POV: Atlas

I rushed at Akir and swung my weapon diagonally at his left shoulder, aiming to cut him from shoulder to waist. His right hand was injured, so he could only use his left to defend. All I had to do was to put all my power into this strike.

I just had to hope that he wasn't fast enough to dodge. I had seen how he fought. His body control was over the roof, and it was obvious that he had been barely even trying when he fought me in that cave, but he had wounds all over his body and he had a bolt in his shoulder. He had most likely not even slept in over a day, there was no way that he wasn't tired.

My sword got closer and closer, but Akir didn't seem to try to dodge. He just brought his dagger up to block the swing, but there was no way he could block it. Seeing his movement, I fully committed into the swing.

Just as the sword was just centimeters away from hitting him, he moved to the left and my broadsword just grazed him a little, maybe shaving some of his facial hair in the process.

'It's over, isn't it?' I thought, as I saw Akir avoid my swing. 'Wait, where is his dagger?' I thought, as I suddenly noticed that he didn't have his dagger in his left hand.

I couldn't stop my momentum and watched as Akir prepared his attack. What was he going to do? Kill me with one punch? No, maybe he'll hold back and prolong my death. He isn't a very sane person, after all.

As all kinds of thoughts passed through my head, I felt a gentle touch on the left side of my torso. No, it was more like a gentle push. What felt like a gentle push at first suddenly transformed into a not so gentle push, Simply put, it felt like I was hit by a train.

The push combined with my momentum sent me flying. I flew in the air for a while and fell onto the ground with a loud thump.

'What does he intend to do with me?' I asked inside my head in confusion and desperation as I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my torso. Some of my ribs had been broken.

I was now certainly going to die. It was just a matter of how and when. Wait, that's how it's always been. We humans ignore our death until it's right at our door step, and my death came in the for of a humanoid creative with dull gray eyes that had shined with ecstasy just a few minutes before.

I tried to get up, but my legs and arms ached like they had never before. 'Fuck this.' I thought in frustration from not even being able to stand up. 'I'm not going to be some kind of toy for this psychopath to play with.' I thought and started looking for something sharp. 'Oh, right, the soul weapons disappear once their owner dies.' I thought and gave up on trying to look for the weapons of my group members. Of course there were the knives that were at the dining table, but the table was pretty far, and I couldn't walk.

"Here." Akir said, and I heard a sound that resembled metal hitting stone.

After I turned my head to where the sound came from, I noticed that Akir had thrown his dagger to me.

"What am I supposed to do with this." I asked with a sneer.

"Do what you want." Akir said with his usual nonchalant tone.

I was really getting sick of that non-caring voice.

"You want me to commit suicide?" I asked, prying for his motive.

"I didn't say that."

"But you meant it, didn't you?"

"..."

No answer

'What an asshole.' I thought as I picked up the dagger.

"Is this what you want?" I asked as I put the dagger against my throat. "Huh, is it? Say something!" I yelled, but he just kept walking slowly towards me. "What are you doing this for? Is this some kind of experiment?" I questioned aggressively.

"No, nothing like that." Akir answered.

"Then what is the point of this?" I asked, but Akir didn't answer and started talking about something else.

"Some people in this situation would stand up and try to fight. Those people would be deemed strong because of their perseverance. A good example is that cutlass wielder. He came at me again and again, even though I could see the fear in his eyes. He was on the verge of death in each one of our exchanges, but he still managed to get up and fight someone unbeatable." Akir said calmly as he kept walking slowly towards me.

"Unbeatable, hahahahaha, You think you're some kind of god?" I laughed at Akir's narcissism.

"To you, I am. As of right now, I hold all the power in your world. I decide, if you live or die. Your life is completely in my hands."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked as I moved the blade closer to my neck and made a small cut that immediately started leaking blood.

"Yes." Akir answered shortly.

"And why is th-" I was about to ask Akir a question, but got interrupted.

"Then are the ones who don't fight back." Akir continued his speech. "The ones who put the dagger to their throats. Those types of people can be separated into two categories. The ones who are bluffing and the ones who are not." Akir finished his explanation and stopped 2 meters from me. "You are the former." He said while looking down at me.

"Nah, I'm the third type. "I said, as I threw the dagger at Akir's chest, straight into where his heart was.

However, when the dagger was about to hit, it just dematerialized.

"There is no third type" Akir said.

He had cancelled to summon on his weapon when it was about to hit him. He even did it with no effort. It seemed like, he had predicted it. I had been bluffing. I just couldn't bring myself to commit suicide.

"What now?" I asked tauntingly. "You just gonna kill me yourse-" I was about to ask, when I was assaulted once again.

'Ouch.' I thought, as I was kicked across the room like a football. I hit the floor multiple times on my journey towards the white wall of the preparation room. After a while, I hit the wall with a loud thump.

"Heheh, ptui." I let out a laugh and spit some blood out of my mouth. "You make no sense. What are you even doing this for?" I asked Akir who was again slowly walking towards me.

"Neither do you."

"What do you mean?"

"You could have killed your whole squad by yourself, so why didn't you?"

"How?"

"Simple, you could have manipulated the cutlass wielder to kill them with you, and then you could have killed him as well."

"Hah, that did cross my mind, but it was too risky."

"No it wasn't. You're lying to yourself."

"Hahah, you think you know everything, don't you?"

"I do. Including the fact that you spared those 5 idiots to keep company to you, so that you wouldn't get lonely."

"What are you talking about?" I asked in an amused manner.

"I'm talking about the truth. You're afraid of being alone. You need people to constantly praise you to feel good about yourself because deep down you're an insecure, fragile, weak, pathetic child." Akir said as he arrived in front of me.

Again, he was looking down at me.

Was he going to kick my again?

I really didn't want to be kicked again.

"..."

"Come on now, say something. Entertain me for the rest of your pathetic life." Akir said in a cruel and prideful manner. "..." Akir waited for an answer that never came. "Come on." Akir said, as he took my by the throat and lifted me up with his left hand.

My oxygen supply was cut of, but I didn't care enough to do anything.

"I thought you were stronger than this, Atlas." Akir said and threw me onto the floor.

I coughed a little after it hit the floor, but didn't react in any other way.

"You seem to be asleep. Let's wake you up." Akir said, and I felt an impact on my left cheek and some teeth were knocked loose, then it happened again and again.

As I was getting continuously hit, I began to wonder if this was how the people I beat up to satiate my hunger for violence felt. This feeling of worthlessness was the worst thing I had ever felt in my entire life, but I couldn't feel sorry for myself, since I, myself, had inflicted this same pain on many others.

Akir had seen right through me. I was just a child too spoiled to understand the struggles of others. I deserved this pain, but I still didn't want to die.

What if I could redeem myself. If I begged, would Akir show mercy?

"Stob." I managed to say, even though talking was hard and painful.

"Oh, it seems like you're awake. Now say something"

"Why ai yu doing dis?" I asked, not even being to be able to form words properly.

"I just wanted a little payback, after you outsmarted me back in the cave." Akir answered as if he was talking about something trivial.

"Youe doig aa dis foo dha?"

"Yeah, I have some time to spare, so why not?"

"Whad ade yu?" I asked confusedly, as tears welled up in my eyes.

"All you need to know is that we have some similarities. The difference is that, I'm just a lot better." Akir said with a voice filled with pride and a cruel smile of amusement. And shortly after, I felt his fist hit me one last time.