"Guess we are up next?" Gold Goblin said to Scarlett, being the only two remaining opponents.
"Yeah, it's just us two," Scarlett said, a smile on her face.
"Well, guess Gold Goblin will have his ass kicked publicly," Odin said through his laugh.
[Next battle: Gold Goblin of Hedj Guild vs. Scarlett of Rose Guild]
[Competing players are to prepare]
"Well, there's not really much to prepare for," Gold Goblin said while smiling, waiting for the system to teleport him and his opponent to the arena.
Scarlett and Gold Goblin were teleported to the arena. Standing apart, face to face with one another, Gold Goblin smiled at Scarlett.
"Odin probably wants you to not go easy on me and whoop my ass. But you see, I can't let that happen—my unborn kids will hate me if I allow that to happen," Gold Goblin said to Scarlett.
"So you want me to go easy on you? If that's what you want, then it's fine," Scarlett said, thinking of ways to weaken herself in order to go easy on Gold Goblin.
"Hahaha, that won't be necessary," Gold Goblin said. "System, I choose to quit," Gold Goblin said, still smiling at Scarlett. Of course, no one could see the smile on his face, but his voice carried enough cheerfulness for one to know.
[Are you sure you want to surrender?]
[Yes/No]
Gold Goblin picked the "Yes" button without giving it a second thought.
[Winner: Scarlett of Rose Guild]
[Advances to the semi-finals]
Scarlett and Gold Goblin were both teleported back to the lounge after the system announcement.
"Yo, what the hell, bro? You didn't even put up a fight! How can you be so stupid to surrender before you even begin fighting? That is so dumb, so, so dumb. I thought you were at least half as smart as me," Odin said, furious at Gold Goblin for ruining his fun.
"Shut up, moron. Half as smart as you? That's probably going to make me the dumbest person in the universe. And I do know what I'm doing. Let me ask you a question, Odin—do you think I can win?" Gold Goblin asked, already collapsing onto a couch.
"No, I certainly believe you will have your ass whooped like you always have. That will be fun as hell to watch," Odin said, breaking into small laughs in between.
"See? What's the point of fighting, then, if I'm going to lose? That's just dumb and a waste of time and effort. Plus, it's against Scarlett. It would have been an embarrassing loss, like someone's battle," Gold Goblin said.
"Tsk, talk about being a scaredy cat. What about the adrenaline rush? The fun in a good ol' battle against someone stronger than you? What about the 'evolve right here and now' mentality you get when facing Scarlett?" Odin asked.
"Well, I guess you're still as dumb as ever. No, thank you. I didn't have to embarrass myself in the name of an adrenaline rush like a certain someone, and that's good for me. Well, guys, I'll be off. Got some meetings to be at, sadly. Speaking of meetings—hey, Nemesis, if you send your message, that's going to put me in a big mess. I mean, the president of Mer knows that the both of us are partners, thanks to my stupidity. If the people involved in your parents' case are as powerful as that, and the ones in the demon betrayal case are even worse, what's going to happen to me? Because I, for one, know that I'll be doomed. My companies and hard work will be going down the drain. What the heck am I supposed to do about that, genius?" Gold Goblin asked, pained, finally realizing how doomed he would be when Nemesis made his statement.
"It's actually simple, Gold Goblin. Sell everything and go into hiding like us. We stock a safe house that no one alive aside from you knows about. Come on, don't lie to me—I know you have one. You're not that dumb. We have enough food to last us two years, and then we stay put. Well, you guys stay put until the apocalypse descends," Nemesis said, sounding like someone obviously stating the obvious.
Gold Goblin was speechless after listening to Nemesis.
"Are you crazy??? I am the richest man in the world! Just to be clear, in case you don't understand the significance of that statement—I hold a stake in the world's economy! If I sell all my assets, it's going to have a big blow on the economy—a big blow! Do you want to destroy the economy of the world? Come on, man, there are innocent people in all of this, you know," Gold Goblin asked, confused over Nemesis' nonchalant attitude toward the problem at hand.
"Well, honestly, yes. I want the economy to crumble. I want our world to descend into some state of anarchy, or let's say, apocalypse. Wanna know why?" Nemesis asked.
"Shoot. Perhaps you've finally given up on this world. Listen, Nemesis, I know that the world has been cruel to you. But not just you—it's been cruel to all of us, you know that? Well, except Gold Goblin. Life has been unfair to us all. So if you want the world to go into anarchy as a means of getting back at what happened to your parents, then I must say—you have a lot to learn, which is understandable. You're still a young man. Have you graduated from a university yet? Cause—wait, you're still a virgin, right? Dude, honestly, I think we have to talk. You have a lot to—"
"Odin, if you say any more than that, I will have you stripped naked in the middle of a busy street," Nemesis said, shutting up the dumb and annoying Odin.
"Relax, you all. I want the economy to fail and the world to start failing in everyday life because the faster our world descends into anarchy, especially as a result of the apocalypse, the more active what's left of the Supreme Will can be in our world. What happens when every human plays Apocalypse? Well, unlike other games, it won't lead to a failed society. Food production will continue, medicine will not fail—probably advance, even—things will continue to run smoothly. People will continue being fed, but no longer with Earth currency, but Apocalypse currency. The Supreme Will will take care of all of that. That will benefit the world greatly, will it not? And the most important reason—the apocalypse will descend faster, giving us the chance to adapt quicker," Nemesis explained.
"I see. And how do you know all of this?" Gold Goblin asked, voicing what had been on everyone's mind for a while now—Nemesis always seemed to know a lot about the apocalypse, more than he normally should be able to know.
"Because I'm a regressor," Nemesis said almost instantly, replying to Gold Goblin without giving it a second thought.
"Whaaaatt?!" Everyone chorused, even Scarlett.
"Whaaaat? You're a regressor? That's pretty slick, man! It's no wonder you're always ten steps ahead, dude. That is so awesome!" Odin couldn't help but say, screaming loudly.
"Hey, I get why Odin is thrilled, but you—seriously? You just had to say it like it's no big deal? Come on, bro, where's the secret thingy that most main characters and regressors do in novels? This doesn't feel right. Are you going to silence us now for knowing your biggest truth?" Gold Goblin asked, worried.
"What biggest truth? What's so special about people knowing I'm a regressor? I don't care. Whether you know or not, whether you strategize thanks to knowing, I'm still going to kill you if you're an enemy. No suspense. Perhaps time might be the only thing delaying it," Nemesis said plainly.
"So just like him—confident as ever," Shadow said.
"Hey, Shadow, don't go falling in love with Nemesis. It will break your heart, trust me. This man has no feelings for your gender at—" Odin's words were cut short as he was almost pegged to the wall by a dagger thrown by Nemesis.
"Alright, I take back what I just said," Odin said, spooked out by Nemesis' ruthlessness.
"Hey, what was I like in my last life? Didn't I die old and rich, with so many women at my feet? Was I known as the greatest man to ever live? Come on, tell me, bro! You can't do this to me—spit it out already!" Odin asked, like a silly child asking for candy.
"Well, if you wanna know, I'd be glad to tell you. You lost against the demons, ripped apart piece by piece, cooked, and eaten with a nice stew by the demons. Like it, right?" Nemesis said.
"Nah, it's alright. Thank God for second chances, I must say," Odin said, feeling pale imagining the way he had died.
"And Gold Goblin, yours wasn't so nice either. None of ours were. We lost against the demons, and they weren't kind to us in our last moments. So let's get our revenge in this life. What do you say about that?" Nemesis asked, standing up and preparing to log out, with a big semifinal match ahead the following day.
"Sounds good. Let's make them pay for turning us into delicious stew," Odin said.
"Uhm, you mean you, right? You were the only one made into a stew," Gold Goblin reminded him.
"Oh, wow, thanks for the reminder. Well, let's show the demons this time around for turning me into a delicious stew," Odin said.
Everyone followed suit and logged out after Nemesis.