As he rapidly approached the ground, he needed to perfectly time his action, knowing full well Constantine was waiting for him to do so–he needed to do it anyway.
Below him was a vast, open valley of luscious grass looked down upon by the night stars; as it quickly came closer, he drew in whatever breath he could into his lungs before–
[Blink!]
It was just a few meters from splatting onto the ground that he invoked the instantaneous, but short-ranged movement, resetting his momentum and flipping onto the ground. Even as much as [Blink] could help in regaining his own momentum, it still resulted in an abrasive crash to the ground, though unlethal and only briefly knocking the wind from him.
'I made it!...I made it!' He thought.
–The celebratory feeling of life wasn't held very long as the moment he picked himself up from the field of grass, a flash of bright, golden light crashed down before him. After running through so many options, it began to feel hopeless for him against the seemingly unstoppable foe before him.
"...Constantine," he said under his breath, feeling as though he could never escape.
There he stood, the golden-haired fighter dressed in exuberant armor of quartz, standing upon a self-made crater in the field as his locks flowed.
"I'm tired of this. I hate to admit it, but you're a royal pain in the ass, Jett Levine," Constantine said, raising his left hand as it became engulfed in dense radiance, "...I don't care if it's against my mission–I'm going to end this."
By this point, Jett felt his body deprived of mana, running through it more than ever before as everything ached and his strength felt fleeting, yet he had no choice but to stand his ground and defend himself.
'...This feeling; it's like trying to hold your ground against a violent tornado; attempting to fight back against a natural disaster…How do I do that? I've tried everything,' he thought.
The foe of his didn't even bother to rush him, only closing the gap by walking over with thunderous steps as his entire left arm was shrouded in that powerful, golden light. There was no mistake about it: Constantine intended to kill him, right then and there.
'I can't die. Not here–not now, not after I was given a second chance like this…I just need to–!' He convinced himself.
–Though it was too late for any such resolve as the moment he looked up, Constantine was already in front of him, thrusting that impervious fist towards him with lethal intent.
SQUELCH
Blood fell, dripping onto the verdant blades of grass below. However, Jett Levine found himself utterly perplexed in that moment–left boundlessly confused as a knot was felt in his stomach.
"...Gunter…Why?" He managed to ask as the words escaped from the lump in his throat.
In front of him, intercepting the fist with his own body, the burly, eccentric warrior stood there as blood seeped from the wound bore through his torso. The radiant fist of Constantine could be seen penetrating through the figure's body, painted in crimson fluid, though even the amber-eyed warrior seemed confused by this development.
"...Huh?" Constantine quietly let out, realizing he missed his target.
Gunter coughed up blood as his organs were no doubt obliterated by such a blow, yet he stood tall, "Stupid…Jett. Ya think I was just gonna stand around and watch ya die? None of us were…The girlie…Edith, she almost beat me to it…but I guess I was the one most eager to die."
"Gunter…" Jett spoke in disbelief still.
It was utterly perplexing to him just what sort of selfless action was taken by his companion–no, one of his only friends in this foreign world. A "forced manifestation" from [Void Inventory], something that shouldn't be normally possible.
As Constantine withdrew his fist from the chest of the bearded warrior, Gunter fell to his knees as his physical form began to diminish, quickly dwindling into particles of spiritual light.
"Gunter…!" He called out.
Attempting to embrace his passing companion, all he could grab onto was the fading light of Gunter's spirit as he tried to hold his shoulders, unable to even grasp his friend as his very essence slipped through his fingers.
Gunter looked at him just as his body all but faded, "...Don't die, Jett. Just make sure…to drink yer fill for me."
–Just then, the warrior who very first greeted him in the world of Fantasia vanished completely into particles of soft light, carried off by a subtle breeze of the nightly wind.
'Why?...Why did it come to this?' He questioned.
Fallen to his knees, he gripped the soil beneath him as he looked upon the spilled blood, all that remained of his companion, finding his heart throbbing in his chest.
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
Standing over him, blood dripped from Constantine' fist as he held almost a look of pity in his amber eyes, "Too bad. That's what happens when you're stubborn and don't have the strength to back it up.
"...Shut up…"
'That's right. I was too greedy–no, I wasn't greedy though. I need to want it all, at any cost, no matter what. Even if I have to give everything up, I need to do it, even if it all falls on the roll of a die–I have to do it,' he resolved.
"Everything…" He whispered, "...System, use everything! Every coin! Take my exchange ticket, too! Put it all into one temporary summon!" He then screamed.
"What…?" Constantine witnessed, confused by the orders that left the man's lips.
[Temporary x1 Summon Initiated]
Every piece of copper he had obtained so far, supplemented by the nearly priceless [SR Exchange Ticket], was combined into one, brief summon–even then, it still fell to chance. However, with grief fueling him, Jett Levine took that gamble, knowing nothing else would come close to the foe before him.
"A waste of time," Constantine remarked.
–However, just as the golden-haired figure raised his hand to strike down the knelt man, he stopped as something "sparked" in the air; a brief tingle of electricity. Not a moment after, light raindrops began to descend, swiftly increasing into a rampant downpour as Constantine looked up.
'Screw whatever training you went through. Screw your motives. Screw the strength you worked hard for. That's right–that's what my system is; it embodies the unfairness of both extremes–misfortune and fortune–and the ability to overcome that all with one, unchangeable concept between worlds: the power of money. When it comes down to it, I can pay to win!' He thought.
Just a few moments prior, the night skies were clear, yet now a bundle of swirling, ominous clouds overlooked the valley, roaring with powerful thunder.
'What's going on here?...Don't tell me he's responsible for this?' Constantine questioned.
It was just as Constantine looked over at the man, who was now standing on his feet, did a colossal lightning bolt strike down from the heavens, landing directly upon Jett with a sublime flash.
"What?!" Constantine called out, raising his arms as thunderous winds formed.
The lightning continuously struck down upon the summoner, forging a swirl of divine electricity around himself as the wind roared and lashed out. It was that godly lightning and thunder that echoed like a worldly drum that shifted Jett's body internal and externally.
[New Skill Temporarily Obtained: (LR) Pantheon Shift | The Fulminating King of Gods: Zeus | Special Traits: Divine Power]
[ATK: 5000 | DEF: 5000 | MAG: 8000]