Gregor clutched his arm, pain radiating through his body as he struggled to stand up after Harley's brutal strike. He couldn't even muster the courage to look Arias in the eye as he stammered out his plea.
"You told me there wouldn't be a next time," Gregor gasped, his voice trembling. "But please, hear me out. It was all Lex Luthor's idea, and that Roulette woman—I had no choice."
Before he could say more, Harley delivered a swift kick to his back, forcing him back to the ground. "Quiet, you! Don't go bad-mouthin' my co-workers, y'hear!" she scolded with a frown.
Arias remained unmoved, his expression cold and distant. "Everyone has a choice, Gregor. You and Roulette simply decided to kill me for a profit—don't overcomplicate it. Now, it's time you face the consequences of your actions." He set his cup on Cynthia's back, using her as a makeshift table, and rose from his seat to approach the pitiful Gregor.
"Wait, Lette betrayed you for realz? Why, I oughta give her a piece of my mind. I thought we was friends, she didn't even let a girl know," Harley muttered, her bat raised menacingly.
Gregor, desperation creeping into his voice, tried to appeal to Arias's logic. "Arias, you need me! With me in office, Gotham will be yours. Just one more chance, please! Without me, who will clean your dirty work and help you operate Gotham?"
Arias's gaze didn't soften. His eyes, cold and unyielding, made it clear that Gregor's attempts were hopeless. "You see, that's where I first went wrong. I foolishly tried to make the dream I once had for Gotham a reality and chose to operate in such a way that the image society had toward me would be maintained. But this experience opened my eyes. I don't need parasites like you to get what I want—not anymore. Harley."
Arias stretched out his hand, and Harley, with a wide smile, handed him her bat. Panic overtook Gregor, and he attempted to flee, but after only a few feet, he found his body frozen in place. His throat constricted, preventing him from even screaming for help, as if an invisible hand were choking him. It was Arias's telekinesis at work.
"You there," Arias turned his head toward a shivering Cynthia, who remained on all fours like a table. "I'll give you a chance not to die with him."
Cynthia's fear surged as she saw the bat roll toward her. At first, she hesitated, trembling with the weight of the decision.
"Oh? You don't want to? You must really love him," Arias taunted, his voice dripping with false sympathy.
But upon hearing his words, Cynthia quickly jerked up and grabbed the bat. "No! I'll do it!" she screamed, her voice tinged with desperation.
Gregor's eyes widened in horror as he watched the woman he had supported for years, the woman he thought loved him, betray him in an instant. He wanted to curse her, to scream at her, but the words remained lodged in his throat, choked off by Arias's invisible grip.
"Good. To live, you need to do only one simple thing." Arias flicked his wrist, and Gregor's body began to rise, floating a few feet above the ground. "Hit the piñata until the candy comes out. You have five minutes."
Cynthia froze, shocked at the gruesome task laid before her, while Harley cheered her on. "Ohh, I love this game! Come on, you can do it!"
"Time's ticking," Arias warned, his voice cold and indifferent. "I don't think I need to tell you what happens if you fail."
Gregor's eyes pleaded with Cynthia, begging her not to do this. But his silent pleas fell on deaf ears.
Bam~
Cynthia swung the bat with trembling hands, striking Gregor with all her strength. His bloodshot eyes widened in pain, but no sound escaped his lips. The barbed wire wrapped around the bat tore through his clothes, shredding his flesh and soaking the fabric with blood.
Cynthia's stomach churned as the smell of blood and torn flesh filled the air. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the horror of what she was doing, but the gruesome task was far from easy.
"Time's up," Arias declared.
Cynthia opened her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably. Gregor's lower body was a bloody mess, barely hanging on to what remained of his upper half. His eyes, bloodshot and full of agony, blinked weakly.
She turned away, retching violently until there was nothing left in her stomach. As she wiped her mouth, Arias released his telekinetic hold on Gregor, letting the remains of his bloody body fall to the ground.
The body twitched and convulsed, a grotesque parody of life as the sound of blood gurgled in Gregor's throat. Cynthia, tears streaming down her face, couldn't bear to look at him.
"I did it… I did it," she sobbed, her voice choked with terror. "Now, please, let me go. I won't ever speak of this, I swear."
Arias, who had been seated casually the entire time, finally stood up and approached her. His cold eyes bore into hers as he spoke.
"Eat it."
"What…?" Cynthia's voice trembled with confusion.
"You managed to get the candy out of the piñata. Now, the next step is to eat it. Do that, and you're free to go," Arias commanded, his expression unreadable.
Cynthia stared at him in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. But the cold, merciless look in his eyes told her he wasn't joking. It now became a question of just how badly she wanted to live.
Her trembling hands reached for a tiny piece of flesh, the remains of the man she once loved. She hesitated, her stomach turning at the thought, but the fear of death pushed her forward. Holding her nose, she placed the piece in her mouth and swallowed, her body shaking with revulsion.
At that moment, Arias's eyes glowed with a dim, eerie light as he used his telepathic ability on a human for the first time. 'Now remember that taste. You now only live for that taste and know nothing else. You do not see people; you see meat and only that. Now break.'
"Ahhh!!!" Cynthia's eyes rolled back, and she screamed in agony, clutching her head as a deranged look overtook her features. With a primal scream, she lunged at Arias, her sanity shattered.
Arias calmly swatted her away with a swift kick, sending her sprawling across the floor. She quickly scrambled to her feet and began devouring the chunks of flesh scattered around the room, her mind broken beyond repair.
"Let's go, Harley," Arias said, his voice cold and detached. "We're not done quite yet."