Chapter 15 — Victory Written in Blood
"ROUND TWO!!"
3… 2… 1… GO SHOOT!!
White Cobalt Dragoon ripped from the launcher like a blade of lightning. Hover Wyvern thundered out opposite, grinding mercilessly on the rail, sparks flying.
The first clash rattled the arena.
CLAAAAANG!!
Pain tore through Axamu's chest, ribs tightening like a vice. His lungs struggled, blood flooding into his mouth. His vision pulsed white-hot.
If I don't end this now… My body will not make it before the battle ends.
I have to end it fast.
His grip shook, veins burning, but he thrust forward with everything he had.
"XTREME DAAAAAASH!!"
White Cobalt Dragoon ignited with a shriek of steel and sparks, tearing across the rail with murderous speed—
BAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
At the same instant, Axamu's body erupted. His skull felt like it cracked open, his chest split with agony, blood bursting from his nose, his ears—and finally, his eyes.
His scream ripped across the arena:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The sound froze the crowd. Faces went pale, gasps echoed, hands covered mouths in horror.
Across the arena, Axamu's opponent staggered back from his launcher, wide-eyed.
"W-what the hell…?"
Hover Wyvern didn't last another second. It was obliterated from the rail, hurled sky-high before smashing against the wall and bursting out of bounds.
Cobalt Dragoon steadied itself at the center, spinning strong, defiant.
The announcer's voice cracked with shock, then thundered:
"EXTREME FINISH!!! THREE POINTS TO AXAMU!!! TOTAL 4 POINTS!! AXAMU WINS THE MATCH!!!"
The stadium exploded into a storm of disbelief and cheers.
But the opponent couldn't celebrate. His hands trembled around his launcher, his face pale with dread.
"He… he bled… from his eyes…" he muttered, horrified. "That wasn't… normal…"
On the floor, Axamu collapsed, blood streaking his face, his body convulsing. His vision was nothing but red haze.
(Did…I… won…? )
Through the blur, the last thing he saw was announcer announced his victory.
A twisted smile flickered briefly— and he muttered.
"Ah...Fuck...I never...played...this again..."
Then his body surrendered, consciousness slipping into black.
The cheers roared on, but to Axamu, the world was silent.
---
"EXTREME FINISH!!! THREE POINTS TO AXAMU!! AXAMU WINS THE MATCH!!"
The crowd erupted, but the celebration shattered when Axamu collapsed. His body crumpled on the stadium floor, blood streaking down his face, chest rising shallowly before going still.
Gasps and murmurs rippled across the arena.
His opponent, clutching his launcher tightly, stared at the scene with a grim, unsettled expression. Hover Wyvern—his Beyblade—lay motionless at his feet, its spin already dead. He said nothing. His jaw tightened, but no words came.
"Get the medics!" a voice shouted.
White-coated staff rushed in with a stretcher, kneeling quickly beside Axamu. His body was lifted carefully, limp arms hanging, blood soaking through white fabric. The medics' faces were tight with urgency as they carried him off the stage.
The crowd's energy fractured into unease—cheers replaced by hushed confusion, fear creeping into every whisper.
The opponent lowered his head, eyes fixed on the floor, his grip tightening around Hover Wyvern as though it suddenly weighed too much.
The medics vanished with Axamu into the tunnel. Silence swallowed the stage.
And then—
DING.
A translucent screen blinked into existence above the exact spot Axamu had fallen. Its glow pulsed cold and wrong, invisible to all but hanging in the air like an omen.
> [SYSTEM ALERT]
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have won the match.
Please choose your reward.
The text jittered, flickered.
BZZZT.
> CONGRA—LATI—N…
RE—WA—RD ERR—
SY–STEM INT—RUPT—
The screen trembled, light fraying, before a warped whisper broke the silence:
> "Ch…oo–se… yo–ur… fa–te…"
Then, with a shatter like glass, the window disintegrated into static and was gone.
Axamu, already unconscious, never saw it. He knew nothing of the system's message.
But it had spoken.
Cliffhanger.