"Hachi looks around the temple. There must be a room filled with historical records of the whole case; this must be their hideout."
Kara looks at Hachi. Hachi looks at Kara with a worried face. Kara notices her looking at him; he grabs her shoulder. "Don't worry. Even if it's already late, I know we'll save people."
With the comfort of Kara, she activates her focus mode, looking through the temple. Hachi notices that the speed they are searching won't be effective in the place. "We don't have much time. I need to do something."
She puts her hand on the ground of the temple, kneels, closing her eyes. Kara looks at her. "Hachi?" He sees her focusing, so he just activates his focus. "Stage 2," he says.
Hachi starts to send string-like circuits in the temple, spreading from within her. Slowly, it gets to every nick and corner. In her darkness, she senses the path the strings are creating. Slowly, she sees the whole blueprint of the temple. "I see everything, brother. There is a huge room underground, but it's been completely blocked."
Hachi stands up. She leaves all the strings as they are. "I mapped the whole temple. Follow me," says Hachi.
Kara and Hachi get to the bottom. They reach a dead end. "Where do we go from here?" Kara asks Hachi.
"Break it. It's blocked by a concrete wall. They must have kept it hidden." She replies.
Kara looks at Hachi and nods. He punches the wall, breaking it into bits and pieces.
The rubble starts to fall. Smoke gets everywhere. They get inside. The smoke clears.
After they get inside, the whole place is dark, as it's all underground. Only a little bit of light from the hole they made to come down is shining. "Wait, let me do it." Hachi sends a signal to the string she created earlier. All the strings send a magic signal throughout. The string that covered the room starts to illuminate.
Kara quickly looks around and finds a shelf placed according to date. Hachi looks through ,"Brother, only 500 years of info is here. The old ones are not here."
Hachi looks at Kara with more worry. Kara sighs, unable to find a way, and starts to think. Hachi knocks a bottle with liquid in it.
Splash!
The bottle breaks into pieces as it hits the ground. "Ew, what is this? Is it poison of some kind?" Hachi states.
Kara repeats, "Poison?"
Kara says, "Poison. Wait, Hachi, look through the journals from 500 years ago. Look for poison. I think there was an incident regarding—"
Hachi shouts, "Poison! Use of poison to try to kill a family member. As a result, the chief exiled him out of the village."
Kara looks through. "These are the records stolen from the chief's house, and various other places from 500 years till now."
Kara looks at Hachi. "Look at all the records. There must be something similar in all the places."
There is this name that is mentioned in every single place. Kara looks through the files. He figures out something.
"It seems that the seal got weaker during the 500 years after its sealing. With the power it had, it has been using people and playing games with them. He found a vessel from this incident. It seems he's been feeding on every generation till now and will be set free."
Back at the Arena
Seka and Chio are face to face with each other.
"So, best friend, we are face to face. Are you ready to do this?" Seka tells Chio as she smiles at her.
"Yup," Chio looks at Seka.
They take their stance. Chio pulls her sword. The sword looks like a katana with no guard. She raises her legs and brings it close to her. The two hanging clothes of her dress get aside, revealing her whole leg and a band with a dagger.
People start to gossip. "I am sure the captain will win." Another one speaks, "No, I don't think so."
Chio stands straight with her dark black hair and pale skin, wearing high shorts, with a high boot on one leg and a smaller one on the other, with gloves that go up to her elbow.
She wears a dress similar to a Kurtha, with a cross-over top. Her hair has blunt bangs, staring at Seka.
Cold wind moves through.
"Start!" the announcer grabs his mic, hyping. His voice echoes throughout the arena.
The match begins. They clash. Chio dashes quickly, giving a slight cut in Seka's arm. Seka gasps in shock. Seka blocks another strike as her face reacts in confusion.
"Wait, was she really this powerful?" she looks at Chio.
they clash again.
Chio tilts her head while they are clashing swords, as Seka is blocking with her sword. "What happened?" Chio asks. Chio looks at Seka and gives off a smirk.
"This is not Chio. She never acted this way," Seka thinks aloud in her head.
At the temple, Kara dashes out without a word. Hachi runs behind him. "Hey, wait! What did you find out?"
Hachi barely catches up to Kara, jumping off the buildings. "I need to save her..." Kara says.
Hachi keeps jumping, realizing the words he said. Kara activates his Phase 2 focus and boosts with fire magic, running through the city. Hachi tries to catch up, but her mana reaches a critical moment.
Duk duk!
She feels heavy exhaustion and falls on a building, rolling down. "Ahh, think I used too much mana today." She stands back up, activates her focus, looking at the arena.
Back at the arena
Seka looks at Chio's face in horror. "What is wrong with you?"
Chio replies, "Don't you see, Seka? For these past 500 years, the name that lost all hope..."
"They are the worst. I lost all money just betting on them. It was useless."
She gets flashbacks of people bullying her ancestors. "Look at yourself. Don't you get it? The Dharovin is not just a name. You guys are the worst. Don't come near us."
"Hmm, you're from the Dharovin family, aren't you? We don't sell anything here. Get lost."
"But I—"
"I said no food. Don't you get it?"
The battleground fills with thin fog that drops down on the ground. Seka stands straight, grabbing her arm, stopping the bleed.
Chio looks at Seka. "Do you have a single idea what your family did to ours? For 500 years, we have been suffering because of you, your ancestor." Chio looks at Seka, her face full of anger.
Swift!
She points her sword at her. Seka looks at her with baggy eyes, full of regret. "I am sorry. I don't want you to suffer any more because of me, so I—loved you like my own and never thought—"
"Lies!" Chio screams. The voice echoes through the whole building.
The arena shakes.
"What is going on here? Something is not right," the announcer speaks.
"I can't move," the people start to scream. The invisible wall protecting people shatters. Seka's wounds disappear, forming particles. Wait, did the virtual magic just…?
Seka looks at Chio. Tears from just one eye run down her face, while her expression is full of anger.
"Why are you crying?" Seka thinks to herself.
"So I will—no, we will avenge my whole family," Chio starts to run fast, getting behind Seka. Seka gets back to her senses. She gasps and slowly looks behind, finding Chio is behind her. She sees a punch being thrown at her. She blocks it in time.
"Chio, stop! What are you saying?" Seka screams. Her hands start to tremble. "Oh no, this is gonna hurt. I will actually get hurt from now on," Seka thinks to herself.
Chio brings out her arm with the dagger, "magic darkness-weapon master poison, she chants in her mind."
The blade she held turns black from the tip of the dagger. She takes a step. "Magic darkness twin."
Chio throws her dagger at Seka. Seka readies herself to dodge.
The spell activates. The dagger turns into two more. Seka notices them in the air. She has only a little time to react.
Seka pulls out her hand. "Magic Ice Spiky Gateway!" She swipes up as she says it. All the daggers get stuck in the spikes. She runs from Chio.
Swish.
Chio appears in front while she is running and strikes with her sword. Seka kneels down, dodging the attack, grinding her knees against the ground. She loses her balance and ends up rolling on the ground.
"Tch… you can dodge it, huh?" Chio looks at Seka with a disgusted face. She gets to the dagger and grabs it.
Seka stands up and looks at Chio. Chio starts attacking her with strike after strike. She tries her best to block one after another. Her hands get tired of all the strikes.
"What happened to her? She is giving this ominous feeling," Seka thinks. Chio keeps doing rapid strikes at her. Seka tries to dodge but fails and gets cut on her cheek, her shoulder, and legs. Chio gets back and throws two dark balls. Seka cuts them as they approach, but they explode after the cut with darkness, sending Seka flying away.
Bang! She rolls on the ground, stopping. Chio comes and stands in front of her. Seka can see her boots from her eyes.
She tries to stand, but Chio kicks her. Seka catches her leg. Chio shakes off her hand. "And what do you think you are doing, huh?" Chio shouts. She kicks her again.
She squats down beside Seka and grabs her hair.
Dhung!
She slams her head against the ground. "Yup, that's it. More?" slams again " Is this enough? More, more!" She keeps on slamming , blood starts to splat on the ground from Seka's head. Chio starts smiling with a smirk. She throws Seka grabbing her hair. in the wall of the arena Seka comes toward the wall flying and hits the arena wall.
People from the audience start to feel pain and guilt as they see Seka get tortured. Seka pukes some blood. She barely pushes herself up and lifts her upper body.
"Stand up," Seka says to herself. "Oh, you can still stand? Look, she can stand more. Let her feel more pain, more pain, more, more." Chio speaks with ominous voice.
Chio walks toward Seka and grabs her neck.
Seka struggles to breathe. She grabs Chio's hand. Chio smiles as she looks at Seka struggling to breathe. "More, more, more." Chio keeps saying the words.
Kuduk kudkuk.
Seka's neck starts to make sounds.
"Hachi, you need to go to the tournament now," Hachi tells herself. A sound wave comes toward the stadium. She loses her balance and stops, "What is this? I can't move." ,"Make it in time, please," Kara thinks to himself.
"Chio, i-it… hurts. Snap out of it, Chio!" Seka starts to tear up. Her lips and forehead are dry with blood. Her body is brutally injured. Chio snaps out and lets go of Seka.
Seka starts to cough and gasp for air. Chio looks at Seka in horror. She steps back, dropping her weapon. Chio looks at her hands, shaking with blood.
Chio starts to speak, "Ah no… no, not her. Please, please, ahh." Her voice increases as it trembles. She almost cries.
BUT—
Swoosh!
The sound echoes. Her eyes get dark.
"Shh… so there you go again, letting her breathe. More pain, more pain. Don't you want more pain in her eyes?" Chio grabs her smaller blade. "Kill, kill," the voice whispers. She slowly approaches Seka. Seka looks at her and barely stands straight, with the fingerprints of Chio's hands on her neck. Her leg is broken.
"There! I can see the city. Please make it in time."
Chio comes at Seka at full force. Seka watches as she approaches…