The arena still hummed with shock after Kairo's first duel.
Darius lay sprawled unconscious, chest rising and falling shallowly while healers dragged him away. The pitiful sight of the noble told the story of what recklessly challenging Kairo could end as.
For a moment, silence reigned.
And then…
"I want the next fight!"
The voice broke through the air like a knife.
It wasn't fear in the nobles' eyes, not yet. It was pride, bravado, and the burning need to prove that this slumrat wasn't untouchable.
To many of them, a slumrat dominating was not just a trample on their pride, it was a trample of everything that they were taught growing up and believed in.
It was a trample on their very existence, and they would not stand it.
Growing up, they always believed that nobles were superior beings. Their noble bloodline was purer, their upbringing was immaculate, their training was just the icing on the cake to increase the great divide between slumrats and nobles.
