The Jester’s sudden presence brought everything to a halt. Movement died where it stood, as if the world itself had been ordered to stop. All eyes were fixed on the two figures facing one another, the space between them carrying a certain sense of suffocation.
Neither moved as they stared at one another.
For just a moment, the world appeared to quiet down. All breaths held.
Until—
"I-I... should have known...!"
A hoarse voice shattered the silence, bringing everyone’s attention towards the disheveled figure next to Seth, his eyes glaring at him.
"Y-you planned all of this. You... are with that... that thing."
His words weren’t loud.
And yet, they managed to reach the ears of everyone present, shaking them out of their daze as their bodies started to move.
As they did, Kyle’s voice grew louder.
"You did this!! You are a traitor!!"
He was screaming, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Seth as he weakly raised his hand to point at him.
"You... damn traitor!!"
Kyle’s words bellowed loudly as everyone looked at Seth and the Jester, their eyes starting to become clear as realization also dawned on them.
"That’s right...!"
"He was said to be a traitor. It all makes sense!"
"He’s the one controlling the Jester! He must be the one behind all of this!"
"So long as we get rid of him, we can get rid of that monster!"
The eyes of many changed, turning even wilder as they set their gaze over to Seth. Feeling the numerous gazes directed at him, Seth didn’t react at all. Instead, he took them all in before slowly turning his attention towards Kyle.
Kyle’s eyes were still bloodshot, his face pale as he glared at Seth.
But on closer look, one could notice the smile hidden beneath his gaze. The pure look of ecstasy hidden within those eyes that curled at the edges.
Seeing all of this, Seth’s lips similarly curled.
A smile soon marred his lips.
"...So you’ve finally decided to show yourself."
He looked utterly unconcerned by the people surrounding him as the Jester finally began to move, its gaze slowly shifting, turning toward the numerous figures advancing in its direction.
Nodes churned one after another, power surging to the surface, yet as they did, the numerous anomalies that had formed also began to move.
The fragile balance that had held the surroundings together only moments ago finally shattered, and in an instant, the area was flooded with attacks from every direction.
BANG!
The surroundings shook, each side attacking the other.
Overlooking the entire thing, the Jester’s body grew even more hunched as its lips parted slightly.
"He..."
A chuckle.
...It was just a mere chuckle, but it was enough to make the hearts of the many that were heading in its direction squeeze.
"Control your nodes carefully!"
"Don’t overus—!"
WHAM!
Music flared all of a sudden, cutting through the chaos with a sharp, jarring intensity that made every movement falter for just a split second.
Not a moment later, a figure appeared behind the Jester, the stitches on its lips and eyelids ripped as the two dark holes in its eyes stared straight at the people heading its way. Holding onto the violin, the Conductor’s hand moved down.
Ziiiiiiiiiii~
Pulling the stick down, a high-pitched, dissonant, and unsettling sound began to play out from the violin, forcing the faces of a few to turn completely pale.
Only the stronger Paragons were able to resist it, albeit their faces turned even graver.
But that wasn’t all.
With the presence of the Conductor, a dark figure soon materialized next to the Jester, followed by a soft popping sound as a young girl appeared on top of another lamp, staring at the scene leisurely.
The sight made a few despair.
"How is this....!"
"Why are they here!?"
"They should’ve been dead!"
But this was merely the start.
As its lips parted wider, a soft jingling sound spread through the area. A cracked, hoarse chuckle followed, seeping out of the Jester and echoing unnaturally across the surroundings.
"Ha... He... Ha."
"——!"
"—!"
Many stopped.
It wasn’t that they chose to stop. Their bodies simply refused to obey. The nodes within them began to churn on their own, faster and more violently than they intended, slipping out of their control. Eyes widened one after another as panic set in, all of them staring at the Jester as the same horrifying realization settled in their minds.
And sure enough—
"HAheHEhA!"
The laugh changed a moment after, turning to the one everyone had grown accustomed to.
"Oh... shit."
That was also the moment many realized what was happening.
But by then, it was already too late.
Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!
They had all started to turn.
"Focus! Ignore them!"
"Keep eyes locked onto the target!"
While this was happening, the more elite group focused its attention on Seth. By now, everyone could tell that the Jester and Seth were working together, with the Jester even going as far as protecting Seth.
This made things obvious for everyone.
Seth was the mastermind behind everything.
He was the one that they needed to get rid of.
"Make sure to block all noise from reaching. The laugh appears to be of the sonorous property, so make sure to drown it all away!"
"Sylas, you keep your attention on the target!!"
"We’ll take on the Jester while you take on the target! Make sure not to lose sight of him! Do whatever you want! If you feel that you need to kill him, kill him!"
"Yes!"
The group’s pace surged, their movements sharpening as their bodies were bathed in a bright yellow glow. At the same time, dark tendrils crept across Sylas’s body, wrapping around him as his form began to blur, slowly fading from sight.
The Jester noticed. Its gaze shifted toward him.
But it was already too late.
Before it could react, the Paragons were on it, closing the distance in an instant. Multiple nodes churned at once, power erupting from every direction as they launched their assault.
The Paragons were different from the rest.
Although they were wary of the Jester, they didn’t fear it. Especially since they were now aware of its weakness.
"Hold it back!"
"Make sure to buy enough time for Sylas!"
They just needed to do one thing and one thing only.
Kill Seth.
So long as he died, all of this would end!
***
BANG! BANG—!
Chaos had completely taken over the island.
Screams, destruction, laughter...
The entire island was thrown into a terrifying state, chaos spreading as the battles raged on. And amidst it all, only two individuals stood completely unaffected.
They simply stared at each other, until...
"...I’m curious. How are there two of you?"
Kyle finally began speaking.
While his tone was calm, his face showed fear and anxiety. To the world, he needed to show fear.
"No, there aren’t two of you."
Taking a closer look, Kyle’s eyes squinted.
"...Ah."
Realization soon dawned on his face.
"You are that weird system thing, aren’t you? That doppelganger?"
For just a moment, Kyle’s lips trembled. He... so clearly wanted to smile, finding the entire situation amusing.
"I bet your entire plan went up in smoke, right?" Kyle’s gaze turned even more amused, the corners of his eyes squinting further. "Your entire plan revolved around him, and yet, he chose to sacrifice his entire body. Even when you provided him with a way out, he chose to forgo such an option, turning into a complete anomaly. You must be disappointed, right? You must be... angry. Especially since you probably can’t do anything to me due to the body that I’ve taken over. You’re not going to kill poor Kyle, right? Do you think he would allow it?"
Propping his body up, Kyle slowly stood up, bringing himself closer and closer to Seth before stopping.
As he did, his lips finally pulled into a smile, his hands extending.
"So...? What’s your choice? Kill me? But what would the point of that be? After all..."
Kyle’s head slowly turned towards the Jester.
"He’s already useless, isn’t he?"