'This will be too easy!'

Adam's eyes bulged as he raised his blade above his head.

He had never stabbed someone, but he had seen enough violent movies to know how it was done.

He just had to thrust the dagger into Adonis' chest, and apparently, the blade would do the rest of the work.

Adam could feel saliva form in his mouth.

Whether this was due to him salivating, or merely a sign of nervousness, it was impossible to tell.

One thing was certain, though…

'I have to do this!'

Adam had already made up his mind.

His eyes gave off a murderous glare to represent this, and he strengthened his muscles as he prepared for the thrust.

'It's nothing personal, Adonis…' He mouthed, though his wide grin told a different story.

'… I just gotta do it!'

~WHOOOOSH!~

The blade sliced through the dark space around it as it descended to complete its task.

As it fell, Adam's eyes widened even further, as if waiting for the first sight of blood and guts gushing out of his target.

Much to his inescapable shock… that was not meant to happen.

~CLANG!~

The dagger was met with a golden field that surrounded Adonis' sleeping body, instantly causing the blade to shatter apart upon impact.

"W-what?!" Adam immediately forgot the need to remain silent as he witnessed the impossible.

The dagger's pieces instantly disintegrated into golden light, completely overwhelmed by the power of the field that was struck.

Before Adam could completely recover from the shock, however, he suddenly felt something grab on his throat.

The blurry movement of Adonis' hand had been too fast for his distracted eyes to register, so he didn't notice it until it was too late.

… Until Adonis' grip was completely pressed around his throat.

"So you finally showed yourself… class traitor."

As the odd, but familiar voice echoed in Adam's ears, he saw Adonis open his eyes.

Golden light radiated from them as he sat upright, almost as if he was being pulled by an invisible force that was too much to comprehend.

'H-he's awake?! What?!'

Not only that, but it sounded as though Adonis was expecting him.

"You arrived a bit earlier than I expected. But, after the entire trial with Rey, I figured you would act pretty soon…"

Adam could not understand what Adonis was talking about.

"I suppose the future has slightly deviated off course."

Future? Deviated? What in the world was Adonis talking about?!

"A-gurgh…!" As Adam tried to speak, his throat was further crushed by Adonis' single-handed choke.

"Things weren't meant to happen like this, but I can't complain at this point. The whole goal was to change the future… so I should expect slight changes to the original timeline."

Upon hearing these words, Adam felt like he could figure out what Adonis was trying to imply.

Unfortunately, his brain wasn't getting enough oxygen for him to properly think straight.

Adam felt his heart race uncontrollably.

'I… I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' His thoughts screamed out.

The Adonis he knew would never hurt him, but something about the new vibe that came off of this new Adonis told Adam that he wouldn't hesitate to take his life.

The very thought frightened him.

"I know you probably want me to spare you right now, despite you just attempting to kill me. If it was me back then, I would have surely done so."

Adam felt his heart increase its pace as he heard this.

"I was so naive back then…" He whispered.

Adam saw some measure of hesitation in Adonis' eyes, and for a moment, he thought he actually had a chance.

His brain was so busy trying to survive that it didn't fully process Adonis' words.

It just desperately clung to any sign of his survival.

"But I can't allow you to live. If I do, you'll exploit another opportunity and betray everyone."

Adam had certainly thought of that many times.

"Just like last time, you'll join 'their' side. That would only result in more suffering and needless sacrifices."

Adonis closed his eyes for a second before opening them once again.

This time, the golden radiance in his eyes glowed much brighter than ever.

"I can't allow that—not after coming back to save everyone." He whispered.

"To make sure this world survives… I have to eliminate you right here and now."

Once Adam saw the resolute expression on Adonis' face, he instantly knew his fate was sealed.

'W-wait! Don't kill me!' He tried to yell out, but only muffled screams escaped his lips.

'It's not my fault! I was put up to this! My partner—that son of a bitch was the one who wanted this! Not me! I never wanted this! You should kill him instead!'

Adam desperately wanted to live, but he could not.

So long as Adonis willed it, it was so.

"[Divine Sword Summon]."

A golden ray of light filled the room, and a blade of magnificent beauty and power manifested in Adonis' previously unoccupied hand.

Its presence was unrivaled—its purity unmatched.

This was the Divine Sword; a weapon fit only for a Hero like Adonis.

"Forgive me, Adam. For the little time that we spent together…"

~WHOOOSH!~

"… You were my precious classmate."

Blood splattered all around the room as Adam's body completely disintegrated, leaving his head floating in the air.

Adonis still tightly gripped it, not letting it go for a second despite how coldly he stared at it.

"And so it ends…" He whispered.

All along, Adonis knew there was a mastermind in their class who was pulling the strings.

Why?

Because this was exactly what happened the last time.

'There are slight alterations, but for the most part things are proceeding as they should.'

Adonis knew all that would happen after this—or at least, most of it.

That was how he was able to tell that Rey was innocent.

How he knew everything he knew—including how to address Seraph, and their importance to the denizens of this world.

… How he knew he had to be Hero.

'Everyone should still be asleep…' Adonis' thoughts trailed as he traced his gaze away from Adam's pathetic head.

The fluid motion of the Divine Sword had barely made any sound, so Adonis was convinced his attack hadn't caused any ruckus outside.

"I can't have that." He whispered.

It was better to cause a big ruckus and explain what had happened in a more exaggerated way so as to show everyone the intensity of the situation.

That way, he wouldn't be labeled as a cold-blooded killer.

'I really didn't mean for this to happen…'

Adonis had tried his best to keep his classmates together—to put them in check.

He tried his best to check up on all of them, making sure they all felt safe and protected.

More than anything, he had hoped none of the tragedies of the past would reveal itself again.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

"It can't be helped. More is coming, so I must prepare."

As he said this, the Divine Sword glowed.

Adonis was about to release a mighty blast that would gather enough attention.

He didn't mean to lie, or deceive his classmates.

However—!

'For the sake of the world…'

~BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!~

As his door was blown away by the blast, and several blocks of debris scattered around, Adonis maintained his expression of resolve.

'… This must be done!'

*

*

*

End of Arc 1: The Summoned Otherworlders Arc!

I hope we can all get a better glimpse into Adonis' character and understand everything he does better.