Leo stood before the clock tower door.
His hand hesitated for only a second.
Then he pushed it open.
The hinges groaned.
And there—
Standing calmly inside—
Was the assassin.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Waiting.
Leo's eyes widened.
"…Nope."
He slammed the door shut instantly.
His heart raced as he stepped back.
"That is NOT normal."
He quickly pulled out his phone.
The screen lit up.
The chibi version of himself appeared immediately, arms crossed like he had been expecting this.
"Finally noticed something weird, huh?"
Leo whispered urgently, "How is he still alive?!"
The chibi sighed dramatically.
"If you didn't notice, the assassin and that black sniper guy have the same magic flow."
Leo blinked.
"…Meaning?"
"They are the same person," chibi said. "He killed himself earlier. Fake death."
Leo felt cold realization crawl up his spine.
"…Why?"
"To separate you from Null."
Leo swallowed.
The tiny figure leaned closer to the screen, voice lowering.
"I think he knows about your… plot armor of friendship."
Leo frowned.
"What does that even mean—"
The chibi's expression suddenly changed.
Eyes widened.
"I mean—RUN."
A gunshot exploded through the wood.
BANG!
The door shattered.
A bullet pierced through and struck Leo directly in the head.
Everything went black.
His body collapsed against the door.
Silence followed.
The door slowly creaked open.
The assassin stepped inside calmly, gun still smoking.
"…I think last time I missed."
He walked closer, boots echoing against the floor.
Leo lay motionless.
Blood spread beneath him.
The assassin lowered his weapon slightly—
Leo's eyes snapped open.
He surged upward.
A punch slammed into the assassin's face.
Then another.
And another.
Leo screamed as he attacked, fists striking wildly.
"WHY?!"
Punch.
"HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
Blood splattered across Leo's face as he kept hitting him again and again.
The assassin staggered backward—
BANG!
A gunshot echoed from behind Leo.
A bullet tore through Leo's chest.
A calm voice spoke behind him.
"Why are you screaming? I'm not that ugly."
Leo turned slowly.
Another assassin stood there.
Gun raised.
Identical.
Without hesitation—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three more bullets struck Leo.
His body collapsed instantly.
The first assassin stood up again, wiping blood from his face.
They approached together.
One kicked Leo's side, flipping him onto his back.
The second assassin raised his gun.
BANG.
Another bullet entered Leo's body.
Pain exploded everywhere.
Inside Leo's mind, thoughts struggled to form.
How… am I still alive?
Why can't my body move?
The assassins watched calmly.
One crouched beside him.
"…Still breathing."
A dagger appeared in his hand.
The blade plunged down.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
Steel pierced flesh repeatedly.
Different places.
Enough wounds to kill anyone countless times over.
Leo didn't scream.
Didn't move.
Couldn't move.
He simply stared upward as the stabbing continued.
Finally, the assassin stopped.
Satisfied.
He left the dagger buried in Leo's chest and stood up.
"I think my job is done."
He turned and began walking away..
Then—
The dagger moved.
It tore free from Leo's chest.
And flew forward.
THUD.
The blade pierced the assassin's chest from behind.
A voice come.
"…Not yet."
The assassin turned slowly.
Leo stood there.
Covered entirely in his own blood.
Eyes burning with fury.
"…HOW?" the assassin demanded.
Leo didn't answer.
He rushed forward and shoved him violently to the ground.
Then grabbed the dagger.
And stabbed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike landed in the same place the assassin had stabbed him earlier.
Rage guided every movement.
The assassin struggled, but Leo didn't stop.
After countless strikes, Leo finally dropped the dagger.
Breathing heavily.
He grabbed his phone from the floor and ran toward the tower entrance.
He slammed the door shut behind him.
His back pressed against it as he slowly slid down to the floor.
Pain flooded his entire body.
Every breath hurt.
Every muscle screamed.
Tears formed in his eyes.
He tried not to cry.
"…Chibi," he whispered weakly. "Why am I still alive?"
The screen lit up.
"You already know the answer."
Leo swallowed.
"…Then why does everything hurt so much?"
The chibi shrugged.
"My job is keeping you alive. Not canceling pain."
A pause.
"You could call this the consequence of your power."
Leo clenched his fists.
Before he could reply—
BOOM!
The door shook violently.
A kick from the other side.
The assassin's voice roared with anger.
"How many times do I have to kill you to see you dead?!"
The door burst open.
Leo forced himself to stand.
He wiped tears and blood from his face.
Then spoke quietly—
"…Same question."
The assassin's composure shattered completely.
He lunged forward.
Punches rained down relentlessly.
Left.
Right.
Again.
Again.
Leo's head snapped back repeatedly.
His vision turned red.
Then blurry.
Pain overwhelmed his senses.
Even his eyes felt damaged.
His body refused to respond.
Alive.
Yet dead.
Conscious.
Yet powerless.
The assassin kept punching, madness growing in every strike.
Leo couldn't even lift his arms anymore.
Darkness crept into his vision.
Then—
A figure fell from above.
Null landed between them.
Seeing Leo's condition, his expression changed instantly.
Pure fury.
He lunged at the assassin.
The moment the assassin crossed into the invisible boundary—
He vanished.
Erased instantly.
Silence fell.
Leo collapsed forward.
And suddenly—
All pain disappeared.
Wounds closed instantly.
Blood vanished.
His breathing stabilized.
Leo blinked slowly.
Null turned toward him.
"…Leo."
Leo laughed weakly.
"…You took your time."
Null helped him stand.
The ticking of the clock echoed faintly once more.
But for the first time—
The tower felt quiet.