Rowen put more strength into his axe. The pressure on Jax's blade doubled.

"What the hell are you doing, kid?" His voice was low. Dangerous. "You know who you're trying to protect?"

Jax struggled against the overwhelming force. His arms shook but his smile didn't fade.

"Protect? Her?" He laughed through gritted teeth. "Nah. Why would I do that?"

Rowen's eyes narrowed. "Don't piss me off more with your stupid brain. I'm already pissed because of her."

He gave a quick glance to his side. Kessiri. The catwoman rival who had been fighting him for kills the entire battle.

Then Rowen pulled his axe back. Ready to launch another attack.

On the other side, Kessiri stopped. Her blade lowered.

Jax didn't know why she backed off. But he was relieved. At least he only had to deal with one bastard now.

Rowen's attack came down hard.

'Tssk. This is gonna hurt like a bitch. The vibration alone will drop my HP.'

But then he sensed something. The air around him shifted. Something was coming from behind.

In the next moment, Rowen's hands froze. Locked right above his head. Invisible threads wrapped around his wrists.

He knew exactly who it was.

"What's the meaning of this, Headmistress?" He didn't turn around.

Lysandra walked toward him slowly. Her heels clicked against the broken stone.

"I should ask you the same thing." Her voice was cold. Authoritative. "What are you doing? Delivering a killing blow to your former faculty member?"

Rowen snarled. "Did you not see? This traitor is protecting her! She's one of them!"

Lysandra didn't respond immediately.

She had seen Jax act as a shield a moment ago. But she also knew he was the one who sacrificed his position because of his rage against these people. Something was off here. Something was missing.

"Jax." Her amber eyes locked onto him. "Answer him. Why are you doing this?"

She paused.

"Answer thoughtfully. It may determine your fate today."

Jax relaxed his stance. His blade lowered.

"I'm still saying the same thing. I'm not interrupting to help her."

"Then what?"

He smiled. That dangerous smile that made everyone uncomfortable.

His arm wrapped around Masha's stomach. Pulling her close.

"She deserves more than a simple death." His voice dropped. "And I deserve more than just a simple revenge."

He looked at Masha's terrified face.

"I'm done with their top leaders. Had my sweet revenge against them. But this one is left." His grip tightened. "How can I leave her after what they did to Adelina? Don't I deserve this?"

Lysandra processed his words. The others were still trying to understand what he meant.

"And what do you want to do with her?"

"Oh, nothing much."

His finger traced through Masha's hair. Then down to her cheek.

"Just something she will remember for her entire life."

Lysandra frowned slightly.

'Entire life? Will he not kill her?'

She didn't know that champions just went back to their stupid lives after getting killed here. To her, this sounded like prolonged torture. Something worse than death.

"Fine." She stepped back. "Do whatever you want. But hand her over to us after you're done with your revenge."

Jax grinned. "Okie. I promise."

Then he grabbed Masha. Same position as Zoe before. Ass forward. Head hanging down. Carried like luggage.

He looked around for a good spot. Somewhere private. Somewhere he could have his sweet revenge without an audience.

The palace was destroyed. Everything around them was rubble. He couldn't do it in the open.

Then he spotted it.

Far from the palace. The city. Houses still intact. Silent because of the war but untouched by the destruction.

Found it.

He started walking toward his destination.

Masha hung there. Gulping. Terrified beyond words.

'He's gonna do something extreme. Gore. Torture. While keeping me alive to hand over to that woman.'

The thought haunted her. Every step he took made it worse.

She wasn't the only one thinking that.

Lysandra, Rowen, and Kessiri all had the same thought. Something more terrifying than death was about to happen to this girl.

She had looked cute at first. Innocent even.

But her deeds in this war had shaken that image completely. The destruction she caused. The lives she took. The chaos she orchestrated.

This was punishment from god.

While Jax walked, his eyes caught something.

Harry.

The necromancer was on his knees. Lifeless expression. Lost in his own thoughts. Completely ignoring Lucindra standing in front of him with a predatory smile.

Jax's lips curved into something devilish.

"By the way, Lysandra." He called back without stopping. "That guy there? He's the leader of their group."

A lie.

Masha was the actual leader. But if they knew that, they wouldn't let him have her. Harry could be their vice leader anyway. Close enough.

"Tell Lucindra not to kill him. You can get a lot of information from him." He shrugged. "Not that I care. I've had my revenge on him already."

He paused.

"But I'm pretty sure he's sitting there wanting death right now. So don't give it to him."

His voice turned colder.

"Lock him up. Do whatever you want. But don't let him die. It will be worse than death for him."

He took a few more steps.

"And if you really want to torture him? Let him roam the academy. Keep him on a tight leash. I'm pretty sure he'll die a million times inside watching all the couples there. Recalling his stupid one-sided love."

He glanced back one more time.

'When I kill every champion left, excluding him, I can come back and finish him to win this game.'

'Am I going overboard? Nah. He deserves it. He's taken many lives. Only fair.'

The others stood there confused. Still processing what he meant.

Jax spotted Azara and Thalia looking at him from across the battlefield. Their eyes asking questions.

He ignored them.

Talks can wait.

He rushed toward the city. Masha bouncing with every step.

The first house he saw looked rich enough. Fancy door. Clean walls. Untouched by war.

He knocked.

Not even a millisecond passed after knocking, and yet he broke the door anyway.

Masha's terror peaked. She could feel herself about to piss any moment now.

She recalled what happened to her brother. The brutal humiliation and how he was broken. The way Jax had first tormented Harry and then it wasn't over he had added more, much more things a moment ago. That was pure monstrosity.

But that was only half of it.

The other half. What actually happened to Zoe. The things only Harry witnessed.

If Masha knew that part too, she wouldn't just piss herself.

She would shit herself and pass out at the same time.

Jax carried her through the house. Searching for a room.

Then he found it. A bedroom door at the end of the hallway.

He was close. Hand reaching for the handle.

Then he heard voices from inside.

"Again?! Seriously?! That's it?!"

A woman's voice. Loud. Frustrated.

"I told you to last longer! What was that? Three minutes?! My grandmother's funeral lasted longer than you!"

A man's voice responded weakly. "Honey, please, there was a war outside and I was stressed—"

"Stressed?! YOU were stressed?! I've been waiting all week! ALL WEEK! And you give me three pumps and a sorry?!"

"It wasn't three pumps—"

"It was THREE! I counted! One, two, three, and then you made that stupid face!"

"Can we not talk about my face right now—"

"Oh, now you're embarrassed about your face?! You weren't embarrassed when you finished before I even started!"

"The explosions were distracting—"

"THE ONLY THING EXPLODING WAS YOUR—"

Jax opened the door.

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