Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 99: Coincidence

Chapter 99: Coincidence

The slow chugging of the steam trains was a well-deserved sense of relief. Half an hour had gone since John’s capture.

Ten minutes since they had cremated Paul and Tony. It was a unanimous vote led by Ksenia.

Inside the dining compartment, players peered out of the windows, eyes tracing the scenic beauty passing by. The train rumbled along, traversing lush green fields adorned with wildflowers that danced in the gentle breeze. A backdrop of rolling hills, cloaked in a verdant tapestry, stretched as far as the eye could see. Majestic mountains stood sentinel in the distance, their snow-capped peaks glistening under the brilliant sunlight.

Small villages emerged, quaint and inviting, nestled among emerald fields. Farmers toiled in the fields, and children waved excitedly as the train whistled past.

The landscape gradually transformed as signs of urban life emerged. The train approached Sapporo, the cityscape materializing on the horizon. Smoke billowed from chimneys of bustling factories.

The train pulled into the station, letting out a whistle and slowing down.

"Attention, attention, passengers! Danzaburou here! We have arrived at Sapporo Station! I repeat: we have arrived!" The obnoxious tanuki’s voice spoke through the moving coil loudspeaker. The doors jerked open. ’Be proud, my friends! You made it through the murder mystery!"

Kazi sat at a window seat and occupied himself with the snow outside. The clouds were white and rooftops were wrapped in thaw. In the middle of the compartment was a heated discussion. It had been going on since they had captured John Smith.

’It’s not him,’ Kazi thought to himself. ’He’s not Jack. He might wear the mask but it can’t be him. I don’t feel the darkness that Sun-young described. I don’t feel the blood chilling power. Not to mention his h—’

"Can I kill him?"

The question was posed by Nash, whose intent to kill froze the room.

"Seriously?" Hugo said, among the two that had been tasked to look over the tied up murderer. "Can’t you settle this later?"

"Either we do it now or never. Tony was under my wing. He worked under me. It was my responsibility to look over him and I failed." Nash regarded John with stone cold fury. "At the very least, I want retribution."

"He would be murdering a murderer," Booker acknowledged, the gun remaining in its same position for the past thirty minutes. "He’s a loose cannon. A threat. Why not kill him?"

His finger curled on the trigger.

"Let’s relax here." Kazi stepped in, arms up in surrender. "If we will kill him—"

"We’ll be no better than him?" Ksenia cut him off. "Screw that. That kind of logic is stupid if you ask me. We should kill him and be done with it. Remember, Danzaburou doesn’t care what happens to him. Whether he lives or dies, whether he gets caught or not, it’s just some sick game to him."

John spoke up, "I presume I have no say in this?"

"Hell no," Ksenia and Nash snapped at entirely different volumes and tones.

All the players remained inside, observing the argument and wallowing in their judgement. Not solely due to the dilemma regarding John, but also because of the snow outside. Cold, gentle flakes were falling and coating the station in white.

"Can I ask something, Kazi?" John said. "How many points did you get from completing the objective?"

"Huh? What’s this about?" Ksenia looked at him, as did the others. "Everybody received about eight hundred thousand."

"That’s not what it said for me," John said, smiling. "If I had managed to kill someone and get away with it, it would be sixty-sixty million points. If I killed another killer and escaped, it was revealed I would gain double that. I wonder then...how much did the man that figured it all out gain?"

Eyes went over to Kazi, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"A hundred and thirty million points," Kazi said, unfazed. "Why?"

William let out a disgruntled noise—and not just him, half the players in the room.

Nash shook his head, scoffing. "Excuse me...what?"

"A-a hundred...million...?" Jules repeated, agape. "That’s like..."

"Wait, that’s not fair!" Leon exclaimed. "I want a hundred million—

"Who gives a shit," Ksenia interjected. "Kazi did the heavy work and the Gate awarded him accordingly. What’s there to complain about?"

"Okay, but counterpoint," said Leon, "a hundred million. A hundred million. Let me say it again slowly. One. Hundred. And. Thirty Million."

"Thirty million alone is..." Even Hugo was thinking about it.

"Indeed, a hundred and thirty million is quite a sum for a single player," John pointed out. "A little unfair, no?"

Ksenia narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. His craftiness didn’t escape her. The small smile on Kazi twitched upwards.

"Yeah, Ksenia. We’re both a part of the Sapphire Order and you know how stingy they can be," said Leon. "He could give everyone a million and still have a hundred million left..."

"Some of us barely even did anything," Ksenia said. "We don’t deserve those points—"

"To be honest, it’s not a big deal," Kazi said. "How about this? I give everyone a million points if you agree to let John go."

As he expected, there were protests.

"What? Why? Have you lost your mind?" Ksenia stepped up to grab him by the collar and would have not for the sudden flare in his eyes. Kazi didn’t like to be touched. "Just...tell me why? Why let this piece of shit murderer walk after everything he planned? You’re the one who caught him!"

"I have my reasons." Kazi met John’s grey eyes, feeling their steel and the underlying message. He understood and therefore needed him alive. He glanced outside. "It’s snowing. How about we all cool off and go outside for a bit?"

Ksenia’s frustration hit its peak. "Tch! This is stupid! Nash, back me up here!"

Nash didn’t speak nor did he look happy. But he knew. Meeting Kazi’s eyes, he understood the message he was giving. He understood the immense power behind his little smile, and given that his five-man entourage had lost to William, Nash also recognized William as a great threat. A greater threat, even.

’Be smart, Nash,’ Kazi was telling him. ’You know how strong I am and you heard what William did to your men. You really don’t want to fight us, do you? Play along.’

Nash clicked his tongue. "...I suppose we can negotiate."

That remark earned several glances. All this time, Nash had been spouting about loyalty and vengeance and now he was switching up.

"I have a team to lead," Nash explained to Ksenia. "Being a leader means to be responsible to more than myself. We spent everything we had to send me and Tony here—six hundred thousand points. I have to show something for it. Vengeance, in this case, will bring me nothing."

"You’re more of a pussy than I thought," Ksenia replied.

Nash didn’t rise to her provocation. "Think what you will."

"Agreed. Let’s think on this." Booker yawned and casually removed his gun. "I’ve been standing here for a minute too long. Hugo, you keep watch."

Once Booker left, the players were casted into silence. Eventually, Ksenia bit her lip. "Fine. Fine, let’s cool off."

Kazi left the train and stepped into the snow, although not before giving John a discreet wink. William and Sun-young weren’t far behind, and he slowed down to let Sun-young catch up on her own pace. They made their way to the rooftop which had a whole layer of snow on it. With a simple Fire Ball, Kazi managed to melt the snow and create space.

"Man, I’ve always wanted to do this." Sighing, Kazi laid flat on the rooftop, the snow falling down on his face.

Countless stars adorned the heavens, twinkling like precious gems scattered across the infinite expanse, their radiance seemingly magnified by the absence of city lights.

"In modern day Japan, unless you go out to the country, you can’t see the stars," Kazi said out loud.

"Oh, um, have you been there?" William asked. It was a front, a cover to mask what he really wanted to know: why did Kazi want to save John? It didn’t make sense from his perspective.

"I once went to Tokyo for business reasons. I didn’t get to have a tour though," Kazi replied. "Oh, but I have been to most other East Asian countries like Korea, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. I hit the road and got a huge tour for each."

"Funny that you didn’t get to explore the country with the biggest tourism," William joked.

"Life is funny like that."

The snow seemed to be in slow motion as it fell on them. William and Sun-young sat upright instead of lying down, often giving him strange glances. They didn’t know what he was planning—only that there was a plan. Arms behind his head, cooler than the snow behind him, their curiosity bubbled out.

"Kazi," Sun-young called out, scooting over to him so that William wouldn’t hear, "I’m not really sure I understand but...."

"Yes, it has to do with Jack. That’s why I’m freeing him. John knows something—or rather, the mission objective told him something. It’s no coincidence that the masks that Tony and John were given were the same as Jack’s."

"The type of murder too," Sun-young muttered. "A stabbing, just like he stabbed his victims. How is Jack connected to the Heavenly Games this deeply?"

"That’s what I want to find out," Kazi said.

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