"I am resigning," Jackie told them in a soft, humble voice.

"Huh?!" Earl shouted in surprise, he was afraid if Jackie was resigning for real.

"EH..?" Sarah froze, "Are you.. serious?" She asked in a shaking voice. Her hand on Jackie's shoulder was shaking too.

"Hm. That is all that I wanted to tell you—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, man!" The door opened and a tall man with a good build but a.. rather a young look on his face, came out of the door.

'Fast! I could not even sense his movements!' Jackie's eyes went wide in admiration once again.

"Whoa, sorry, man. I was just- it is okay if you do not want to call me by my first name, it is totally okay. Do not talk about resignation. Why would you resign just because I told you to call me by my first name? Do not be insane!"

He quickly grabbed Jackie's forearms before Jackie could even notice it. He was not able to pull his hands out.

"I am not resigning–"

"Of course, you are not! Do not say something so silly again, you literally gave me a heart attack."

"Ah~" Sarah let out a sigh of relief, "Seriously!" she punched Jackie's deltoid playfully.

"Of course, he is not, right Sarah?" his light green eyes turned to his little sister [not really little they both are past their mid-twenties, so not so little].

"Yeah~ okay, now that you are not resigning [you just gave us a heart attack] I will leave you and my brother Earl together. See ya~"

She pulled up her jacket in a seductive way, her waist bounced from left to right as she walked out of the floor with her black dress on.

"...she is sexy."

"....." Jackie was left speechless, "And she is your sister. Are you lusting over your own–"

"I mean, she is that seductive only in front of you. Have you noticed– I mean, have you seen how serious and cold she is in front of other members?" Earl said in order to clear a horrible misunderstanding.

"And I do not have a sister complex, you know that.. very well,"

"Right.. sorry, sir. How can I forget you are afraid of women–"

"Not afraid, Jackie!" he lifted his thick arm and smacked Jackie's deltoid, "It is just a phobia of women."

"Gynophobia, yes."

"But that does not mean I am gay. Just so you know." Earl looked at Jackie– never mind.

"Leave that aside, sir."

"Right, what did you come here for?" he asked.

"As I said, I am resigning."

"As I said, do not play something that silly again,"

"I am not, sir.."

"Ah," Earl turned around and walked away from Jackie, "I heard that Ainz's is dead?"

"He is.. and that is sad."

"Well.." following Earl, Jackie too entered the big room. Earl bent down and picked up a remote, "Our Tye does not look that sad though, someone is bursting with happiness."

Earl pressed a button and a video started playing on the big 5-foot long Television screen.

"....is he for real?" Jackie muttered when he saw Tye bursting with happiness as he was gaming virtually in the.. in his arcade.

"He is smashing things for real.." Earl added, "Not like it is a problem but see how happy he is, do you want me to put on the volume?"

Jackie nodded, "Fuck! Mute it!" shouted as soon as Earl turned on the volume. Tye's irrational screaming and shouting were loud enough to tear anyone's ears.

"Insane!" Earl shouted cheerily.

"He is lost in his own world," Jackie commented. Tye was wearing a live virtual video game asset that allows the player to join the VR MMORPG games.

There are games for every genre, assassination, adventure, cultivation, training, Traits training, ring boxing, ancient games, world-building, apocalypse, military, world war, then army games like call of duty, sports [Hockey, cricket, baseball, badminton, soccer, football, beach volleyball, shooting, archery, etc. literally every sport possible], car and bike racing games, martial arts, and open-world games, etc.

"He is totally fired up," Jackie commented again.

Tye was throwing fists around the whole arcade. Of course, the arcade had physical gaming systems too. And Tye was smashing, breaking everything.

"Anyway, I heard Ainz's is dead."

"He is."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Perform the resurrection ritual and bring him back."

"We can not, sir."

"...His body is no more?"

Jackie hummed. He threw his head down in grief.

"Fuck." Earl gritted his teeth and bit his lip, "Fuck, Jackie!"

"Fuck, sir. I am angry too,"

"Who did it? That sixteen-year-old Ryan? I will fucking kill him–"

"Vampire." Jackie corrected Earl.

"Huh?" His eyes went wide, "What did you.."

"A Pure vampire, sir. Do not know who though,"

"Eh, since when are vampires interfering with our business?"

"Yeah, they are like the third party."

"Shit is between us humans, why are vampires, other race is interfering?"

"We are in no position to fight them either,"

"We would lose everything," Earl added.

"Wait, Ryan is sixteen?"

"Will be seventeen in the spring of 2072 though,"

"I see.."

"Wait. does that mean, vampire agents, and our agents are.. working together?"

"Yes.. I mean, maybe. Because vampires have their agents, spies all over the Earth just like we do,"

"Just that we lack power. We are bigger than them in the majority too."

"Right that. But we are not powerful enough. An average vampire is as powerful as two-three well-trained humans."

Earl did not reply. He walked around in the room, "I want you to investigate into this, Jackie."

"...I am telling you, sir, I am resigning." Earl stopped near a window. He pulled his hands behind him.

"So you were serious,"

"I was, and am. I wonder if this decision will change."

"Can I ask you why?" Earl asked without looking at him.

"Because I was not able to fulfill my duty as the second in command. I just sat here whilst a vampire killed my left-hand man. I could do nothing."

"Regret. You are regretting the loss of your commander. It is alright."

"Thank you. I know that after I resign you will have to wash my memory of the Underworld. I am ready for that," Jackie said with confidence.

Earl stood there without saying anything for a minute or so.

"I told you, do not play this skilly prank again," Earl tightened his fists.

"I would not fight against you," as soon as Jackie said that, Earl loosened his fists.

"But, I would not let you resign, and I do not want my second in command to work half-assed, or work because of my pressure."

"Although this is my passion, sir.. I think this is the time I must resign-"

"It has been ten years, right? Long time. But, this is not the end, this is just the start of our journey. Just because you lost one commander does not mean you failed or you should resign,"

"Haha.. I am old enough already, I lost the motivation, and.. my passion to work,"

"I can not let you resign. I have lost more commanders than you have, and you know it.. better than anyone else."

"I must resign,"

"I must not tell you to do so,"? Earl raised his voice.

"Then.. I must fight you, I am willing to fight you," Jackie clenched his fists, Earl did the same.

"I must defeat you."

"I must defeat– it is getting annoying,"

"Must get annoying."

"I respect you, sir."

"I do too, Jackie."

"But if things have come to this.."

"We have no other choice but to solve this matter by a fight."

A loud sound came from Earl and Jackie.

* Wheeze! *

A long, perfectly curved, heavy, beautiful Katana appeared between Earl's fists, in his hands, gripped tightly around its grip.

* Fizz! *

With a fizzing sound, the fire started sprouting out of Jackie's blue hair and his forearms, from his calves too.

"I will resign if I pin you down. I will not resign and work passionately if you pin me down." Jackie proposed.

"Of course..Or.. whatever," Earl dropped the Katana, before it would fall, it disappeared from the ground.

Jackie was confused, "Sir– ugh!" Jackie gasped.

He found his body losing weight, with the help of gravity, Jackie was on the floor the next second.

A heavyweight was on the top of his chest, he struggled to get up but a hand appeared in front of his face, the next second, the same beautiful green Katana appeared in front of his face, then down to his neck.

"Do not worry, I will increase your salary so that you get motivated to even more," Earl told Jackie with a smile as he sat on Jackie's chest.

His sword had pinned Jackie down, "Be a good brother, do not use your fire on me, our terms were to pin each other, do not go any further or it would not take me even a microsecond to snap your neck."

Jackie giggled, "It has been ten years..." Earl got off Jackie's chest and offered him a hand, "And three since we last engaged into a fight.."

He took Earl's hand and jumped off the ground easily, "But I have neither been able to beat this sixteen-year-old kid nor the 26-year-old God of the American Underworld,"

"Do not sweat it, we will engage into a friendly yet serious showdown one day. One day."

"I will get back to work now.."

"Na-ha. Wait." Earl turned his eyes to Jackie, his green eyes were glowing like bright emerald, "Your resignation is rejected but.. you get a paid leave."

"Huh?"

"For how many days do you want the paid leave for?" Earl asked.

"T- three months?" he quickly responded, not taking that for granted, "That would be enough."

"Okay. Enjoy your three-month-long vacation, Jackie. We will get back to work this Thanksgiving,"

.

..

...

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