The End of Twisted Obsession

Two left.

"Die!!"

I dodged Marco's wild haymaker to the side and slipped through the gap in his guard, slamming my fist straight into his already blood-smeared face. Whether it was because he was exhausted, or maybe because my Fighting skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had improved... his movements felt noticeably slower, like I could track them clearly.

Thwack—

My punch landed squarely on his face, but he didn't go down.

"Urgh!"

He staggered back a step, grimacing in agony, but glared at me with bulging eyes and spat curses.

"You fucking bitch... fucking bitch!!! I'll never forgive you!! I'm gonna beat you to death!!"

He charged at me again right away.

He's tough, alright...

Unlike the chaotic brawl when there were three of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them, this fight felt more organized somehow. Marco was aggressively attacking but, unlike before, keeping his guard up properly for defense. The other guy... Giovanni, I think that was his name. He wasn't being aggressive, keeping his distance from me and only striking when I let my guard down or showed an opening—like opportunistic ambushes.

In some ways, it was trickier than before. I could've charged in recklessly, but the concerns were killing them—nope, can't do that—and them getting scared and running away. I could chase down one if he bolted, but if both ran at once, no way I could catch them.

Things that felt simple when I was just swinging wildly got way more complicated once I started thinking...

I pretended to be tiring, showing them they had a chance, then carefully observed the situation.

Giovanni, hanging back, was clearly ready to bolt at Marco's signal or if he went down.

I won't let you escape.

Two plans came to mind. Take out Marco quick and chase the runner, or bait Giovanni into attacking and subdue him on approach.

Taking Marco first wasn't easy. He was durable, and subduing without killing wasn't like the movies—no instant knockout chop to the neck.

Baiting Giovanni? Tried a few times, but he was too cautious. Failed to grab him, and now he was even more careful.

Maybe take a hit on purpose to lure him in?

I shook my head. No way. Showing recovery from a club to the head—a clear lethal blow—might spark more than suspicion. It could convince them I was a monster.

"Just die already!!!"

I evaded Marco's incoming punches in sequence, aiming to topple his balance with a full-force kick to his leg.

Crack—

Unfortunately, it hit his shin, not enough to drop him.

"Urgh!!"

But he writhed in pain...

Come to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think of it... breaking a leg won't kill him. And running won't be easy...

The moment I realized that, I launched not a low kick, but jumped and tackled his shin with my full body weight.

Snap—

The instant my foot connected, I heard his bone crack, followed by Marco's agonized scream echoing out.

"Gaaaaahhh!!"

Confirming his leg was definitely broken, I whipped my head toward Giovanni—he was trying to flee, just as expected.

"Think I'll let you run?!"

I scrambled up and gave chase. My start was delayed, but catching him wasn't hard. I ran every morning, and luckily, he wasn't the speedy type.

He barely lasted a few minutes before tripping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over an unnoticed rock while glancing back at me.

Now he couldn't run, facing me directly.

"T-Te... Teresa... sorry. Please... please... spare me. It was all my fault... no, it was all Marco's idea! I never wanted to bully you! Believe me! I-I... really, man... please... please...!"

He begged for mercy, but I had zero intention of forgiving him.

"I won't kill you."

"Please... f-for... give... m-me..."

I slowly clenched my fist.

"But I'll beat you right to the brink of death."

"Eek—!"

I couldn't waste too much time on him. I finished him off as quickly as possible and opened the quest window to check the count.

Good... just Marco left.

I dragged the downed Giovanni back to where I'd left Marco. Even with his leg injured, he'd tried crawling away— he was found a bit further from where he'd collapsed.

"Where do you think you're going."

As I approached and spoke, he turned in surprise. His face still mixed rage and wariness.

"...You... what did you do to Giovanni!?"

I tossed the dragged Giovanni at his feet in answer.

"Giovanni!!"

Staring at his fallen friend, revenge burned fiercely in Marco's eyes.

"You... you fucking bastard!!! I'm really gonna kill you this time. You... fucking bitch!!!"

I'd lost count of how many times I'd heard that from him by now.

"You're the last one."

I caught my breath and approached slowly.

"What...?!"

But as I closed in, realization dawned, and terror began overwhelming the anger on his face.

"D-don't... don't come closer!!! You fucking bastard!!!"

He struggled to rise on his broken leg to flee, but it buckled in pain, and he collapsed again.

"By the way, try not to die. I might not control my strength."

Part of me wanted to kill him, but I couldn't.

His screams echoed for a while... until they stopped. Right on cue, the notification rang.

I held off completing it and opened the quest window again to confirm.

I was curious about the hidden extra reward, but James nagged at me too.

"James."

He'd undeniably lured me into a trap, and I was furious... but I didn't want anything bad happening to him.

An uneasy feeling crept in.

"He ran off to find the flowerpot earlier... hasn't gotten it back yet?"

I glanced in the direction he'd bolted.

"Not like I have time to spare though..."

Next, I quickly checked my status for the buff Vanessa had cast.

Dealing with Marco's gang took longer than expected, but time was still plenty. And reassuringly, Vanessa—who could recast the buff—was here in Eggnew Village with us, so no rush back to the monastery.

Alright... time to find James and the flowerpot.

I hurried off in the direction James had run.