*Mr.Narrator's Perspective*
There, I saw the Splattering with blood all over her like a bloody painting. I guess she really does live up to her name.
Frankly, her glory output is much stronger than mine. I probably wouldn't last a minute fighting against her. Anna might have a chance against the Splattering, but she's no match either.
Damn it… What should I do? If I die, then I'll be punished again.
Wait, that's right! Cowboy Twink is the only other glory user in this casino. Surely he can feel the glory coming from here. If the Splattering didn't restrain her aura, I'm sure this whole arena would be in flames.
The Splattering grins at me, "Well, aren't you going to attack me? I'm getting bored standing around here."
Anna unsheathes her sword, "You have harmed an innocent and helpless individual. Such actions force me to intervene. You shall be vanquished by the edge of my blade, you villian."
Her glory began to envelop her sword with a heavenly light, comparable to an angel's grace.
Anna lunges forward, surging rapidly towards the Splattering. All her glory, focused into a fine point. When she focuses her glory, she enters a state of calmness and precise movement that exceeds human limits. It's a skill I've seen in a previous life that was used by talented knights and swordsmen. I didn't know Hayermanns cared for technique. Usually they enjoy relying on brute strength.
Suddenly, a shockwave of energy blows me backwards before I can react. The pressure of the impact flings me and Bubba outside of the arena. Anna's attack seems to barely scratch the Splattering.
Shit! I want to help Anna, but I can't just leave Bubba unguarded.
Maybe this is for the best. She is a Hayermann after all. The Splattering is saving me the trouble of killing her later.
I gently wrap my arms around Bubba and press off the ground to carry him. Anna would be the first Hayermann to die fighting for my cause. I'll use her as a distraction to get out of here.
As I hustle out of the arena, the Splattering notices me running.
The Splattering laughs uncontrollably like a child on a sugar rush. "Where do you think you're going?!"
She points her finger towards me and shoots a slimy projectile. My legs are glued onto the ground.
Just how powerful is the Splattering? She can use both concentrated amounts of glory for melee attacks and also shoot ranged glory projectiles that have a slime-like texture.
She must have survived an extremely dire situation to have developed such a powerful glory.
Damn it! Who cares about that right now! My legs are literally glued onto the floor. Do I have to use my glory ability?
No, I don't know Anna's ability yet. Maybe she has an ace up her sleeve.
"Hayermann!" I shriek, "Use your ability now! Don't worry about the aftermath. The Splattering's too strong for you to handle in base form!"
Anna looks back at me with an expression of embarrassment.
She barely parries the Splattering's punches. "I'm sorry Mr. Narrator, but I don't have a glory ability. I'm the only Hayermann to be born without one."
Are you serious right now? Out of all the Hayermanns, the one protecting my life happens to be useless? That's impossible, all Hayermanns are genetically gifted a glory ability at birth. Hayermanns don't require a life threatening situation for their powers, they're born with it.
Damn it all! I might have to use my glory. But even if I use it, there's still no guarantee that I'll live.
Bubba opens his eyes. "Mr. Narrator? Is that you? You know, you smell as good as you look hehe."
What? How is Bubba awake? Actually, how is he even alive? He was bleeding from his skull not too long ago. But it seems that the wound has already healed.
"Now's not the time for jokes Bubba. We're in a tight situation."
Bubba looks over at Anna. "Yo, who's that cute chick with blonde hair?"
"What? Who are you talking about?"
"Uh, Mr. Narrator, are you blind? The one clearly fighting the freaking Splattering!"
Tsk, this guy really pisses me off. We're about to be pulverized and he's being distracted by a useless Hayermann.
I shrug it off. "Oh, don't worry about it. We'll do introductions later. Right now, we need to figure out a way to get the Splattering's glory off my legs. I can't move with it on me."
Bubba sighs, "Dude, what makes you think that I can do anything? I just learned about glory yesterday! Plus, I think my body lost like 20% of its blood. Heh, maybe I really do have plot armor."
Jesus Christ! Both of these guys are useless!
Anna collapses on the floor with blood stains on her armor. She must have gotten overpowered by the Splattering's inhumane strength. There's no weapon that can save you from that monster.
The Splattering picks up Anna's sword from the ground.
"It's a shame that our fun has come to an end. It's been a while since someone put up a good fight against me. But… my appetite, my hunger… is absolute!"
The Splattering wraps her fingers around the handle of the sword. She raises her arms, directly above Anna's head.
The crowd is roaring with a wave of emotions. It feels familiar. I've felt it before many times… It's bloodlust.
In a swift, clean motion, the Splattering slices off Anna's head. Her lifeless body flops on the floor. Like tumbleweed, Anna's head rolls over in my direction.
I'll never be ungrateful for another Hayermann dying, but seeing one getting killed so easily makes me feel uneasy.
It's clear to me now. I need to regress or I'll die. But it's too soon to tell if I should regress. Not when I'm this close!
Bubba smiles, "You know Mr. Narrator. I had a lot of fun with you. I know I'm not the protagonist, but it's cool that you supported my stupid delusions anyways. To be honest, I never imagined that I would end up dying in a casino. Or an arena, whatever this place is. But, yeah. I would've probably died a boring death if it weren't for you. So thanks for being there for me. Oh also, the narrator thing was pretty cringe. Sorry for making you pretend that you were my narrator. To be honest, I was just lonely, you know? After baseball and all that, I really didn't know what to do with my life. I sorta lost direction I guess. This whole main character thing was really just a poor joke that I tricked myself into believing. Why did I make myself think that being the main character was my purpose in life?"
The Splattering stomps her way towards us.
"Hey! Chill out Mrs. Splattering! I'm trying to explain my character development. Just give me a sec. Anyways, where was I? Let me lock in for my final words. Ahem. Being this close to death has made me realize something. You don't really need a direction to guide you. When I fought the Splattering, I felt a thrill, a mixture of adrenaline and joy that made me feel alive. Man, that feeling is all you need to chase. That rush of passion and excitement is enough to be the reason to live. If I were to continue living, I would chase that thrill and follow it until it faded. Perhaps that's what being the main character is about. Chasing that impossible dream with contentment. Heh, maybe I'm onto nothing. That was sort of a yapsesh lol."
I look into Bubba's eyes. They're so full of joy even on the brink of death. He's finally found the answer to his crisis and now he's going to be robbed of it by death. I can't let that happen. I get it now.
"Bubba… You are the protagonist."
"Huh?"
In a flash, the Splattering appears and digs her nails into Bubba's skull.
"Gosh, I was gonna let you guys finish your conversation, but it was cutting into my screen time. You know that this is my arena, right? I can't let you guys take the spotlight from me for too long. After all, I'm the main character."
"Bullshit!", Bubba coughs out, "Being the main character is my thing! Even though I just had a whole monologue about how I'm not really the main character, but that's beside the point!"
"What? How are you still alive? My fingers are literally inside your brain right now!"
The Splattering charges up her glory inside Bubba's head, almost as if he was an egg inside of a microwave.
"Let's see you survive this, you bum!"
Boom. The uncontrolled release of glory explodes in Bubba's head, completely evaporating anything left of him. The remaining debris and pressure of the explosion hurl into my face. In a fusion of pain, my body is severely wounded and burned.
But what hurts the most is that… Bubba is dead.
The crowd is still cheering like wild animals. Bubba just died and they're filled with joy. That's what all people are, animals satisfied with bread and circus. Everyone here is… vermin.
The Splattering approaches me slowly, with each step counting down my time left. Her smile fades.
"It's a shame that our fun ends here. It was entertaining. It's weak people like you that remind me why I joined this industry. It's for that euphoric sensation that feels better than sex. A feeling so intense and pleasant that it numbs everything else out. That electrifying feeling is what makes me feel alive."
She points her nail and hovers it in front of my eyes like a bear hunting down fish. But before she can strike me, a sudden shift in glory changes the atmosphere of the arena.
It smells like money and alcohol with a faint touch of greed.
"Hey, you! You just turned my money making machine into a fucking Nutella spread! You'll pay for this."
The Splattering smiles again. "My, my, who might you be?"
He fixes his hat. "It's me, Cowboy Twink."
Perfect! Now I have a good reason to save this run. If Cowboy Twink is here, it must mean that he completed the requirements for his glory ability. If I'm not wrong, he can use his ability to beat the Splattering! With Cowboy Twink here, there's hope.
Despite my body's bad condition, my glory is still functional.
When I die, I regress into another body in an alternate timeline. This is my passive ability. However, I can voluntarily use an ability that allows me to go backwards in time and stay in the same timeline. The only downside is that there's a 50/50 chance that I either go backwards in time or that I end up entering a new timeline with a different body. But it's worth it, I have to take the gamble!
My glory enshrouds me like an egg shell.
"REVERSE!"
*Glory ability: REVERSE has been activated*
My mind shuts off for a few minutes in a state of darkness until I'm in control of my body.
I open my eyes. I'm running towards the arena with Anna.
I'm back. I guess the odds are with me this time. It is a casino after all.