The final strike was delivered with a bone-crushing force, causing a violent eruption of blood reminding a raging volcano. The spectators, consud by a primal frenzy, erupted into a deafening roar of approval.
Lilith, her face decored with a macabre splattering of red, maintained a wide grin of ecstasy, her breaths growing heavier and laden with anticipation.
Below her, the defeated adversary’s life essence seeped into the earth, saturating the ground, encircling her feet, and transforming the red sand into a serene expanse of black and scarlet, resembling a tranquil sea of death.
Iris and Morgiana stood in shock, paralyzed by the young girl’s chilling action.
As the grip loosened, the girl began to regain her composure, but the voices in her head fell silent, leaving behind a haunting silence.
The thrill of the mont quickly faded, replaced by the harsh reality of the assassination she had carried out.
The hamr slipped from her trembling fingers, inching towards her lips. The audience erupted in screams of delight, their vision distorted by the unfolding horror.
She was stepping back, paralyzed, when a sight in the distance caught her attention.
With the audience’s thunderous applause echoing through the air, she advanced. She retrieved her blood-stained hamr and, her head hung low, burdened by the weight of the horrors she had committed, she exited the battlefield.
She entered the dimly lit corridor and stopped before Dora.
The young boy remained silent for a mont, observing his broken friend and for the first ti since reawakening, showed a sign of affection by opening his arms to comfort her.
"You did well, I’m proud of what you’ve beco."
The haunting echo of those words lingered in Lilith’s thoughts, the very words she had longed to hear upon her arrival, the admiration that had been stripped away with Dora’s mory wipe.
Her lifeless eyes t his, devoid of any emotion. The boy’s gaze held compassion and kindness, causing a flicker of hope in her eyes.
Tears welled up, breathing life back into her gaze as they cascaded down her bloody cheeks. She moved closer to him, seeking peace in his comforting embrace.
"Rember this feeling, you are no longer in a world of humans versus monsters. Everyone is a monster and everyone can be killed, even the strongest. Rember this and never show no weakness."
Lilith, holding back her tears, managed to whisper a few words.
"I didn’t... I didn’t an to... do it..."
Dora let go of her and led her inside.
"Really? But you was willing to enter... oh... of course, it disappeared..."
Taking a brief pause, he carefully surveyed his surroundings. The weight of the pressure had returned, althought not as intense as it had been previously.
"I understand what happened, I’ll explain it to you later, for now I need to see how things are going with the last wheel of the carriage, go with Iris and Morgy."
The girl, her hamr heavier, nodded and the two continued on different way.
Deep below the surface, within a vast chamber filled with a handful of gladiators spread out, rcy stood propped against a wall, her gaze sweeping over the area with a sense of unease.
The gladiators entered and exited the room without any aningful interaction, while the dimly lit dieval wall torches barely illuminated the surroundings, creating an atmosphere that heightened the girl’s anxiety.
She tried her best to shrink into the smallest possible size, her mind focused on Dora’s parting words.
- Find soone who looks annoying and challenge them to a bet against .
She rubbed her shoulders, as if a sudden chill had enveloped her. A low grumble escaped her lips, revealing her growing anger. The task at hand seed simple enough, yet she was taken aback by the realization that the most challenging aspect would be initiating a conversation.
"... Or maybe... Ehem! Hey, ugly, Ya look weak, I bet the Naless can kick yer ass... Hm... Yeah, that looks good... but how do I introduce myself? What should I be called?...Maybe if I sound threatening enough, they won’t even ask? Oh, but what if they refuse the bet? They can refuse? They could... There are no rules!"
"Oh, there is a rule."
rcy’s heart skipped a beat as she leaped in surprise, swiftly pivoting her body towards the origin of the voice.
"Who... Who’s there?!" She stepped back but was stopped by the wall behind.
A chilling laughter echoed through the air. A mysterious figure materialized beside a towering pillar on her left.
As the figure ca into view, she could see a slender gladiator, adorned with a pair of deadly sickles strapped to his back.
"There are no rules in the arena, but there is one that everyone must follow...never walk away from a fight."
"...Who are ya? What do ya want?"
The man walked slowly, his silhouette becoming clearer in the light of the flas.
He was thin, thinner than any other gladiator seen so far, and he wore a wolf helt. His body was exposed with only a combat skirt, sandals, and two scabbards tied to his shoulder pads to hold his weapons.
"I’m just a very curious passerby, huh... don’t look at like that, I happened to hear your story so I decided to help you a little."
He walked in a half arc, as if not to frighten her, or perhaps like a predator circling its prey.
rcy, with her back against the wall and deprived of all her powers, had difficulty hiding her trembling legs.
She frowned and showed the angriest face possible, which made the gladiator in front of her laugh.
"Co on, why are you so anxious? We’re all the sa here. Sa life, sa death, the only difference is you’re new and I’ve been here long enough to know how to survive."
"I’ll manage without ya, thanks."
He slowed his pace again, his wolf eyes shining in the dark.
"Are you sure? What if you had to fight a strong opponent then? You know what they say, people who focus on betting have to do it because they are weak, are you sure you can win if you have an unlucky pick?"
He slowly brought his hands to his helt and removed it, before the girl’s eyes, revealing a long face, without any scars and vulture eyes above a long nose.
"See? You show your face, then I show you mine. Can we trust each other now?"
"...Why are you trying so hard to talk to ? I don’t want your help."
"My, how stubborn... I just feel sad because you look too young and lost to be here. I’ve seen so many newbies here struggling to have a better life one day, and do you know how many died?"
rcy took a step to the left, the man looking down at her.
"All of them, because they thought they were ready. Girl, if you go like that, your beautiful legs are going to be put on the market."
A cold shiver ran down her spine as the man licked his lips. She stepped back and, trembling, she pointed at him.
"E-Enough! I’m s-sick of yer ga! I... I... I want to make a bet on ya!"
Her voice echoed in the large room, perfectly conveying its emptiness. The man looked at her, his smile frozen on his face.
rcy was now openly trembling, waiting for the slightest reaction from her opponent. She would have liked to see his smile disappear, to see him get angry, but as he remained the sa, she quickly understood the worst.
- You played yourself.
"Oh? Is that true? You want to make a bet with ? You challenge , after all my sympathy? Even knowing that I’m a pro?"
"...Y-yeah... I... I put a best against ya in a battle against the Naless! Ya said that a battle couldn’ be refused righ’? Then ya have no choice!"
The man, growing stranger and stranger, opened his eyes wide then his mouth danced under his nose, in the form of stifled laughter.
"...Oh? Really? You want to make a bet? You made this decision? Against the boy who fought earlier?"
rcy’s shaking increased, the man should have been scared or angry long ago, but what she was facing was a clear warning that she had made a mistake.
He put his helt back on his face and turned his back to her.
"Very well, then I’ll take care of it. I’m going to see the financier to prepare our challenge."
He started walking towards a hallway, then looked up.
"Change of plans guys, I have a better idea."
rcy frowned, intrigued by this statent, then her body froze.
All around her, from the shadows, nurous gladiators appeared, at a slow pace, passing by her without a word.
They joined the man in front, the latter sending one last ssage to rcy before bursting out laughing.
"Thanks for your help, your idea is better, we are going to have so much fun."
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