"What the fuck was that?" Rizki reacted in shock, his voice filled with disbelief as he just noticed something insane.
Another arrow had shot dangerously close to his face, and it was only his lightning-fast reflexes that allowed him to barely dodge it.
"Two rapid arrows, and you still managed to dodge?" Liora replied in a calm and composed manner, a hint of amusement in her tone. She didn't seem surprised by her own skill. With effortless grace, she notched another arrow, her sapphire-colored bow gleaming in the dim light of the room.
Rizki's heart raced as he tried to anticipate her next move. He knew he was facing an archery master, and every moment counted. He dodged to the left, then quickly to the right, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles that came his way.
But in an instant, everything changed.
Snap!
An arrow hit him right on the head, a direct and devastating hit that sent him tumbling backward. His own arrow slipped from his grasp as he struggled to maintain his balance.
"The winner is Liora Nightshade!" the referee declared, bringing the intense duel to an end.
Liora lowered her bow, her expression a mix of satisfaction and respect. "Not bad, actually, Rizki," she complimented, her voice carrying a note of genuine admiration. With a gentle touch, she wiped her sapphire-colored bow clean, a ritual she followed after every battle.
The quadruplets watched the scene unfold, their expressions a mixture of surprise and pride.
"I guess this is it," Eva began, breaking the silence. "Rizki is deadly in archery, but everyone knows how terrifying the Grand Master's archery can be."
Eve nodded in agreement. "To think that Rizki was able to dodge two out of her three deadly arrows is quite an achievement."
Evelyn chimed in, "Only hero-grade warriors can dodge her archery, and even then, it's not guaranteed."
Rizki, still recovering from the shock of the duel, wiped his brow and replied, "Well, I've always believed that rules are meant to be broken."
With that, he stood and made his way out of the area. Before leaving, he bowed to the referee as a sign of respect and gratitude. Then, he continued on his path.
But Liora couldn't help but ask, "Where will you go?"
Rizki's response was unwavering and resolute. "I'll be on a mission to decimate the beastmen until the hero comes out."
Rizki's announcement hung in the air, a declaration of his unwavering determination to take matters into his own hands and confront the looming threat of the hero and the shady businessmen.
But before he could take another step, Liora intervened. She stepped forward, her expression a mixture of concern and sternness.
"Rizki, you can't do that," she said firmly, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "Decimating the beastmen, especially indiscriminately, is considered a war crime."
Rizki paused, his face conflicted. He knew Liora was right, but the urgency of the situation gnawed at him. He had witnessed the suffering of the abducted girls, and he couldn't stand idly by.
"Then that's my plan," Rizki asserted, determination burning in his eyes. "If you don't want to help or allow me to assist you, then I'll find my own way to stop this madness."
The room was tense with the gravity of his decision. Rizki was ready to walk a treacherous path if it meant protecting the innocent.
Rizki stood at a crossroads, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. The determination that had driven him to consider a dangerous path had met its match in the unwavering convictions of his wives.
Everyn, the slowest to react, had ultimately chosen to follow her husband's choice. The revelation of the plan to decimate an entire race was terrifying, a madness that seemed beyond comprehension. But for Rizki, it was a course of action driven by what he perceived as a necessary evil.
"In my past life," Rizki began, his voice tinged with a hint of grimness, "we didn't hesitate to confront authority figures, even the police, to ensure justice prevailed. Genocide an entire race may seem extreme, but it's a means to an end."
Evelyn, however, was quick to voice her concerns. She took a stand, challenging Rizki with a cold glare. "But you're not telling me you're willing to slaughter innocent children and mothers as well?"
Rizki's words carried a warning, a threat veiled behind his deep concern. "You can leave me if you don't want to follow this. I can do this myself without your help."
The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Rizki, and he found himself surrounded by his wives, each expressing their dissent in their own way after he mentioned those.
"We can't allow you to kill innocents," Everyn declared timidly, her voice trembling with worry.
Eva, always quick to assert herself, took a more direct approach. She placed a sharp card against Rizki's neck, her eyes locked onto his with a deadly seriousness. "I will end your life if you go through with this," she stated unequivocally.
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air as the quadruplets and Liora watched the standoff between Eva and Rizki. It was a moment of ultimatum, where the consequences of Rizki's choices hung in the balance.
Rizki let out a deep sigh, his gaze shifting between Eva and the other quadruplets. He recognized the gravity of the situation and the deep-seated convictions of those around him.
He began to explain the dire consequences of allowing the situation to escalate further. "If we don't act now, it won't just be the tempeh material. The corruption will spread like a contagion, and innocent lives will be at stake. We'll be the ones facing extinction."
Rizki's voice held a somber tone as he continued, "Killing them may seem brutal, but it's like hunting for rats. You have to be ruthless, or they won't stop."
Eva's grip on the sharp card tightened, her resolve unwavering. But before she could make a move, a decision that would change everything, she hesitated.
Then, with a swift and unexpected motion, she slit Rizki's throat. Blood dripped to the ground, staining it crimson. Rizki's eyes widened in shock as he fell to the ground, clutching his throat, unable to respond.
Eva's voice was cold and resolute as she declared, "I won't let you commit any kind of crime. You'll be sleeping for a while, and we'll handle the situation." Her actions had spoken louder than words, and the room was filled with an eerie silence as the gravity of their choices sank in.