Bodies hit the dirt like ragdolls. Akira ducked under a swing, spun, and sent her opponent crashing into another fighter. Every time she landed a hit, the crowd screamed louder—feeding the chaos.
The stranger fought like a man who didn't care if he lived. His strikes were wild but lethal, breaking bones with every blow.
"Watch your right!" she yelled—too late. A chain whipped through the air and caught him across the shoulder, tearing flesh.
He snarled, grabbed the chain, and yanked its wielder forward into a brutal headbutt. "That all you got?!"
The announcer's voice boomed again. "I THINK WE NEED… MORE BLOOD!"
A steel gate screeched open on the far side of the arena. From the shadows stepped something not human—eight feet tall, skin like black stone, and eyes burning red. The crowd lost its mind.
Akira didn't hesitate. She grabbed the stranger's arm and bolted toward the gate they'd come through—but it was already sealed.
"Guess we're not going that way," he muttered, blood running down his arm.
The stone beast roared and charged, smashing fighters aside like toys. Akira sidestepped at the last second, planting an energy-charged palm against its ribs. The hit left a crater in its side, but it barely flinched.
The beast swung at her—too fast. She went flying into the pit wall, coughing dust.
That's when she saw it—a maintenance hatch halfway up the wall, barely visible behind a curtain of loose netting.
"Up there!" she shouted.
The stranger nodded, grabbed her hand, and together they sprinted up a pile of fallen fighters. He boosted her toward the hatch, taking a blow to the ribs in the process. She kicked the cover open and pulled him through just as the beast's massive fist slammed into the wall where they'd been standing.
They tumbled through a narrow tunnel, running blindly until the roar of the crowd faded behind them.
Light spilled from the tunnel's end. They emerged into what looked like a control room… except every wall was covered in surveillance screens.
And on one of them—blurry but unmistakable—was a live feed of Akira before she even entered the arena.
The stranger's voice was low, almost a whisper. "They've been watching us… this whole time."
A slow clap echoed from behind them.
"Correct," said a voice. "And now that you've survived the pit… the real test begins."