Happy New Year!!!! Lets make the next year ours. Prosperity to us!!
Chapter 65 Victory
The lesson Zion delivered to Lyra was a simple, chilling act of turning his back on her crumpled form. The message was clearer than any act could have been. She was no longer a factor worthy of his attention. The arena, for a long moment, was in silence.
As Zion stood, his breathing steady and his new Myr energy a faint, pulsating aura around him, a figure cautiously emerged.
Skele, who had been a statue of tense this whole time , was now moving with lighter feet .
He did not run nor did he draw attention with sudden movement. He simply… smoothly moonwalked to this place.
His path was a masterclass in survivalist geometry. He moved in a slow, indirect arc that always, always kept either Zion's or Amilios between him and the nearest group of other remaining combatants.
When Zion took a step to survey the arena, Skele adjusted his position with a shuffle, ensuring the human mountain remained his shield. When Amilios shifted his weight, Skele drifted slightly, making the formidable beast his guardian.
He had become a living shadow to the two most dangerous entities in the arena, and he wore the role with a quiet and slight relief.
The other strong contenders, the ones who had fiught their own spaces in the bloodied sand, watched this performance with a range of emotions.
The ten prison veterans and including the now conscious but defeated Lyra, observed with cold, analytical eyes. They saw Skele for what he was. The weakest person left standing. A single, well placed strike would end him. But to deliver that strike, they would have to breach the perimeter of either Zion or Amilios.
The cost of swatting this bug was potentially a confrontation with elephants . Their calculations were swift and unanimous. It was not worth the effort. He was beneath their notice, a piece of scenery that had cleverly glued itself like a leech.
A few of the other independent fighters, brutes who had survived on sheer aggression, felt a flash of irritation at Skele's blatant cowardice.
One, a hulking man with a spiked maul, even took a half step forward, his knuckles whitening on his weapon's haft. Skele saw the movement from the corner of his eye and immediately took a half step of his own, placing Zion directly in his line of sight.
The brute met Zion's cool, dispassionate gaze for a fraction of a second. Then thought better of it, grunting and turning away to find easier prey that didn't come with such formidable protectors.
Seeing this, a tiny, irrepressible gloat began to bubble up inside Skele. A smirk threatened to break out on his face.
That's right, he thought, look all you want. You can't touch me.
Skele stopped himself for a moment.As the self claimed professional survivor.
He knew that overconfidence was the prelude to a dramatic and messy death. So, he suppressed the smirk into a neutral line, kept his posture non threatening, and continued his silent, strategic orbit around his safe heaven .He was gloating, but he was doing it internally, where it was safe.
---
High Above, in the Sky
A low, rumbling chuckle emanated from a seemingly innocent cloud. "Look at him down there," Moon's voice murmured to " He really doesnt care what others think"
Raiz, who had been watching the more dramatic fights, shifted his focus to Skele's subtle shifts. A wide grin spread across his face. "He's doing great in my opinion. What does others opinion matter if you loose your life. It was better to live than die. Zion and Amilios also know what he is doing but they dont really care.
Actually they preferred him being closer than being reckless somewhere and dying"
"There's all kinds of peoples in this world"Moon observed, his cloud form shimmering with amusement. "He knows his current power is simply not enough. Instead of throwing the egg into the stone . He is simply staying put "
"Calling a whole human an egg . Tsk tsk , our leader is bit inhumane" Raiz teased the cloud.
Then looked back at skele " Ahaha He's so… theatrical about it!" Raiz laughed "The little steps, the way his eyes dart around like a nervous squirrel. Ah, yes . He reminds me of the squirrel from ice age movie! He's literally performing a one man play. The tittle should be "How to entertain Raiz'!"
Moon's form wobbled in what could only be a cloud's equivalent of a hearty laugh. "You should take notes. This is a level of cowardice that borders on artistic."
"It's not cowardice, it's advanced tactical positioning!. In the first place its our fault he is there. His only mission was to look for the island and not participate whatever this is" Raiz countered, still grinning. "And yes am appreciating this artistry."
---
Back in the Arena
The contest wound down with a grim finality. The initial chaos of five thousand had been distilled into a handful of survivors. The arena floor had traces of the violence that had occurred.
The littered blood with the still and groaning forms of the defeated. When the last independent fighter fell to a casual blow from one of the prison veteran.
Gonggg~
A gong sounded, its deep tone signaling the end.
The survivors were on the clear tier list of power.
At the apex stood the ten from the prison's deepest level. They were calm, their breathing even, looking no more strained than if they had taken a brisk walk.
Among them was a man Skele had barely noticed before. He was of average height and build, with a plain, unassuming face. He hadn't made a big scene or used flashy techniques.
He had simply moved through the battlefield, and anyone who came near him had quietly and efficiently fallen. He didn't radiate pressure or menace you would expect on this stage . He radiated a profound finality. He was perhaps the most terrifying of them all because he made absolute power look utterly normal.
Then there was Zion, standing a little apart from him. The newest and brightest star in this dark firmament. Then Amilios, the ever silent bee, not one contender challenged him after the initial encounter.
And then, nestled securely between them, was Skele. Safe and sound.
With the immediate danger passed, Skele's entire demeanor transformed. The tension drained from his shoulders, and the clever survivor was replaced by a chummy, almost garrulous version of himself. His eyes, which had been diligently tracking threats, now landed on the most unassuming of the top ten,the far looking chubby man
"Well, that was a proper scrap, wasn't it?" Skele said, striding over to the man as if they were old comrades. He completely ignored when the man was talking to them at the beginning , specially to Zion"Name's Skele. Fine showing out there. Absolutely fine."
The man turned his head slowly, his gaze as deep and placid as a mountain lake. Seeing it was the ant around Zion . He didnt ignore but actually proactively talked with.
Taking the chance Skele clapped him familiarly on the shoulder. "You really were something else my friend! A man of action, I see! I totally respect that. Survived, that's what matters, no? We're the ones left standing! The cream of the crop!" He beamed, wrapping his arm around the man's shoulder as if they were childhood best friends reunited.
The unassuming man didn't shrug him off. He didn't react badly at all but reciprocated and wrapped his arm around Skeles shoulder.
He could have ignored . Skeles arm was no more significant than a stray breeze but he didnt.
With the warm atmosphere. Now they really looked like childhood friends that knew each other from the day they were born.
Zion watched the scene with a faint, knowing smirk. Amilios simply blinked, his alien mind likely categorizing the behavior as another strange and inexplicable human ritual.
For Skele, this was the ultimate victory. The battle was over. He had survived even when he was thrown into this . Truly hard times are over and now, he could bask in the safety, cozying up to the most powerful beings present without a care in the world.
It was at this moment that the announcer, having recovered his voice, returned to his platform. The machine lifted him, and his amplified voice cut through the post battle murmur.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! What a spectacle! What a historic night!" he bellowed, his arms spread wide. "The victors are settled! The blood has been spilled! Before you stand the twenty strongest, the most ruthless, the most cunning warriors to emerge from the crucible! They have faced the abyss and laughed! They have earned their spoils!"
He paused, letting the anticipation build.
"Now… it is time. Time for the reward. The champion, and all survivors, shall be granted their due. Let the distribution of the spoils of war… begin!"
The crowd erupted once more, their cheers a hungry acknowledgement of the concluded violence and the promise of a final, satisfying conclusion. For Skele, the sound was like music. The danger was over.
The reward was at hand. He gave the unassuming man's shoulder a final, friendly squeeze, his smile wider than it had been since this entire nightmare began.
————————
Hi there! If you enjoy what you see here and would like to see more, consider supporting my work on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/c/SunsetBiz