Zephyr's eyes opened first.
For a moment, he did not move.
Heat pressed against his back. The smell of sand and dust filled his lungs, dry and sharp enough to make his throat uncomfortable.
He slowly sat up.
The ground beneath him was stone, not the bed he remembered.
His fingers tightened slightly as awareness returned.
"This is not the compound…"
The realization came quickly, without panic.
The arena stretched wide around him—a colossal circular colosseum carved from pale stone and sand, rising like a fortress against the sky.
Collars were fastened around each of their necks.
Heavy.
Cold.
Zephyr reached up slowly, touching it.
He did not try to pull because he already understood what it meant.
Movement above caught his attention, the stands were filled. Not with ordinary people, no.
Every spectator wore a mask, obscuring their faces completely. Their clothing looked expensive, aristocratic-like. Rings glimmered faintly on fingers raised casually as they spoke amongst themselves.
Whispers flowed through the air.
Zephyr's expression darkened slightly.
Maurice, the gamemaster, stood at the king's viewing platform.
He spread his arms theatrically as if greeting a crowd that already belonged to him.
"Dear esteemed nobles!" he declared loudly.
His voice carried effortlessly across the arena.
"Welcome to the final event of the Life or Death Tournament!"
He smiled.
"Those below are the remaining contestants from the previous event. Today, they will begin one on one battles to… satisfy our honored guests."
A soft wave of laughter came from the stands.
Some clapped.
Others simply watched.
Maurice raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Servants quickly entered and without ceremony, they began forcing most of the participants toward the dark corridor beneath the arena.
The dragged students protested immediately.
"What are you doing?!"
"Let go of me!"
One participant grabbed at his collar.
A servant's voice was calm.
"The collar is rigged with explosives. Do not remove it unless u wish to lose your head."
The student froze.
No one spoke after that.
They were taken away.
In the dark holding chamber, tension settled heavily.
Toa clicked his tongue once.
"Just our luck."
Ashur tilted his head slightly.
"These collars wont actually blow us up, right?"
Aron glanced at him.
"Why don't you try removing it then?"
Ashur nodded slowly.
"Good idea."
He grabbed a random participant standing nearby.
The man's eyes widened.
"W-what are you—"
Ashur's hand moved, attempting to crush the collar.
The device began emitting a sharp, rapid beeping sound.
Red light flashed violently.
Ashur immediately shoved the participant backward.
The man's head exploded.
Blood sprayed across the floor before silence returned.
Lya's face went pale.
"What the hell—!"
Ashur shook his hand slightly.
"Guess they really are rigged."
Toa said nothing.
Zephyr's gaze carried pure disgust.
Lazarus spoke up.
"Are you crazy?!"
Ashur shrugged.
"It was for science."
Nobody responded.
The arena announcement echoed again.
Maurice's voice was almost cheerful.
"The two participants who have not been returned to the holding room are the ones who will fight!"
"Matches will continue until only one winner remains!"
"You are allowed to kill your opponent, though it is preferable to merely cripple them. We will have much use for them."
"And now—!"
"Let the first match begin!"
Two random students fought.
The battle was short, violent, and efficient.
The crowd enjoyed it.
Bets changed hands almost instantly.
Back in the dark chamber.
Ashur was the next to be called.
He walked out without hesitation.
His opponent was a student named Nathaniel. He held a water-type core.
"Water Core: Tide Lance!"
A condensed spear of water formed in his hand and he threw it immediately.
Ashur tilted his head slightly, he moved, the spear missed by a hair's breadth.
Another strike came.
Ashur dodged again.
He was testing him.
"You're not that good, are you?" Ashur said casually.
"How did you even make it this far?"
Nathaniels expression tightened.
"Shut up."
Ashur lifted two fingers.
"Slash Core: Bisection."
The motion was simple, almost lazy.
An Invisible force passed through the arena.
Nathaniel stood still for a moment, and then, his body split vertically.
The audience erupted in cheers and excitement.
Ashur didn't even look back as he walked away.
More bets started being placed, most on Ashur.
Maurice clapped once from above.
"I am pleased! The crowd is pleased!"
Bets began multiplying even more.
Next was Toa.
He stepped into the arena silently.
His opponent prepared immediately.
Toa raised his hand.
"Duplicate Core: Multi Point Perspective."
Three copies of himself formed around the opponent.
The clones rushed simultaneously, causing the opponent to hesitate.
"Damnit! Which one's real?!"
The mans hesitation was fatal. The real Toa moved behind him, having hidden himself with the distraction from his clones.
He picked up a sharp rock from the ground and drove it into the man's neck.
The crowd cheered once more.
Bets multiplied even further, passing the millions mark.
Toa returned to the holding chamber and silence followed soon after.
Inside the chamber, confusion sat heavily in the air.
Bets were still being discussed outside.
The tournament had only grown more entertaining