Noel's jaded answer did little to assuage Daimyon's shock, only giving him curiosity in equal measure. How did...other games end, and how many did she really see? Who was Parker—the name caused faint stirrings in the poet's head from an earlier read, but nothing more—and why would they be freed? Unfortunately, he never got to voice any of these questions, as Monokuma took the spotlight from him while he was still recovering from his shocked stupor. He really only came to when he, along with the rest of the Infinites, had gotten on board the ride to the trial chambers.

And by that point, they all had more pressing concerns.

For Daimyon, the most pressing one was quite existential: why were they even there? No matter how many strange or downright ridiculous things have happened to them in this mad hospital, he was absolutely certain there was no trickery behind this one. He saw it with his own two eyes—damn it, he saw it from far too close. He had already made a conscious decision not to write a single detail about the gruesome murder in his notebook: by tomorrow, heavens willing, he would have forgotten it all.

But tomorrow had to be earned. The poet listened—or at least tried to—to Cyrus interrogating the journalist-turned-vigilante, but his eyes were on Noel for most of it. The confidence and perverse grace she carried herself with as she admitted to being a planted traitor amidst the Infinites, fascinated the man. He clung to that fascination tightly, too, for he was not yet ready to accept that Noel really was just the mastermind's puppet. He hung his head down, quiet, tuning out the voices. The lever on his podium was still inactive, but he could already see himself pulling it—and sentencing Noel to death. It had to be that way, no matter the motivation, no matter how horrible the victim was. He knew this, and she must have too.

Just when he was about to speak up and ask why, the bear found it fit to twist the knife within all of them once more.

The atmosphere in the trial room changed immediately. The Infinites, largely lethargic up to this point, now all eyed each other suspiciously, their hands on their e-handbooks as if it were their gun in a Mexican standoff. Daimyon looked from one fellow to the next, perhaps a bit calmer than most: after all, his own secret had already been revealed in a quite grandiose fashion last trial. Still, the anxiety that hung in the air was getting to him too.
“I...don't think we have much to gain from this...” he spoke up as a sense of dread overtook him. “We all have our secrets—but that doesn't change our situation, does it? What little trust we have between each other, that...that'll all but disappear after this.”

“Easy for you to say!” responded Lucy. “You don't have anything left to hide!” The prodigy did not have nearly the same reservations as Daimyon, having already picked out her target. She cast an eye at Denis: the shifty spy who almost became everyone's demise. Though she would have never admitted it, she was furious with herself at having not caught onto the late Thomas Herringson's dastardly plans earlier. But since the man was long dead, his accomplice was the only one she could direct her anger at. She promptly selected him and—the bear being true to his word—a pop-up revealed his secret. “Well, well! Might I say I'm not surprised!” she announced triumphantly. “Not only are you a fool, Denis, but a lazy one at that!” The spy only answered with a sad look that made Lucy step back. She had to face it: gloating about the death of his family, even if Denis' apathy caused it—was kind of a dick move. “Oh, damn it! I'm even denied this little bit of satisfaction!”

Daimyon shook his head; he knew it would come to this. There would be no satisfaction, no cathartic closure from airing everyone's dirty laundry—only distrust and even greater despair. He hoped others would see it too, only to be quickly disappointed. Turning to Henry as he was reading out loud Zachary's forgotten crime, Daimyon felt frustration set in. Just what was he trying to achieve, confronting the man right here in the courtroom? He was a murderer, yes—one of many in this group of Infinites, it seemed. Was his sister going to kill him for it? Or vice versa? Either way, they only danced to the mastermind's tune, and there were precious few things Daimyon hated more. The frustration within him gave way to anger, the anger to a snap decision, the snap decision to an irrational outburst.

“People in glass houses should not throw stones, methinks! Says it right here your sister was the angel of death, a hired gun—who are you to judge anyone else here?!”

@Mateotis @Majoras End @FamishedPants

Lets keep that music pumping!





”I’d like to know what makes our fellow poet thinks he’s any better than Alice.” Ice glanced down at his notebook and scrolled over to Daimyon. ”Let’s see if you can follow your own advice, jack waggon!”

Denis rubbed the back of his neck. ”Not sure this good idea.”

But nothing Denis could say would stop Isaiah from completing his search. ”Oh, how convenient!” The former mobster grit his teeth. ”You are a murderer! There’s just no evidence of it because that’s not your first diary!”

Denis’s head sunk as the fighting continued around him.



No one could hear it with all the shouting going on, but Cyrus was tapping his foot. ”So it seems like we all have secrets. Ones that we don’t want anyone to know.” Cyrus looked at his handbook and swiped a few times.

Jezebel was looking directly at Zachary. “Zach, what is this?” She hugged herself. “What is he saying? Is he lying? There’s no way you’d kill anyone, right?” Her grip became tighter. “Not unless they deserved it, right? Totally not a kid.”

Cyrus looked between his handbook and Jezebel before sliding it back into his vest.



“I don’t know who to look up.” Emily winced and set the handbook down. “Do we really need to know each other’s secrets? It’s not going to do anything but divide us.”

Lucy eyed Emily suspiciously before opening up her handbook. But then she remembered she already looked up Denis.



”What’s going on?” Noel looked at everyone around her. ”You’re playing directly into the bear’s plans! Stop revealing each others secrets. If you want to defeat this killing game, you need to vote for me!”



Monokuma had since returned to his throne after being flung out of his seat.

”Man, this scene is soooooo sweet. And while I’m inclined to continue letting this play out, I think we need to call a vote soon. I just don’t want everyone to become dispassionate about voting. You guys need to cast a vote right now with all this blood pumping.” Monokuma placed a paw on his chin. ”Lets give everyone a minute to vote. And need I remind you that participation in a trial is mandatory. If you fail to vote in that time, you get punished!” Killgood let out a sick laugh. ”Take your time, but not too much time.” His throne ascended into the air to reveal a digital clock. 59...58...57...

Isaiah’s entire body trembled as he reached for his lever. ”Zachary, George, you looked at your handbooks. What did you discover?”

“Zach, what is this? What is he saying? Is he lying? There’s no way you’d kill anyone, right?” Not unless they deserved it, right? Totally not a kid.”

The cacophony of the courtroom began to lose its intensity, and all color seemed to be draining from the world. The gears of life slowly stopped turning. Zachary couldn't even make out what people were saying. He did not look at Jezebel. He couldn't. His eyes lost any shine to them they once held as he solemnly looked at nothing in particular. All of his hope had seemingly turned to ash.

"...it wasn't... I didn't..." He couldn't do it. The energy to muster up any sort of defense just wasn't there anymore. His words were whispers in the wind, easily lost under the shouting and yelling that filled the courtroom, that continued long after he had ceased.

Somehow, he heard his name being called in the midst of things. He didn't look up, but instead down at his handbook. For a second, he stared at it, but then returned to staring at nothing. "...does it matter?" he breathed. He didn't want to tell them. Things had already ignited, an inferno of distrust spreading among the Infinites. He... didn't want to pour more fuel on the fire.

George whistled. "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, wasn't expectin' ya'll to love killin' so much. Reckon you'd fit right in with my last posse. Quite a few scoundrels, the lot," he looked back down to his handbook as Ice asked him about his investigation. He simply shrugged. "Took a gander at our bowman over here, ain't nothing new."

"Jesus christ- I wasn't judging him, you obsolete twit!!" Henry lashed back at Daimyon, though it was short-lived for a moment. "I know it was an accident, and I understand he was scared. I just...I want to understand what went wrong and all, you know?" Once Ice had uncovered the poet's secret, the pianist's expression turned into a glare.

But before he could speak again, Alice stopped him.

"Henry, don't." The recon looked over to her brother. "It's fine if he sees me as a monster."

"But, Alice!"

"Bliss was a murderer, and she tried to change, who's to say I'm not as bad as her?"

Henry's glare had broke to a worried glance. "Don't compare yourself to Miss Buckly like that. You're not a murderer, not like the blackened. And as far as I remember, you never killed any kids right?"

"Of course not! It would feel like I was killing you of all people! But-"

Both of them were interupted by Monokuma's warning. A timer was the last thing they needed. The pianist shook his head and looked back to his sister. "But nothing. You still have your morality, you did your best to protect everyone, most importantly, you have to keep your promise to see this to the end. You can resign your title when we're outta here, okay? But for now, let's get this over with."

Alice looked over to Noel. As if he could read the recon's mind, as per the reporter's wishes, they both voted for her.

As quickly as Daimyon fired out his righteous indignation, he got it back in equal measure. It was none other than Isaiah who took aim at him, pressing to reveal his secret: a forgotten murder in a lost notebook. It flew by the poet at first as the courtroom devolved into madness, with accusations hurled from one Infinite to another. Everyone they struck reacted differently: some fired back with even greater fervour, others broke down in tears. Most disputes died down quickly, however, as both parties realised there was nothing but pain in knowing someone's dirtiest secret. Such was the bickering between Daimyon and Henry—the poet did not even reply to the boy's insult; his outburst had already dissipated, leaving nothing but a sour taste in his mouth.

He shook his head. Isaiah's words were coming back to him—or rather, the man forced them back in front of him, demanding him to answer for his crime. “Me? Kill someone?” the poet muttered in disbelief. “You're...you have to be—” ‘lying’, was what he would have loved to say, but the donor made sure to show him his e-handbook, where the words found credible and crushing weight. It had long been Daimyon's worst fear, having his amnesia exploited. He never would have admitted to committing such a heinous crime, but—just like his opponent said—there was no way of proving he did not, either. And, seeing how everyone else's secrets proved to be true, the realisation soon dawned on him that his, too, was real. He was a murderer. “Surely there's...more to it, yes. There must be more to it.” He nodded to himself, resorting to the only reply that let him keep his sanity in the moment.

When the bear announced that they would need to vote regardless, he happily put all his mind's faculties away from dealing with the horrible implications and towards voting for someone. Someone, anyone, because nothing could ever be simple in this game. Daimyon looked at Noel—she was still urging everyone to vote for her. Owing a debt to truth and justice, he had planned to do that all along. The release of secrets was no doubt the mastermind's ploy to throw the foregone conclusion to the dogs, to interfere with Noel's plan. Because she must have planned to be executed, right?

“Noel! You realise what you are asking for, right?” he called out to her. “You have a plan, right? ...you can save us, right?” His hand was on the lever and the selection, but he could not pull it until he got an answer.

@Mateotis @Majoras End @FamishedPants



”Are you kidding me?” Ice groaned. ”Zachary! Tell me who you bloody looked at. You shouldn’t protect someone if they did something horrible!”

Denis shook his head. ”Not sure this good idea.”

”Yes, you said that.” The former mobster folded his arms. ”Zachary, you aren’t looking really good right now. If you don’t tell me what you discovered, I’m going to have to vote for you.”



“Zach, talk to me!” Jezebel was on the verge of crying. “You’ll vote at least, right? Because if you don’t, I’ll-”

Cyrus looked to the distraught clown. ”Jezebel, you need to calm down and vote.”

“Like, how can I?” She looked to George. “You look like you could use a chill pill!” She lifted up her handbook. “Or maybe Ice baby.”

”By the way, I looked you up.”

“Eh-!” Jezebel tensed up.

”I won’t say any more. Because doing so would only help Killgood.” Cyrus sighed. ”This game has taken its toll on Zachary. I do not think screaming at him or George will give him much help.” Cyrus placed his hand on the lever.

“B-but…”

”You’re not going to pressure him into doing anything. Right now we need to show him that we can all work together, and we do that by coordinating and acting like people.” Cyrus sighed. ”You told me once that I didn’t look after the entire group, and I’m trying to make amends for that now with you.”

Jezebel bit her lower lip.

”Please, Jezebel.”

She looked up at Zachary and pulled the lever. ”Alright Cyrus, I trust you.”

”Thank you.” he sighed.



“Alright everyone! Don’t get nervous!” Emily looked at her handbook. “Maybe, no! I can’t do it! I won’t!”

Lucy snorted. ”You’ll die if you don’t vote.”

“I know that. But, at the same time, there are worse things than getting killed.”

”You don’t feel like you deserve to die, do you?”

“No, but.” She sighed. “Does anyone feel like they deserve to die? People aren’t capable of judging themselves.”

”Is it that you don’t want to throw away your vote?”

“Maybe.” Emily looked at Lucy. “What about you? You haven’t voted yet.”

”I’m just thinking, I have time.”



Noel rubbed her arm. ”I’m trying.” she looked at everyone around her. ”You need to vote for me Daimyon. I can’t do anything unless you vote for me.”



Monokuma was eating popcorn.

”An emotional breakdown over here, people getting it together over there. Despair and hope is stirring in everyone’s hearts, but who will win?”

…42…41…40…39…

"Uh, how about don't call him that?" Alice chimmed in, in response to Jezebel calling Ice a name.

"Hah, yeah! Only she gets to call him tha- Nevermindsorry." Henry joked, quickly shutting himself up when the recon gave him a look.

Alice looked over to Zachary. "Look, I get that this has been traumatizing. But are you seriously thinking about giving in like this? Letting yourself succumb to such madness?" Her tone was calm, understanding, in an attempt to help the archer come to his senses. "Can't blame you. I have been beating myself up over failing to save most of everyone during the Nights of Carnage. Most of those who actually tried to get to know me are dead." She sadly chuckled.

"But not these two." The recon motioned to both Henry and Ice. "Even as despair, or the urge to off myself so everyone can be free of a bad luck charm seems tempting, they kept me going. Well, Henry's only been here for a short time, so I guess it's just Ice for the most part. He's kinda like my hope." She smiled. "You have someone to keep you going too, right? Isn't Jezebel your hope?"

"And uh, the accidental murder thing is tame compared to what we've seen, so don't worry about it!" Henry added.

The despondent archer found remained silent, even as a torrent of questions and demands assailed him. He shifted uncomfortably each time Jez spoke, but her voice was his bane right now, and even if he desperately wanted to do what he could to put her at ease, he wanted to remove himself from this hopeless situation even more, which in turn was a feedback loop to the sense of self-loathing preventing him from participating in this discussion.

"..."

But he knew what he had to do. It was simple. Just pull the lever, condemning Noel to death. She wanted this, and it would solve any problem they had. Like the other times, people would be sad, but they'd continue onwards.

...and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...

"That's the problem, though..." Zachary finally replied to Alice. "...we just keep going. And I don't know how many times I've had to say that, but moving on for the sake of moving on is... meaningless," His eyes moved upwards as he looked at Alice. "...and for what?" he asked. "To satisfy someone's death wish? There's nothing concrete to say this'll be any different. And we can't even say with confidence this isn't just an attempt for her to take the easy way out."

Zach turned to Henry. "Just because it's 'tame' here, doesn't mean it's okay. Or acceptable," There was now a fire to his voice. "He was young, and the person who took his life wasn't even trying to. He died for such a pointless, dumb reason like that. And what's more? His murderer saw only a day in prison, and it wasn't as an inmate," He didn't dare refer to himself as anything but a murderer. Because that's simply all he was. Well, that and... "It was only years after the fact that the murderer confronted the man he used as a patsy. Years. He allowed a man to waste away in prison while he lived out YEARS of his life pretending like he hadn't done a single thing wrong. A goddamned vacation, while this older man slowly decayed. And he was decaying. Various health issues that would've been better cared for if he wasn't stuck there plagued him.

So two people lost their lives, and their murderer wasn't even decent enough to take responsibility. If you're saying that's tame here, then I don't know why anyone here can speak about 'hope'." his eyes turned back to Alice, and then to Jezebel. "But even then, I suppose it would be pathetic to break a promise..."

Zachary reached over and pulled his lever.

As soon as Zachary pulled the lever, Jezebel collapsed onto her podium and inhaled. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” She dried her eyes and forced a smile. “In time, you won’t regret your choice. I promise.”

Even Cyrus looked relieved with Zachary’s decision. He ajusted his glasses and grinned. ”You’re welcome.” He looked to the other infinites. ”Are we going to drag this on much longer?”



Isaia grit his teeth. ”You’re not making a very strong case for yourself, Zachary!” He sighed before shoving his hands into his pockets. ”But a true criminal wouldn’t have a shred of guilt inside them. You’re no Bliss Buckly, that’s for sure.” He placed his hand on the leaver. ”Besides, it seems Alice wants you to live.” He pulled his lever.

Denis reached for his leaver as well. ”Wish it not like this, Noel.” He gave it a tender pull before stepping back.



“You know what? Enough procrastinating!” Emily took hold of her lever. “Zachary, that was very brave of you to talk about your past like that. I’ve also done things I’m not proud of.” She hesitated momentarily. “But neither of us intended for things to turn out poorly. So all we can do is put on our pants and keep moving forward. We have a duty to those still alive.” She pulled her lever.

Lucy shrugged. ”At the very least, most of you have been good to me. Some clearly seeing me for the prodigy that I am.” She smacked herself. ”Whatever! Good bye Noel!”



George smiled, Daimyon frowned, but both pulled their levers.

Monokuma hopped onto his feet. ”Why we haven’t even reached the 20 second mark! But that’s fine, let’s take a look at the results.”

A digital readout showed everyone, and who they had voted for. The display unveiled the votes slowly, giving plenty of time to build up suspense as the list revealed all. The results had Monokuma’s mouth hanging agape.

”What? You all voted for Noel? What a waste! You could have voted for someone who actually deserves it!” He giggled. ”At least George gets me. He took the chance to try and get rid of that baby killer Zachary.”



Noel sighed, and wore a bittersweet smile. ”Well Monokuma, let it never be said that you don’t know how make things interesting.” She looked to the bear. ”But it seems like your plan has backfired. We were more united than you could have possibly imagined. It will take more than your fake news to break our sense of community.”

Then, a slow clap, and someone walked out of the shadows.



"I don’t think I could have said it better myself, Noel." The infinites muttered among themselves, some cried out the mastermind’s name like some cheezy anime. But Neoslayer didn’t respond to them. "I’ve been aiming for this outcome for a long time. Five cases completed, in a single killing game." He grinned. "Just like the one she was a part of."

Noel folded her arms. ”What happens to everyone now?”

"The infinite killing game will come to an end, and everyone will be released from it." He made his hand into a gun and pointed at Noel. "Except for you, Noel. You have to be punished, but I’m sure you knew that." He “fired” his gun.

Noel turned to Daimyon and smiled. ”See Daimyon? I did it!” She folded her arms behind her back. ”You’re going to survive now.”

Noel's affirmative, mutedly desperate answer should have been enough for the poet, but it was not. He kept his hand on the lever, clutching it tight, feeling it turn into immovable stone under his grip. He could not pull it. Why? The journalist was not that dear to him—dearer than many others, perhaps, but his condition made letting go of even closest friends a question of a good night's sleep and a few torn-out pages. Why did he feel ready, duty-bound even, to sentence an Infinite to death when they were squirming under the weight of revelation, and why was he so hesitant now when the guilty Infinite was begging to be sentenced?

He turned to Zachary: the man spoke with a kind of regret and despair that resonated with him. He seemed to be going through the exact same dilemma, too: how to pull a lever that must be pulled and yet was so difficult to pull. As much as he felt a sense of camaraderie with him, it also brought back to him—once more, like a pesky fly—Isaiah's accusations. To be a murderer, that was inconceivable for Daimyon. But as the Infinites around him reacted to their reveals with genuine shock and regret, he had to realise that Monokuma was not lying about them. Did the bear only put a falsehood into his file? Was he that special?

It had to be right. It had to be right.

Thumbing through the notebook, at every page he fought off the urge to stop looking. But no matter how deep into his thick diaries he had gotten, there was no mention, not a peep, about any crime larger than adultery—which he had written poems about—that he had committed. He was hesitating now whether he wanted to even make note of his burning curiosity in the current moment. If he did not write it down, he would just forget about it.

Alas, no one else would.

Hearing the encouraging words of Alice and her brother towards Zachary was the final push the poet needed to write down a reminder: talk to Isaiah; ask about the murder.
By the time he had refocused, most of their allotted minute had already passed. Daimyon cursed his hand-wringing. With the seconds ticking down, he looked at Noel, who did not say anything but looked more ready than ever to take on the whole world if needed. The stone shattered right then and there, his hand moved, and he finally pulled the lever.

The results were almost unanimous; it surprised Daimyon. Bolstered by Noel's fighting words, he felt proud of his fellows. But as all good feelings in this cursed hospital, his pride was also short-lived, for a different man took the audience captive just seconds later. The poet did not recognise the man, which felt rather awkward as he saw faces of rage and disgust on many of the Infinites. It took him a bit of leafing to remind himself who he was facing.
“The end? Really...?” he muttered in disbelief. He tried giving the mastermind's words no quarter, but the harder he tried, the more the seeds of hope took root in his mind. Could this really be the end of their suffering? As Noel turned to him, words sprouted from those seeds, words he spoke with heart. “Heroes live on in death—in our minds, in our heads they never rest. On our mouths, in our words they remain, smiling at us from the other page. Fare thee well, Noel.”

Despite Henry feeling stupid for not clarifying what he meant, both him and Alice were glad to have Zachary brought back to his senses. "I uh, meant way before we even arrived in this hellhole, but I get your point." The pianist quickly said to the archer. Both waited as the rest of the infinites made their decisions. Surprisingly, the only one who didn't vote for Noel was George.

"Oh thank god-" Alice sighed in relief, nearly faceplanting into her podium. Any ill thoughts aside, maybe there was going to be an end to the game. However, as things seemed to be getting better, Davis decided to show his face again. Among the reactions, the recon only gave the mastermind a scowl.

"Sis, is that...?" Henry asked her, appearing worried. She hesitantly nodded, both looking back to the mastermind. For some reason, they didn't trust his words at all. Something didn't seem right.

"You think he'll really let us go this easily?" Alice asked Isaiah, quietly enough to where it was hard for the others to overhear.

Isaia just stared straight at Davis. ”I have no idea, but I think we’re going to find out.”



”You sound like you might miss me Daimyon.” Noel wore a coy smile. ”I wonder how you’ll choose to remember me. You actually get to decide, unlike most of us.” Her smile soon faded. ”I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but you need to get into my room. There are some things there that everyone will find interesting.” She smiled again. ”Also, please develop the pictures. I took a lot of nice ones.”



”Guess what time it is? Can ya guess?” Monokuma folded his arms behind his back. ”It’s time for one last PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIME!”

---

Before Noel was a massive metropolis, skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. There were clouds floating around her head, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. Her wrists had been bound at her hips, and her legs had been tied together. She had been tied to a a giant piece of rebar to prevent her from bending forward or backwards. The lower half of her body had been placed inside a phone booth, While four monokumas stood outside of it.

Once she had been lowered inside, they gave the booth a spin. As soon as it stopped, she had been decked out in super hero attire. She was wearing most of her Justiciar uniform, but a red cape with a giant gold monokuma had been stitched to her shoulders, and she was wearing goggles. It took a few seconds for her eyes to stop spinning, and the monokumas gave each other a thumbs up.

One of the monokumas ran up behind the telephone booth and kicked it forward, causing it to rock and almost fall off of the skyscraper. Only it stopped at a forty-five degree angle and then, nothing.

Until the explosion.

Noel was launched out of the telephone booth. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! She flew over the concrete jungle, but her momentum could only cary her for so long. She eventually dipped, and dissapeared behind some buildings. The monokuma bots kept an ear open for the sound of glass shattering, a womanly screem that wasn’t Noel, and a siren.

---

"And with that, the game is concluded." Davis turned around to leave. "Though a word of caution: Just because the game is over, that does not mean you don’t have to escape." Davis rose his hands up into the air. "The rules are all NULL now. You and the carnage sisters are free to do as you like." He looked over his shoulder at Alice. "Even Parker."

Isaia pounded his podium. ”I knew the jabberjaw was lying!”

"Friends, it has been a pleasure. I’m sure you’ll all make your way to the top of the tower. It would be a shame if your adventure ended here." Davis sunk into a trap door in the floor, and vanished.

Cyrus adjusted his glasses. ”Well, we’re not going to escape standing around here. We should look and see what Noel prepared for us.” He looked at his handbook. ”With the rules removed, nothing is preventing us from breaking into Noel’s room.”

Jezebel wrapped her arms around Zachary. “Just a little further.”

---

Elsewhere, a safe slid open an extra inch. Just an inch, a bit wider than a finger. But it had already slid four inches previously. Five inches didn’t sound like a lot. It wasn’t much to a lot of people. But to Alice, it was freedom.

At last, she was able to insert her claws into the pathway. She had eight different pairs of claws, but only these were strong enough to open the safe the rest of the way. But the fingers were blunted, and the only way she could get a hold was if she had those five inches. With a beastly cry, she forced the door open the rest of the way. A cacophony of metalic screams pierced the air as the door was forced against its locks. It glowed in spots, the metal turning into slag as it was pushed open.

Her other sisters had been waiting for her. They could come back to life as many times as they wanted, but that was only because their chassis were so cheap. Their weaponry couldn’t penetrate her, and they were much too slow to even land a hit. A single swing of her chains were enough to dispatch them. Only Kira posed a challenge, but not a threat. She could kill an infinite with a snap of her fingers, but against her advanced sister? She was just a joke.

A joke that Parker fully intended to finish before moving on to the rest of the facility.

---

Once everyone returned to the patients quarters, the first thing they did was approach Noel’s room. With a single kick, Dennis sent the door flying open. Splinters littered the floor, but no one entered the room. Not right away.

”You first.” Denis offered to Daimyon.

The room was much like one would expect of the infinite reporter. Newspaper clippings everywhere, with a camera hung up on the corner of the bed.

The first item of interest was a crumpled letter. It had seen many hands. Noel must have gotten it from Krista’s room, and Krita got it from Marianne But the note in particular had been written by Shona Moffit. The first infinite in the infinite killing game. Even if every day was new for Daimyon, seeing her handwriting scrawled across the page was strangely nostalgic.

Goodbye to a world [+]

To my companions,

I doubt very much that I will be alive when you read this. Dr. Killgood wants to make a statement by killing one of us. If our captors are anything like Ultimate Dispair, then they will keep as many of us alive as possible. They want us to participate in a killing game, and they need players for that. By killing one of us, he plans to drive us into despair. If everything goes right, I will be that sacrifice. I will save the more important members of our group.

The temptation will be to look at my death as a great loss. While such feelings are appreciated, they undermine what I am trying to do. If you could spare a moment, I'd like you to read about my origins.

When the calamity was underway, I was not a very attractive girl. I was healthy, but muscles aren't desirable on a woman. People called me sausage, Arnold, butter face, and a great number of other unpleasant things. The despair gangs in Ireland picked up on my low self-esteem and were quick to accept me among their numbers. I did not fully understand what they were about, but joined them regardless. They gave me companionship and made me feel beautiful, something the locals never did. Sixteen is a confusing age for any child.

But then came the initiation phase. They wanted me to show them what I could do, and took me to my neighbors. I remember the Kanes well, two elders who took every opportunity to mock my appearance. I had thought about killing them many times, but being asked to do so by my “friends” was different. It was impossible for me to do. I would love to tell you that I saved them and slew every gang member present, but I wasn't the infinite knight yet. I was only able to save myself. They wiped out the entire neighborhood while I fled. It wasn't until I encountered a resistance group that things started to get better. I thickened my skin, studied chivalry, and became a master of medieval warfare.

I'm telling you this in hopes that you will see me as Shona Moffet and not the infinite knight. I was a human with splendid morals, but I am just as fallible as the meekest of you. I need not be put on a pedestal too tall for you to reach. If you stick together, I'm sure you can be just as strong as I was, if not stronger.

Please don't be mad with Calvin. I insisted he make a sword for me to slay the carnage sisters with. I knew Monokuma would select him as a “damsel” if he was isolated from everyone else. If this also comes to pass, then my plan really did work exactly the way I wanted it to. And if you're reading this, then someone took my E-handbook and entered my room. This was also intentional, and just one more way I was able to outsmart our captors. If not, at least I die a true knight.

Under the letter was a weapon chest. It contained all of the weapons that Calvin had made while he was alive. Among them was a K-bar with the initials “A.P.” engraved in the handle.

There was a bit more to go through, but Daimyon was interrupted by a sudden announcement.

”Hey uh, I know the game is over and everything, but you know what? I don’t think Davis gives you guys enough credit for what you do. So you know what? I’m going to give you guys a bonus reward! I’m going to bring one of your friends back from the dead!”

”Hey uh, I know the game is over and everything, but you know what? I don’t think Davis gives you guys enough credit for what you do. So you know what? I’m going to give you guys a bonus reward! I’m going to bring one of your friends back from the dead! ”

Cyrus looked at the monitor in Noel’s room. ”What’s that bear talking about?” Though all the old infinites were taken back when they saw Shona’s face pop up on the screen

”This muscle bound amazon is Shona Moffett. Because she's the Infinite knight, she's a little stuck in the dark ages. You won't find her on twitter or anything because she's a total square.”

The sound of an elevator opening up could be heard just outside.

This place can't be their prison-cum-tomb. The gloom had overwhelmed the spark in one Infinite's heart. Within the abyss, one could lose themselves to the depths of despair. But with Jez's flame so close to his heart, could Zach's afford to not reignite?

...

...

...

Zachary's eye throbbed.

The announcement made of a returning member was met with a scoff. "What a load of bullshit. I'll believe it when I can see it with my own two eyes."

Zachary Ackerson was able to maintain some semblance of composure when Davis had appeared before them, though it was probably only because he was in a rough mental state at the time and couldn't even think about the mastermind all that much. The guilt and self-loathing were of a priority then. Now, however, was another time.

He had decided that he may as well push forward. He didn't think for a moment that he would be able to forget or forgive himself for the actions, but that did not mean he had to drag Jezebel and the others down with him. So long as there were others, then he could muster what little strength he had towards freeing them. While one could argue death was a potential way of freeing them, he preferred the freedom that didn't involve that.

And because of that, he figured he should check this out. An Infinite returning to them? How absurd. It was not going to happen -- at least, now how they would want. What was the deal here? Someone impersonating the knight? A corpse being pulled along by some strings? Or worse: a newly-made Carnage Sister with what remained of her. Would Davis and the bear really stoop to such lows?

Absolutely.

Even if Jezebel suggested otherwise, Zach would continue on, being the first one to approach the elevator to see what was really going on. It wouldn't really be Shona, he was certain of this.

And quietly observing some distance away was a certain red-headed cowboy.

The door to the study was penetrated by a giant spear. Seconds later, the head fired out four prongs, turning it into a massive grappling hook. Then the door was ripped off its hinges When Alice Parker pulled the mess inside. The dust hadn’t settled when she walked into the open.

She was just barely human. Half of her face looked as such, while the other looked incomplete. She only had one eye, and the other side of her face looked like a mess of wires and crooked steel. The rest of her body was about the same. Bent and etched metal, self inflicted “wounds” that coursed up and down the android’s chassis. She had at least six arms, with most of them being mounted directly to her back. As she left the cloud of smoke, it was possible to see that she was wearing a collar that was attached to several chains. The chains terminated into the end of many weapons. They weren’t visible, but you could hear the sound of metal being dragged along concrete. 

Parker raised her red eye up and looked to the only thing in the room with her.

”Masson.”

As soon as Masson had grabbed the K-Bar, she hurried back to the study, not expecting anyone to follow. She'd worry about Shona later. Carefully stepping inside, seeing Parker face to face was both interesting, and spine-chilling. "I believe this is yours." The recon walked up to her, holding the combat knife out for Parker to take.

Parker snatched the knife up. ”You’re late.” Her eye glowed an intense red. ”But very well. You were kind to me. What was it that you wanted again?”

Masson flinced as the knife was snatched from her. "M-My apologies, Parker." She studdered. "I wanted a weapon from you. To better defend myself and the others, but I get it if you're still on the fence about it."

It was difficult to read Parker’s emotions. It was no different than looking at the frozen faces of the other carnage sisters. 

”The others?” Her eye dimmed. ”You are welcome to whatever you like. The vault is no longer sealed.” She spun the knife in her hand. ”For the time being, maybe even I can be your weapon. I share no love for my sisters, or Davis.” Parker stepped past Masson on her way out the door. ”I do not even love this tower of carnage. I will bring it down in time, and I will not wait for you to depart.” In a blur, Parker disappeared from sight, leaving Masson alone in the study. 

"Hm..." Masson watched Parker exit the study, before turning her attention to the vault. "Well, let's see what we have here." The recon walked inside.

The inside of the vault was lined with records, both in book and digital format. There were also a heep of weapons too big for anyone to use. (was that an artillery cannon?) Though there was a humble looking chest tucked in the corner of the room. Upon opening it, Masson would discover a chest of weapons similar to what she had found in Davis’s room. There wasn’t a lot of ammo, but there were a few assault rifles and some pistols. Laying across the top of the pile was an M4. 

Among the weapons in the third chest she found, Masson grabbed the M4 on top of the pile, and whatever ammo she could get. Though before she left, the records had her curious. So she decided to look through a few first. 

It was impossible to read the CDs without a player of some sort, but the paper records were all related to Axis Mundi. Patient files, purchase orders, nothing too interesting. It would take all day to go through everything. 

Nothing useful, atleast as far as the books go. The recon only had a tape player, so she'd have to leave the CDs be for now. Since there was nothing else to note, she stepped out of the vault, and followed Parker.

Cyrus was preparing to give everyone a speech when Zachary left like he had no shits to give. ”Zachary!”

Jezebel walked after him. “Like, it could be a trap!” She rubbed her eyes. Her tears from earlier still hadn’t dried. “Whatever, I’ll cover you!” She reached into the chest for a hammer before catching up with him.

”Wait here!” Cyrus ordered the others before walking after the two.

Zachary didn’t have to walk far. There were three elevators right at the end of the hall, and he was sure one of them had monokuma's "reward."

"Abandon hope all the who enter here?"

Zachary would not have to walk around the corner to see who was in the elevator, as they walked out in front of him first.

As Noel bid Daimyon farewell, she cried. He hoped she did at least, because he certainly was crying. Even still, he forced a smile and mustered a vigorous nod at her final request. “I'll keep your memory well...” he muttered, unsure if she could hear. Then, all too soon, she was swept away, and paraded for the survivors' twisted curiosity like so many others had been.He had stopped watching the executions a long ago, or at least he made no note of them beyond the first. ‘So it goes’ had become his closing phrase in entries about trials, and his tomorrow-self always knew better than to pry further. He wondered if he would do the same with Noel—what did ‘keeping one's memory well’ really mean anyway? He could write a reminder to copy her personal entry into his next notebook, maybe even some poetic memories of their all-too-brief time spent together. Yes. That would be a way.

He was in the middle of scribbling the reminder when Davis emerged again. He was firmly in Daimyon's memory now, though he still struggled to believe that he was. An abstract evil—or even a mechanical one—was easy to despair at; the poet would regularly shake his fists at it and speak of its indescribable, unending malevolence in a million and one ways in his head. But the real evil was not like that: it was a man, wearing ill-fitting clothes, a loose tie, and a bad stubble. One man.
As that man stood and gloated just metres away from the remaining group, a hundred different scenarios ran through Daimyon's head, none of them particularly pleasant. There was an encompassing feeling of impotency that he was trying to keep away, the thought that no matter their various skills, brawn, and intellect, there was nothing they could do to end the game. Because it still was not over, no matter what the mastermind was saying. All they got was a new objective—a new quest, one with great potential for hope that would inevitably end in even greater despair. And, worst of all, they could do nothing but pursue it. They would adventure to the end, suffer, then do the next one.

At least this quest had some personal connection to him.



They went straight to Noel's room, of course; she had set them up for it very well. Daimyon led the way with Cyrus, and he was even offered first entrance.
“Thank you,” he nodded to Denis and stepped inside. He was instinctively careful—perhaps too careful as the entire rest of the group stacked up on his back—but his fear turned out to be misplaced. The journalist's room was typical, stereotypical even, with papers and the like scattered around. People fanned out to pore over every inch of it; Daimyon's first instinct was the sealed crate in one corner of the room. There was something on it, a crumpled piece of paper that he gingerly took in his hands and straightened as much as he could. He scanned it, noting the name and signature at the bottom.
“What...?” he murmured. He did recognise the name, having come across it during his morning read-through—he just did not expect to see it. “Shona?”
“Did I hear that right—Shona Moffett?” Cyrus came over, peeking at the letter. “Noel wasn't even with us yet when she died. Are you sure it's hers?”
Daimyon weakly nodded as he read the lines more carefully, eventually looking up at the politician to say, “I think everyone needs to see this.”
“Listen up, everybody! We found a letter from Shona, the first Infinite to die in this god-forsaken place. Daimyon will read it out loud—it might interest you.”
Suddenly, all eyes were on the poet. He was not too nervous about it, diving right into the letter's contents with a dignified flair that he had always imagined Shona had. “To my companions...”

He just barely finished with the letter when an announcement came. Daimyon did not pay much heed initially, still focused on the letter—but when the old introduction sounded, he had to listen. He looked around the room at his peers: most were shocked, all were in disbelief. Zachary—perhaps the most cynical of them all—quickly took charge of the situation and led most of the group out to the elevator.

Daimyon stayed himself. His curiosity burning, he nonetheless stayed in Noel's room for a little longer, until he found what he was looking for: her camera, hung up on the bed. He took it, feeling its weight in his hands. One did not need to know anything about cameras (he certainly did not) to understand that this was a machine as exquisite as it was expensive. Scared to drop it, he hung it in his neck. ‘Develop the pictures,’ he wrote the note. Was there even a way to do that in the building?
Having found the object of the late journalist's final request, Daimyon could no longer ignore his curiosity. He hurried after the group.



By the time he had reached the infamous elevators, the confrontation was well ongoing. He stayed at the back of the group, craning his neck to see, though it could not make him believe what he was seeing. Sure, the person standing before them matched Shona's picture in the e-handbook exactly, but it was impossible, absolutely impossible for it to be her. It was impossible because Daimyon was there when she died; he saw her die. Frantically paging through his notebook for the details, he confirmed all of it: he was there—everyone was there—in the first major confrontation with the robotic Carnage Sisters. Shona sacrificed herself for the good of them all—he even wrote a long, dramatic poem to remember it, for crying out loud! Yes, the poem described everything, right as it happened, all the way to the very end...

Hell, maybe it would finally be useful for someone other than him.

“We may not remember, but it is remembered.” He stepped up to the woman, his notebook open on the page she died. “I made sure of that.”



“That's how it ended. That's how you ended—a flame, eternally burning, showing us the way. Freed from her mortal coil...so what is happening now?”

---

---

Hello, Mono… yaaawwwwwwn.

R E D A C T E D

---

A while ago…

Makoto had done it. he was the principle of hope’s peak high school. He was sitting in the big principle chair in front of his big imposing desk. He had a gold name plate, a picture of Koyoko, and a few pens arranged on his desk. He had finished going through all of his paperwork, which was resting in a tidy pile on the corner of his desk. He was wearing a black suit, which made him look pretty sharp if he had to say so himself, and his office was spotless. This level of tidiness was not limited to his office. The rest of hope’s peak was just as emasculate. Friendly teachers, clean classrooms, he had it all. The only thing that might have seemed off was that Makoto did not look happy. He was worried, and for good reason. Despite all that he offered, he was missing the one thing that would make this school really work.

Students.

Byakuya had entered the room just a few minutes ago, and was explaining the situation to Makoto.

”My funding is not unlimited.” Byakuya placed a sheet of paper in front of Makoto. It was a simple pie chart showing the school’s spending, along with a few bar graphs to make comparisons between income and expenses. ”I thought it might be easier to absorb if pictures were involved.” That was likely a slight towards Makoto’s intelligence, but he ignored it. ”I’ve had no luck finding angel investors for your project. The public at large is not interested in Hope’s Peak high school so it is difficult to get students. Even if we shut down all the labs, there isn’t enough income to keep your staff employed.”

”Can we make them more interested?” Makoto placed his hands on his desk. ”Schools are one of the things that we’re going to need in order to build a brighter future, and few were as good as Hope’s Peak!”

”Still an enthusiastic high school student.” Byakuya clicked his tongue. ”Junko did a number on our reputation. It doesn’t help that Hajime and his classmates were formerly remnants of despair and you openly let them help you run things. Everyone is concerned that the whole thing could happen again.”

”But Hajime is a hero!” Makoto sighed. ”So what do we do?”

”Our options are pretty limited.” Byakuya pushed his glasses up on his nose. ”We could rebrand, but the students of Hope’s Peak is always going to be associated with Ultimate Despair. Our best bet is to sell our assets to someone unaffiliated.”

The door to the office opened up, and another voice chimed in.

"That won’t work either."



A younger Davis looked at the two men, a broad smile on his face. "The public isn’t going to trust an unknown to run Hope’s Peak. It’s too much power for one person to have."

Byakuya fret his brow. ”Please wait outside. I invited you, but you still need to wait.”

”Wait, I know who you are!” Makoto stood up. ”You’re from America! You’re part of the group everyone’s calling Neo Slayer. You were once a student here too!”

Davis shrugged, but continued to grin. "Davis is fine. But if you want to keep things formal, Mr Gallo also works."

Byakuya groaned. ”Is there something you need?”

"It’s less what I want, and more what we want." Davis stepped out of the way, and the door swung open again.



What walked into the room was a slightly disheveled school girl. Her clothes looked to be on the finer side, clearly marking her as a wealthier person. Though the buttons further down her blouse were left unbuttoned. Her jeans clashed with the otherwise refined accessories she wore. A silver necklace and studded earnings were classy. Her pink phone covered in key charms was not. And then when she opened her mouth…

”Oy! Ya wee cunt!”

”E-excuse me?” Byakuya stepped back.

”Ya bloomin’ idiot! I can hear ya flappin’ ya cunt mouth on the other side of the door!” She sipped her coffee through a straw. It was loud, and no one dared speak up. ”When are ya gunna learn that doin’ things behind closed doors causes fuckin’ problems? The cunts before you did it, and ya doin’ it again now!”

"She’s a riot, isn’t she?" Davis laughed. "This is Olivia Smith. She lead the orphans responsible for ending the saints and sinners killing game. She’s no less deserving of standing here than any of us." He grinned again. ”You know I’ve never been much for swearing, but there is something therapeutic about watching a little girl call someone a cunt, isn’t there?"

Byakuya folded his arms harder. ”I don’t appreciate eavesdropping.”

Makoto cleared his throat and stood up straight. He was still a principle, and he couldn’t let a little girl get the best of him. ”It’s nice to meet you, Olivia.” Makoto smiled. As dire as things were, he realized how absurd the present situation was. ”So why are you and Davis here.”

”Haven’t figured it out?” More slurping. Oddly smug slurping. ”It ain’t just Japan, the world is fucked. The government cunts have fallen and we need a symbol to unite under. Somethin’ beyond ultimate.”

"Something infinite." Davis added. "I hope you don’t mind, but I invited the survivors of every killing game around the world to your facility. There’s a few hundred of them."

Makoto's eyes shot open. ”Everyone’s here?”

"That’s correct." Davis’s face became more stern. "Look, we’re all survivors of a killing game. Apart we’re nothing, The three of us are former Hope’s peak students, while Olivia is just an orphan. Together though we’re the guys and girls who saw Ultimate Despair and kicked its ass."

”Right in its arse!” Olivia kicked the air before looking at Byakuya, who just rolled his eyes.

”It sounds like you have an idea. Are you going to stop glory standing and tell us what it is?”

Davis nodded. "Sure! I can't take full credit for it. It really won’t work without everyone’s cooperation." Davis scratched his chin. "I guess I’ll start with the name first. We’re calling it the Infinity Initiative…"

---

"I see…"

Shona took her hand off of her sword and fell against the wall before closing her eyes.

Cyrus kept his distance. ”What do you think?”

"Without a shadow of doubt, I died. Or at least, I thought I would." She opened her eyes to look at the group. "I decided a long time ago that if I was going to die before old age, I wanted to go out a certain way." She looked to Daimyon. "And one detail was that I would say those words before I parted this world."

”You wrote us a letter too. It also ended with those words.” He gestured for Daimyon to hand it to him, then he could hand it to Shona.

Her cheeks flushed red as her eyes scanned the letter. "It’s so personal." Her eyes shimmered. "I must have known I was going to die, but I have no memory of writing this." She turned to Cyrus. "What does it mean?"

Jezebel stepped around Zachary to aproch Shona. “Did you, like, get amnesia and junk?”

---

It wasn’t difficult for Alice Masson to catch up with Alice Parker. Parker was taking her time walking to the top floor. She had taken the stairs to the second floor and had made little progress in her search for Davis. She destroyed any carnage sister she came across though. It didn’t matter how many of them came, or what type they were. Carnage sisters, champions, chassis, a swing from her arms was enough to turn most of them into scrap. When they were too far away, she’d simply fire at them with one of her arm mounted guns. Parker was so thorough with her executions that Masson hardly had time aiming, let alone shoot, at anything.

”You wanted to protect someone, didn’t you?” Parker didn’t look at Masson when she spoke. ”Tell them to hurry up. The higher I go, the more likely my sisters are to bypass me and attack the lower floors.”

Sister after sister, chassis after champion. Alice could only watch as Parker made quick work of any and every carnage sister in their path. Even if the recon was irritated at not being able to help, she was impressed. She needed to save her ammo anyways. When told to get the person she wanted to protect, the recon nodded. "Well, someone and my brother now, but you get the idea." Alice said, then hurried back to Noel's room.

"Isaiah, Henry, come on, we gotta move!" She called the two over, standing at the doorway.

"Didn't the wiseguy tell us to stay put- aaannd you have a rifle." Henry walked over to her, eyebrows raised when he noticed the recon's new weapon.

"There's even more weapons in the vault, but not a lot of ammo. I grabbed what I could. Anyways, we have to get to Parker before the other sisters turn their sights on the lower floors." Alice glanced to the rest of the infinites in the room. "I won't force anyone else here to follow, but at the very least prepare to defend yourselves." The recon looked back to her two allies. "Let's go."

Henry nodded, letting her lead the way.

An uncanny reproduction of the original Infinite Knight? Zachary could not confirm whether this truly was the case or not on account of having not personally met Shona before now, but that didn't mean he had to blindly trust what the others thought they were seeing. How could he be anything but skeptical about this entire thing? Not only was it a dead person apparently coming back to life, but it was apparently Killgood, or rather, Davis, who had made this so. When did that ever bode well?

Zach was confident that only two outcomes would arise from her appearance: Either, in some strange way, she had really been revived. He couldn't imagine how that would be the case if she really was dead before, but she would inevitably be killed off once again to incite despair amongst them or something to that effect. But if she was some imposter, someone else, then she was going to betray them at some point. This might seem too obvious, but maybe that's what they were going for? It didn't matter though. Even if she was actually the Infinite Actor, she would slip up somewhere. Zachary would be watching her every move. And in the case she did, he would make sure to exploit it before anyone else could be harmed because of it.

He would play a reactive role for now. She wasn't the only thing they needed to fear. "We don't have the time to be screwing around, do we?" Zachary urged the group to continue as he yet again placed himself between Jez and the knight. "Ignoring that Shona possibly came back to life, Davis is fond of hope spots. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to watch her get run through again because we wasted time here. And with the rules no longer in play, that's incredibly likely"

.............
.........
.....
...
..
.

The group of Infinites had been busy with the return of the Infinite Knight. Some of them were skeptical. Some were surprised. But regardless, all were distracted. With all the ease of drawing a breath, the red-headed figure quietly separated himself from the group with a cocky grin. Now that they had this chance, they were not going to let it go.

But what could they be doing?

Olivia simply waited. She sipped her coffee as Davis explained what everyone wanted to do. They walked outside and talked to the death game survivors one by one. There were language barriers, but their message came out loud and clear. The world needed to heal, and all of these separate individuals were stronger working together than apart. No longer were Olivia, Davis, Makoto, and Byakuya in their office. They had walked up and down hope’s peak to find all the scattered survivors, and were now standing in an auditorium. It seemed like the best place to gather so many people.

”So this is what everyone wants? And end to Hope’s peak?” Makoto wasn’t looking at anyone when he said this.

Davis shrugged his shoulders. "It will live on in spirit." The mastermind folded his arms. "I mean look at it this way, the Infinity Initiative’s goal is pretty close to Hope’s Peak. Minus all the human experimentation."

Byakuya looked at the group of people before him. ”My resources are abundant. I’m the wealthiest man in the world.” He turned to Makoto. ”Though there are enough billionaires here to put any single idividual’s wealth to shame. You could build a number of schools.”

”Schools are good n’ all, but we sorely need food too. Food n’ homes n’ hospitals. Can’t forget about the bloody internet.” Olivia quietly sipped her coffee.

”So she can speak without cussing.”

”Okay.” Makoto took a deep breath. ”But even so, we still need someone to head everything.”

Davis patted Makoto on the back. "I think it should be left up to a vote. As in, the leader is an infinite talent that is voted in by all other infinite talents. They will of course be joined by a council that helps ensure a fair and just rule. Though the number two seat should be permanent."

Byakuya gave Davis a sideways glance. ”And who would fill this seat? You?”

Davis grinned. "I’m beginning to think you don’t care for your temp teacher."

”Wait, really?” Makoto blinked.

Byakuya groaned. ”You might have been sick that day. He did a single class with us before departing for America.”

"None of that really matters now I guess.." Davis paced around Makoto. "As for who the seat belongs to, they’re one of the few people who have been in more than one killing game." He leaned in to whisper a name.

---

Shona drew her sword and held it up. "While I will willingly lay down my life to save an innocent, I refuse to die in vain." She turned her sword sideways. Unlike last time, her sword was made of steel. A rather fine blade too, not that there were any experts present. "I know you are not fond of me, but I feel that I would do more good if I stuck by your side."

Jezebel folded her arms. “Like, I’m good at fighting too!”

”Then I’m coming with you!” Emily marched over to the group.

Lucy looked at them, then back at Daimyon. ”We should probably split our number up. We’re sitting ducks if we all travel together.” She stepped beside Daimyon. ”I’ll go with Daimyon. I’m not going to pretend like I have any kind of combat training, but-”

Denis, infinite spy, twirled a hand gun before holstering it. He also had a billy club shoved into one of his pockets. ”I protect you.” he said before moving in with Daimyon ”I know how I protect you.”

Cyrus adjusted his glasses. ”We should be fine. Our team only has one trained fighter, but we are otherwise all fit and should be able to outrun the sisters.” He stepped over to Daimyon. ”I hope everyone makes it to the top, but in this game of death, it’s rare to see someone get a second chance. I hope you make it to the top, Shona.”

"I am more concerned for my companions, but your words are apriciated, Cyrus."

”Okay!” Lucy snapped her fingers. ”We’re all armed? Done saying goodbye? Let’s roll out!” And with that, they split up.

---

Meanwhile, in a dark room, Davis watched the infinites scramble.

"Perhapse letting Alice join the game was an oversight."

”How boring.”

Davis looked over his shoulders at a man standing over his shoulder. "Izuru, do you think it’s possible for the ultimate human to beat the ultimate killer robot?"

There was a short pause before he walked out of the room.

"Wonder what crawled up hiss ass. I almost hope he loses."