"Round 4 complete, 33 survivors remaining!" One of the lead referees called, and the crowd clamored in excitement, but the same thing could not be said for the surviving applicants.
The combat arenas were littered with broken bodies being dragged away by healers. Some of them would make it, but some would definitely die.
And even if they survive, they'll likely be crippled for life.
To an Awakened, that was a fate worse than death.
Like usual, the spelltech embedded in the combat arenas came to life as they went to work cleaning the arenas and bringing them back to pristine condition, but this time, they couldn't be brought back to pristine condition.
Yes, the blood was cleaned, but the wear and tear of battle remained on its surface. The stench of sweat and blood could no longer be easily erased.
The coliseum… it was a birthplace for greatness but also a graveyard of talents.
The remaining 66 applicants were called back into formation. If not visible before, now, the exhaustion was visible everywhere, in their limps, their bruised body, their bloodied clothes and the hollow stare of their eyes.
They were broken, and yet, somehow, they were still going.
The holographic projection flashed again.
[33 survivors remaining]
And that was when it dawned on them… another odd number, which meant another elimination by luck, or in this case unluck.
The tension spiked again.
'Ugh...!' Kairo groaned in his mind. He was tired of this… he was f*cking tired of it all. The mind games, the tension, the exhaustion, he was just f*cking tired.
And yet, just like the others, he didn't move.
The holographic board spun violently. Names flashed, each survivor holding their breath, praying it won't be theirs.
And then…
DING!
It appeared in crimson letters.
[Eliminated: Serah Nyx]
Serah broke down in tears, the exhaustion finally catching up to her as she collapsed to her knees, looking up towards Major Pain and begging for a chance.
But the Major was as impassive as usual.
She was teleported out of the coliseum.
Major Pain's voice cut in coldly as soon as she disappeared. "Fate doesn't wait for tears. Thirty two remain," his voice rumbled like growling thunder. "Prepare yourselves".
Kairo felt himself letting out a breath of relief that he didn't realize he was holding in since. And yet, he sympathized with Serah.
He didn't know her, but he knew how devastated he would feel if he managed to make it this way only to be eliminated by luck.
Kairo clenched his fists tightly though this little act caused him pain.
The hologram began spinning again, pairing fighters for Round 5. There were no easy opponents now; every one of them remaining was a survivor, each was scarred, bruised, and made desperate by the brutal crucible of the tournament.
Most of them didn't even have the energy to pay attention to the matchups anymore. Some took this rare opportunity to rest, collapsing instantly into sleep, while others stared blankly at the walls.
Some just quietly sobbed… even men cry.
"I can't feel my arms anymore," one of them muttered in a voice that was more broken than his mangled body.
"If I win one more, maybe… just maybe". Another mumbled to himself.
"I don't want to die here…" one sobbed softly.
They looked less like teenagers and more like broken soldiers in a warzone.
Kairo leaned against the cold wall, his chest heaving. His body was visibly shriveling, muscles eaten away by his overuse of Muscle Genesis.
His height had diminished back to his slum-like malnourished frame. After over a week of training with Muscle Genesis, he finally felt like he belonged. He no longer stuck out like a sore thumb because of his sorry physique.
But now, pushed to the brink by the crucible of this merciless tournament, he was back to square zero.
Kairo chuckled. "It's a f*cking cycle".
Chuckling caused pain to flare in his lungs. Every breath hurt, his ribs throbbed in pain, even his stomach gnawed at itself with violent hunger.
Kairo felt like he was dying.
DING!
~----~
[SYSTEM WARNING CRITICAL!]
…
The system messaged flashed in vivid red, and in CAPSLOCK.
…
[Nutritional Deficiency Critical!]
[Muscle Index collapsing… risk of permanent damage.]
>Urgent Recommendation: Intake required immediately!
[System Remark: You're either a very gutsy fool or just a fool, or both. Stop using your ability, or die!]
~----~
Kairo gritted his teeth. "Shut up!" he snarled at himself. "I don't have that luxury, I don't…"
His eyes were sunken, but his will didn't falter. "If pain is the price, then I'll pay it," he muttered in a low voice. "I'll pay it all".
Just beside him, Mira noticed his state. She wanted to say something. She opened her mouth, but she closed it back. Her situation was not better than the others; she was covered in cuts, one leg trembling uncontrollably.
In the end, she only managed. "Don't die on me, Vale".
"You're the only friend I have here," she added in an almost whisper.
Kairo didn't look at her but he smirked faintly through cracked lips. "Not until I find her".
Mira looked at him, but kept quiet.
The silence spread. Every survivor knew; this was no longer about winning glory. It was now about endurance beyond the limits of humanity.
And then…
DING!
The holographic board finally stabilized.
And with it, the matchups for the 16 duels between the final 32 applicants flashed across the coliseum.
Major Pain's voice echoed like a God's mandate. "This is the crucible, this is what separates true warriors from canon fodder".
"This is what separates the seeds from the extras".
"Win or break. Fight until nothing remains of you but resolve".
By now, Kairo was no longer just fond of Major Pain's voice, but he absolutely loathed it. Despite this though, the Major's voice still managed to lit a spark in his heart that was slowly growing into a blazing furnace again.
He clutched his stomach in silent agony, his eyes locked on his opponent's name that glowed on the board.
Despite his frail state, his gaze burned like a predator ready to kill or die trying.
"Try me". He growled.