The capital did not sleep.
Even in ruin, even in decay, it breathed greed, desperation, and ambition.
Power had not vanished here. It had simply gone underground.
Literally.
---
The entrance was hidden beneath a collapsed tavern in the lower districts. From above, it looked like nothing more than a scavenger den—rotting wood, broken stairs, graffiti carved into stone.
But beneath it was a different world.
Caelan descended the stairs behind Arienne, his expression tense.
"This is… a tournament?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
"People are cheering."
He wasn't wrong.
The deeper they went, the louder the noise became. Cheers, screams, laughter, the sound of metal striking flesh. Torchlight illuminated a vast underground arena carved into the bedrock of the capital. Tiered seating filled with gangs, mercenaries, ex-nobles, and masked elites surrounded a circular pit stained dark with dried blood.
This was not a sport.
This was entertainment built on suffering.
Arienne wore a black cloak, her face hidden behind a silver half-mask etched with thorn patterns. Her aura was suppressed, her presence muted by the Hunger System.
[Stealth Aura Suppression: Active]
[Identity Concealment Probability: 72%]
Not perfect.
But enough.
Caelan leaned close. "Why are we here?"
"To build reputation," she whispered. "Power needs witnesses."
They moved through the crowd, ignoring lewd remarks and predatory gazes. Arienne felt dozens of gazes on her—some curious, some hostile, some hungry.
She ignored them all.
At the center of the arena, two fighters clashed. One was a mutated brute with stone-like skin. The other was a lean assassin using poison blades. The crowd roared as the brute crushed the assassin's skull with his bare hands.
Blood sprayed.
Coins exchanged hands.
Life became spectacle.
"Winner: Gharun the Boulder!" the announcer shouted.
Arienne watched with mild interest.
Pathetic.
She walked to the registration desk, where a scarred woman with one eye sat behind a wooden table.
"Name?" the woman asked.
Arienne paused.
"Nyx," she said.
A lie.
A useful one.
The woman grinned. "Mask class or open?"
"Open."
That meant death matches. No rules. No mercy.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "You look fragile."
Arienne slid a silver coin across the table.
The woman's grin widened. "Everyone looks fragile until they don't."
She stamped Arienne's wrist with a black mark.
"You fight in five rounds."
Arienne turned and walked away.
Caelan followed, unease written on his face.
"You're entering?" he whispered.
"Yes."
"You don't need this."
"I do."
"Why?"
She looked at him through the mask.
"The capital respects only fear and spectacle. Tonight, I become both."
---
The first match was against a dual-wielding mercenary. He laughed when he saw her size and build.
"I'll make this quick," he said.
The gong sounded.
He lunged.
He never saw her move.
Arienne vanished, reappearing behind him. Her dagger pierced his spine. She twisted, snapping vertebrae.
He collapsed instantly.
The crowd went silent for a heartbeat.
Then erupted.
The Hunger System chimed.
[Opponent Defeated]
[Power Growth: +2%]
[Public Recognition: Minor]
Arienne bowed slightly.
Performance mattered.
---
The second opponent was a flame mage. He unleashed a storm of fire, scorching the arena floor. Arienne walked through it, shadows wrapping around her like living armor.
She stepped into his flames.
He screamed when his fire failed to burn her.
She slit his throat.
The crowd roared louder.
[Power Growth: +4%]
[Skill Evolution Detected: Shadow Resilience → Shadow Inferno Tolerance]
She felt the system adapting.
Learning.
Hungry.
---
The third match was a group battle. Three assassins attacked simultaneously.
Caelan watched from the stands, knuckles white.
He knew she was strong.
He did not know she was terrifying.
She moved like a ghost through their formation. Every strike was lethal. Every movement calculated.
She disarmed one, forced him to kill another, then finished the last herself.
The crowd lost control.
Coins rained into the pit.
[Power Growth: +6%]
[Emotional Bond Amplification: Caelan Veyran Observing – Active]
She felt his presence.
His belief.
His loyalty.
The system pulsed warmly.
Power surged.
---
Between matches, whispers spread.
"Who is she?"
"A noble?"
"A demon?"
"She doesn't hesitate."
"That aura… it feels wrong."
Arienne listened.
Reputation was forming.
---
The fourth opponent was a veteran gladiator, enhanced with beast blood. He moved like a panther, muscles bulging, eyes feral.
"You're interesting," he growled.
He attacked with monstrous speed.
Arienne blocked, her arms trembling from the impact. He was stronger than previous opponents.
She smiled.
Finally.
She let him push her back, letting the crowd believe she was struggling. Then she activated Hunger Surge.
[Hunger Surge: Activated]
[Temporary Power Boost: +40%]
[Cost: Emotional Stability]
Her aura exploded.
Shadows erupted beneath her feet.
She crushed him.
Literally.
The beast-man's bones shattered under invisible pressure.
The arena shook.
Silence fell.
Then pandemonium.
[Power Growth: +12%]
[Audience Fear Index: High]
She exhaled slowly.
The system purred.
---
Final match.
The announcer's voice boomed.
"Our final challenger of the night… the undefeated champion of the lower pits!"
A man stepped into the arena, tall, calm, with silver hair and eyes that felt empty. His presence was oppressive, but controlled.
He did not smile.
He did not boast.
He simply looked at Arienne.
"You're not from here," he said.
"Neither are you."
He nodded.
They bowed slightly.
The gong sounded.
They vanished.
Their clash was invisible to most spectators.
Steel rang.
Blood splattered.
He was skilled. Very skilled.
But he hesitated.
She did not.
She pierced his heart.
He fell without a sound.
The crowd exploded.
---
And then—
The air changed.
Arienne felt it before she saw it.
A gaze.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Amused.
She looked toward the VIP balcony carved into the cavern wall.
A crimson throne stood there.
And on it sat him.
Blood-Knight Sovereign.
He was unmasked this time.
Long dark hair, pale skin, crimson eyes that glowed like embers. He clapped slowly.
One clap.
Two.
Three.
The entire arena went silent.
Everyone knew him.
Everyone feared him.
He stood.
And his eyes locked onto Arienne.
The Hunger System screamed.
[High-Level Predator Detected]
[User Aura Resonance Triggered]
[Identity Recognition Probability: 89%]
Her disguise failed.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
He felt her.
He smiled.
"So this is where you hid."
Her blood ran cold.
He vanished.
Then appeared at the edge of the arena, standing casually as if teleportation was normal.
The crowd kneeled instantly.
He ignored them.
His eyes never left her.
"That aura," he said softly. "That hunger."
He tilted his head.
"It's you."
Arienne did not respond.
The crowd whispered.
"Who is she?"
"She's someone the Sovereign knows."
"That's impossible…"
He descended into the pit.
He stood before her.
Close enough that only she could hear him.
"Did you think I wouldn't find you?"
She stared back.
"I wanted you to."
He laughed quietly.
"Good."
He leaned closer, his breath cold against her ear.
"Run. Fight. Build your empire."
His eyes glowed.
"I will tear it apart personally."
He turned and vanished.
The crowd erupted again, but now with fear.
---
Caelan stared at Arienne from the stands.
He understood something.
She wasn't just playing with monsters.
She was inviting them.
---
That night, as she left the arena, the Hunger System pulsed.
[Warning: Blood-Knight Sovereign Mark Strengthened]
[User Recognized by High-Tier Entity]
[Future Conflict Probability: Absolute]
Arienne walked into the darkness.
Her lips curved upward.
Let him hunt her.
She would become something that hunted back.
---
Cliffhanger End
In the depths of the arena's shadowed halls, the Blood-Knight Sovereign watched her through a crystal mirror.
"She has returned to the stage," he murmured.
A subordinate asked, "Should we mobilize the capital forces?"
He shook his head.
"No."
He smiled.
"I want to see how far she climbs before she falls."
---