Death

[Hades System has been installed]

My eyes snapped open, and I found myself laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to various needles that fed me liquid mana and a slow drip feed of healing potions.

"Ugh… Where am I?" I muttered, still shaken by the previous events that I had just gone through.

Suddenly, a nurse came into the room and saw me awake, so she ran over to me and began to ask various questions.

Most of them slipped over my head as my brain felt like it was begging hammered by a large wooden bat, but the last question really caught my attention.

"Is it okay if we let somebody in? He said he knows you and would like to have a conversation with you,"

"Name?"

"Steven Jalor," The nurse immediately replied with the man's name, and I could only let out a long groan before slowly nodding my head.

"I-I need verbal confirmation if that is alright with you?"

"Bring him in," I sighed, and not even a few minutes later, a young man with short black hair in a fitted black suit walked in through the open doorway.

I slowly laid my head back against the pillow behind me before shifting my eyes over to him.

"You were the only survivor,"

"I know that. Of course, I know that. I saw all of them die before me… there is no way I didn't know that,"

"The losses for the five major guilds are immense. The higher-ups and sponsors are already asking for compensation for completing the raid, yet we have nothing to give them. We've lost so much time and money, so quickly hand over the rewards from the dungeon, and we shall reward you handsomely," The man explained.

"I didn't receive anything," I muttered but the memories of just before I passed out returned to me, "Well, I did manage to obtain- Ack, *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*,"

All of a sudden, I felt a cold, slender, and boney hand grip my neck firmly, preventing me from speaking further.

And when I tried to explain it again, I ended up choking on my words, the hand only releasing upon me giving up.

"Huh? I couldn't quite catch that,"

"It was nothing… There was nothing that I received. You can check my safe, you can check my apartment, you can check everything that I own… I swear, I received nothing. Not even a piece of soul equipment,"

"Can you take responsibility for your words if we dig something up?" The man asked.

"So, you gonna frame me to appease the higher-ups? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm tryna say that's what the boss is planning on doing. I'll attempt to stall time for you after today, so run. Run as far as you can and just live out a peaceful life,"

"When did you get so considerate of me?" I chuckled before the man reached out his hand, and I immediately took it.

The needles implanted into my skin were ripped out as he pulled me out of the bed and unleashed a large sadistic smile.

"Well, I thought as much," The man muttered as he stretched his neck and bounced up and down a few times to get the blood flowing again.

"Why even ask me that question? You know how much I hate those guys… so let's get going, partner," I muttered before cracking my neck once and snapping my fingers.

A cigarette made of pure smoke appeared between my fingers.

I rolled it in my grasp and eventually placed it in between my lips, the man next to me lighting it with a blue flame that blasted from the tip of his finger.

"[Third Calvary: Smokey Plating]," I muttered, causing the smoke that blasted from my mouth to wrap around me and create a set of light armor that was lenient enough to let me move flexibly but strong enough to block the swipe of a drake.

The man next to me was also wrapped in his own respective armor made up of entirely beautiful blue flames.

"Let's get going,"

As soon as we left the hospital, each and every single remaining member of the guild appeared in front of us, their expressions clearly unhappy.

"Do you have to do this?" One of them asked, and both of us just couldn't stop smiling as the adventures took a step towards us.

"If anybody doesn't want to get slaughtered like pigs, then get out of here. I don't want to kill you guys either," The man beside me muttered.

The pressure that was unleashed from our bodies was so insanely strong that it pressed the adventurers in front of us to the ground… and slowly, they all left one by one, slowly understanding our plan.

"We wish you luck," Everybody said in unison.

We both nodded before walking to the massive tower across the street, which was completely empty and bare.

Very calmly, we took the elevator to the top floor, and upon the doors slowly opening, we were greeted by a man in a black suit.

"What's the point of creating armor before me," The boss chuckled before slowly turning around in his office chair, facing us.

"Intidimation," I smiled before taking the cigarette made of smoke out of my mouth and tossing it into the air allowing the ceiling to be coated with its residue.

"[Prince of Flames: Last Life of The Phoenix],"

"Seriously?" I muttered, turning to the man next to me, who was slowly wrapped in his blue flames that created a set of beautiful heavy armor while creating a single longsword.

"It's better to go out with a bang," He chuckled, and I couldn't help but chuckle with him as the smoke covering the ceiling slowly fell down like hail.

"[Sixth Calvary: Hail Fire of the Burning Apostle],"

As my pinkies linked in front of me, all three of us unleashed pressure that caused the massive tower to crack straight down the center.

…

It was a draw… but that doesn't mean we survived.

I clawed at the darkness in front of me, seemingly digging through it as if it was dirt and upon catching a glimpse of light, I dug even faster and faster until I was by a blistering sun.

"Huff… huff… huff… I'm alive,"