Chapter 143: Courtesy Call

The battle raged onward, with the serpentine beasts continuing their onslaught, coupled with the new horde that attempted to overwhelm the children in terms of their size and numbers. While Harvard and his Clone fended them off using the Scythe and Lemegeton, Stolas would step forward to fight back, coating his body in clusters of stars and jumped head-first into the newly made Apep, grabbing it by their fangs and opening its jaw wide enough to allow the Avian to fire such a cluster in full force, blasting down its throat with stellar objects, hoping it would cause burns around its neck. Solomon would try to provide assistance, blessing the three of them with Might of Samson to increase their strength, slowly but surely having them be up to par against the fake monsters. The children would be quick to discover that, while possessing the same abilities and potentially the same strength, their durability was somewhat lacking. The embodiment of a Glass Cannon, only used to serve the Hat Man for his wishes. With such knowledge, the boys would try and orchestrate the monsters to fight each other, with the Clone acting as bait to the two Lamia's for a barrage, setting up a spell to cut the distance and appear behind them, while they would accidentally lunge forward and bite at the Apep's.

Meanwhile, Manipura would be going against the Nuckelavee's head-on, shifting between different chakra's to mix up his fighting styles, allowing him to handle the three in an unpredictable pattern, parrying the strikes they'd make with their long arms and tendril-like fingers, grabbing ahold of their meaty flesh and pulling them close to dislocate the arms that are attached to them, with Fiona acting as a support by firing the arrows directly into the wound, allowing the chakra to spread further and damage them internally as a result. The Chupacabra's would pay attention and flank the Archer, yet Fiona would simply dodge and weave to the best of her abilities, dancing in the battlefield like it was a ballet, twirling and spinning to strike at the monsters while maintaining enough space to draw her bow and shoot at the target. Publiq would notice them working in tandem with one another, being more and more inspired the longer the battle took place. "Yes....Yes, yes YES~! Exactly like that! Exactly like that~! Show me more of this resolve! More of this emotion! I want to see EVERYTHING!!" He'd yell atop of his lungs, spamming more and more monsters into the fray, trying to overwhelm them in numbers. His grin was physically showing beneath his onyx appearance.

The more the battle went on as they exchanged blows, forced to have the children split apart and juggle accordingly, even having Zazel pass Harvard back the potion spell in the case he would be struck down by an unforeseen attack, they still maintained their ground. The children fought back in their own manner, with Stolas continuing to stun and burn the monsters with stars, Solomon inflicting plagues upon plagues to them while buffing his allies, and the two children, the Card Magician and the Devil, both employing the most amount of damage possible with their magic. Fire, Lightning, Ice, Water, Steel. It was a typhoon of elemental attacks and weapons trying to cut them down bit by bit, yet the onslaught wouldn't stop. A. N. Noh kept flooding the area with so much of the same creatures, it became almost noxious with how much was being hurled towards them. A Wave over a wave of monsters, with no true limit being visible from the Hat Man's abilities. Right as they thought it would be mindless to strike at the beasts and attempt to switch plans to attack the caster in question.

SHIKK!!

A Bite.

The first to fall was of Harvard Helsing himself, a strong bite made into his left shoulder. Stolas quickly took notice and fended the beast off, yet...

SHIKK!!

Another one. A bite in his right leg and stomach by Lamia's hands. Solomon would try to fend the right, yet they kept coming. Each bite kept coming when they least expect it. Each fang sunk deep into his body. Each fang was inserting its venom close within him. He could feel his muscles contracting themselves, his body slowly failing him. He could feel his heartbeat as the skeleton he walks with begin to thicken. He loses all matter of mobility, falling onto his knees, breathing heavily at the impact made. Zazel, the last of the children, desperately rushed in to act as a healer, yet right when he shifted focus.

BANG!!

An arrow. One coated in silvery white, the arrow was glowing in brilliance. An arrow made from heaven. It shot square across the Demon's chest, with Zazel screeching bloody murder as he falls to the ground, coughing up blood and forced to lie down. Everyone would try to push back and heal the Devil, even the Monsters, yet the latter used this for its advantage. They barricaded the group away, allowing Zazel to be healed...but leaving Harvard for dead. The Hat Man approached the boy as he breathed heavily, gasping for air, drooling out of his mouth as he'd hear his words. "You fought Valiantly, little one. Your emotions resonated so much....I could actually feel your heart pumping as you tried to save your friends. I could hear your soul scream so much to prove its worth. You are truly a marvelous creature....and I cannot thank you enough for such research." He would begin, drawing the weapon that shot Zazel: A Bow and Arrow. One exactly like the Horseman of Conquest. "I shall now put you out of your misery, little one. It is painful to see you like this....and I'm sure that once you die, you will be remembered. You will be looked on as a hero. You will be treasured as a King. Do you have.....any last words, young one...?" The Hat Man's voice was calm, yet downtrodden, as if he was disappointed in ending such a life. He remained silent to allow Harvard to say his piece.

The boy remained quiet, yet in such silence, he'd give a small smile. "...Can I be...very honest with you.....Hat Man..?" He'd struggle to get up as he began his speech, looking at the blackened figure, witnessing the very weapon aimed at his face. He looked at his opaque eyes, maintaining his breath in a steady manner, before continuing. "....I've seen this before. I know what's gonna happen next. It's what happens with everyone else...There's gonna be one of us being beaten bloody raw, finally having a chance to end it all in one move. In fact.....I actually did that before to something else." He'd pause himself as he'd struggle to point at a specific monster, the Nuckelavee. "That thing...right there. I can tell you right now it was a mess, but knowing you.....You probably already saw it. You wanna know something about that thing, though...?"

"It's still alive out there."

The boy's smile grew wider, angling a card out from his sleeve. "Even after everything I've done, everything I could do, everything I WAS ABLE to do....It's still OUT there! It's still breathing, Healing, Living. Heck, I'm pretty sure.....the next time we see it...It probably wants a rematch! So you know what....?" He'd pause as he'd open his arms wide, his grin going ear to ear, his words baffling even his very friends. "Go ahead!...Finish it." 

Everyone grew silent as they heard his request. Even the Hat Man was stunned at such words he stated, yet Harvard continued further. "...I mean it! I want you to actually Kill me. I want you....to take that weapon and stab it straight into my head! I want...to see my friends give me a look of despair as I drop dead. I want to feel my heart...being unable to beat anymore. I want to have my vision blurred ...and leave this body to somewhere else, Maybe Heaven, but most likely to Hell. I'm asking for you to kill me because of one....simple....reason."

"If I somehow Survive whatever you do to me, I'm gonna make you pray to God for forgiveness, because you will NEVER live to tell the tale after going this far."

"So go ahead! KILL ME! SHOOT ME SQUARE IN THE HEAD AND FINISH IT! YOU BETTER NOT MESS IT UP, BECAUSE I KNOW DAMN WELL I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT IF YOU DO!" As he finished his words, The Hat Man would remain silent. He could feel his hands shaking as he'd wield his bow. He was actually showing fear. He steeled his nerves and took swift aim, breathing deeply as he tried to fulfill his request, not wanting his confidence to be shaken.

BAM!!

The Arrow was fired, yet unbeknownst to him, the Boy casted a spell right as he shot the arrow. A Potion, its contents spilling out as the glass shattered and pierced his skin, the arrow shooting through the boy's head, piercing through the earth and digging all the way down. The boy would lie limp on the ground as the shot was made, the fluid blocking the wound that was the final nail for Harvard's life.