As the two snakes clashed and fought for resources to grow longer, the pressure mounted on Anby, Billy, and Ruby.
It wasn't long before Ruby made a mistake, crashing into Sol's snake and getting eliminated.
Soon after, Billy and Anby were also caught in the crossfire between Sol and Ellen, and both were forced out.
On the field, only two remained—the long snakes of Sol and Ellen, weaving and dueling, their red and blue heads testing each other, the tension in the air razor-sharp.
"Hehe, Ellen's amazing! I've never seen her this serious before."
Ruby, eliminated, wasn't upset at all. She watched Sol and Ellen's fierce fight with bright excitement.
"Mm, looks like Ellen really wants to win today."
Monna nodded in agreement.
"Wanting to win is natural, right? She's up against the big boss sitting on top of the gaming world. Who wouldn't want to win?" Lynn stared intently at the screen. "But… there might be another reason."
Ruby tilted her head, curious. "Eh? What reason?"
"Ellen might want to defeat the big boss… to get his Knock-Knock number for us!" Lynn declared with a schemer's grin.
"That's clearly just you projecting," Monna sighed. "Ellen would never think like that. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"You mean you don't want it? Lying students are always one point short of passing~"
Ruby grabbed Monna's hand with a mischievous smile.
"Ugh! You're the worst!" Monna slapped Ruby's hand away in frustration. She really didn't want to be one point short of passing.
"Tch."
Belle cast a glance at the three younger girls, her resentment toward Sol only deepening.
Too hateful. Everywhere you go, you reel them in.
Sol Mercer, you scoundrel!
"No way… I can't believe the last showdown is between Boss Sol and a high school girl," Billy muttered gloomily, watching the duel. "I thought I was supposed to be Boss Sol's rival."
"That Ellen girl isn't simple at all. She can actually keep up with Sol's speed and reflexes," Belle mused, rubbing her chin. After a moment, her eyes widened. "She must be an even heavier gaming addict than me!"
"Damn it, as an adult, losing to Sol and a high schooler in a game… I've got to claw my way back!"
Belle clenched her fists, her competitive spirit burning wildly.
She would beat Sol and Ellen, become the sole King of Godfinger, and make Sol kneel at her feet singing 'Conquest'!
Anby, sincere as always, said, "Manager, your spirit is inspiring. You'll definitely succeed."
"Manager… I don't think competitive drive is supposed to be used like this," Billy sighed, holding his forehead.
His motivation to beat Sol came from Sol's promise of infinite ammo if he won.
But the manager? She just wanted to vent her frustration.
Billy turned his gaze back to the screen. Sol and Ellen were still locked in a dragon-tiger clash, so he asked: "Who do you think's gonna win—Boss Sol or Ellen?"
"They look perfectly matched right now. Neither has the upper hand. They could fight all day at this rate," Belle analyzed seriously. "But… I'm rooting for Ellen. Sol needs to taste defeat."
Because this was a battle royale, there was no time limit—only "last one standing wins."
And with the deadlock in the match, it was shaping up to be a grueling tug-of-war.
But what Belle really wanted was to watch Sol lose.
The Dragon of Destruction—brought low in shame by a high school girl. She'd love to see him eat dirt.
"No. Shark-girl is going to lose," Anby said with certainty.
"Huh? Why?" Belle shuddered in surprise. "They're clearly evenly matched right now. How can you say Sol's about to win?"
"Look closely. Shark-girl's in some kind of burst state—it won't last. But Sol… Sol has stamina," Anby explained, her sharp eyes cutting straight to the truth.
"So that's it… is Sol truly unbeatable?"
Belle looked again, and sure enough, Ellen was showing signs of fatigue.
She ground her teeth. Finally, Sol meets an equal rival—and now she's about to lose?
"High school Shark-girl, you have to win!"
Belle clenched her fists, shouting encouragement at Ellen.
And Ellen's three close friends also cheered for her in unison.
"I'll deal with you later."
Sol glanced at Belle.
This girl was too cheeky. She needed a proper lesson.
"Bleh~"
Belle stuck out her pink tongue at him playfully, unfazed by his glare.
But Sol had no time to waste on her. He focused entirely on the game.
He had to admit—Ellen's overclocked state was pressuring him.
But by all logic, overclock drained energy fast. Ellen's burst usually lasted only a dozen seconds, maybe thirty at most.
Was it because the game consumed less energy than real combat, that she'd managed to hold out for minutes?
"So troublesome… even in overclock, I still can't beat him?"
Ellen moved her joystick with all her focus, but the pressure was immense.
Even in overclock, she could only fight Sol to a standstill—not dominate him as she had expected.
As expected of a true powerhouse. The Dragon of Destruction of Snake Duel. His reflexes and speed are too strong.
If things continued like this, she might eventually find a chance to win.
But her energy reserves were nearly gone. She couldn't keep it up.
Suddenly, her boosted reflexes and speed dipped sharply, and even her thoughts began to lag.
No… out of energy!
At that exact moment, her once-aggressive blue snake stuttered—and exposed a huge opening.
"Now!"
Sol acted instantly, twisting his joystick to form a recursive pattern, trapping her blue snake with no escape.
Crash!
Her massive blue snake slammed into Sol's red one. Half the screen's worth of labyrinthine body shattered into glowing fragments.
At the arcade machine, Ellen's eyelids drooped.
The energy drain was too much. She was being forced into rest mode.
Monna, Ruby, Lynn… you'll catch me, right? Shouldn't be a problem…
Still… I gave it everything, and still lost. Such a shame…
[GAME OVER!]
[Ultimate Chaosedramon, Total Victory!]
Huge red letters blazed across the center of the screen, freezing the scene.
Thud!
Instinctively, Sol reached out, catching a soft, fragrant body that collapsed into his arms.
Exhausted, Ellen had fallen limp.
Her last glimpse before blacking out was of Sol's sharp side profile.
Monna, Ruby, Lynn… where are you?
It's over…
Her last bit of strength drained away, Ellen's heart sank into complicated, helpless resignation as her eyes closed.
"Uh… is this the winner's bonus? Do we get a loser's CG now?"
Sol stared blankly at the unconscious Ellen in his arms.
But then…
Eh-heh. This shark tail feels pretty good. Soft and smooth—not worse than Belle's.
Her waist too… slim, soft, warm… better than Belle's little short waist, actually.