"Senpai, how are you so fast? Could it be…"
asked a male voice, panting, clearly exhausted. However, noticing the presence of the others, the boy immediately cut himself off.
In that instant, Kaito felt a familiar tingling, a sensation that wrapped around him like a distant memory. A second of reflection was enough to recognize it.
This is… the first evil, he thought to himself.
Before fully unlocking the Evil ability, he used to suffer from severe headaches accompanied by dark premonitions, a kind of incomplete version of that power. When it finally awakened in full, he understood the truth: abilities remain dormant until the right moment, but in very rare cases there exists an intermediate state, a "semi-awakening."
His had been triggered by something simple and terrifying, someone harboring hatred strong enough to wish him dead. Not a generic hatred toward the Lords, nor the resentment of someone seeking wealth or power. No. It was pure hatred, directed solely and exclusively at him. A desire to see him dead for no reason other than the absolute concentration of resentment.
Now, observing the young man before him, he understood everything. In his gaze burned that hatred, and from time to time his eyes drifted toward Mashiro. The reason became obvious.
"Kouhai-kun," it was Misakii who broke the tense silence that only Kaito and Sorata Kanda understood.
Sorata recovered his expression and pretended nothing had happened.
"Senpai, I was wondering why you rushed over here… so you came to see Shiina." He turned toward Mashiro. "Hello, Shiina."
She simply nodded, continuing her meal as if nothing had happened.
"A pleasure," said Sorata to the rest, offering a polite smile. "I am Sorata Kanda. Sorry for the trouble."
"It's fine, don't worry," replied Kaito, and the group in general nodded naturally.
Misakii and Sorata sat with them, joining the conversation.
When Mashiro finished eating, a bit of cream remained on her cheek. Sorata, attentive, leaned in with a handkerchief to wipe it. To his surprise, Mashiro dodged him and stopped the gesture.
"What is it?" he asked, puzzled.
"Too intimate," Mashiro replied naturally, leaving Sorata and Misakii speechless for very different reasons.
"Ooooh, incredible!" Misakii exclaimed, amused. "To think little Mashiro would say something so… normal."
"I've tried teaching her some common sense," commented Kaito, provoking an even more astonished reaction from Misakii.
"Impressive! To think you achieved what we've been trying for so long without success."
Hearing that, a spark of jealousy flared inside Sorata.
"But…" he said, drawing everyone's attention. "That depends on each person. What is intimate for some may not be for others, right? Shiina is absent-minded and lazy, so it's normal for someone else to take care of those details, isn't it?"
Mashiro looked at him with an innocent smile, not understanding. Misakii leaned to her ear and explained,
"He says that since you're lazy, you want others to do it for you."
Mashiro was offended for a moment, but after thinking about the trouble of doing it herself, she decided to agree.
"True."
Seeing her nod filled Sorata with joy, and he leaned closer again. However, Mashiro avoided him once more.
"Too intimate," she repeated.
Sorata didn't understand.
"But… didn't you just say…"
Mashiro interrupted him.
"Kaito, wipe me."
"You're on the other side of the table. Wipe yourself and don't be lazy," he replied without flinching.
She pouted, but when nothing came of it, she ended up wiping herself.
Sorata clenched his fists in fury, jealous and frustrated, until Misakii grabbed his shoulders from behind.
"Hahaha, looks like we should go. Sorry for the trouble." Without giving him a choice, she dragged him away.
The group remained silent for a few seconds.
"That boy…" murmured Kirito, but Kaito shook his head, signaling him to stay quiet. Little by little, the conversation flowed again as if nothing had happened.
Almost two hours later, the battles began.
During that time, only a few approached Kaito and his group. The weaker ones stayed away out of fear, the stronger ones because they didn't think it necessary to gain his favor. Finding a middle ground was complicated. Still, Kaito took note of some who dared to come near. Being prepared was never a bad thing.
Finally, all the Lords were divided into forty-eight arenas. With more than six hundred fifty thousand people, each one held around thirteen thousand fighters. Even divided, the crowd was overwhelming.
The rules were simple: leaving the platform meant defeat. Fainting too. And dying, of course. Only the last one standing would advance.
As soon as he appeared in the arena, Kaito felt his powers return. The sound of a ring bell echoed, marking the start.
Knowing the rules, he decided to begin with tornadoes. If the goal was to throw the others out of the platform, launching them into the air was enough. The weak would be eliminated instantly, the resistant ones would remain within his reach.
The plan worked. Chaos erupted in seconds. Thousands were thrown out of the field effortlessly.
On the ground, Kaito moved quickly. A man who could alter his weight resisted the wind, but Kaito easily threw him out. A girl with raven wings tried to escape flying, only to be struck by a lightning bolt that knocked her unconscious. Twins fused with the earth thought they could trap him, but Kaito sensed them and destroyed the ground where they hid. They survived thanks to their ability's properties, but the pain left them out of the fight.
The rest posed no challenge, a single precise push was enough to throw them from the arena.
Within minutes, Kaito was the only one standing. A notification confirmed his victory, and he returned to his table.
There Mashiro awaited him, which didn't surprise him. Her abilities were perfect for annihilating entire groups. Kaguya and Hayasaka, however, would take longer, since they fought hand-to-hand.
Almost an hour passed before both returned, and even more time before Kirito and Asuna did.
Although the rules allowed only half an hour of rest between fights, those who finished earlier could use the extra time.
Finally, they were teleported to a new stage. Similar to the previous one, but with smaller arenas. A message notified that the eliminated were watching everything from screens in the previous location.
Kaito analyzed the forty-seven rivals surrounding him. Besides Mashiro, Kaguya, Hayasaka, Kirito, and Asuna, few seemed familiar.
Among them, Sorata and Misakii.
And some others he recognized not by acquaintance, but from stories he had read. Standing out was a beautiful young woman with long golden twin-tails and a proud bearing, accompanied by a boy with thick glasses and an unflattering hairstyle. Also, a young woman with pink hair, innocent appearance, and striking figure, adorned with a brooch that caught Kaito's attention.
She noticed his gaze and waved cheerfully at him. Kaito returned the gesture before continuing to examine the rest.
Other than a few, no one else looked familiar.
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Hey, around 65 percent said no to Attea, and the other 35 said yes. This makes it clear what they think about that kind of character, which means from now on I don't need to ask before adding them.
Of course, this only applies to characters I'm unsure about, since there are others who will definitely appear because I like them, even if people disagree.
For example, a character similar to Attea, who literally has horns and pink skin, is Mina, and she's definitely going to be in it.
As for Attea, I haven't completely ruled out the possibility, at least not for now, but who knows what might happen in the future.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)