Chapter 100: Even Mathers Finale

"I could have killed you two whenever I wanted." These words reverberated in Jakel's mind as he trudged through the dense forest, fleeing for the second time in his life from someone who called him brother. Mar followed closely behind, his irritation palpable. "What are you doing? Where are we going?" he demanded, his tone laced with annoyance.

"Away," Jakel responded tersely, his eyes fixed ahead.

"What the hell do you mean by away? And what are you doing?" Mar's voice rose with exasperation, his patience wearing thin.

"I'm running, Mar! What the fuck else does it look like!?" Jakel snapped, turning to face him with a glare.

Mar seized him by the collar, his frustration boiling over. "And why the hell are you doing that!? Is it because we lost one fight!? That's all it took? One fight and you're out!?" he shouted, his grip tightening.

"That's not it, goddess damn it!" Jakel exclaimed, shoving Mar away before casting his eyes downward, his voice lowering to a mutter. "That's not it."

"Then what the hell is it, Jakel? Why are you running and dragging me along with you?" Mar's voice softened slightly, a mix of concern and confusion evident in his tone.

"Because you'll die! Because both of us will die if we go back to the mansion!" Jakel's words were heavy with urgency, his gaze intense.

"And you're fine with letting Mincs die there!?" Mar's accusation cut through the tension, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"No, I'm not, you fucking know I'm not! She won't die. They wouldn't kill her," Jakel insisted.

"And how the hell do you know that?"

"If they were killers, they would have killed us back there."

"Then why are you running? If you know they won't kill us, why are you running?" Mar's question hung heavy in the air, his confusion evident.

Jakel let out a frustrated sigh before Mar's suggestion interrupted his thoughts. "Is it because of him, Orian? If so, we can just sneak Mincs out rather than go into the mansion, you know. He'll never find out," Mar proposed.

"Wrong!" Jakel retorted sharply, his brows furrowing in annoyance. "I don't care about that pink-eyed freak! I care about that girl, Grace! She's the one I'm scared of!" Jakel confessed, his tone tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

"Why? Because she beat us? I can't believe you're that much of a coward, just after one loss. Come on, let's just go get Mincs back and then—" Mar's words were cut short by Jakel's interruption.

"I could have killed you two whenever I wanted," Jakel stated firmly, locking eyes with Mar.

"What are you talking about?" Mar asked, taken aback by his words.

"That's what she whispered into my ears—that she could have killed us whenever but just decided not to," Jakel explained, his voice tinged with fear.

"And you just believed her?" Mar asked, his astonishment evident.

"Yes, Mar, I did. Trust me, I could feel it in my damn soul. She wasn't lying. She was in control of that entire damn situation. None of us posed a threat to her, maybe to the others, but her, not even for a second," Jakel insisted, his words unwavering.

Mar absorbed Jakel's words, his expression shifting as he processed them. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, sinking into deep thought for a few moments before reopening them. Giving Jakel a pointed glare, Mar turned on his heel. "What are you doing?" Jakel's confusion echoed in his question.

"Going back to save my big sister, unlike a certain coward," Mar retorted without looking back, his determination evident in his stride.

Jakel felt a surge of hurt and anger at Mar's words. "You heard what I said, didn't you? That girl is a monster bigger than Orian Lorenz! Mincs won't die; maybe just get a bit hurt, but I know that girl will kill us if you go back. So come on, Mar, let's just go!" Jakel pleaded, his desperation palpable.

Mar paused. *Is he finally listening to me?* Jakel wondered, a glimmer of hope flickering within him. As Mar turned to face him, his expression remained stern, his eyes piercing. "The fact that you would even allow Lia to be hurt knowingly is disgusting," Mar stated firmly, his words hitting Jakel like a blow, leaving him stunned and speechless.

With that, Mar left, striding purposefully back toward the mansion, leaving behind the coward that was Even Mathers.

"Why are you trying so hard, monkey?" Arnan's question sliced through the tension, his glare piercing as he readied his final attack. Right, all of that isn't currently happening. All of that has happened. Right now, Jakel was standing there, his right arm outstretched like an idiot, still unable to use his hereditary ability, still a failure of the Mathers family.

"Why do you care, bastard? Suddenly caught on feelings, did you?" Jakel's retort attempted to mask his inner turmoil, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

"Because it grosses me out. Something about you just disgusts me to my core. It's as if you're not actually fighting me, but just delaying me for no reason." Arnan's words dripped with contempt as he unveiled a marble-sized ball of compressed souls between his palms.

Jakel struggled to comprehend Arnan's words, his mind clouded by self-doubt and confusion. *He's right, you know, big brother?* Matthew's voice echoed in Jakel's mind, accompanied by the image of his hanged body. *I don't know what you mean,* Jakel responded to Matthew, or perhaps to himself.

*You didn't come here to save Lia. You came here to die, right? Committing suicide for the third time, right?* Matthew's accusation struck a nerve, piercing through Jakel's defenses while he continued to struggle to use his hereditary ability. *I-I no, I'm trying to save Mincs. I'm, I- that's why I'm here. That's why I came back. That's why I didn't let Mar go alone,* Jakel's response was unconvincing, even to himself.

*Well, at least Lia gets to believe you came to save her, unlike me, who died betrayed and abandoned. Oh, and you were actually able to not be a coward and step between her and the demon; you just froze when it came to me. I guess I just wasn't as important to you,* Matthew's voice echoed with a sigh-like gasp from his hanged body.

*I wanted to, I wanted to. I just couldn't. I'm a coward, I admit it. That's why I'm fighting him. I admit it. I admit I just want to die,* Jakel confessed to Matthew and himself.

*Right, right, I agree with what you said instead of one thing, big brother,* Matthew responded as Arnan held out the souls in front.

*You never wanted. You tell yourself you wanted something because, whenever you want something, you give it up easily. You lack the greed needed to do the things you want,* Matthew's words struck Jakel deeply, causing his breath to hitch.

*You're right,* Jakel began to let his arm down. *I really should just di—*

*Become greedy,* another voice echoed in his head as another person came into his vision. It was a young girl, Lia, when she was younger.

*Taking your life is dumb, and your reason being that you have no reason to live is even dumber,* Lia's younger self scolded Jakel. His body tensed as Arnan raised an eyebrow, watching him closely, thinking to himself, *What's going on with him?*

*This is a conversation we had when we were kids,* Jakel remembered as the image of Lia continued to speak. *Living doesn't need a reason. Sure, having one is nice, but saying that someone needs a reason to live is stupid and only something a dunderhead would believe.*

Jakel hesitantly raised his arm again, the memory of Lia's words echoing in his mind. *Listen, if you ever try to take your life again, I'll kill you!* Lia's younger self declared. Jakel breathed in and out, his resolve wavering.

*And if you so desperately need a reason, then I'll give you one! You'll live for your greed. You'll live to get and take the things you want. You want a family? Then be greedy enough to create one. You want to learn magic? Then be greedy enough to ask. You want a reason to live? Then be greedy enough to live just to spite yourself. Greedily cling to life and greedily decide to stay with me!* Lia's words resonated within him, urging him to find a reason to live, even in the face of despair.

Jakel steadied himself as he closed his eyes momentarily, drawing strength from Lia's words before opening them and glaring at Arnan. *What is this, big brother? Why are you fighting back? You came here to die, right? You'll join me, right?* Matthew's hanged body asked desperately, but Jakel ignored his voice, focusing on the present.

"Oi, bastard, you wanted to know why I'm fighting so hard, right? Well, let me tell you," Even addressed Arnan, his voice firm and resolute. From the palm of his right hand, he began to gather mana—pure, raw, unbridled mana.

"It's because of a big, prideful idiot and that woman you were fighting," Even declared, his gaze unwavering as Arnan gritted his teeth in anger.

"Fucking monkeys always following your lustful instincts!" Arnan spat venomously, about to unleash the souls.

Even sighed, shaking his head at Arnan's crude remark. "How damn crude. If I'm driven by any sin, it's greed, you bastard," Even retorted, his voice tinged with defiance.

With that, both he and Arnan unleashed their attacks.

*Big brother, please!* Matthew's desperate plea echoed, but Even no longer heeded it. With unwavering determination, a beam of pure yellow mana, the color of his soul, surged from the palm of his hand, blasting through the image of Matthew's hanged body. The beam clashed momentarily with the agonized souls of Arnan before overwhelming them.

Time seemed to slow for Arnan as he braced himself for the impending impact. *Shit, I can't believe I lost to a damn monkey,* he thought, resigned to his fate, hating humanity till the very end. The beam of pure mana blasted away his entire body, ending the demon known as Arnan in an instant.

Jakel took in his victory with a smile, a sense of accomplishment washing over him, but it wasn't over yet. Lia and Dirk were still fighting out front after all. However, as he attempted to move toward the front of the mansion, exhaustion overtook him. With a single step, he collapsed, unconscious, drained both physically and magically. But despite his physical weariness, mentally, he was on a lifetime high.

Rest easy, Even Mathers. You've conquered your demons.