novelraw Chapter 75: Pyrrhic Defeat
Chapter 75: Pyrrhic Defeat
Mr. Nobody collapsed onto his back. Soon, a pool of dark red, almost black blood began to form beneath him.
The blade had pierced his side and sliced through his liver. Now it jutted out of his abdomen, an unmistakable omen of his defeat.
A stunned silence swept through the stands. No one, not even Santi himself, understood how it had happened.
"I-I-I..." The boy began to stutter, staring in horror at his bloodied palms. It seemed he was already ready to say something like "I’m sorry," but...
"FINISH HIM!!!"
"FINISH HIM!!!"
"KILL HIM!!!"
"Amigo, finish off that villain!!!" a girl in the stands screamed.
"Ha-ha..." He let out a disbelieving laugh, spitting out more and more blood. His body was gradually weakening from the heavy bleeding.
Despite everything, there was a slightly sad, understanding smile on his face. He looked up at the sky, listening to the crowd’s shouts.
Both of their faces were battered and bloodied.
"Are you giving up?!" Santi exclaimed excitedly, driven by the crowd.
"Hah..." Mr. Nobody smiled again.
*Tap-tap-tap...* His exhausted hand tapped against the arena floor. A sign of defeat.
Santi clenched his fist and triumphantly raised his good hand in the air.
A sign of victory.
"Yes!!!" he shouted.
"YEEEEES!!!" The crowd of a hundred thousand shouted along with him.
Everyone cheered as if this victory were their own.
"Knockout!!!" The first commentator shouted.
"This is exactly why we watch!!!" The female commentator chimed in. "The winner... The Who?!!!"
"THE STAR!!!"
"THE STAR!!!"
"THE STAR!!!"
"THE STAR!!!"
"THE STAAAAAR!!!"
"..." Mr. Nobody listened to these comments with a warm smile on his face.
’So that’s what Marcel meant... People need hope. They need to know someone will come for them. And...’
"And the evil... Must..." He coughed, spitting out even more blood. "Evil... must always... be punished."
Having said that, he finally closed his eyes. And although an unpleasant feeling lingered in his soul...
He felt that this defeat must be the most satisfying defeat of his life
’I’m... so damn alone...’ That was his last thought.
As the crowd roared in triumph, his consciousness faded.
...
Next came the awards ceremony. All the participants, dressed in white, gathered in the arena.
Santi Mikalz walked past them, shaking hands with each one.
Amid their applause and congratulations, he stood in the center of the arena.
The four people in white, who had previously been sitting in the VIP box, made their way toward him. The powerful man from the Path of Connection remained in the stands along with another man dressed in dark red robes.
Four people from the Path of Dreams, including Simon and Marie, began congratulating the boy.
*Snap* He snapped his fingers, lighting a cigarette.
His weapon had been returned, and his wounds healed. Even his cloak had been washed clean of blood.
He sat in the shadows by the entrance arch and watched the ceremony.
He was alone here.
"Phew..." He exhaled smoke and removed the black bracelet—Paymax’s. He also took off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around the bracelet.
"Hey, Dream," he said, looking up at the sky. "Looks like your champ really fucked up."
"..."
"Got nothing to say?"
’Maybe you want to reconsider my qualifications?’ he almost said, but didn’t.
There was no point in it anyway.
"..." The heavens remained silent. As always.
He had so much he wanted to say. So many questions he wanted to ask.
And perhaps there really was a way to get an answer, and he even had a hunch about it...
"...But staying Nobody isn’t so bad after all. I should have been one from the very beginning." He gave a dry smile, picked up his things, and stomped out a cigarette butt. Turning his back on the ceremony, he headed for the exit. "What bike should I get this time? I heard there was a good model at..."
"Today you are the champion, The Star who!!!" The commentator proclaimed to the entire arena. "You’ve proven that you are the one who’s worthy!!! And as a reward, you receive the method for achieving the First Step of the Path of Dreams!!!"
"Hahaha! Thank you, thank you!" Santi laughed happily and smiled.
"And if you can soar..."
The commentator continued broadcasting, but it no longer seemed so important.
Something made the man walking in the shadows stop.
"Haa..." He sighed heavily, staring at the boy’s face. "Sorry. It seems I’ll always be the villain."
...
An early morning had come to Concord.
The people who had come to the show were already heading home, heading home to sleep after the long night.
*Thud!* Santi’s head hit the wall after a hard shove.
"Sniff...! B-but why are you doing this?! I-I won!"
"Oh, come on, I’m just going to take a look. Just a peek."
While Santi cried and whimpered, the man in black pinned him against the wall with his hand.
"B-but that’s not fair...!"
"Do I look like I play fair? I’m a damn villain."
"Sniff..." He couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into tears.
"Haa... Listen, I get that you’re upset. Don’t you think this is unfair to me too?? How many times did I chop you to pieces and ask you to give up? Dozens. And how many times did you do it to me? Just once."
"T-that..."
"Let’s not dwell on it. I’ll just take a look and give it back to you. After that, you’ll never see me again... Well, except in your nightmares."
"D-do you promise...?"
"Nobody’s promise."
"W-what? D-does that mean you’re lying?!"
"No... I mean... Damn it, just give me that thing already!"
Next, he snatched the strange object from the boy’s hands.
It looked like a sealed ancient scroll.
It was made in snow-white and silver colors. And there was a seal on it with a star symbol.
It mimicked a real star.
"...You haven’t opened it yet?" He let go of the boy and sat down on the ground.
"N-no. I-I wanted to share this special moment with my family..."
"Family?"
"Y-yes. My parents and my younger brother."
"..."
"I-is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Take care of them."
Mr. Nobody sighed and looked straight up at the stars.
"...Don’t look at me like that," he said. "I’m just going to take a quick peek, and that’s it."
"W-what?" Santi blurted out in alarm.
"Forget it. I’m just a psycho talking to myself."
"Oh..."
Mr. Nobody shook his head and finally touched the seal with the star.
He let out a sigh of relief when no reaction or sudden glow came from the symbol on his chest.
Finally, he removed the seal and unrolled the scroll.
"...What?" His eyes widened in shock.
That figured because...
A sudden flash of light erupted.