shook, his walls finally crumbling as the memories of their shared past—their laughter, their loyalty, their dreams of a better future—shattered around him. “Then everything we fought for... all of it... it meant nothing to you?”

“No,” Jarvis replied softly, his own voice tinged with sorrow. “It meant everything. That’s why I had to choose.”

A strangled sob escaped Ice as he buried his face in his hands. “We were supposed to be in this together. You weren’t supposed to betray us. You were supposed to be my brother…”

Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. Jarvis averted his gaze, swallowing the bitter truth neither of them wanted to face.

“Forgive me,” Jarvis’s voice was barely a whisper, yet the words hit Ice like a hammer. "Forgive me," He repeated, his eyes steady, filled with a strange, unbreakable loyalty. "But Demon should win this war."

Ice's face hardened. He couldn’t understand, couldn’t process how the friend he had once called a brother could be so unwavering in his allegiance to the very person who had caused them all so much pain. With a slow, deep breath, he stood up, his expression turning cold.

“Then there’s no place for you here,” Ice replied, his voice shaking but resolute. “If you’ve chosen her, then you’re dead to me.”

Jarvis didn’t flinch, accepting the statement like he’d been expecting it all along. He didn’t resist as Ice ordered guards to seize him, their hands locking around his arms with an iron grip. They dragged him out, and Ice turned his back on the friend he had once fought beside, feeling his heart harden with each step.

As the heavy cell door slammed shut, Ice stood on the other side, staring through the small, barred window at Jarvis sitting calmly inside, his face bruised and his loyalty unwavering.

“I’ll never understand you, Jarvis,” Ice said, his voice laced with bitterness. “How could you turn your back on everything we stood for?”

Jarvis looked up, his expression unreadable. “Sometimes, you have to choose the path no one else understands. Even if it means losing everything else.”

“Then rot in here,” Ice spat, his eyes cold. “Because you’re no longer my brother. And I swear, Demon will pay for what she’s done to you—to all of us.”

With that, Ice turned, his hands trembling as he clenched them at his sides. Each step he took away from the cell seemed to fill him with a sharper, deeper hatred, not just for Demon but for what she had turned his friend into.

JARVIS'S POV

As the cell door slammed shut, the silence closed in on me, heavy and suffocating. My whole body ached from Ice’s blows, but that pain was nothing compared to the hollow emptiness inside me—the guilt that twisted deeper with every passing second.

The children’s faces kept flashing before me, haunting me, their laughter echoing in my ears as if they were still here. Iona's smile… her small hand reaching out to toss me that ball. She’d been so happy, so full of life. They all had.

And I had failed them. I’d promised to protect them, to give them a chance at a future away from all this madness. But in the end, all I could do was kneel, powerless as they… they were ripped away. And for what? For a war I don’t even fully understand anymore.

My hands clenched, nails digging into my palms as I fought the urge to scream. Every beat of my heart felt like it was tearing me apart, each one a reminder of the lives I couldn’t save. I thought I was strong enough, that my loyalty to Demon meant something, that I was helping to create a world where no child would ever have to know the horrors I’d seen. But now…

Now I don’t know anything.

A tear slid down my cheek, and I didn’t bother to wipe it away. Iona's voice echoed in my mind, her innocent trust in me, the way she’d called me “Sir,” as if I could really be the hero she saw. But that trust had been misplaced. I was no hero; I was nothing but a fool who thought he could make a difference.

I slumped against the cold stone wall, pressing my fist to my chest, hoping the pressure might ease the ache. But it didn’t. I don’t think anything ever will.

In that moment, a bitter truth settled over me: the children had been my last bit of hope in this world, the only pure thing I had left. And now they were gone—because of me. Because of this endless, senseless war. And now, I was trapped here, haunted by their memory, by their loss.

And I knew, deep down, I’d never forgive myself.

DEMON'S POV

Having ties in this world is nothing but a weakness. Bonds make people fragile, vulnerable to guilt, remorse, and hesitation. I’ve shed all of that, discarded any ounce of attachment, cut off every single person who could weigh me down. Sentiment? I left it behind ages ago. It’s nothing but an obstacle in my path, something to be crushed if I’m to see my vision realized.

"Shouldn't we retrieve Jarvis? He's a big help to us," Saphora ventured, her voice laced with concern.

"Retrieving him would only drain our resources and expose the White Monarchy. Let him stay where he is," I replied, my tone cold and final.

Her face twisted in shock. “But… what if the Elders torture him, force him to confess to your plan? Don’t you care if they break him?”

“Care?” I let out a soft, humorless laugh. “I don’t care, Saphora. Even if the enemy captures any of you, I won’t come charging to rescue you. That’s not my job. My only concern is victory—everything else is an inconvenience.”

A silence fell over the room, thick and tense. I watched as Saphora’s face contorted, her disbelief turning into something darker.

"Then what are we to you?" Her voice was a barely controlled whisper, her gaze searching mine as though looking for a shred of humanity I refused to show.

I raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering within me. How could she be this naive, even now? "We are master and slave, Saphora. I am the master, and you’re the slave. I didn’t spare your life out of pity or loyalty. You’re only here because you serve a purpose. When that purpose ends, so will your importance."

Saphora’s expression hardened, but she didn’t look away. “You only think of us as pawns,” she hissed, her voice low and venomous. “That’s why you didn’t care when Hyein died. You didn’t care when Mikhail and the others gave their lives to the White Monarchy. You didn’t blink when the enemy slaughtered Zeus and Uno. You didn’t even care when Venom died saving you, when Viper gave his life for you. You… you just let him die.”

Her words struck something, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I smiled—a slow, cold smile that sent a chill through the room. “Why should I care?” I said, my voice dripping with contempt. “I’m the villain, remember? It wouldn’t suit me to mourn, would it? I brought you all here to serve and, when the time came, to die for me. If you expected anything else, you’ve been gravely mistaken.”

She trembled, her face twisting with barely controlled rage. “I treated you like my own daughter, Demon… You were family to me—”

“Did I ask you for that?” I interrupted, my tone sharp as a blade. “Did I ask for any of you to love me? Did I ask for your loyalty, your sacrifices? No, Saphora. I didn’t need any of it, and I don’t need it now. I’ve never needed anything but myself.”

Her lip quivered, her anger breaking through. “How can you be so heartless?”

“How can I not?” I leaned forward, locking my gaze with hers. “Attachments are weaknesses, and in this world, weakness gets you killed. I shed that part of myself long ago, the part that cared, that felt, that dared to love. I don’t have the luxury of being soft. Not anymore.”

Saphora looked away, bitterness etched into every line of her face. “You’re going to end up alone, Demon. And when that happens, I hope you understand what you’ve destroyed. One day, you’ll regret this. I hope you live long enough to feel that emptiness swallow you whole.”

I let her words hang in the air, feeling nothing, letting her bitterness and hatred wash over me like water on stone. I didn’t care. I had chosen this path, and I would see it through to the end, no matter how many lives I had to crush along the way.

Saphora stormed out, leaving me alone in the dimly lit room, her words lingering like smoke in the air. But I dismissed them. Regret? Emptiness? Those were luxuries for people with something to lose. I had no room for weakness, no place for sentiment. Emotions only held you back, made you hesitate. And hesitation could cost everything.

I felt a presence at my side as Clyde approached, clearly wary of my silence.

"So… you’re really just going to leave Jarvis to fend for himself?" he asked, his tone more curious than accusing, as though trying to understand the method in my madness.

"Yes," I answered sharply. "I won’t risk my plans for anyone. Jarvis is where he needs to be. If he’s smart, he’ll survive. If not…" I shrugged. "Then he was never worthy of the role I gave him."

Clyde looked at me, a strange mixture of admiration and unease in his eyes. “You really don’t feel anything for them, do you? Not even a flicker of loyalty? They’ve sacrificed everything for you.”

“Sacrifice is part of the deal, Clyde,” I replied with a faint smirk. “They all knew what they were signing up for. I didn’t mislead them. I never lied. My ambition is cold and relentless, and I warned them. If they chose to ignore that, it’s on them—not me.”

He seemed to consider this, his gaze distant. “And what about Conan?” he asked carefully, his voice softer.

A slight tightness clenched in my chest at the mention of Conan’s name. But I pushed it away, locked it down, my expression as unreadable as ever. “Conan is different. I trust him because I know he can handle whatever comes his way. I don’t need to coddle him or rush to his rescue.”

Clyde’s gaze softened. “You care about him, though. You can pretend all you want, but you do.”

I let out a cold laugh. “What I care about is my plan, Clyde. My ambitions. Conan knows that—better than anyone. We understand each other because we’re the same. He knows what it means to sever ties, to let nothing hold him back.”

He stared at me for a long moment, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “You know, Demon, sometimes being strong doesn’t mean pushing everyone away. Sometimes, strength is found in the bonds you choose to keep.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sentimental nonsense. Strength is found in clarity, in cutting through the mess of emotions and attachments that drag most people down. I am where I am because I am alone, because I have no ties that bind me. That’s the only way to truly be free.”

He shook his head slightly, looking at me like I was some kind of puzzle he’d never fully solve. “One day, you’ll understand what you’ve lost.”

“Doubtful,” I replied, smirking. “By then, I’ll be untouchable, standing at the top while the rest of the world crumbles beneath my feet.”

He didn’t respond, just gave me one last look before walking away. It didn’t matter to me what he thought. I’d come too far to let anyone’s opinions or feelings cloud my judgment now. Attachments, bonds, loyalty—they were all illusions designed to make you weak, to make you hesitate when it mattered most.

I had no intention of making that mistake.

---

I clenched my jaw, glancing at the useless bodies scattered around me. What a waste of time. I brushed the thought aside and pulled a small vial from my pocket, stabbing the needle into my arm. A familiar burn flooded through my veins, but I felt its effect almost instantly—a numbness that washed away the ache and sharpened my senses. With a smirk, I pressed a knife to my skin to test it, grinning as I felt nothing. Much better than the last one.

Now… priorities. I needed a distraction, a feint to throw them off. Maybe I’d give them a taste of victory. Let them believe they’re gaining ground. Yes… that would be fun.

I turned, half-aware of someone’s presence behind me, feeling his eyes tracking my every move.

“It’s 2 a.m.,” he finally said. “Where are you off to?”

“Just wandering around.” I shrugged without looking back.

“Wandering?” His voice carried a trace of suspicion. “At this hour?”

I chuckled, glancing over my shoulder. “What? Don’t tell me it’s too dangerous.”

“You’re dangerous, you know that?” Even in the dim light, I caught his eye-roll, his exasperation a strange comfort.

I tilted my head, assessing him. “Salvy, let’s do the plan.” He stiffened, taken aback by my sudden proposal.

“Now?” he questioned, hesitating. “Your body isn’t—”

“My body’s failing me, and I don’t know how much longer I can take this.” I cut him off, voice firm. “I need this done. Now.”

He looked away, swallowing hard. “There’s still time,” he murmured.

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a whisper, sharp and final. “No. I want this finished.” Without another word, I grabbed my scythe and climbed onto the window ledge. His eyes widened in alarm as I flashed him a grin. “See you on the other side.”

Then, without waiting, I leapt, the wind tearing past me as I dropped five floors, a thrill coursing through me even as I braced for impact. My body hit the ground hard, rolling as I absorbed the blow. Pain flickered but was swallowed by the drug’s numbing effect. A slight groan escaped my lips, but I grinned through it. Now that… that was exhilarating.

I stood, brushing off dust and debris, adrenaline pounding through me, fueling the smirk that crept across my face. Game on.