The sun bathed the city in light, casting a golden glow over streets teeming with life. Peddlers cried out their wares, children darted between stalls, and the masses spoke with feverish excitement about the tournament. Everyone moved in a single direction. Towards the Colosseum.

  Haru stood in the waiting room behind the arena. The chamber was small, its stone walls cold to the touch. Sunlight filtered through a narrow slit high above, painting a thin line across the floor. He sat on a wooden bench, his spear resting against the wall beside him. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs to capacity, then exhaled slowly. He focused on the sound of his own breathing. Steady. Rhythmic.

  Saki stood two paces away, her staff in her right hand and her left arm crossed over her chest. She watched him with a calm expression, though her eyes remained sharp.

  "Do your best and don't die out there," she said. "And remember, if I see you in danger, I'm stepping in to end the fight. I'm not joking."

  Haru moved forward, wearing a confident smile. "Just relax and watch. I won't lose. And naturally, I won't die."

  He lifted his head to meet her gaze, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly. "I'll do it."

  The great gate opened from the outside. Light exploded into his face, bright and direct, forcing him to squint against the glare. The sound hit him a moment later, a massive wave of screaming and applause.

  He stepped out onto the arena sands, the ground warm beneath his boots. The crowd roared louder.

  "Haru! Haru!"

  "The Champion! The Champion!"

  Banners rose in the air, bearing names written in bold strokes, held by faces screaming with genuine fervor. Haru waved a broad hand and offered a wide smile.

  He stopped in the center of the ring and waited. He placed his right foot forward, his spear raised at a slight angle.

  From the opposite side, the other gate opened. His first opponent emerged. The man was in his thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, his muscles defined beneath his skin. He carried a large sword in his right hand and a heavy metal shield in his left. His face was set in a grim line, jaw tight, eyes locked on Haru without blinking.

  The announcer’s voice boomed, reaching every corner of the Colosseum. "The first match... begins now!"

  The man charged immediately. His shield was raised to protect his chest, sword gleaming under the sun, heavy footsteps shaking the sand. He was fast despite his size and the weight of his gear.

  Haru raised his spear with both hands. The sword came from the right side, a wide horizontal slash. Haru evaded it with a simple sidestep to the left, his feet gliding over the sand. He pivoted around the man in a tight circle and drove the wooden shaft of his spear into the back of the man's right knee. The sound of the impact was muffled but solid. The man stumbled, his knee buckling involuntarily, but he spun quickly to attack again.

  The fight lasted two full minutes. Haru was faster, his feet never ceasing their motion. He was more flexible, his body bending and weaving around the attacks. He dodged every strike by a fraction of an inch, then thrust his spear with calculated precision toward the man's right shoulder. The metal tip pierced the light leather armor there. The sword fell from the man's hand, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder.

  "The winner... Haru!"

  The crowd erupted again. Haru lowered his spear and took a deep breath before walking toward the exit with calm steps.

  The second match began a few minutes later.

  This time, the opponent was younger, in his mid-twenties, lean yet muscular. He wielded two short swords, one in each hand, their blades thin and razor-sharp. He moved with light steps, his sharp eyes tracking Haru’s every twitch.

  "The match... begins!" the announcer cried.

  The man rushed forward without hesitation. His swords moved in a rapid, crossing pattern, attacking from the right and then the left in blinding succession. Every strike followed the last within a split second.

  Haru was distracted. His mind wasn't entirely present. Part of him was thinking about the monsters he had seen in the night, about Raiden, and that silver strike that had erased three beasts in a single second.

  Amidst his thoughts, he stumbled. His right foot slipped slightly on the soft sand. He lost his balance for a brief moment, his body listing to the left.

  A sword descended toward his head. A direct, rapid path.

  Haru raised his arm and ducked at the last possible second. The blade passed over his head by a hair’s breadth. He retreated, eyes widening. It wasn't because he had dodged the attack at the last moment, but because of something else.

  *The attack... was it slow?*

  Not terribly slow, but slower than he expected. It was as if he were seeing in slow motion. He had enough time to watch the sword approach, enough time to calculate the distance, enough time to dodge without any real haste.

  Haru narrowed his eyes, studying the man with greater focus. The opponent attacked again, maintaining the same speed and pattern. Haru raised his spear and parried the blow with ease. The metallic clang rang in his ears before he shoved the man back and drove the butt of his spear into his side.

  The man fell to one knee, hand pressing against his ribs, face contorted in pain.

  "The winner... Haru!"

  But Haru didn't smile. He stood there, spear still in hand, watching the man slowly rise and leave the arena. Something wasn't right. Something about this fight felt... wrong.

  The third match.

  This time, Haru decided something. He wouldn't fight seriously. He would test his doubts. He needed to see if what he felt in the previous match was real or merely an illusion.

  The third opponent emerged from the opposite gate. A man in his forties, wielding a massive axe with both hands. His muscles were enormous, larger than the previous challengers, and his face was mapped with old scars. Every step he took was heavy, leaving deep impressions in the sand.

  The match began.

  The man attacked with all his might, abandoning any attempt at strategy or clever movement. He raised the axe high above his head, arm muscles bulging, then brought it down violently, intending to crush Haru in a single blow.

  Haru watched the axe descend. In his mind, the calculations began. The trajectory was clear. The angle was completely exposed. The muscles contracted in a way that screamed the intent to attack a full second before it happened. Even the way the man stood, the distribution of his weight, told him exactly where the blow would land.

  Haru didn't move quickly. He didn't need to. He took a single calm step to the left, sliding over the sand without rushing.

  The axe slammed into the ground beside him. The sound of the impact was deafening, sending sand spraying into the air. The man remained in a bent posture, struggling to pull his heavy weapon from the earth where it had buried itself.

  Haru stopped. He looked at the man fighting to regain his balance and his weapon.

  Is this a trap? Haru thought. He can't be this slow. Maybe he's trying to lure me in.

  Haru waited to see if there was a trick, if the man was feigning incompetence. The man attacked again, this time a wide lateral swing aimed to cut Haru in half at the waist.

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  Haru could see the axe coming. He didn't just see it; he calculated its velocity, measured the distance between himself and the blade, and knew exactly when he had to move. It was as if the weapon were moving through heavy air, slow and obvious.

  Haru exhaled, a sound of clear disappointment. The experiment was over. He evaded the blade with a simple movement and, with a quick, snapping strike from the back of his spear, hit the man in the stomach. The sound was muffled and heavy. The giant man dropped instantly to his knees, then collapsed onto his side, clutching his belly and gasping for air.

  "The winner... Haru!"

  Haru didn't hear the screaming this time. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart in his ears. He looked at his hand gripping the spear. It wasn't shaking. It wasn't tired. He hadn't exerted any real effort.

  What is happening?

  The following matches passed in a blur. Haru won every single one. Opponent after opponent fell before him. He expended no real effort. Every challenger was slower than expected, their strikes telegraphed before they began, their defenses weak and easy to penetrate. Even the strong ones, those who appeared experienced and skilled, moved as if bound by invisible chains. Their physical strength felt negligible.

  By the final match, Haru was fighting with a quarter of his strength, and he won.

  The announcer screamed, his voice nearly tearing his throat apart. "The Champion... Haru! The Winner of the Tournament!"

  The crowd exploded. The ground shook beneath Haru’s feet from the force of the stomping and synchronized applause. Banners rose everywhere, voices chanting his name until it became one long, unending word, the clapping rattling the stone walls of the Colosseum.

  Haru stood amidst the chaos. His spear was in his hand, but his grip was loose, not tight as it should have been after a long fight. He looked at the ground, at the sand beneath his feet. His mind was completely elsewhere, far from the arena, far from the crowd.

  Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.

  Haru exited the arena slowly. He walked through the long, dark tunnel toward the waiting room, the stone walls cold and silent. The crowd was still screaming in the background, their voices echoing through the masonry, but he no longer heard them. All he heard was the sound of his footsteps on the stone floor.

  When he reached the room, Saki was waiting for him by the door. Her face lit up when she saw him. She ran toward him with quick steps.

  "Haru! You won! You're the Champion again!" she said with genuine excitement. "Well, I'm happy you didn't die. You survived me this time."

  Haru didn't reply. He kept his gaze low, staring at the floor in frustration. Saki stopped when she saw his face. Her smile slowly faded.

  Her expression shifted gradually from excitement to concern. Her brows furrowed, and her mouth parted slightly. "Haru? What's wrong?"

  He took a long breath, filling his lungs before letting it out slowly. "Sorry, Saki." He spoke in a low voice, quieter than usual. "I want to be alone for a while."

  She stared at him. "Alone? But..."

  "Please."

  She fell silent. She looked into his eyes for long seconds. There was something in them she hadn't seen before. Something heavy, something dark, something that told her everything had changed.

  Finally, she sighed. Her chest rose and fell deeply. "Alright. But don't do anything stupid, okay?"

  He nodded. "I won't."

  He turned and walked toward the wooden door on the other side. His steps were slow, heavy. He left her standing there alone in the dim room.

  ***

  In the dead of night, the streets were completely quiet. Most people had returned to their homes. The few streetlamps cast a faint, flickering glow. Haru stepped out of his house, dressed in black, his spear on his shoulder. He walked a few paces and then stopped.

  Saki was standing at the corner of the opposite wall, leaning back against the stone, waiting.

  Haru looked at her seriously. "Have you been waiting long?"

  Saki straightened up and adjusted her grip on her staff. "I had a feeling you'd go out to hunt monsters," she said firmly. She sighed, her chest heaving. "I know you better than you know yourself. You're as clear as day."

  Haru lowered his gaze to the ground. "Sorry."

  "Don't apologize." She took a step closer. "Just tell me. What happened? Why weren't you happy after the victory?"

  He took a deep breath. He raised his head and looked directly at her. "I didn't fight seriously."

  Saki raised an eyebrow. "What? Um... okay? What does that mean?"

  "The opponents..." He paused, trying to find the right words to explain the sensation. "They were weak. Too weak. I didn't use any real effort, yet I won easily. I could see every blow before it happened. Every movement was slow, obvious. Something isn't right. Something... I don't understand. And the monsters I fought... their movements were worse and inaccurate, yet I couldn't do anything to them."

  Saki looked at him in silence for a long moment. She thought, brows furrowed, eyes studying his face. Then she sighed again, longer this time. "I know your mind, Haru. I won't succeed in talking you out of this. If you've decided something, no one can stop you." She raised her staff and gripped it tightly with both hands. "But I'll be with you for support."

  He looked at her in surprise. "Saki..."

  "Don't argue." She cut him off with a firm tone. "If you're going to do something stupid, at least you won't do it alone."

  He smiled despite everything. A small smile, but a genuine one, the first real smile since the tournament ended. "Thanks."

  "Stop thanking me and move." She pointed forward with her staff. "Let's go."

  An hour passed. They scoured the narrow streets and back alleys of the city. The darkness was absolute, and silence gripped the place. There was no sign of monsters, no strange sounds. Just empty cobblestone streets. They entered another narrow alley, the ground uneven and the shadows thick.

  Suddenly, Saki stumbled. Her boot struck a protruding stone, and her balance tipped forward. There was a scuffing sound and a light thud.

  Haru spun around instantly. His spear was in his hand and facing the source of the sound in a split second, eyes scanning the area for an enemy.

  Saki raised her hand immediately as she righted herself. "I'm fine. Just a stupid rock. There's no one here."

  Haru lowered his spear slowly, but his muscles remained tense. He reached out and helped her regain her balance completely. Saki dusted off her clothes and looked at the empty path ahead of them.

  "You and I have been walking for over an hour, and nothing," she said quietly. "The city is completely dead."

  Haru looked around sharply. "Maybe they're hiding. Or planning something. We'll search the next sector."

  Saki sighed, painting a small, teasing smile on her face. "Well, I hope we won't be walking until sunrise for nothing."

  Haru turned to continue his path. "That won't happ..."

  He didn't finish his sentence. He placed his right foot on a broad stone in the center. Click. A dry mechanical sound echoed from below. Saki’s smile vanished. Haru’s eyes widened.

  The ground split beneath their feet suddenly. The solid support vanished, and a wide, dark chasm opened up. They fell together into the void before they even realized it was a trap.

  Haru opened his eyes with difficulty. Sharp pain radiated through his head and body. He was lying on a cold stone floor. Beside him, Saki was trying to sit up, rubbing her head and groaning softly. They sat up together slowly. The place was a narrow stone dungeon, thick metal bars separating them from a dimly lit corridor.

  Haru looked toward the shadowed corner of the cell. He froze. There was someone else. A girl sitting in the corner, resting her back against the wall.

  She was Mirai. Silent. Her crimson eyes were slightly open, shining with a faint, steady glint in the darkness, watching them without a sound.

  Haru’s instincts flared immediately. His hand shot out, snatched his spear lying beside him, and raised it in a defensive stance, ready to fight.

  Mirai didn't move. She wasn't startled by the weapon, nor did she shift her posture. She looked at the spear, then at Haru’s face with utter coldness, as if he didn't exist. She ignored him completely and returned her gaze to the void. Haru lowered his spear slightly when he found no intent to attack, but he remained wary.

  "What is this place?" he asked seriously.

  She remained silent for seconds, then answered in a calm, flat voice. "I don't know exactly."

  She closed her crimson eyes slowly and rested her head against the stone wall behind her. "Just be quiet and don't bother me," she said coldly.

  **Meanwhile, in the center of the city.**

  Hikari walked calmly, his hands full of diamonds. Red, blue, violet, brown. His gaze was steady and cautious.

  He heard sounds in one of the alleys. He ran directly toward them and saw a monster wielding a long sword, and a human youth with two short swords, the same one who had faced Haru in the tournament. The young man was terrified and retreating.

  Hikari moved fast, utilizing two diamonds in tandem. He unleashed a burst of fire from the red diamond, setting the beast ablaze, then launched lightning from the blue diamond, causing an explosion that erased the monster’s existence entirely.

  Hikari moved to the young man and spoke in a calm voice. "Are you alright?"

  The young man took a shuddering breath and placed a hand over his heart. "Yes... thank you."

  "Have you seen a monster like that before?" Hikari asked.

  "No," the young man replied. "It's the first time. I'm new to this city. I came here to fight in the Colosseum. For the prize money, even for the entry fee."

  Hikari placed a hand on his chin and began to think.

  That's the third person. They're all fighters from the Colosseum.

  Hikari started walking, speaking to the man. "Leave this place quickly."

  But suddenly, monsters emerged from the ground, rising from a dark pit. Seven of them. Hikari braced himself, while the young man panicked.

  But then, Raiden appeared.

  He arrived with Blinding speed, and with a fleeting strike, killed the monsters instantly with a single wave. He ran quickly toward the dark pit, but the hole vanished.

  Raiden sighed. He began to walk, heading out of the alley.

  "Stop!" Hikari called out loudly. "I want to talk to you."

  Raiden didn't stop. He kept walking and spoke quietly. "I don't have time."

  Hikari used the brown diamond. He activated it in front of Raiden, creating a large, tall stone wall that completely blocked the path.

  Raiden stopped abruptly, mere inches before impact. He didn't see the wall, but he sensed the sudden displacement of air and the presence of something solid. He halted without turning around.

  "I'm in a hurry," Raiden said. "Every delay causes a death."

  Hikari moved forward and spoke firmly. "My teammate disappeared. I've searched for her everywhere. Before she vanished, she was fighting these creatures. You know something. Tell me what exactly these creatures are."

  Raiden sighed. "First, your companion is probably dead. And she might have become one of these monsters. But if you want an explanation, I'll explain while I move. I don't have time for chatter. Every second counts."

  Hikari didn't hesitate. He removed the stone wall and started moving. "Fine. I'm coming with you. You're going to explain everything."

  The two moved together, running into the night.

  (To be continued)