The horn screamed again.
The crowd was already chanting the rival's name, their voices crashing like waves against stone. Some clapped, some stomped, some just leaned forward with wine dripping down their lips, hungry to see a boy bleed.
The rival didn't bow. He didn't need to. His vow burned above him like law:
I will never lose to anyone weaker than me.
The System pulsed, cold in Uchi's bones.
[ TRIAL CONDITION: STUDENT MUST FIGHT. ]
[ MENTOR INTERFERENCE = VOID BOND. PENALTY: EXECUTION. ]
She exhaled through her teeth. The chain on her wrist stayed slack.
The guards dragged the boy forward, half shoving, half yanking, until he stumbled into the circle. His feet slipped in the sand. His breath came too fast, too shallow. He looked back once, eyes huge, waiting for Uchi to fix what couldn't be fixed.
"Stand," she said. Nothing else.
He nodded, but his lips trembled.
The rival smirked, strolling to the center like it was his living room. He cracked his neck and looked the boy over as if appraising a broken tool.
"This is your chain?" he called to Uchi. His voice was calm, carrying easy over the crowd. "This scrap of meat?"
He leaned down, one finger tilting the boy's chin up like a handler with a dog. "Pathetic. When he falls, so will you. That's the only vow he's worth."
The crowd howled laughter.
The horn blared.
The rival struck first. Not fast. Not hard. A slap.
The boy staggered sideways, nearly falling.
"Up," Uchi barked.
He snapped upright, gasping.
The rival grinned and slapped him again, harder. Blood flew from his lip.
"Up," Uchi said again.
The boy stood, wobbling.
The crowd loved it. Mockery made good theater.
The rival sighed theatrically. "This isn't even sport." His fist crashed into the boy's ribs. The crack echoed. The boy collapsed, choking, clutching his side.
Uchi's fingers dug into her palms until her knuckles popped. She didn't move. Couldn't.
"Pathetic," the rival murmured, yanking the boy upright by his collar. "You can't even land a clean hit." He threw him down again, the sand spitting dust around his body.
The vow above him glowed brighter. Never lose to the weak.
Every blow only reinforced it.
The boy coughed blood, tried to crawl. The crowd booed the crawling, then laughed at themselves for booing.
"Stand," Uchi's voice cut through. Hard. "Stand or die."
The boy clawed the sand, dragging himself upright, swaying like a drunk.
The rival tilted his head. "That's cute. He listens to you like a chained dog. But dogs don't fight lions."
His knee crashed into the boy's stomach. Air burst out of him in a scream. He folded, collapsed again.
The shadow in Uchi's bones whispered: See? Chains don't make strength. They make weight. He's drowning you. Break him and you'll breathe.
She ignored it.
The nobles above jeered. "Master of trash!" one shouted. "She trains corpses!" Another laughed, "Maybe the boy should vow to die faster—it'd be the first thing he's good at!"
The boy's eyes flicked to Uchi, blood streaking his cheek. His mouth moved, whispering through pain: I won't fall while you stand.
Her chest tightened.
The rival grew bored. He stomped the boy down again, foot pressing into his chest. The boy gasped, kicking weakly, ribs creaking under the weight.
"Say it," the rival murmured, voice calm and cruel. "Say you're nothing. Say you're not worth standing for."
The boy wheezed, eyes glassy. His lips split blood. But his head turned, just barely, toward Uchi.
"I… won't fall," he croaked.
The rival's smile thinned. He leaned down, close enough for the boy to choke on his breath. "Then I'll make you crawl until you beg me to kill you."
He smashed the boy's head into the sand. The crowd roared approval.
Uchi's nails drew blood in her palms. Her vow burned inside her ribs, demanding. The shadow's laughter spread like smoke.
You can't save him. You never could. Let him go.
The System hummed.
[ STUDENT CRITICAL. ]
[ NEXT TRIAL: VOW OF MASTERY AVAILABLE. ]
[ WARNING: DELAY WILL RESULT IN STUDENT TERMINATION. ]
The boy twitched in the sand, barely breathing. His vow flickered weak, alive only because Uchi still stood.
The rival lifted his foot, then stepped back suddenly, casual as tossing aside a toy.
"Not today," he said, smirking at Uchi. "Breaking him now would be too easy. I'll leave him breathing. When I break you, he'll fall with you. That's the kind of lesson a 'master' deserves."
The crowd cheered, bloodthirsty and thrilled.
The System pulsed again, heavier this time, like a judge tapping a gavel.
[ NEXT TRIAL PREPARED: VOW OF MASTERY. ]
[ FAILURE PENALTY: DEATH OF STUDENT + LOSS OF TITLE. ]
Uchi stared at the boy twitching in the sand, ribs caved, blood pooling under his lip. His eyes opened just enough to find hers. He mouthed one word.
Stand.
Her fists clenched. Her chest burned. The vow inside her bones pressed harder.
The crowd screamed. The rival smiled. The nobles leaned forward like vultures.
The shadow inside whispered again: Make the vow. Break yourself for him. Then watch me collect the pieces.
Uchi lifted her chin.