The King of Spades has began shooting people one by one. Some have even come up with their own strategies, but none of them had been effective enough to even get close to the King.
After moving Chishiya to a safe place, Aika hid behind the cars along with the young man and woman whom introduced themselves as Arisu and Usagi. Apparently, they were Chishiya's friends. They wouldn't call each other that, but in her heart, she knows they have already become allies. She also thinks they were somehow a couple, which was irrelevant to the situation but she found it cute.
"Kuina! Ann!" Arisu yelled.
Behind another car adjacent to theirs, were two women whom Aika found incredibly beautiful.
"Arisu!" One of them called out. They carefully dashed towards them, relief was painted all over their faces.
"You're both okay! I'm so glad!" Usagi breathed.
"Who's this cutie?" The pretty girl on dreads asked, eyeing Aika out of curiosity. Aika only
smiled, blushing a little at the compliment.
"Chishiya's fiancé, I think.." Arisu answered, which earned yet another shocked expression from the two women.
"Chishiya's...." "Fiancé????" Both of them mumbled blankly, still processing the information that's been relayed to them.
"Before I forget, Kuina, Ann, this is Aika. Aika, the short haired girl is Ann, and this one over here is Kuina." Usagi introduced. Kuina and Ann nodded at her.
"Nice to meet you, Aika. We didn't take Chishiya for someone who would be interested in dating at all, let alone marriage!" Kuina said, still bombarded and struggling to process her friend's dating life. "Anyway, he's lucky to have you." Aika shook her head in response.
"Actually, I'm the one who's lucky to have him. He's so sweet, mature, and thoughtful. I can't imagine marrying anyone else."
The bunch narrowed their eyes in confusion. "Are you sure we're still talking about the same person?" Kuina asked. Aika chuckled.
"Sorry for cutting our introduction short, but the King of Spades is coming." Ann muttered as she peeked from the car to see what the King of Spades is up to.
"We have to defeat him now so nobody else will get killed." Aika whispered, grasping her katana tightly.
"Woah.. you're really different from Chishiya." Kuina commented.
"Let's kill him together." Ann suggested.
What had occurred next happened so fast, more people were killed for their feeble attempts to attack the King of Spade. Even their group had been targeted, gunshots were aimed at them. However, the King of Spades was shot by an arrow, distracting him for a an abrupt time.
"Arisu!" The woman who shot the arrow yelled.
"Heiya!"
"Are you Usagi?" She asked Usagi, a playful smile painted on her face.
"Yeah..."
"Glad to meet you."
"The King will run out of ammo soon.." Another one came, a rough looking man with a well built frame looking out for the King of Spades.
"Aguni!"
Everyone looked surprised and somewhat relieved, as if they had just met an old friend they haven't seen for a while.
"Aguni? What are you doing here?" Heiya asked.
"I followed you here."
"So you do love me."
Aguni just ignored Heiya's last remark. Aika smiled at both of them, sensing that there was something between the two.
"He's just human. He's not invincible. And as for his guns, he won't be able to shoot forever. Once he runs out of ammo, he'll need to restock." Aguni advised, reloading his gun.
"I think he's getting supplies from the blimps."
"Have we all got weapons?"
Everyone began to assess what they've got. Aika showed them her Katana. And they all silently nodded, posing for a moment to think of a strategy.
"I'm running out of ammo soon."
"Oh I almost forgot!" Kuina gasped. "I've got my good luck charm! The bomb Chishiya made."
"Chishiya? What good would that do." replied Aguni with suspicion.
Arisu quickly took the bom from Kuina. "We can lure him and use this. Judging from the smell, I think it had kerosene in it."
Aika smiled proudly. "He even had time to DIY and ANFO bomb, huh?"
"But it won't explode much."
"We can amplify the explosion by using aerosol fumes." Aika suggested, and Arisu nodded.
"I saw a drugstore nearby, we can lure him there."
"So you're saying someone has to lure the King of Spades in there?" Kuina asked.
"Yes." Arisu replied. "I'll wait for him in there while I set off the bomb."
"But then you'll die, Arisu." Arisu only smiled.
"No, I'll make it out."
"How?" Ann asked.
"On the second floor, even If I'm blown outside, I'm not going to die. Maybe."
"That's all just a bunch of maybes." Heiya mumbled.
"No." Aika said, shaking her head. "That was actually a great deduction. I'll bet on that and be the decoy."
"Me too." Aguni replied.
"It's dangerous to do it alone, let's all do it together." Usagi said.
"You bet, you can count on us." Kuina backged her up.
"Let's lure him into the alleyway so he couldn't get ammo from the blimp.
Everyone shared a meaningful look, satisfied of the plan they have come up with.
At first, the plan went smoothly, at some point, through everyone's cooperation, they managed to immobilize the King of Spades. However, their last glimmer of hope fleeted away as they have been overpowered by the King of Spades. Heiya was shot multiple times, Ann too. Kuina and Usagi had been stabbed countless of times for trying to protect their friends. Even Aguni, who was the strongest among them had been shot on the head by the King. Until the only one left standing was Aika.
She knew she would be confronting a probable death, but she's never the type to leave people behind. "I'm so sorry, Shun." She whispered, clutching the handle of her katana.
She lunged forward, slashing the King of Spades on his arm. But the wound was just shallow, and it didn't do much in slowing him down. Contrary to Aika, who was inevitably weaker in terms of brute strength, and has been enduring the painful wound on her leg.
"Just what do you want from us?" Aika desperately yelled, her attacks becoming slower and slower by the second. "You kill us, play with our principles, force us to betray one another, force us to kill one another!" She angrily cried.
"What for?" She hissed, tears falling from the corner of her eyes. But the King of Spades wouldn't utter a word. Instead, he took out a small handgun and shot straight at the ugly wound on Aika's right leg.
Aika cried in pain, falling to her knees. "Does taking lives satisfy you?" She asked, looking the King of Spades in the eyes. For a moment, his expression wavered, as if once in his life, there was a time when he didn't like what he was doing. But then it was just for a brief moment, after that he shot her twice in the shoulders and walked away.
She laid on the ground, feeling the cold seep through her bones as blood flowed put her body.
After a short while, she didn't know how Arisu managed it, but she watched as the King of Spades' blimp fell into ruins.
Usagi tried her best to stand up, and she watched as she limped towards Arisu. "Please hang on, Aika. We will be clearing the Queen of Hearts soon." Usagi reassured, and she only smiled at them in response.
"If it's not asking for too much....could you maybe...help me get to Chishiya?" She whispered in a hoarse voice, struggling to even speak.
Aika found it hard to open her eyes, but she felt the two of them pull her up and assist her. "Thank you..."
"Aika! You're so cold! Hang in there please! We're almost there."
"Too bad....I wanted to properly say goodbye...atleast...." She sobbed, and in every word, it was evident that life was already fleeting from her body.
"Stay with us Aika!" Arisu and Usagi yelled, but she couldn't hear them any longer.