During the odd battles taking place all throughout the castle, one General had taken it upon himself to go pay the King a visit. Meil walked an average pace, not minding too much for any traps or ambushes that might come his way. The reason for this wasn’t so much cockiness as it was just simple assurance of his self-preservation skills. Meil knew that no matter what, at any moment, he could simply just Go Solipsistic, and thus evade any and all oncoming surprise attacks in stopped time. Much less, after all the harsh training he’s put himself through back at the base, his stamina for Going Solipsistic had increased significantly. Actually, he had begun using it so much in his day to day life that it sort of became a problem amongst his peers, as whenever he would find himself in an awkward position, he would just leave the conversation abruptly with his ability. Nevertheless, all of this was mere buildup for the final battle against Chant.

“Hup!” He barely moved his head to the side, evading an oncoming arrow, “Huh, that was close.”

“Damn, I knew I should’ve used the gun…” The King finally showed himself, “And to think I tried being sneaky by using a more silent weapon too. Well, no use hiding anymore, right?”

“Finding you was rather easy.” Meil replied, still not really feeling any sort of fear from the exchange, “Though I imagine you were the one who found me, hence our meeting coming so early.”

“Not really, no.” The King shrugged, “After I was informed by my men that both Cardina and Sulfury were attacking us, I just tried my best to hide here. Though once I saw you, I couldn’t help but take my shot.”

“That is rather cowardly of you.” Meil approached, “And cowards have no place on the throne. I know we two have had our ups and downs, but won’t you let me peacefully take your head as a form of revenge?”

“Eek! Since when did you get so scary?!” Chant retreated behind the curtain he was previously hiding behind, “That won’t do! I’m sorry, boy, but I need this head to lead the country to glory never before seen!”

Meil was now a mere footstep away from reaching the King. He knew full well that the ever cunning King had a trap that Meil was most likely falling right into. Though I imagine, he thought, he certainly couldn’t have expected me to not hesitate in pursuing him. And so, just as expected, the King had immediately fired off a musket ball straight through the curtains he was hiding behind the very moment Meil had taken that final step.

“Now now, get up, boy.” The King approached Meil, who was now lying on the floor spitting out blood, “I know you better than you may think. In fact, both of us know you’re not one to die just from a little trick such as this.”

Catching onto the fact that his farce was seen through, Meil quickly got up to evade the second, lethal gunshot from the King. As it were, Meil’s body looked to be light on armor, but that was in fact because he had used a special mixture of non-Newtonian fluid and poured it into a bag which he had then wrapped around his torse prior to the fight. The key here is the ratio of the mixture, as the higher the viscoelasticity, the higher the stopping power of the bullet. Still, it wasn’t as if he had completely come out unscathed from it all.

“Pheck!” He coughed up some more blood, “Ouch, I did not account for the force of the bullet hitting me to cause such damage. Further testing is required.”

“Oh, you some kinda scientist or something?” Chant laughed, “Didn’t expect that. Still, I’m sorry to say but it seems you won’t make it to the revision stages of your little experiment.”

Shooting a couple more bullets at Meil proved to be way less useful when Meil knew what to expect. Switching his vision to Gray, it didn’t take him long before he made it to Chant, snatching the gun away from him before resuming time.

“Tch!” Chant clicked his tongue, “Not yet-!”

“…! Um…?” Meil inspected the gun after realizing it didn’t fire.

At this, Chant had begun to gloat. They had both realized that due to the excessive firing on Chant’s part, when Meil had finally gotten ahold of the gun, it was all empty. Slapping the gun away from Meil, the King had now opted to end things quickly, before Meil’s stamina could allow him to Go Solipsistic once more. Though, as mentioned previously, Meil’s training had its purpose.

“Hup!” He stopped time once again, “Useless, useless… Hm? Where’d that come from? Nevertheless, this battle is over… Oh?”

Dammit, he sighed, he’s smarter than he looks. Indeed, even in stopped time, Meil could do nothing but wait for it to resume. This was due to the fact that the King had apparently not been punching during his attack flurry, but grappling, leading to Meil having stopped time whilst he was caught. Unable to move, he had finally realized that the King too, had found a countermeasure to his Iro Ability.

“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” The King jeered once time resumed, “Try as much as you want to stop time! Actually, I actively encourage it, given it wears you out every time you do it.”

Not good, Meil thought, I need to find a way out of this situation, otherwise there is no chance of winning…!

***

“Alright then, no more Going Solipsistic.” Meil chuckled, “Just the other ones.”

“Other ones? Wait, don’t tell me…!” Chant quickly backed away, “Even more Abilities?!”

As soon as the question left his mouth, the King’s crown suddenly Materialized into Meil’s hands. The King, now thoroughly confused on as to what exactly Meil was plotting, couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the better of him.

“And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing with my crown, exactly?” He readied himself for anything.

“Exactly what you’re thinking.” Meil refused to give away his tactics.

Expecting all sorts of possibilities, the King was hard-pressed to find the correct one. Countless images flashed through his mind, all involving the crown in some way. Could Meil be planning to run up to him and bludgeon him with it? Or perhaps he wanted to throw it, somehow perfectly calculating the angle at which the serrated edges would cut him somehow? Certainly, he was capable of such a feat. No matter what, though, the King thought, I’ll be ready either way!

“Hup!” Meil began dashing at him, “Bet you didn’t expect this!”

“Oho! A blind tackle? I assure you, I accounted for… it.” The King suddenly stopped talking so boastingly as he checked to see the giant arrow embedded into his torso, “Huh?”

“I bet you were wondering where I got the bow and arrow from, huh?” Meil tossed the crown away.

“A-Ah, haa…” The King struggled to breathe as he fell to the ground.

“Truth is, the crown was just a distraction. There was never any need or reason for me to grab it apart from having you not notice her.” He pointed over to the cloaked girl standing behind the King, “Thanks for the assist.”

“You noticed me?” She replied as she put her bow away, “Heh, nothing gets by you.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?” Meil asked as he tied the King up.

“Changed my mind.” She teased as she went to leave the room, “Also, you’re free to kill him. I shot him through the heart, so there’s really no saving him. Besides, he doesn’t deserve it.”

“I guess so.” Meil looked down at the struggling King, “Want to do the honors? It seems way more fitting for you to off him than me.”

“Hmm… nah. He’s your prey, don’t ever forget that.” She said as she left the room, “Meil, you’re the heroic General who slayed the evil King of Carmen. Take pride in that.”

Accepting this wasn’t going to be as simple. Of course, Meil was the one who had allowed her to freely take the shot, setting the angle up for her easily, but it’s not like he was the one who actually hurt him in any way. Actually, this whole battle would’ve just been a perpetual stalemate had it not been for her suddenly showing up, and even then it would have been difficult had Meil not noticed her in time. To him, this whole battle wasn’t at all his, so he had his qualms about taking the head of a man he himself didn’t beat. Still, now only the two of them remained in the room.

“Cough, shit.” Chant suddenly piped up, “That damned bitch. I shouldn’t have let her live back then…!”

“You two have met before?” Meil tilted his head at the surprising fact.

“Ptu! Eh, not like we’ve ever talked before. It’s just I was the one who killed her parents, those rat bastards. Heck, she probably doesn’t even know it.”

“That is rather surprising.” Meil noted.

“I know, right?”

“Hm? No, I am talking about the fact that you actually remember her face after all these years. Granted, her hair color isn’t that common.”

“You kidding?” He chuckled before spitting up some more blood, “Geez, I’m the King, you know? I know every single detail about every single person who’s a registered citizen of Entropa.”

“Reminds me of my home back in Oden, actually.” Meil reckoned, “I too knew all about my fellow quikkas. Though, you probably pay no mind to people outside of your continent.”

“Oh no, I’ve heard of what had happened, Meil.” The King looked up at him with a grin, “In fact, Silvia was the one that told us to kill that Lune in the first place.”

…What? Meil’s blood began to boil, Did I just hear him say… Silvia? Silvia, as in… Silvia Quartz? That God-awful woman whom I’ve killed back in the prison? What is her name doing, coming out of this horrible man’s mouth? Not to mention, did he say she was directly responsible for Lune’s death?

“Ohoho! I like that look in your Eyes, boy!” The King teased, “Absolute horror at the realization that high ranking individuals often host tea parties together. What, didn’t know that Silvia and my dear Vivia were friends?”

“W-What are you…?”

“Boy, don’t you realize it yet? Silvia had told us all about you and Lune causing havoc down at their vacation home, so she assigned us the task to somehow lure Lune in and kill him.”

“Wait, don’t tell me you…” Meil gulped as he grabbed him by the collar, “This whole war… It was just bait to get him to come over here?!”

“I knew you’d get it! Ack, gold star.” The King’s voice got quieter, “Y’see, as long as he was with the Gryses, he was essentially protected under their jurisdiction. That being the case, kill a couple hundred thousand useless farmers in his home continent, and he drops everything to help his buddies. What a kind guy, isn’t he…?”

Punching him repeatedly, Meil could see nothing but Red in his Eyes. The sick yet calculated actions of this despicable King were all too revolting for him, but more than anything, Meil was saddened that this was the person who had killed his dear friend. Not only that, but he was also the person who left Nelly without a father. Such actions, all to appease another noble girl like Silvia? Such a person deserves some pain before they bite the dust.

“Oof!” The King howled, “What’s the matter? Hit a nerve, did I? Argh!”

“Don’t you DARE say another word! Just die!” Meil ordered, “Die! Die, die, die, die, die, die, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!”

The King’s howling had long since stopped. He was dead, surely. Still, Meil was not yet satisfied. He punched and punched, and even Materialized a knife that was nearby and began stabbing away at his face, utterly mutilating it until no skin remained. Meil was now all alone in the room, and as he finally stuck the knife in the King’s faceless head one last time, he had cried out for his best friend with all his might. This was it, the duel was over. A success, sure, but at what cost? Now, just a couple of rooms down the hallway, the final battle against the Princess awaits…