How does it feel to sink into a world of darkness and eternal silence?
I was experiencing it right now.
My hearing had been sealed, followed by my sight.
All I could perceive was darkness... silent, calm, and oddly comforting.
If not for the wounds across my bodyâpulsing with pain and constantly reminding me of where I wasâI might have truly drowned in this peaceful place.
Now that I had personally experienced Leona Starlinâs abilities, I understood just how dangerous she truly was.
She could seal your hearing and your sight, and that alone was enough to render even the strongest warriors helpless.
And perhaps I would have been the sameâ
If I didnât possess another way to perceive the world.
More precisely, my ability.
An ability that altered my eyes, allowing me to see essence and souls, and to sense them in an incredibly vivid, living way.
I closed my eyesâif they were even openâand began counting the remaining time in my head.
[00:21:23]
The world was utterly silent.Peaceful.Still.
I focused on my senses and felt the three souls around meâwhere they were, how they moved, and far more than that.
I sensed how essence shifted through the air, how it reacted to their abilities, and how it carved space for their weapons and movements.
I stopped trying to hear anything.
Inside my mind, the space around me was drawn like a three-dimensional map.
Four main points existed within it.
Meâand my three enemies.
Then it began.
The three of them rushed toward me at high speed, competing for my points.
I felt the essence in front of me distort, creating an abnormal pocket of space.
Without hesitation, I swung my sword.
In the next instant, Elliot Sivraxâs soul appeared there.
Using his ability, he had teleported straight to meâonly to find my blade waiting for him.
My mind traced his sword, the essence wrapping around it like writhing snakes of lightning.
Before our weapons could collide, I pulled my hips back, twisted my body, and delivered a side kick.
My foot struck him, sending him flying several meters away.
At the same time, I traced a projectile of fire from Izel Ashvil racing toward me.
I moved to the side, narrowly evading it, feeling the heat brush past my face.
Then pain stabbed into my side.
Leona Starlin was thereâher soul and blade carving a fresh wound into my body.
I moved, blocking her sword before it could sink deeper, then swung my other hand violently, forcing her to retreat to avoid the strike.
In the next instant, Elliot appeared beside me again.
Without giving me any time, he attacked.
I tried to evade or blockâbut I was just a fraction too slow.
Another wound formed.
The battle continued.
I forgot everything else as I sank into the rhythm.
Strangely enough, to me, everything was incredibly calm.
In this darkness, the only thing I truly felt was the pain from my wounds.
From the moment the fight beganâlong before I lost my sensesâI had been pushed into a corner, forced entirely on the defensive, my body battered and torn apart.
But now, it was far worse.
I felt my body beginning to fail as I lost too much blood, and with every passing moment, new wounds appeared.
I knew both girls were fighting with everything they had.
So why...
Why was that bastard holding back like this?
Who?
Of courseâElliot Sivrax.
That man hadnât even shown fifty percent of his power yet.
Well, what did you expect from a hero blessed by the world of Etheron?
But the real question wasâ
Why was he holding back?
Was he saving his strength to fight the other two?
I didnât think so.They werenât his equals.
It didnât matter.
It worked in my favor, so who was I to complain?
Besidesâ
He wasnât the only one who hadnât shown everything yet.
Neither had I.
...
"Why... why wonât this bastard fall?!" Izel Ashvil screamed as she hurled her flame-wreathed fist toward Caius, who dodged it by a hairâs breadth.
They should have finished him within minutes, then settled things among themselves.
Yet to their frustration, Caius still hadnât fallenâeven after twenty minutes of continuous combat.
They had wounded him, surrounded him from every direction, driven him back, forced him entirely on the defensive without a single chance to counterattack.
They had even sealed his sight and hearingâthe two most crucial senses in battle.
And yet, somehow, this bastard was still perceiving the world around him, predicting their attacks before they happened.
Yes, he was being pushed back further as time passed.
Yes, new wounds formed with every moment.
Yes, he was drenched in blood from head to toe.
Butâ
He was still standing.
"Who is this guy?"The same question surfaced in all three of their minds.
They had never seen or heard of him before.
And that was strange.
How could someone with this level of talent and skill exist at such a young age without being known?
In terms of raw combat skill, he was even superior to them.
After all, his skills were the only reason he was still standing.
Since the fight began, he hadnât used a single abilityâaside from that strange sense that allowed him to perceive his surroundings.
But what irritated Izel the mostâ
Was that smile on his face.
A smile that hadnât faltered since the battle began.
Even when their attacks landed and new wounds formed across his bodyâ
He never wavered.He never showed pain.
A thought crossed Izelâs mind.
"Does he even feel pain?"
Then she heard a quiet remark beside her.
"Monster."
It came from Leona Starlin.
At that moment, Elliot struck.
With the full force of his blow, Caius was sent flying several meters away.
For the first timeâ
He showed signs of reaching his limit.
Caius fell to one knee.
Drops of blood splattered across the stone floor.
Leaning on his only remaining swordâthe other had shattered earlier and was now uselessâhe looked like a wounded beast breathing its final breaths.
But still...
Whyâ
Why was he smiling?
...
Inside the observation roomâ
"That was incredible from contestant Caius," Darin said."For a commoner to reach this level of skill, take first place, and hold it against three of the strongest contestants for this long... thatâs an astonishing achievement."
He glanced at the time.
[00:13:45]
"But it seems heâll fall here."
Several people nodded in agreement.
He had endured for more than half the remaining time, but there were still thirteen minutes left.
And in battles like these, a single minute could decide everything.
Darin looked at the screen, watching Caius kneeling on one knee, the other three surrounding him.
They glanced at one anotherâthen back at the fallen Caius.
Their thoughts were obvious.
Each of them wanted to land the final blow, claim the points, and rise to first place.
Darin turned to the others and spoke.
"Care to place a bet on which of the three will take first?"
Without hesitation, someone answered,"Iâm betting on Elliot Sivrax."
"So am I."
Another voice.And another.
In the end, everyone bet on Elliot.
And they werenât wrong.
At present, he was clearly the strongest of the threeâand it was obvious he was still holding back.
Darin sighed.
"But if everyone bets on him, there wonât be much of a wager."
He then turned to the only person who hadnât spoken.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman, with long white hair and crimson eyes.
She hadnât paid attention to their discussion at allâher gaze remained fixed on the screen.
Even when Darin addressed her, she didnât look away.
"Vice Director," he asked,"Who do you think will win among those three?"
Silence followed.
She didnât answer.
It was slightly awkward for Darin, but they were used to her behavior.
Thenâ
Her lips moved.
Her gentle voice slipped into their ears.
"Donât you think itâs too early to assume that Caius will fall?"
Darin raised an eyebrow.
"And why do you think he can keep going in that condition?"
She replied calmly.
"Have you ever seen someone smile like that when theyâre about to lose?"
In the next instantâ
Loud laughter filled the room.
But it didnât come from anyone inside.
It came from the projection.
From Caius Astroweildâstill kneeling.
He was laughing loudly.
Like someone who had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
But that laughter wasnât normal.
It was distorted.
Twistedâ
And tinged with madness.