245: A Costly Mistake

“Oooh, what kind of an attack could participants Twenty-five and Twenty-six be preparing?” the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena as a giant black energy vortex grew in power, unleashing dark winds in all directions.

Number Thirty-three lost balance as he was one of the closest to the suddenly appearing dark presence. His gaze inadvertently gravitated toward a much greater power than the fly that he chased. The beastkin realized the error of his way only in time to catch a kunai with the palm of his hand.

“GAARGH!” Number Thirty-three screamed from pain and anger. He knew that this pain was preferable to the alternative of catching the kunai with his face, but his pain and embarrassment were only matched by the rage that he felt for the little fly that dared wound him with such underhanded tactics when it should have already been squashed long ago.

“Keep your eyes on your enemy! That much should be common sense!” the announcer’s voice added more insult to injury.

Number Thirty-three was not the only one to fall victim to distraction. The sudden dark presence caused considerable confusion in the arena, and two participants paid with their lives for it. To think that he nearly ended up on the level of such lowly trash!

Number Thirty-three let out a howl of fury as he dropped the useless sword and pulled the bloody kunai out of his hand. With bloody, rage-filled eyes he scanned the windy arena for the little bug that dared wound him.

There! The enraged beastkin spotted the bleached haircut and the tiny figure, just standing a distance away from him like a dumbass. Number Thirty-three grabbed his sword and sprinted toward his enemy the fastest he had ever run.

The girl recoiled and attempted to flee yet again, but Number Thirty-three threw her kunai right back at her as he closed the distance. She barely managed to dodge the kunai before the sprinting beastkin slammed into her like a freight train, knocking her off her feet.

“Fucking bitch!” Number Thirty-three punched Olivia in the face, nearly knocking her out cold, swung his sword and crashed it down on Olivia’s face, splitting it open.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” Number Three, who stood just a small distance away, screamed in shock at the psychotic murderer.

“BWHAAHAHAHA!! FINALLY!! Serves you right!!” Number Thirty-three laughed like a maniac as he hacked and slashed repeatedly until the bloody mush under him looked nothing like the petite ninja girl. Instead, it resembled one of the beastkin that was on their team, Number Forty-five. Unfortunately, even if he looked nothing like the human girl, his head was just as ruined as anyone else’s would be after so many maniacal slashes with a sword.

“W-w-what the fuck!?” Number Thirty-three screamed and stepped back from the ruined corpse.

“Ah, how unfortunate!” Thelicia exclaimed as the giant sphere’s screen momentarily switched to Number Thirty-three and the mutilated beastkin corpse he stood over that had the armband with Number Forty-five on it. “It appears that participant Number Thirty-three made a terrible mistake, brutally and prematurely killing the wrong opponent! Even if he was sure that he would be the last standing in his bracket, participant Number Forty-five was not his to kill! A pity…”

“Wait! I didn’t!” Number Thirty-three shouted to the white-furred announcer. “I attacked Number Twenty-one! This is a set-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

The beastkin was set on fire without having his plea listened to. Number Three stepped back from the running, screaming, flailing beastkin torch so that the burning beastkin did not run into him by accident.

“Ah, doesn’t that mean-GHLEKH!”

Olivia appeared behind Number Three and slit his throat, before the one remaining beastkin on her team even realized what happened.

“Swift reaction by Number Twenty-one!” Thelicia praised Olivia. “Not wasting a second in dealing with her finals opponent! Congratulation to another winner of this round!”

It took seconds for Number Three to bleed out through the gaping cuts in his arteries. And the moment that the beastkin was dead, flames surrounded Olivia in a circle and cut her off from the other participants in the arena, not only keeping her safe from others but also preventing her from interfering.

“Oh my, what is this?” Olivia heard the announcer’s voice. “It appears two of our participants have combined into one! What an unusual situation!”