"What...?"
The group stared at the two men, their faces masks of sheer disbelief at such a bold, shameless declaration.
Even Naruru, their enemy, was stunned by the unexpected reaction. Hao was the first to snap out of the shock, shouting at the pair.
"What are you saying?! If you launch a Flame Attribute Attack at that Treant, Shiroi will burn along with it!"
"I’m well aware of that," Cyan replied. "But what happens if we lose because we hesitated? That woman will only grow more powerful, and she might cause even greater disasters down the line."
"It’s a tragedy, but we have to let the boy go," Egos added. "Sometimes, a small sacrifice is necessary to save the many!"
They countered Hao with plausible-sounding logic, but it was nothing more than sophistry meant to justify their own actions. In truth, they weren't planning to sacrifice Shiroi out of some noble, heroic duty. They didn't feel a single shred of guilt toward him.
Quite simply, they just wanted to kill Naruru—the woman who had tricked them and stolen their virginity.
She had snatched away their dream of losing their "first time" to a beautiful game character. They could never forgive her. Instead of lovely, cute maidens, they had gleefully embraced a hag who looked like a monster. To them, it was nothing but a total Dark History.
Naruru had humiliated them, and she had to pay.
The villain who deceives the Protagonist is destined for a "serve them right" ending. That was the fundamental law of an Otherworld Reincarnation Story.
Sacrificing a single child was a small price to pay for that satisfaction.
After all, Shiroi was just a Mob Character who had only appeared to speak a few lines. He was a minor entity with no real value among the game characters, so killing him wouldn't be an issue.
As for the Bad Reputation, they could just claim it was unavoidable. With the Protagonist Charisma on their side, they could spin the narrative however they liked.
Their priority wasn't the life of the Mob Character Shiroi, but the will of the Protagonists—themselves. As Cyan and Egos displayed a self-centeredness that surpassed even Naruru’s malice, Fee desperately clung to them.
"Stop! Don't kill Shiroi! If my brother gets here, he’ll save him for sure! Just wait until then! Please, I’m begging you—!"
"Stay out of this, brat!"
"This is a battle where lives are on the line! This is no place for a child!"
"Uwah?!"
"Fee!"
Cyan and Egos shoved the pleading boy aside. Presia caught the tumbling Fee, her face pale with disbelief, while the two men concentrated their Magic Power. They prepared to unleash the Strongest Flame Attribute Magic in their respective arsenals.
"Now, let's finish this!"
"Burn to ash, you bitch!"
They were confident. With their high Status, two direct hits from their strongest spells would surely end Naruru.
A smirk played on their lips as they imagined the arrogant woman being incinerated. They swelled their Magic Power to its limit, aimed at the massive Treant, and then—
Insufficient MP!!
"...Huh?"
"Wha—?"
As they tried to pour every ounce of their strength into the spell, a pathetic message flickered across their minds.
Confusion gripped them as they felt the spells cancel out. Before they could react, the log-like branches of the massive tree slammed into them, sending them hurtling through the air.
"Gyaaaah!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Ahahaha! How pathetic!" Naruru laughed. "I sucked every last drop of your Magic Power dry during our 'steamy' night together! You were so excited to be with me that you didn't even notice. You really are total morons!"
"Guh... damn it! How could this...?"
Egos had suspected something was off with his body, but he’d chalked it up to post-sex fatigue. Only now did he realize how badly he’d miscalculated.
But it was far too late. They had been completely off-guard, their focus scattered. Cyan had been knocked unconscious by the impact, and Egos found himself pushed to the brink, barely able to stand.
"Y-you guys! Help me! Protect me!"
He barked orders at the Cooking Club members, forcing them to fight Naruru in his place. However, they were mostly Mob Characters; their combat abilities were negligible, and they were cut down one after another.
Panic flared as the possibility of total annihilation became real. Egos's eyes landed on Presia. He staggered toward her, his voice frantic.
"Presia, you... you can use Flame Attribute attacks, right?!"
"What...?"
As a Luminous History Player, Egos remembered her skill set. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his voice rising to a shout.
"Fire! Blast it! You’re the only one who can win this! Burn that Magic Armor Beast, Presia!"
"What are you saying?!" Hao yelled. "You’re telling the President to kill Shiroi?! Do you have any idea what you're asking?!"
"Shut up! Listen to me, Presia! If we don't do this, we're all dead! Everyone in your precious club will be killed and turned into fertilizer for that tree! The only way to save them is for you to kill that monster! You have to do it!"
"B-but... I can't...!"
Egos had no strength left to fight, so he tried to force the burden onto someone else. He used the lives of the club members she loved as a shield to coerce her, but Presia couldn't bring herself to murder a child.
Even as he wondered why her Affection Levels weren't higher, Egos felt a rising irritation at Presia—a mere game character—for defying him. He dropped his mask of desperation and began to scream at her.
"I told you to just do it! You people are supposed to follow my—"
"...Hey."
"Huh? Wha—Bugeh!"
A hand tapped Egos on the shoulder. As he turned, a fist slammed squarely into his face.
The blow literally shattered the bridge of his nose. As he spiraled away into unconsciousness, following his partner's lead, Yugo stepped forward, his expression dark with fury.
"That's enough out of you two. Someone who abandons a child and tries to force a murder on someone else doesn't deserve to call himself a Hero."