The world was spinning.
My chest burned with every breath, each inhale tasting of blood and dust. Round after round, blow after blow—I had forced my body past its limits, but the announcer was still standing tall, grinning like a wolf who had already decided his prey was finished.
I tried to push myself up. My knees buckled, my arms trembled, but I still stood.
"Persistent brat," the announcer sneered, his voice dripping venom. "Let's see how long that resolve lasts."
The fight surged forward. Fists cracked against bone, the arena shook with each impact. My daggers carved across his chest once, but his counter buried me into the wall, stone shattering like glass.
Blood ran into my eyes. I forced myself to see through the haze. I can't stop here. Not now.
The world blurred into sound—fists, shouts, the crack of stone. My demon form clawed and slashed, instincts roaring for me to tear him apart. But no matter how many times I struck, his strength dwarfed mine. His body was like iron, his movements cruel and precise.
He drove his knee into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs, then hammered my back with a blow that rattled every bone. I spat blood, but still rose.
I growled, staggering forward. Not yet… I won't fall yet.
But my body betrayed me. His kick snapped bone, my legs gave out, and I collapsed face-first into the ground. Agony ripped through me.
I gasped, choking on blood. My body twitched, but no strength came.
I… I can't feel my legs.
Terror sank its claws into my chest. The announcer's shadow loomed closer. My blurred vision caught him smiling.
Is this it? Am I really going to die here?
My chest hurt worse than the broken bones. A fear I had carried since childhood—of dying powerless, forgotten—rose like a wave to drown me.
I coughed violently, blood spilling across the floor. My voice cracked.
"…I don't… want to die."
The announcer's laugh stabbed into me like a knife.
"You don't want to die? Then stop crawling like a worm and fight, boy!"
He raised his hand, ready to crush me.
And then—something else stirred.
Not a memory.
But a voice. My father's voice. Rough, steady, alive in my skull.
"If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But never, ever stay down, Jae. The moment you stop rising—that's when you've truly lost."
I felt his calloused hands shoving me forward again, like when I was little, chasing him on the cliffs. His voice mixed with Ara's laughter, my mother's lullabies.
The people I loved weren't here—
But the echoes of them were.
And they were screaming at me to get up.
A shaky breath tore from my chest. Blood dripped from my lips as I pushed against the stone. My arms shook violently, but I forced them to move.
Not for hate.
Not for revenge.
But because I can't let myself stay down.
Because they're waiting for me.
"I… will stand."
The announcer froze for a heartbeat, disbelief flashing in his eyes as I dragged myself upright, my body trembling but my gaze burning.
"You can break my bones. Tear my flesh. But as long as I have my family in my heart…" My voice rasped, but carried through the arena like steel.
"…I'll keep standing."
The announcer's face twisted in rage. "STAY DOWN!"
He lunged—only for a silver glow to pour across me, moonlight bathing my broken form.
A cold voice echoed from above.
"Pathetic. So much power locked inside you, yet you refuse to grasp it."
From the moonlight, a pale hand stretched down. It touched my chest, and warmth exploded through me. Bones knit, wounds sealed, mana flooding like a storm in my veins.
The announcer staggered back, eyes wide with fear.
"N-No… it can't be… You're—You're the Moon Emperor…"
Then he said "Why is the moon emperor here and why is she helping this brat."
My heart pounded. The Moon Emperor. From the ancient tales. A calamity in flesh, feared by kings, whispered about by the brave.
And now… helping me.
The voice in my chest laughed, low and sharp.
"You idiot. Don't waste this moment. Attack while he's shaken and distracted."
My body surged forward, faster than thought. My dagger carved a silver line across the announcer's chest, blood spraying across the ground.
Then I sprinted past him toward the ritual. Kuro's body writhed in agony, suspended in the glowing sigil.
"KURO!" I roared.
The announcer shrieked behind me, fury unhinged. "DO YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU RUINED THE KING REVIVAL! DIE!"
He lunged, his strike like a falling star—but I twisted under it, with my right dagger aimed for the crystal.I threw it and It struck the crystal dead center.
CRACK!
The crystal split apart, shards flying. My dagger also shattered to dust.
Kuro fell. Relief struck me like lightning.
The announcer's rage tore the air. "YOU WRETCHED BRAT!"
He appeared before me in a blink, his fist crashing down. I raised my left dagger, steel clashing with his strength, the shockwave shaking the stage.
My arms screamed, but I held firm.
The voice inside me purred, as if entertained.
"Mmm. An Emperor watching. I suppose we should put on a show."
A pulse of heat burned across my chest. A second heartbeat thundered in me. Lunar markings flared across my skin, chains snapping in invisible fire.
"Take it," the voice said. "One percent of my power. Use it well."
My body erupted with power, dark fire coiling around me. The announcer's got angrier.
I gripped my dagger tight.
Then slowly looked up and said-
"It's time to end this fight."