As the announcer's final words on the rules echoed throughout the arena, a deafening roar erupted from the civilians. Cheers and howls surrounded the air as the excitement crashed like a wave.
The civilians had heard the new rules—and they loved the brutal idea of it.
In each group, whether young or old—their faces tightened in despair as they heard the new rules. Eyes widened, lips trembled, and whatever hope they had—was shattered instantly.
Panic ensued upon both the adult's and children's area, as each slave began to desperately meet the quota.
Bodies stumbled, blood flowed, and screams bellowed as they moved in desperation. The weak were trampled, as their final cries of pain disappeared into nothingness, as they embraced oblivion—death.
Driven by desperation, the children had no choice but to move and attack—their lives were on the line after all.
They swung, strike, and shot—yet there was no skill involved, only panic. Desperation burned on the children's tearful eyes as their small frames collided, weapons clashing, and screams bellowing.
Others meanwhile, remained frozen—as if paralyzed, their bodies trembling at the sight ensuing in front of them. 30 seconds passed then boom, their necks exploded into pieces as their heads rolled over the floor.
No rest, no mercy, stop moving and you'll die—kill less than the quota and you'll die.
During the ensuing chaos, Jinn's eyes darted left and right, scanning for potential enemies—before hearing a sharp and loud blast of energy just near him.
Jinn ducked in instinct as he turned around, the shot of energy just zipping passed through his head, hitting strands of his hair.
"H-Heek!" The child who shot Jinn whimpered, stumbling backwards as she began to shoot Jinn again, multiple times.
The sounds of multiple blasts filled the air as the child shot at Jinn.
Due to the child's poor aim and Jinn's dodging ability as he weaved left and right—he managed to close in the gap unharmed.
The blade coming from down below, Jinn slashed upwards creating an arc to specifically strike the gun that the child held.
Jinn managed to strike the gun, its frame being turned to pieces due to Jinn's strike.
The child, now weaponless, stumbled backwards—a dark stain running down the child's pants as she trembled in fear.
"M-Mommy!" The child cried out as she threw out her arm in instinct—trying to uselessly block Jinn's attack.
Jinn's eyes widened while his arms trembled as he held his sword up high.
He hesitated.
After all, how could he kill someone who was innocent and a child—like him!
Do it Jinn, else you'll die!
His mind raced—as if a battle was transpiring within his mind.
Yet before he could gather a decision, a strike from a blade came behind—carving through his skin from shoulder to his hip.
His shirt ripped, as the blade made contact with his skin—tearing through it.
"Argh!" Jinn yelped in pain as he stumbled forward.
Ophelia—who was nearby, managed to hear Jinn's cry of pain, prompting her to turn towards the source of the sound and run towards it.
She continued to run, moving through the chaos as she managed to dodge a sword strike coming her way. Her eyes then widened as she finally saw Jinn, seemingly holding his back in pain.
"Jinn!" exclaimed Ophelia as she sprinted towards him—her eyes widened as she saw the blood flowing through Jinn's back.
Yet her leg caught something, she stumbled as her arms flailed before falling down the ground.
A cold and lifeless body of a child laid on her path, it's cold and vacant staring deep within her soul, making her head retort in disgust.
Ophelia then used her hands to push herself up—yet before she could, a child approached her—sword in hand, raising it high above, blade pointing down at her.
"Shit!" Ophelia exclaimed, her heart pounding within her chest.
Jinn managed to hear Ophelia's voice, making his gaze turn, yet his eyes widened in terror to what he saw.
Ophelia was in danger—as a child was already pointing his blades down at her, ready to fall—ready to kill.
"Shit!" Jinn exclaimed before sprinting towards her—his injury be damned.
Yet before he could reach her, multiple children stood and blocked his way, their blades up high in a defensive manner.
"Outta my way!" shouted Jinn as he immediately lunged towards one of the children.
Yet as soon as he got closer to one of them, the others attacked him from the sides.
Jinn tried to dodge and block the attacks as much as possible, yet he inevitably got struck in multiple parts of his body.
"Tch!" Jinn clicked his tongue in pain.
Despite the injuries, he pushed his blade against the blade of another child, gritting his teeth as his eyes began to fill with rage and desperation to save his friend.
"Get out…" Jinn pushed his blade even more, using every ounce of his strength. "of my way!"
He successfully pushed one child aside, yet the others counterattacked towards him, making him dodge and block—making him busy.
"Good job guys, Keep him busy" snickered the child near Ophelia. "This one is mine!"
Driving his arms downward, the child began to use his blade to pierce down towards Ophelia's chest.
Yet Ophelia managed to dodge by rolling her body—making him miss.
"Argh!!" Ophelia screamed in pain as the blade did miss her chest, yet it managed to strike her arm, the blade digging even deeper.
"O-Ophelia!!!" Jinn screamed in desperation, his eyes widened in terror as she saw the blade plunging deep into her arm.
And at that moment, that very moment—was the time where something within Jinn snapped.
Something within him sparked, causing flames to roar within him, filling every inch of his body—like an inferno.
The inferno within him continued to grow, filling each vein with boiling hot blood that further fueled his hanger—until his body could not contain the rage within him anymore.
Jinn's hands began to tremble, his heart pounding fast, and red sparks began to wrap his body.
Sparks? No... more like
Lightning.
"MOTHERFUCKERS!!!"
Jinn released a visceral scream—so powerful and loud that it reached the ears of every civilian, every slave, every noble, and every soul within that very arena.
The sword within his hands began to crack subtly as it sizzled with lightning like sparks. His mouth bled as he gritted his teeth, before swinging the sword, releasing a powerful red colored wave-like slash.
As if bending the air around it, the wave flew very fast—like lightning, creating a sharp cracking sound as it hit the children blocking Jinn—completely eviscerating their bodies.
Venedix shook her head as her eyes widened in disbelief to what she just saw. She gripped one of her swords, her heart pounded, while a smile began to crack from her lips.
Wasting no time—and as if time itself had stopped, Jinn instantly blinked towards the individual who attacked Ophelia, leaving a trail of electricity-like particles upon his wake.
Jinn gripped the hilt of his sword so tight that it began to crack in pressure, before he slashed and hacked through the flesh of the enemy in front of him—his attacks had no form as what fueled him at that very moment…
Was nothing but pure unfiltered rage.
Time then caught up to Jinn's speed of attacks as a gust of wind passed through the area.
Blood erupted in thin lines on multiple parts of the child's body, each wound blooming like a flower—before exploding into a macabre mess. The child's mutilated parts dropped into the ground, whatever left was just a mound of disgusting flesh.
After delivering the final strike, Jinn's sword shattered and turned into dust, unable to contain the power it had exerted—its remains flowed into the cold wind.
Silence then wrapped the arena.
"O-Ophelia…" Jinn stumbled as he walked slowly towards Ophelia, his vision started to go dark—before falling.
Yet Ophelia caught his fall, embracing him within her arms.
"I-It's all right Jinn—rest for now." Ophelia's eyes widened in disbelief to what Jinn had done, but at that moment she knew that Jinn had turned vulnerable.
"Hector—and everyone, with me!" She exclaimed, prompting the rest of Jinn's friends to run straight towards them.
At that time, the arena was turned into a pause of quietness due to the extraordinary showcase of power Jinn had done.
"W-What was that!?"
"The nobles will go crazy for that child!"
"T-That attack! It looked like…"
Not only the civilians, but the rest of Venedix's siblings themselves, stood from their seats in awe—their eyes widening.
"B-Brother… that energy…" said one of Venedix's siblings, her eyes widened in realization.
"I know." replied the brother, before crossing his arms. "That was Venedix's Eidra—Sunder Surge."
"Enough about that—look!!" exclaimed another sibling as she pointed her finger towards the arena.
Their eyes shifted—Venedix herself had entered the arena, already at Jinn's location.
The loud and cheerful energies from the civilians before had turned into whispers and murmurs as they saw Venedix approach the child, which demonstrated a style of attack akin to hers.
Her heels clacked on the stone floor as Venedix looked down on Jinn and Ophelia.
"What a familiar sight." Venedix spoke as Ophelia was holding Jinn upon her arms once again.
"Ophelia!" exclaimed Hector along with the rest of his friends, his eyes widened at the sight of Jinn. "Is Jinn okay!?"
"He's laying down unconscious—of course he's not!" Verhedyn replied before stopping from his tracks, to point at Venedix.
Hector and the others flinched and hesitated at the sight of Venedix, before gritting their teeth to run past her and towards Jinn.
"Where was he hit!?" Hector exclaimed as he scoured through Jinn's body to look for injuries.
Vox's eyes narrowed. "Turn his back Hector, Turn his back—I see blood behind him!" he exclaimed as he nudged Hector.
"Mhm." Venedix scoffed before continuing. "His injuries will heal in time."
With a snap from her arm, she swiftly threw a sword that pierced the ground near Jinn.
"Give it to Jinn."
Venedix glared towards Jinn's friends before turning to walk away—her cloak fluttering along with the wind.
"The first part of the ceremony is hereby concluded!" Venedix's voice reached every ear inside the arena—before continuing. "We will continue tomorrow"
The arena fell into murmurs and whispers as Venedix's words dawned upon them.
Yet deep inside each soul present in that arena, even the slaves—they knew that this boy, Jinn—has a relationship with Venedix herself.
Soon, every corner of the empire of Zerafhon will be able to hear of this news—the news of the possibility of Venedix finally having an apprentice after hundreds of years.
And that would be a slave Rinari,
named Jinn.