The referee's hand dropped.
"Three… two… one… GO SHOOT!!"
White Cobalt Dragoon and the opponent's Bey tore across the stadium like two meteors on a collision course. The rails sparked, the air hissed—
CLAAAAANG!!
The instant they collided, a jolt of agony tore through Axamu's body.
"—GHHHHHHHAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The scream ripped out of his throat before he could stop it. His knees buckled, his stomach twisting like someone had rammed a steel rod into him. His hand clutched desperately at his abdomen, eyes wide in raw shock.
The crowd froze. Confusion buzzed in the air.
"Why's he screaming?"
"He didn't even fall!"
"What the hell's going on with him?"
On the big screen, Cobalt Dragoon spun steadily, circling the stadium. Nothing looked wrong. But Axamu's body was trembling, sweat pouring down his face as his lungs struggled for air.
That hit… I felt it… like my insides were crushed…
He shakily lifted his shirt just enough to glance down—his breath caught in his throat.
A faint bruise. Dark, ugly, already spreading across his skin.
"What...?"
Another metallic roar rang out.
CLANG!!
The Beys collided again, harder this time.
"NGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
Axamu doubled over, biting back another scream, his body convulsing from the shock of pain in his ribs. His teeth ground together so hard he thought they'd shatter.
The announcer's voice cracked, uncertain.
"Uh—contestant Axamu seems… unusually distressed by the battle… but Cobalt Dragoon is still in play!"
The rival blader sneered from across the arena. "Tch… what's wrong with you? Scared of a little contact? This is Beyblade, weakling! Get serious!"
But Axamu barely heard him. His ears rang, his vision blurred. The words from the system echoed mercilessly in his skull:
[If you lose, you will die!]
And now he understood—truly understood.
Every strike Cobalt Dragoon takes… my body suffers too. Every clash is like a weapon cutting me open. If my Bey is destroyed… so am I.
His chest rose and fell in panicked gasps. His legs shook violently, ready to collapse. Terror clawed at his throat, screaming at him to quit.
But he couldn't.
Because if he ran, if he gave up—he would still die.
Another clash ripped through the stadium.
BOOM!
Sparks scattered across the ring like falling stars.
Axamu's body convulsed violently, his scream raw and broken:
"AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The crowd recoiled in shock.
"What's happening to him?"
"Why is he screaming like that?"
"Is he wanted an attention?"
But Axamu didn't care what they thought. He could taste blood in his mouth, his whole body screaming with agony. His golden eyes burned, filled with terror and fury, locked on the spinning white blur of his Beyblade.
"Seriously...System didn't tell me about this...!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "Damn it system...!"
He raised his launcher again with shaking hands, ready to command Cobalt Dragoon for the next strike. Every nerve in his body told him to collapse, but his will chained him upright.
"I WON'T DIE HERE!!"
Another clash loomed, the sparks already flying.
And Axamu braced himself for hell.