18 The Fate Of Friends

[12:03 AM, Thursday 4th of May, 2023]

~SQUELCH~

The terrifying Demon's unoccupied hand snatched at Lisa's mouth, swiftly tearing out her tongue with its sharp claws.

"Ahhhh!!!" Lisa's scream burst out, her eyes widening in horror as the Demon devoured her tongue with a wicked grin on its face. It was a nightmarish encounter she had never expected.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

{You will soon die.}

'N-no! Not like this. I can't die like this...' Lisa thought, panicking as she watched the monster lick its lips.

'Somebody... anybody... S-save me! Please! Save m-m-mee... p-plea—!"

~CRUNCH!~

The creature struck again, decapitating her and separating her head from her trembling body.

In that moment, Lisa's senses went haywire, but it was fleeting. Soon after, her body gave up the ghost, spilling blood from her severed neck in a red fountain. The crimson pool spread, staining the cold floor beneath her.

'Ahh...'

Perhaps it was due to her special <Authority > but Lisa's consciousness seemed to linger despite the fact that she had died. It was as if time had slowed down, allowing her to reflect on the choices that had led her to this horrific fate.

The image of a young man flashed in her mind, his face filled with innocence and trust.

'M-Mikey...'

She couldn't perceive anything or anyone. Not even the 'Guiding Thought' that had always been there for her.

All that surrounded her was endless darkness, yet the only person who filled her thoughts was the innocent man she had unwittingly condemned to death.

'S-sorry...' Her thoughts echoed in the void as her mind faded into nothingness.

'I'm so sorry...'

At that moment, Lisa officially died.

******

"Urgh... you're too noisy..."

Jake was an incredibly deep sleeper. Waking him up required persistent nudges, and if those weren't given, he could easily snooze until the afternoon without a hint of awareness.

Needless to say, waking up at midnight, even with bloodcurdling screams piercing the air, was too much to ask of him.

Even as multiple Demons feasted on Lisa's remains in the same bed where he slumbered, he merely stirred and mumbled incoherently.

Despite the screams of his other companions, the girls in his Harem, piercing the air, he remained nearly deaf to it all.

That is, until...

"H-huh...? What's happening?" He mumbled, rubbing his groin while groaning.

An odd sensation in his nether regions made him ask, "Who's touching me there?"

His sensitivity in that area ensured he couldn't miss it.

"Hmmm?" Slowly opening his eyes, he gazed around with curiosity, his words slurred.

However, at that very moment, it was too late for him.

~CRUNCH~

In an instant, something was severed from his body.

It had been given many names by many people. Some called it a 'Holy Blade,' some dismissed it as a mere 'Stick,' and a couple even referred to it as a 'Machine Gun.'

There were countless more iconic names, but Jake couldn't recall any of them in his present state.

The shocking sensation and horrifying sight of it being torn away from him threw him into a loud, agonized frenzy.

"MYYYYYY DIIIIIIIICCCCCCKKKKKK!!!"

Tears of pain streamed from his eyes, and his body convulsed with inexplicable agony.

"Haaa.... Arrhhhhhh....Kurghhhhhh!!!" Drool pooled in his mouth, and mucus flowed from his nose.

However, it wasn't until his body somewhat adjusted to the pain that he could fully grasp the situation.

"A-ahh... ahhh...?!" he stammered.

The piercing gazes of the Demons all around the room fixated on him.

"A...ahhh....?"

To his left lay a gruesome sight, what remained of Lisa.

Beside him was a piece of her eyeball, and a pool of blood that had already soaked him irreparably.

"A-ahh... g-girls...?" His whisper sounded more like a pitiful croak as he observed the Demons closing in on him.

"Girls... help me!"

At that moment, he couldn't have known, but the girls he hoped would rescue him were already facing a terrible fate, being devoured by the Demons

Their screams had fallen on deaf ears while he slept peacefully, and even the ruckus created by their <Authority > didn't even wake him up from his deep sleep.

"G-GIRLS!!!" His desperate cry echoed across the room, laced with a sense of entitlement.

Why weren't they coming? They should have all gathered by now to save him!

After all, he was the Hero!

The protagonist!

The Harem master!

The one destined to conquer this Tutorial with the highest score and the least danger.

He was the chosen one, the leader meant to guide this world through its impending dark times.

"GIRLS SAVE ME! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL?!!!" He shouted, his frustration mounting.

But perhaps he had forgotten what he had promised them. The faint voice of the last surviving girl in the room whispered it, just loud enough for Jake to hear.

".... You said... you would... protect... us..."

Despair seemed to engulf the room, its echo hollow and haunting, before the girl's voice was silenced as the Demons continued their gruesome feast.

"Haa... haa....?!"

This wasn't right. It didn't feel right to Jake.

"Why me? Why not someone else? I'm the Hero! I'm the protagonist! I'm the—!!!"

~SQUELCH!~

~CRUNCH~

~SLURP!~

[SYSTEM WARNING]

{You will soon die…}

'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' His hollow thoughts echoed, as he cried in desperation.

"ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH—" Jake's irritating shriek was abruptly stifled as a Demon twisted his neck, ending his pathetic existence.

In the end, he proved powerless without the girls.

The truth was plain and simple: Jake wasn't special.

Devoid of capable companions, he had no worth.

It was unfortunate that this simple truth had eluded the fool during his lifetime. Even in death, he remained unable to accept reality.

'W-why... m-me...?'

And so, Jake too met his end in a wretched, agonizing manner.

All five friends met their demise in that room, a fate they had earned more than most who suffered similarly all over the world due to the Tutorial.

Alas, the Demons had a wonderful feast that early morning.

It wasn't every day they stumbled upon free food.

~CRUNCH!~

[A/N]

What do you all think? A fitting end? Not satisfactory?

Over the top?

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments.

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