Mildo looked at the wooden weapons scattered before him, some shaped like long staffs, others resembling swords. They all seemed heavy enough for someone like him.
Enzo approached slowly, dragging a thick wooden staff with him, a poisonous, wicked smile spreading across his face.
In a sudden motion, he pushed Mildo forcefully, sending him sprawling to the ground, then placed his foot on Mildo's chest with cold precision.
"Get up, and choose your weapon if you dare," he said.
Mildo pushed Enzo's foot away from his body, then slowly rose to his feet, staring at him with sharp intensity. He turned toward the scattered weapons, bent slightly, and gripped a wooden sword firmly.
He looked at the weapon in his hand, lost in thought:
I suppose this path has no return, an eternal maze, forcing you to coexist with darkness and consume it, like rabid dogs.
Mildo lifted the wooden sword, testing its weight for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Enzo and said in a calm, challenging voice:
"Come on, I'll show you."
Enzo burst into a mocking laugh that echoed through the room:
"Hahaha, do you really think you can stand against me?! Let's see how long you last before your bones break."
He gripped his heavy wooden staff tightly and lunged at Mildo with furious steps.
The strike met Mildo's wooden sword, trembling under the force. His hands shook violently, almost losing his grip. Yet despite the tremor, Mildo steadied his breathing, locking eyes with Enzo with unwavering resolve.
Enzo raised his hand again, swinging the staff with brute force, but Mildo blocked the attack once more. His wooden sword shivered under the impact, yet he held firm with unyielding determination.
A few steps away, Mr. Dante stood silently, observing the clash, his eyes scrutinizing every movement with precision.
Henry noticed him and stepped closer, wearing a half-mocking smile.
"Why so absorbed? Seems like you enjoy the fight," he said.
Mr. Dante glanced at Mildo as he defended against Enzo, thinking aloud:
"That boy… he has some potential."
Henry smiled quietly and added,
"That's not surprising."
Mildo parried every strike with difficulty, eyes focused, body tense. Armanda and Logan watched in awe, and Logan whispered,
"He's incredible…"
For a moment, Enzo tried to find an opening and shouted quickly,
"Look there!"
Mildo turned his head briefly, and Enzo seized the opportunity, striking him on the head with the staff. Mildo collided with nearby pillars.
A light dizziness wrapped around his head, and a sharp ringing pierced his ears. He struggled to stand, blood streaming down his face, yet his grip on the wooden sword did not falter, even as his vision blurred.
He exhaled slowly, gathering his strength, his gaze never leaving Enzo.
"I will kill you," Mildo whispered, cold and furious.
Enzo raised his hand to his ear, mocking loudly,
"Hah, I can't hear you!"
Mildo's voice suddenly rose, shouting with deadly resolve:
"I will kill you!"
He charged at Enzo, eyes locked on him.
As he approached, Enzo struck him hard on the head. Mildo's vision blurred, barely allowing him to see. He staggered but still held his wooden sword firmly in his hand.
Enzo continued striking from all directions, his staff moving fast and powerful, yet Mildo stood his ground, refusing to fall. Each blow shook him, but he endured.
Then Mr. Dante's voice boomed across the arena, firm and commanding:
"That's enough, Enzo. The duel is over."
Mildo turned toward Mr. Dante, his body wobbling from the blows, then collapsed to the ground.
Henry approached him calmly, his voice low and laced with coldness:
"My god… take him from here and treat his wounds."
Mr. Dante cast a stern glance at Mildo for a moment, then turned to Enzo, eyes filled with contempt:
"You pathetic fool. You won against a child by cheating."
Enzo trembled slightly, stammering as he tried to defend himself:
"T…this… wasn't cheating…"
Mr. Dante lifted his gaze to Enzo, his voice cold and firm:
"I don't want to hear you, shame on you."
He then turned quietly and left the arena, leaving Enzo standing stunned.
The guards approached and carefully lifted Mildo from the ground.
Enzo kicked his wooden staff in anger, his voice echoing across the arena:
"Damn it, that bastard!"
Henry smirked with sarcasm, his eyes gleaming with calm confidence.
"Oh, oh, calm down. Maybe you'll win next time… or maybe not."
He began walking slowly toward the exit, the smile never leaving his face, clearly enjoying Enzo's humiliation.
Enzo shouted in anger, eyes blazing:
"Henry, that bastard! I'll kill him one day!"
Henry headed to Room Seven to check on Mildo. He opened the door quietly and stepped inside, his eyes catching a familiar scene after the fight: Mildo, head bandaged, lying on the floor, with Armanda and Logan watching him anxiously.
Everyone paused for a moment, lifting their eyes to Henry as he entered suddenly.
Mildo sat on the floor, lifted his head, and looked at Henry with nearly lifeless eyes, speaking coldly:
"What do you want now?"
His eyes gleamed with a hint of playful cunning as he added:
"I want you."
Everyone exchanged stunned glances, unsure how to interpret those words.
Henry took a slow step toward Mildo, his hand moving lightly through the air, each motion calculated to provoke tension.
Mildo narrowed his eyes at him, confused:
"What do you mean? I don't understand."
Mildo stared at Henry warily, trying to make sense of his strange actions or rather, that peculiar look mixed with an even stranger smile. He wondered to himself, What is this man thinking?
Henry ignored Mildo's question and said calmly and coldly,
"Come with me."
Mildo stood and looked at him with a flat expression.
"Where are we going?"
Henry smiled enigmatically and replied with confidence,
"Follow me."
They left Room Seven and walked through narrow corridors until they reached a room filled with the scent of gunpowder.
Henry pointed at a neatly arranged pile of weapons and said quietly,
"Pick one."
Mildo gazed at him nervously, trying to interpret the strange look in Henry's eyes. He raised his voice, trembling with refusal,
"I don't want to."
Henry's gaze grew even stranger. He stepped forward, picking up a silver-handled gun and turning to Mildo as he toyed with it like a plaything.
"It doesn't matter whether you want to or not. From the moment you stepped into this place, your fate was sealed."
Mildo's tension spiked as Henry approached slowly and pressed the gun to his forehead.
"But you can escape that fate. You can become the one who rules over them, who controls everything if only you become the predator, not the prey."
Mildo's heart raced, sweat streaming down his face. Death was only a trigger away. He lifted his gaze to Henry, swallowed hard, and tried to compose himself.
"Why are you telling me all this?!"
Henry exhaled slowly, removed the gun from his head, and then took Mildo's hand and handed it to him.
"Put the gun on my head, just like I did with you."
Mildo's hands trembled, his eyes wide with shock and fear, his heart pounding violently. Henry guided his hand, placing the gun directly against his forehead, staring into Mildo's eyes with a strange intensity.
"Kill me. Go on."
Mildo tried to pull back, but Henry's grip was firm and unyielding. His words came out choked with fear,
"No… I won't kill you!"
Henry shouted, his voice filling the room and pressing against Mildo's ears,
"If you want to live, do it now!"
Mildo's heart pounded in his chest, almost audible. His trembling fingers touched the gun, feeling its weight with every second that passed. What should he do? What should he avoid? Dozens of questions flooded his young mind, growing heavier with every moment.
He screamed in fear, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger but the gun was empty.
Henry smiled calmly.
"Well done."
Mildo sank to the floor, his body shaking, yet relief never came. He knew this would not be the last time he would hold a weapon like this.
Henry watched him, as Mildo's body continued to tremble with fear, staring at his own hands in terror, sweat pouring endlessly. Then Henry calmly commanded,
"Stand."
Mildo lifted his eyes and tried to rise, but his legs barely supported him. His breathing was rapid, his body tense. Henry approached and said,
"Take a deep breath."
Mildo closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. His body began to calm slightly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then he looked up at Henry with focused eyes and asked,
"What is the purpose of all this?"
"Nothing in particular," Henry said with his usual smile, his calm, strange voice filling the room.