First things first, I ran to the rusted sword lying on the floor and snatched it up, then clutched it tight.
Of course I'd never held a blade before, and I had no idea how to wield it, but I definitely wasn't going to stand here unarmed against that bulky man holding an axe the size of my torso.
Despite the fear clutching at my chest and the confusion in my mind, I tried to run a few mental scenarios on how to survive this terrifying ordeal.
However, no matter how I saw it, one thing was clear: There was no surviving this. I was going to die here, brutally, under the gaze and cheers of all these mad people in the arena.
I could feel my legs tremble beneath me, sweat run down my spine and my heart hammering against my ribs.
'Why did I end up in hell?' I thought, clutching the hilt of the sword tighter.
Then at that moment, the large man tilted his head and yelled. "Eh? Are you just going to stand there?"
'Of course!'
I took a trembling step back as he pointed his axe at me. Then, he smirked sinisterly as the crowd exploded in jeers. They booed and hissed, and even began to pelt me with refuse. Garbage rained down onto the arena floor, forcing me to flinch as bits of food and rock glanced off my head.
The large man then let out a booming laugh that echoed off the high walls of the arena. "See that, boy? They want a show, and you're wasting their time. The rules are simple: fight, or be butchered."
He hefted the axe, shifting its heavy head, and took a slow, deliberate step forward. The polished steel of the blade caught the overhead sun and flashed directly into my eyes. My heart, already drumming a frantic rhythm, threatened to claw its way out of my chest.
'Shit, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?' The question was a frantic, useless echo in my skull.
I looked back again at the gate and the walls, hoping to find an escape route, but there was nothing.
At that moment, the man let out a savage roar and charged at me, raising his axe up, aiming to cleave me in two.
Staring at him approach, I contemplated my next move. I was definitely not going to meet his strike head on.
Not only was I frail and would buckle under the weight of that axe, I had no idea how to deflect a strike.
And so, once the man reached me and brought down his axe, I immediately, jumped to the side, rolling awkwardly on the ground.
In the next beat, the man's axe struck the ground with a force that sent sand and dust exploding outward in a sharp cloud.
But the man didn't slow…
He immediately raised the axe up, preparing for another strike.
Since I was on the floor, and couldn't get up in time, I crawled backwards as fast as I could and when the man's axe came down a second time, it slammed into the sand inches from my legs.
Still in my panicked state, I immediately tried to rise… but the man was faster. He didn't even bother to pick up his axe; instead, he took two steps forward, dragging the heavy weapon in the sand beside him, and kicked me hard in the gut, causing me to gasp for air and collapse fully onto my back.
The man then loomed over me, and slowly raised his axe.
Even though the kick had winded me. Even though it sent a searing, white-hot pain through my abdomen, I ignored it because I knew that if I did not do something right now, it was game over for me. And so I mustered all my strength into my right foot and kicked him in the crotch, hard!
The man groaned and staggered back three heavy steps, his massive body hitching and twisting as he bent over, clutching the steel plates protecting his groin.
'Now!' I thought, shoving myself off the floor. Since he was currently doubled over and in pain, I decided to strike now before he could regain his balance.
Clutching the sword in my hand tightly, I lunged at the man and swung the blade down.
But right at that moment, the man let out a guttural roar of pure rage, forced his massive head up, and violently swung his axe to defend himself.
Instead of my blade connecting with his axe, his axe connected with my wrist, sending my severed hand into the air with the sword in it. Blood erupted like a dam from my stump of an arm.
"Huh?" I looked down in shock at the mangled mess where my hand had been. At first, I felt the cold gush, but the pain hadn't registered. My eyes were wide and blank, my mind unable to process the reality of what had just happened.
However, it didn't take long for that initial shock to pass. And when it did, I was instantly hit by a pain so immense it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Engulfed by the agony, I stumbled back and crashed onto the floor, clutching the stump of my arm, yelling and crying. The pain was so complete, so vast, that my mind went entirely blank for a moment.
I couldn't hear the cheers of the crowd which had grown louder, or the heavy footsteps of the man advancing on me.
I didn't even notice that a strange tattoo that was inked on my arm was suddenly emitting wisps of black smoke.
All that I could think about was the overwhelming, relentless agony and how I just wanted it to end, how I just wanted everything to end.
Then at that moment, the man's shadow fell over me. I forced my gaze up from my mangled arm to his face, where his grin widened into a look of savage, triumphant pleasure at the sight of my suffering.
A few tense seconds passed before he raised his axe high above his head and asked in a cold voice." Any last words, boy?"
I groaned. Right now, I needed nothing more than this agony to end. So I gritted my teeth and spat. "Just do it already, you blasted son of a bitch!"
The man's grin widened even more, but just as he was about to bring down his axe, I heard a voice, a female voice, whisper into my ear:
"...My name is Aika Soryu."
My eyes widened. However, I didn't even have time to look around for the source of the mysterious voice, because in the next instant, the man brought the axe down on my head, and the world dissolved into a blinding, deafening nothingness.
[You Died]