Inner Turmoil

Boisterous squeals fills the vicinity, corpses disintegrated, others slowly wither away into Reishi particles. Those that fled, met with bullets bulls eyeing through the back of their skulls. 

"How fortunate that I didn't join in this round," Trembling to their bones, grabbing onto themselves, a Low class Adjucha watches the massacre through a horrified lens.

Muffled sounds, gasps of bewilderment, fleeing individuals—all of these merge into a chaotic environment.

Clawing the invisible wall, punching it in a fit of desperation, many that have survived on the platform tried breaking their way through Muro De Regla in the hopes to leave the treacherous round.

While others, impaired by the rage-inducing red lights, attempted to confront the malevolent figure at the epicenter, he exuded a sense of pride and confidence.

"How unfortunate. I have goals," Darwin said with disdain.

Remembering Figgs' lingering words, each and individual quote convinces himself that massacre is morally right if the victims were losers.

However, his mind is mixed in with Harribel's warnings, each one gripping his mind and pulling him away from taking such nefarious decisions.

Harribel, I have made my decision. I must take this step in order to grow, in order to overcome my first obstacle, Figgs.

How unfortunate Figgs, you just had to make an unlucky 'loser' the very enemy that will bite you in the back.

"Meaningless," Frosty and relentless as metal, Darwin announced as he launches more deathly projectiles.

A couple of Hollows begged on their knees in front of Darwin asking for mercy.

"Please, I want to live," One cried desperately while clutching at his right leg.

Looking at their relentless begging, his very soul shook, he hesitates.

Looking down, the very one grabbing at his leg grinned in relief, their dripping mouth attempts to bite him.

"Tricks won't work the second time," Gripping their skull, he squeezes it like a fragile and soft fruit.

Sweeping off the blood from his figure using his Reishi, he strides foward towards one corner of the blood stained platform.

"I don't need Third Stratos to reward me Reishi, I will horde them myself!" Spreading his arms apart, he manipulates the Reishi coming from the corpses, swirling around Darwin and condensing into small coloured pills.

Spectators held their breaths, some commenting about what they saw impossible, while others cheered on the indiscriminate bloodbath. 

"Darwin!" Hearing a familar feminine voice, he turns his head towards the individual calling out his name.

He sees worried-stricken Harribel, huddle next to her followers observing a breathtaking situation.

Putting no mind to what she was saying, he continues walking towards Hollows who long have raised their white flags.

"You can stop." She laments. "You don't have to continue this meaningless onslaught. You already met the requirement for the next Stratos." 

Stopping his movements, he falters. Looking back to Harribel, he quietly asks, "Why did you come? I am not your concern." 

Noticing the change in emotions and a sense of clarity. She happily grins with a tinge of hope, she said, "It's okay, you can rest now, everybody inside seems to not want to continue."

Convincing Darwin with an analysis on the situation. Darwin's partial red eyes subsides, slowly.

Sung-sun provides a hypothesis on why Darwin is acting this way, she begins with asking, "Darwin, are you doing this because of Figgs?"

Darwin looking towards Sung-sun and said, "Partially."

Disagreeing with his statement, she refutes, "Stop lying! You didn't have this change in personality until Figgs appeared in front of our home."

Tensed, Harribel adds, "We were far away dealing with other matters pertaining to the peace of Menos Forest. You can trust us!"

Shook, he heard Harribel mentioning trust. His eyes clouds with even more red, he responds with a loud and earnest tone, "Trust?! We weren't together that long. You think I can trust you that easily?!"

Harribel replies to his updraft of emotions, "Darwin, why did you stay and take care of Figgs when we could of done the same?"

I...

She exclaims, "The wrong path is filled with thorns and eternal conflict, do you really want that?!"

He sighs, then he shifted to a more grave expression, "Say what you want, my abilities was meant for this."

Witnessing his cold and unforgiving face when blasting a bullet to a nearby Hollows head. With wide eyed, she teared, 'This can't be happening! Not again!'

Sung-sun, Appacci and Rose provides comfort to distressed and anxiety-driven Harribel, who collapsed on the cold stone ground.

Paying no mind to their situation, he thought to himself, 

Comfort breeds weakness.

Her morally correct point of view was a hinderance to killing Figgs.

--

Muro De Regla lifts its rules, opening up an exit for the living who survived its treacherous rules.

However, only one individual jumped out of the platform, Darwin walks towards the white monolith with lines. Before he placed his palms on it. Harribel quickly pulls him away to talk sense into him.

"You have a chance to redeem yourself, what happened to your chivalrous side?" She asked.

Shaking the grip off, Darwin talks back with a louder voice, "It's in the past, I need strength in order to overcome my shortcomings."

She then comforted him, "You don't have any shortcomings, I like the way you were before. I felt something for the first time when I first met you."

Is she being genuine?

"Was this how you thought of me?" He slowly reminisces on past conversations with Harribel.

Closing his eyes, he looks back to the method of moving to the next Stratos.

"Even if you hate it, I will stand by your side," Harribel pledged.

Shocked by this revelation, Appacci asserts, "Lady Harribel! Why are you doing this for Darwin?!"

Rose and Sung-sun pulls Appacci away from her and said, "You should respect Lady Harribel's decision."

Appacci refutes, "But with Darwin?! He mercilessly killed anyone he saw on that platform, whether or not they had or hadn't had the intentions to cause him harm!"

Darwin replies, "Actions speak louder than words, if you show that you are trustworthy, then I will reconsider this thought."

Gradually, his left red eye returns normal.