"Whoops!" The crowd screamed, their voices rippling in chaotic shock.
"She's going over!"
"The alligators are going to feast tonight!"
"Get up! GET UP!"
From above, Mondanza leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "See how easily it toys with them? Like a cat with mice."
Lucius nodded slowly, mesmerized. "Your beast is... magnificent. Truly magnificent."
The alligators below stirred, rushing toward her, their bodies cutting through the murky water. Their jaws snapped hungrily—wet, meaty sounds that echoed up from the canal. Several leaped, claws and teeth reaching for her legs, water streaming from their scaled bodies.
Nova barely caught the wooden beam—her grip desperate, fingers digging into the rough wood. Splinters pierced her palms.
'Not like this. I won't die like this. Not before I make it pay.'
Then—Ren was there, hands seizing her arms, pulling her up before the alligators could drag her under. His grip was strong, his face set with determination.
She gasped, heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Below, the alligators thrashed in frustration, their tails slapping the water.
'Thank the gods. Thank—' Ren's relief lasted only a heartbeat before the fear came rushing back. 'But we're still going to die. We can't beat this thing. We can't even touch it.'
The Ghost Beast pointed again. This time—at Ren. Its finger moved slowly, deliberately.
"Come get your share." It motioned, curling its long clawed finger in a beckoning gesture.
'This one smells of fear. Good. Fear makes the meat tender.'
Ren's expression darkened. His jaw clenched. "Alright, you filthy animal," he growled, daggers tightening in his grip until his knuckles went white. "Don't think you're indestructible!"
'I have to try. Even if I'm terrified. Even if every instinct is screaming at me to run. I have to try. Because if I don't—if I show weakness now—I'm already dead.'
He rushed forward, boots pounding against the stage, the sound like war drums in the night.
'Come then, little human. Come and join your ancestors.'
The crowd was on its feet now, a seething mass of bodies pressed against the railings, their voices merging into one primal roar.
"RIP HIM APART!"
"TEAR THEM TO PIECES!"
"BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!"
Asher straightened, one hand still pressed to his bruised ribs, his grin never faltering. 'Now this—this is a fight worth having.' He raised his blade again, the metal catching the torchlight. 'Let's see how long you can keep this up, beast. Let's see who breaks first.'
'None of you will break me,' the Ghost Beast thought, its pale eyes tracking Ren's approach with cold calculation. 'Because you are nothing. You have always been nothing. And when I'm done with you, even your bones will be forgotten.'
"Amazing!" Several voices cried out, their excitement twisting into awe.
"Who can really kill this Ghost Beast?" someone gasped, their tone laced with genuine horror.
"Did you see that?! It moved like smoke!"
"Those fighters are finished! FINISHED!"
The Ghost Beast remained airborne, its unearthly movements defying logic. Gravity seemed to have no hold on it. Its attacks never ceased—fists pummeling toward Asher with inhuman speed, each strike whistling through the air like falling stones.
'Yes! Yes!' Asher's mind roared with exhilaration even as his body screamed in protest. 'Faster! Hit me faster! Make me work for it!' Each block sent shockwaves through his bones, but the pain only sharpened his focus, honing his reflexes to a razor's edge. 'This is what it means to be alive!'
The sound of clashing metal filled the arena—Asher's blade against the monster's fists—the echo ringing through the pit, bouncing off stone walls. Each impact sent shockwaves through Asher's arms. His palms were already going numb.
Nova spun, boots scraping against wood as she recalculated, eyes tracking the Ghost Beast still airborne. She charged forward, closing the gap swiftly, her breath coming in controlled bursts. When she was in range, she leapt—almost above the beast—her Kartana blade poised for a devastating downward strike.
'This time. This time I'll cut through you. I'll split you in half.'
Then—the Ghost Beast flipped midair, twisting impossibly fast, its spine bending like a snake's.
'Predictable.'
Before Nova could strike, the beast's foot lashed out, landing a brutal kick to Asher's belly. The impact made a sickening thud—flesh and bone meeting with terrible force. Asher tumbled backwards, nearly crashing into Nova, disrupting her attack. He gasped, the air driven from his lungs.
'Oof—that one had some weight behind it!' Even winded, even hurt, Asher's thoughts crackled with fierce joy. 'Good. Good! If it was easy, what would be the point?'
A sound—something unnatural, something birdlike—rattled from the Ghost Beast's throat. A screech that made the hairs on every neck stand up.
It landed on its two clawed feet with a heavy thump that shook the stage, gaze locking onto Nova. Its eyes were pale, almost white, with no visible pupil.
Then—it raised a single, long finger. The claw at the tip was yellow and cracked.
"You next."
'The female. She has fire in her eyes. Let's see if she has fire in her blood.'
Another bird-like screech echoed through the arena, bouncing off stone and wood.
Nova stole a glance at Asher—saw him clutching his stomach, saw the pain in his eyes—then snapped her attention back to the beast. "You monster—" her voice shook with fury, "you deserve to be in hell. Let me send you there myself!"
'I'll kill you. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do. Even if I die trying, I'll take you with me.'
She surged forward, her speed unnatural, feet barely seeming to touch the ground. The wood beneath her was a blur. Then—she leapt. She flipped midair, body rotating, her Kartana blade cutting downward in a perfect arc.
But—the Ghost Beast did not dodge.
Instead—it caught the blade.
With two hands.
'Metal. Just metal. You think metal can hurt me?'
The sound was like metal scraping against stone. Nova hung suspended—her momentum stopped dead, trapped. Her arms trembled with the effort of pushing down. The beast's grip was iron.
'No. No! Let go!' Panic flared hot in her chest, mixing with the rage. 'Let GO!'
Then—the Ghost Beast twisted the Kartana blade.
Nova was flung backwards, her body hurling through the air like a rag doll. She crashed against the edge of the wooden stage with a bone-jarring impact, teetering dangerously over the canal. Splinters dug into her back. The smell of stagnant water and reptile musk hit her nostrils.
'I'm going to fall. I'm going to fall and they're going to eat me alive—'