Chapter 58

‘This will be too easy!’

Adam’s eyes bulged as he raised his blade high above his head.

While he had never plunged a weapon into someone before, he had watched enough action flicks to get the gist.

The plan seemed simple: drive the dagger into Adonis' chest, and let the blade take care of the rest.

Adam could feel saliva form in his mouth.

Was it anticipation or anxiety causing it? It was hard to say.

One thing was certain, though…

‘I have to do this!’

Adam had already made up his mind.

His eyes gave off a murderous glare at this, and he tensed his muscles as he prepared for the thrust.

‘It’s nothing personal, Adonis…’ Adam silently mouthed, though his wide grin told a different story.

‘… I just gotta do it!’

~WHOOOOSH!~

The blade sliced through the air around it as it descended to complete its task.

As it went down, Adam’s eyes widened even further, as if waiting for the first sight of blood and guts gushing out of his target.

Much to his incredible shock, none of that happened.

~CLANG!~

The dagger was met with a golden field that surrounded Adonis’ sleeping body, instantly causing the blade to shatter upon impact.

“W-what?!” Adam blurted out, forgetting the need for silence in his shock.

The dagger’s pieces instantly disintegrated into golden light, completely overwhelmed by the power of the force field.

Before Adam could fully understand the situation, he felt a vice grip around his throat.

The blurry movement of Adonis’ hand had been too quick for his distracted eyes to register, so he didn’t notice it until it was too late.

… Until Adonis’ grip was completely tightened around his throat.

“So, the class traitor finally reveals himself.”

As the odd, but familiar voice echoed in Adam’s ears, he saw Adonis open his eyes.

Golden light radiated from them as he sat upright, almost as if he was being pulled by an invisible force that was too much to comprehend.

‘H-he’s awake?! What?!’

Not only that, but it sounded as though Adonis had been expecting him.

“You arrived a bit earlier than I expected. But, after the trial with Rey, I figured you would act pretty soon…”

His words left Adam confused, struggling to make sense of the situation.

“I suppose the future has slightly deviated off course.”

‘The Future? Deviated? What in the world was Adonis talking about?!’

“A-gurgh…!” As Adam tried to speak, his throat was further crushed by Adonis’ single-handed choke.

“Things weren’t meant to happen like this, but I can’t complain at this point. The goal was to change the future, so I guess I should expect slight changes to the original timeline.”

Upon hearing these words, Adam felt like under normal circumstances he could figure out what Adonis was trying to imply.

Unfortunately, his brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen for him to properly think straight.

Struggling for air, Adam’s panicked thoughts raced.

‘I… I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!’ echoed loudly in his mind.

The Adonis he knew would never hurt him, but something about the deadly vibe that came off of this new Adonis told Adam that he wouldn’t hesitate to take his life.

The very thought frightened him.

“I know you probably want me to spare you right now, despite you just attempting to kill me. If it was me back then, I would have surely done so.”

Adam’s heart pounded in his chest at Adonis’ words.

“I was so naive back then…” He whispered.

Adam saw a glimmer of hesitation in Adonis’ eyes, and for a moment, he thought he actually had a chance.

His survival instinct was so desperate that it didn’t fully process Adonis’ words.

“But letting you live would be a mistake. If I do, you’ll exploit another opportunity and betray everyone.”

Adam had certainly thought of that many times.

“Just like last time, you’ll join ‘their’ side. That would only result in more suffering and needless sacrifices.”

Adonis closed his eyes for a second before opening them once again.

This time, the golden radiance in his eyes glowed much brighter than ever.

“I can’t allow that—not after coming back to save everyone.” He whispered.

“To make sure this world survives, I have to end you right here and now.”

When Adam saw the resolute expression on Adonis’ face, he instantly knew his fate was sealed.

‘W-wait! Don’t kill me!’ He tried to yell out, but only muffled screams escaped his lips.

‘It’s not my fault! I was put up to this! My partner—that son of a bitch was the one who wanted this! Not me! I never wanted this! You should kill him instead!’

Adam desperately wanted to live, but he could not.

So long as Adonis willed it, his fate had been sealed.

“[Divine Sword Summon].”

A golden ray of light filled the room, and a blade of magnificent beauty and power manifested in Adonis’ previously unoccupied hand.

Its beauty was unrivaled—its purity unmatched.

This was the Divine Sword; a weapon fit only for a Hero like Adonis.

“Forgive me, Adam. In the little time that we spent together…”

~WHOOOSH!~

“… You were my precious classmate.”

With a swift motion, the Divine Sword swung through the air, leaving a trail of blood as Adam's body dissolved into nothingness, leaving only his head floating in the air

Adonis still tightly gripped it, not letting it go for a second despite how coldly he stared at it.

“And so it ends…” He whispered softly.

All along, Adonis had known there was a mastermind in their class who was pulling the strings.

Why?

Because this was exactly what happened the last time.

‘There are slight alterations, but for the most part, things are proceeding as they should.’

Adonis knew all that would happen after this—or at least, most of it.

That was how he was able to tell Rey was innocent.

How he knew everything—including how to address Seraph and their importance to the denizens of this world.

… How he knew he had to be the Hero.

‘Everyone should still be asleep…’ Adonis’ thoughts trailed as he removed his gaze away from Adam’s pathetic head.

The fluid motion of the Divine Sword had barely made a sound, so Adonis was convinced his attack hadn’t caused any ruckus outside.

“I can’t have that.” He whispered.

It was better to cause a big ruckus and explain what had happened in an exaggerated way to show everyone the intensity of the situation.

That way, he wouldn’t be labeled a cold-blooded killer.

‘I didn’t mean for this to happen…’

Adonis had tried his best to keep his classmates together—to put them in check.

He made sure to check up on all of them, making sure they all felt safe and protected.

More than anything, he had hoped none of the tragedies of the past would repeat itself.

Unfortunately, hope wasn’t enough.

“It can’t be helped. More is coming, so I must prepare.”

As he said this, the Divine Sword glowed.

Adonis was about to release a mighty blast that would gather enough attention.

He didn’t mean to lie or deceive his classmates.

However—!

‘For the sake of the world…’

~BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!~

As his door was blown away by the blast, scattering debris in every direction, Adonis maintained his expression of resolve.

‘… This must be done!’

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[A/N]

End of Arc 1: The Summoned Otherworlders Arc!

I hope we can all get a better glimpse into Adonis’ character and understand everything he does better.

I really like his character, to be honest.

A true protagonist!

In any case, Arc 2 will be starting immediately.

Get ready for the ‘Royal Dungeon Incident Arc!’

Should be fun!