Snapping me out of my thoughts, John continued.
"Let me tell you what makes this fight special."
The crowd grew silent as they waited for his next words.
"I just received the news that some of our young lambs had a dispute. One of them even died."
The crowd was about to react, but John silenced them with a wave of his hand.
"It is said that some of our young lambs attempted to assault a girl."
Then, he pointed toward me.
"But number 29 intervened! Like a hero, he slew one of them and saved the weak girl from her attackers!"
He paused and gestured toward the other teens.
"But sadly, there is now a disagreement between both sides. Number 29 claims he saved the girl from attackers, while the others say they were innocent and he attacked them first."
He took a breath.
"Who is right? Who is wrong?"
He raised his arms again and gestured toward the crowd.
"It doesn't matter!"
A pause.
"Right belongs to the strong!"
The crowd roared.
John waited for their cheers to die down before continuing.
"So I was benevolent enough to give these young lambs a chance to stand up for themselves. Not with words, but with swords."
Another pause.
"And my dear guests—you and I are merely bystanders. We will watch over them as they prove their innocence."
John raised his hand high.
"Fight until the last of you stands!"
His hand dropped.
"Blood!"
The crowd answered.
"NO MERCY!"
Boom.
A drum thundered through the arena, starting the fight.
My sword still rested on my shoulder as I turned toward the teens.
Six boys stood a few meters away.
They shifted their heads toward me, weapons held firmly in their hands. The fear they had shown in front of the gate had vanished.
Some of them even smiled.
They had thought that we would be severely punished.
Instead—
We had to fight.
Six against one.
It wasn't said that they weren't allowed to work together.
They had the advantage.
Step.
One of them even took a confident step forward, sword raised high.
But—
That was what they thought.
Reality...
Was always harsh.
The others followed the one in the front and stepped forward as well, slowly approaching me, weapons raised high.
My eyes drifted from teen to teen, observing them while I lowered the sword from my shoulder and raised it into stance.
'No spear, only swords.'
Step.
The first teen closed the distance and stabbed forward.
Swoosh.
Step.
I stepped forward as well.
My left hand rose while my sword tilted down.
Clang.
The shackle on my wrist knocked his sword aside.
At the same moment—
I pushed my sword forward, stabbing.
Shuk.
And pierced his chest.
"Ghk—!"
Blood spilled from his mouth, drowning his scream.
Looking into his widening eyes, I spoke.
It wasn't loud.
But enough for the others hear it.
"One."
Slrrt.
Blood sprayed out of the wound as I pulled my sword free, coloring him and me crimson.
He just stood there for a moment.
He didn't move.
Then, slowly, he tilted forward.
And—
Thud.
His body hit the ground.
The smiles vanished from the remaining teens' faces, and fear returned.
Realization came slow, but when it came.
Fear turned into rage.
Step.
The next two rushed at me.
I remained in front of the corpse while they flanked me from both sides.
Shing.
They swung at me in wide horizontal arcs.
Their swords drew closer.
If I were still the same person as when I arrived here—
I would already be dead.
But now—
Everything felt slow.
Step.
I ran forward, toward their swords, and ducked low, sliding beneath their blades while raising my own.
Slrrsh.
I slashed the stomach of the boy on my right open mid-slide.
"Arghh!"
Step.
As I rose, my sword followed the motion, tracing a long arc before I twisted my wrist and stabbed backward, behind my left arm.
Shuk.
The blade pierced the boy on my left through the back.
"Gha—"
Slrrt.
I pulled the sword free and stepped forward.
Behind me—
Spurt.
Blood spilled onto the sand.
Then—
Thud.
Thud.
I didn't look back.
"Three."
My eyes shifted toward the remaining teens.
They stared at me with wide eyes.
Every thought of victory they had vanished the moment the two bodies hit the ground.
Their eyes were trembling. Both rage and fear flickered in them.
Rage because of their dead friends.
And fear—
Because of me.
The three remaining teens formed a loose triangle formation in front of me.
More out of instinct than tactic.
The two in the front raised their swords with trembling hands, clearly scared. But the one in the back steadied himself after a moment and shouted, voice shaking.
"A-attack him!"
He forced the words out, trying to snap them out of it.
"We..we are three, let's attack at the same time!"
The two in front forced their shaking hands still and charged at me.
They moved in a line.
The left one attacked first.
The other followed right behind him.
They charged mindlessly at me.
Fear and rage had blinded them.
Shing.
The first raised his sword high and slashed at my left side.
But—
I was faster.
Step.
I stepped in and reached with my left arm out while my right tilted the sword into a stabbing position.
'Too high.'
I grabbed his sword arm with my left hand, blocking it, and pushed my sword forward.
Shuk.
My blade pierced right through his heart.
Shing.
The second teen was already there, aiming another slash at my right.
But I had already seen him before he swung.
Step.
I stepped forward while my left hand shifted to the teen's stomach, shoving him as I pulled my sword out.
Slrrt.
Shing.
The second teen's blade cut through empty air behind me.
Thud.
The teen's body dropped to the ground without my sword as support
I stood right where the first teen had been.
My gaze was fixed forward as I swung lightly to my right.
Slrrsh.
A quick slash cut through the other teen's throat.
The cut was small.
But enough.
Thud.
The teen fell to the ground right next to his friend.
Step.
"Five."
I spoke again as I stepped forward, eyes fixed on the last teen.
He didn't attack with the others.
He had stayed behind.
He was the first one to speak up, making them attack.
But too afraid to fight himself.
He stood a few paces away from me. His eyes trembled as he stared at the corpses behind me.
His sword hand twitched once.
Then—
Thud.
He dropped it.
A breath passed—
Thud.
And he followed, dropping to his knees beside it.
He looked up at me, tears sliding down his cheeks. His lips twitched, opening and closing.
As if he wanted to speak.
But didn't know what to say.
Step.
I stepped closer until I stood directly in front of him.
"P-please…"
He finally managed to find his words.
"I give up! You win! Just… just spare me!"
I raised my sword slightly, pointing its tip at his throat.
He shook as the cold metal touched his skin.
More tears followed, streaming down his face, and a whisper escaped him.
"I don't want to die.."