"You're going to drug the Headmaster to save Arthur?" 

Commander Rivaldo Dante accidentally yelled out loudly, and both the Third Elder and Senior Wilfred Beldon glared at him in response.

"That's right!" Claude nodded his head, and the three cultivators looked at him with surprise on their faces. "Like you said, Arthur, who is part of your Arditi unit, is getting beaten up by the Headmaster right now, so we better act fast if you wish to save him."

"I understand the use of drugs and why you would want to use them.… but how on earth are you planning on drugging him? He would most likely realize something is off the moment you try to get in contact with him," the Third Elder said as he placed his hand on his chin.

"Not if Claude's in a dangerous situation, where the Headmaster has no time to focus on anything else," Senior Wilfred Beldon interrupted, as he snapped his finger and spoke.

"But how would you sneak it onto the Headmaster? Obviously, you aren't planning on opening the bottles right in front of him. And applying it on a weapon wouldn't exactly be practical either, because that would only make it even more obvious!" Commander Rivaldo Dante voiced his opinion once again, and the Third Elder nodded his head along with him, agreeing to his words.

"The commander is right. Even if the Headmaster is in a highly risky situation where he doesn't have any time to think too much, he would still notice you trying to apply the drugs!" The Third Elder spoke as his gaze landed on the young man in front of him, who looked at with a calm expression on his face.

"Unless I apply it on my hand first!" Claude responded almost immediately, as soon as the Third Elder finished speaking his words.

"What?" the three shouted in unison, as they stared at the young cultivator with surprise evident in their eyes.

"But how would that even work? Wouldn't applying the drug cause you to be paralyzed by it as well? How would you be able to apply it on the Headmaster if you yourself are unable to move?" the Third Elder asked, his eyebrows raised with curiosity.

"Of course it would paralyze me as well!" Claude nodded his head, agreeing with the Third Elder on his point. He then raised one finger and continued, "That's precisely why we need to time it perfectly!"

"What do you mean, junior brother Claude?" Senior Beldon asked, and Claude replied, "Before the drug sets in and activates itself to paralyze its victims, there's a small five second window. It is during this stage that I would need to act!"

"So that would mean that the drug should be applied on yourself just moments before your contact with the Headmaster!" the Third Elder folded his arms as he spoke. "But the effect of the drug would be over in just a matter of seconds if it's applied on the Headmaster. Wouldn't it be impossible for you to take him down, seeing as you would be paralyzed as well?"

"That's why there needs to be two people involved!" Senior Beldon widened his eyes as he understood what Claude's plan was. "Isn't that right, junior brother Claude?"

"You are correct, Senior!" Claude responded with a smile as he gave a thumbs up to his senior. "This plan would need two people; one to implement the drug, and the other to initiate the attack on the Headmaster!"

"Of course, the second person is supposed to be me, right?" Senior Wilfred Beldon asked, and Claude nodded back. "It simply wouldn't work otherwise!"

Claude then looked at the Third Elder and spoke, "Third Elder, you can take us both as captives and use us as hostages. We'll pretend to be unconscious, and you could then proceed to negotiate with him using us as bargaining ch.i.p.s. Just before you let go of us, I can simply apply the drug and place the bottle in your sleeves right before I fall. The Headmaster will catch us pretty quick, so five seconds would be more than enough for me to initiate the plan. Once I do that, Senior Beldon can handle the rest. How about it?"

"Ha ha ha!!!" All of a sudden, Commander Rivaldo Dante let out a loud laughter, earning him the glares of both Senior Wilfred Beldon and the Third Elder. The Commander, who didn't seem to be bothered by their glares, turned his gaze towards Claude and spoke with a grin on his face, "And here I thought you weren't going to be a useful asset! This kid is great, Third Elder. You sure picked up one hell of a gem. I have to say, I'm jealous of your damn luck."

The Third Elder didn't respond, but he did have a smile on his face. Senior Beldon gave Claude an 'okay' sign with his hands, and Claude nodded his head. 

'Did this ensure my survival?' 

Claude thought to himself. Of course, he wasn't joining the side of the Third Elder simply because of his motives or because of the looming threat that was Gilbert Gottfried. From what he had learned while living in the martial world, Claude had come to the conclusion that morality had little to no place within this world. 

Of course, he wasn't doing this because it is the best choice for the people. No, he had picked this side simply because it provided a higher chance of survival than his previous choice.

*********************

"That worked out well, wouldn't you agree?"

Senior Beldon said with a smile on his face, as he sat beside a paralyzed and powerless Claude.

"You know, you never did ask what happened to the other juniors," Senior Beldon said and he turned his gaze towards Claude, who didn't - or couldn't - even move his eyelids.

"They're dead, just so you know. You were the only person who survived."

"..."

"Most of the disciples are probably fighting Barugh's combat units as we speak," Senior Beldon said as he pointed at the fog. "But they've all been isolated from one another and into small groups by the mist. They probably have little to no chance of surviving the slaughter."

"..."

"I may have lied to you, Claude." Senior Beldon looked up at the sky and let out a heavy sigh. Above the clouds, he could see the Second Elder fight the Third Elder and Commander Rivaldo Dante. They were engaged in such a brutal fight that both Claude and Beldon couldn't have made any contribution at all had they decided on getting involved in it. "I said that I asked you because you reminded me of myself, and that might've been a lie. Although you did have a similar mindset as myself, you reminded me more of my brother."

"....?"

"Me and my brother were orphans. We were poor, and in a cruel world where strength mattered the most, we had to do everything to survive." Senior Beldon looked at Claude once again with a bitter smile and continued, "Until one day, trouble came. Some rogue cult members. Stirring up trouble as usual. Except this time, we were their targets."

Senior Beldon clutched his c.h.e.s.t as he breathed in and out, and he spoke. 

"So I ran. And so did my brother. I don't know how, but I lost sight of each of him. Perhaps I had been too focused on running to keep an eye on him. Or perhaps I just forced myself to focus on my escape. But I lost him."

"..."

"The worst part was, I didn't look back. Not once. I just kept running and running until I was sure I was out of danger. And by then, it had been too late. I never saw my brother after that," Senior Beldon slowly exhaled, and he continued, "By chance, I was able to meet our master, the Second Elder, who saw potential in me and took me in as his disciple. It has been so many years since then, but I still haven't searched for my brother. I'm afraid to. I felt guilty. I still do. But I'm more afraid to find out for myself."

Senior Beldon then turned his head and looked at Claude. "You look quite similar to my brother, junior brother Claude… You reminded me so much of him. That's why I picked you. Because I didn't want to abandon my brother again."

Claude could hear weeping sounds coming from his side. By now, the effects of the drugs were slowly wearing off, so he could move his iris if he wanted to, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry, Claude….. I wanted to feel better, but I don't. I feel the same way as before. As much as you look like my brother, you're not him. As much as I saw him in you, you're not the same person….. I'm sorry..." 

Claude moved his iris upwards and looked at the skies. He could see the fight between the Second Elder and Commander Rivaldo Dante and the Third Elder going on, and he let out a sigh inside his mind.

'I was right. There isn't a god, only devil..'