~VWUUUSHH!~

A pool of black energy suddenly emerged from out of nowhere, having a mucky slimy texture that danced in the air.

It wrapped itself around Legris' waving hand, swallowing the fragment he held in the fraction of a second..

One moment it was present, the next it was as if it never existed, to begin with.

"All that's left is to take care of the trash. They'll be dead eventually anyway. Might as well do them the favor of kicking the their buckets."

Hearing him say those words enraged me, but I kept my cool.

Acting rash at such a critical moment would be stupid at this point. There were a lot more factors to consider, and this was a very important moment for us after all the time we spent tracking him down.

Any wrong step could cost us.

"Still, I'm surprised that Neron isn't here. Some husband he is, am I right? Leaving his wife hanging like that, and putting you all in such a shitty situation.."

The more I thought of everything, and listened to Legris, the more my chest tightened.

The expression Serah was making told me enough about the state of her heart, and I found it to be a miracle that she hadn't taken action yet.

She sent a glance at me, an it instantly sent me a message.

'The only reason I haven't killed that bastard myself.. is because of the plan, Jared.'

And I knew her self control wouldn't be able to last forever.

"And what about your, Jared? All your time away from your friends and family.. how did you feel? I personally would have liked to do something about your parents, you know? But, Neron had to just send them off to safety."

My heart raced even more, but I still kept my cool.

"Hmm.. just thinking about what I would do to them. Your mother looks so soft and young. And your father is such a workaholic. I feel like I could arrange something to help with her ever-growing loneliness."

I still held it in..

"I know a few starving Nether Beasts. They should be able to help her out a little. Hahaha, don't you think so, Jared? Wouldn't it be hilarious watching your mother do it with those wild mutts? I think it would be fascinating." He kept speaking, and I shut my lips.

"Or what? Not exciting enough for you? Then maybe.. Maria? Should it be her? Yeah, that works best. And for Neron, my very good friend, I'll have to include Serah to the mix. Hahahahaha!"

His disgusting cackles echoed throughout the expanse as he made more dirty and disgusting comments, yet none of us spoke.

No one uttered a word.

I could tell that so many of them wanted to say something, or do something, and so many voices rammed my mind, raging about my inaction.

However, I simply clenched my fist and listened to the pure drivel that Legris spouted.

Until—

"Are you done?" I finally spoke.

"Huh?"

Legris looked a bit surprised to hear me speak. Or rather, shocked to see the smile that was spreading across my face despite the blood curdling words he had just spouted.

"You have been stalling for time all this while, haven't you? Trying to break free from [The World's Resonance], while also making your escape.." My voice, low but deep, slowly began as I stared at him with deadpan eyes.

"... So are you done?"

At this point, all the bravado Legris displayed before all of us slowly began to crumble.

"What did you do?" He asked, his smile slowly vanishing.

"You didn't think you were the only one stalling for time, did you? I endured all of your insults on my friends and family. Did you really think I would do all of that in vain?"

It was now Legris' turn to crease his brows. The soft glare on his face was enough to tell him me that I had gotten him right where I wanted.I think you should take a look at

"You can't run.."

I took a step forward from my allies.

"You can't hide.."

Two more steps, and my eyes began to cackle with golden brilliance.

"... And you can't escape."

I had been waiting for this moment since the time he caused Kahn to assault Ainzlark Academy and kill all those innocent children.

The time when he caused the Demonic Incursion, leading to the death of so many innocents.

The time he disrupted the wedding of two of my closest friends, separating them for so long.

And finally, the moment I laid eyes on the destruction he had wreaked upon the first world I stepped into.

All of those instances culminated into this very event.

"The rest of you, protect the civilians.." I mumbled, energy slowly dancing all over my body.historical

I could sense the unease my allies had. A lot of them tried to send me mental messaeges, but I blocked all of it and took another step forward.

The initial plan was for the team to gang up on Legris and defeat him with our combined effort. However, the way things had turned out now.. I wouldn't be satisfied unless I was the one to do it.

'I'm sorry for being selfish Serah, everyone. But.. ' My eyes sharpened with resolve, and all the energy I had been stocking for this very moment erupted at once.

"... I'll take care of him myself."

~WHOOOOOOOOSSHHHH!~

"Hold on, Jared, we still aren't done tal—"

Before Legris could conclude his words, or even sneak in a little attack to catch me off-guard, I was already right in front of him.

"W-wha—?!"

Using Unknowable] alongside [The Hermit] an [The Tower], while being amplified by the other Arcanas, I could achieve an unreal level of speed and instant travel.

Adding Spellcraft, which I had already prepared for by suplicating Lemi's dome strategy and cloaking them with [Perfect Unknowable], to allow me blend with the residual Aether in the air, I was completely unstoppable.

In simple terms.. I could be anywhere and everythere at once.

"You insulted my family, Legris. Don't expect a simple death."

*

*

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[A/N]

Looks like Jared isn't joking around any longer.

How many of you thought he was just being a stupid bitch when he let Legris say all of that?

I have to admit, I was a little impatient myself.

Thanks for reading.

Discord Link: https://discord.gg/yMPNRURZJh