There was only one action Kagami could take after declaring his intent to kill the Warden, he made his way towards the center of the floor where the Warden’s residence laid. It took Kagami a few minutes from the cliff to get the lay of the land and find the Warden’s house, but when he did, he did.

The sooner he got there, the sooner this death match would come to an end. Having fifty people fight each other in this environment would only invite chaos.

Walking through the forest, Kagami failed to realize how valuable the bounty on his head would be. Before he was attacked by those after his bounty, he was first attacked by a treant.

He had been walking down the cliff, sweat dripping down his face. He wiped it with his sleeve and viewed the progress he had made. The forest spread like an ocean, and Kagami squinted. In the distance, he was sure he could see a plume of smoke and the chimney it came from.

If he had to guess, it would take him at least half a day to get there. His assessment changed when he saw a tree in the distance fell.

IF he was lucky, he would get there in half a day. There were fifty people fighting each other to the death. The chances he didn’t run into wasn’t great.

As Kagami mulled over this, he felt the earth tremor and a snap of a trunk. He turned to see a massive tree like monster, shoving a tree its size aside like a toothpick. Its glowing red eyes spotted him and a much more malicious smile twisted in its lipless mouth. Dangling around it was a necklace made from human heads, the image of their last moments painted on their faces.

The monster pointed its long, claw like finger at Kagami, then tapped at an empty spot in his necklace.

“Yes. What a beautiful face you have. You will make a fine addition to my necklace.”

“Seriously?” Sweat dripped down his chin. “A tree monster?” He looked to his fist. Could he break the tree monster with his small fists?

The tree monster looked offended by his description. “I AM NOT A TREE MONSTER! I AM PROUD TREANT!” Its roar made Kagami cover his face and its eyes glowed a deeper and much more dangerous crimson.

It closed in on him, each step made the ground tremble, and it raked the ground from where he stood. If not for his quick action of jumping aside, Kagami would be nothing but bits of flesh. The force of its claw had easily dug a hole that could have very well been his grave.

Kagami didn’t have time to admire how strong the tree monster’s blow was. He dropped his bag, and held up his fists, his right foot pointing out and his left forward. The monster gave an amused laugh.

“Human?” Its voice rasped and scratched like nails on a chalkboard. “Do you think that mere fists could hurt me? I have survived dragon fire! Your fists might as well by a fly. If you give up now, I will make sure your death is less painful than it should be.”

His fist tightened, turning white.

“We’ll see now, won’t we?”

Kagami leaned forward as if he were about to fall, and kicked the ground. The treant’s eyes glowed in response, and rose its hideous claw like hand. He could feel it above him, hanging like the guillotines blade. An image flashed in his head, reflecting for a moment the perfect punch he could land in his previous body. Kagami landed his blow, hitting the midsection of the tree.

The hand came down, smashing Kagami like some bothersome fly.

“Pest!” The treant said.

His punch had done nothing. It didn’t even leave a mark. A pit formed in his stomach as he pushed himself to stand up. The treant gave a relieved laughter.

“You’re quite tough to not turn into a splatter mark. I’m glad, it’s quite hard to find humans down here with such a pretty face. Give up. Your puny fist did nothing to my bark. Do you see, the proud black sheen? Not even the holy iron you mine from this hole could scratch me.”

He was weak.

But he thought of his wife. She was physically weaker than him, yet even in their death matches when she tried to claim his bounty, she had placed him in situation after situation that left him fearing for his life.

She had been weak but strong.

Kagami never understood how. But, he couldn’t allow himself to just lay down and cry could he? While she may forgive him, he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t try until his last breath.

That’s why Kagami held up his fists again to fight. His body was hurting, but he wasn’t about to give up. Not when he still needed to stop this deathmatch. Not when, he still needed to find Aria.

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Your wife is in this world. She is being held hostage. I can tell you where she is but only if you help us.

She had whispered those words.

He couldn’t believe that his wife was in that situation and he was sure if that did happen to her, she would be able to get out by herself.

But if there was a chance that wasn’t possible. If there was a chance what she said was true. Then he needed to get out of here. He needed to fight. He needed to be there for her.

Kagami rushed forward, biting down his scream, until the scream reached a crescendo that pried his open turning into a roar.

The treant swiped at him, and Kagami dodged underneath it. He punched the midsection again. Other than the sound of impact, nothing happened.

“I told you its useless!”

The treant threw a backhand in retaliation, Kagami took the brunt of it, crossing his arm to soften the blow. He flew in an arch, his back slammed against a tree. His body creaked with such pain, that Kagami couldn’t stop himself from opening his mouth in silent agony.

Each step the treant took towards him, made the ground tremor. Kagami rested his back against the tree as the treant came to a stop in front of him.

Kagami blew a breath. The blow had left him with shaking legs.

“You won’t be able to run like that.” The treant observed.

Kagami rose his fists again.

“I told you.” It looked like a vein popped on its forehead, and it held its hand high above its head. “IT’S USELESS!”

He. Didn’t want to die again.

“Asa.”

He pushed off the tree, falling forward. The treant’s swipe rippled above him, cutting the very air. The tree made a hideous sound as it snapped in two and Kagami put everything he had in this punch.

How are you able to fight me?

The woman that would be his wife had given him a triumphant and knowing smirk. She held up two fingers, V for victory.

Guts.

Something flashed in his mind. A Gate that was old and battered, like an iron door that had been beaten with a battering ram came into his mind. It creaked open and a sliver of energy rushed into Kagami’s fist. The blow cracked like a mirror breaking, hitting treant’s midsection.

They stood still for a moment. Kagami was sure he would pull away. He couldn’t feel his fist, he could see blood drip from his fist. But it wasn’t him that pulled away, the treant moaned and stepped back, holding where Kagami had hit the monster.

Kagami couldn’t help but laugh. His hand hurt like hell, but he held it to his chest dearly, his eyes hot on the verge of tears. He felt vindicated, a fleeting feeling arose from his chest and he felt light. His fist had reached a monster.

He-

An arrow sprouted from his shoulder and everything felt heavy all of a sudden. The weight of his shoulder yanked him face first into the ground as if an anchor had been tied to it.

“We got him! Get him before the treant takes him!” He heard from beyond the trees.

Three men stepped into the clearing. The treant gave them a snarl.

“This is my prey!”

“Like we planned!” The black haired man ordered, notching another arrow.

The two beside him split and ran circles around the treant, while the archer loosed an arrow. It hit the treant’s hand and it smashed against the ground as if there was an invisible weight tied to it. The shorter man held up his hand, and liquid flame dispensed from it. The treant threw a desperate blow at the shorter man, but the taller stood in his way and he turned to stone, stopping the treant’s attack.

Kagami turned his attention back to his shoulder, he focused his efforts in trying to pull the arrow from his shoulder. He pulled a little bit of it out, before the archer stepped in front of him, arrow notched in front of his face.

“It’s useless you know. That arrow might as well be an anchor. You won’t be able to pull it out,” the man said.

Kagami met the man’s eyes. “This is about the bounty right? Why haven’t you killed me yet?”

“Because you’re not mine to kill,” the man answered him.

Kagami put two and two together and then he had a grand laugh. It would have been grander if the man didn’t kick him in the face.

“Someone else is offering more for my life?” Kagami asked, tasting blood. “You’d be able to get out of here right? Just put that arrow in my head and you would be free, right?”

At the edge of his vision, he saw the treant still alive and roaring bloody murder at the two men he was fighting. The finger holding the arrow in place shook, he was really thinking about it.

“Who is it?” Kagami asked.

“That’s none of your business.”

“I don’t even get to know who wants to kill me. I really have fallen low.” Kagami muttered under his breath. He grabbed the arrow in his shoulder, intent on pulling it out.

“I’m telling you, it’s useless.”

Kagami gritted his teeth, it was heavy.

“Stop it! If you keep on doing that I’ll-”

A body was thrown beside them. The short man had his neck twisted in an odd angle. The archer turned his attention too late though, the taller man was chucked into the archer. The treant, though burnt, did not look any less menacing. Its eyes was leaking crimson light.

“You think you little acorns could hurt me?” The treant plucked a glowing blue fruit from its branches and ate it. “Just like you, I can use Aura if I so desired it!”

The moment the monster ate the fruit, Kagami felt a surge of dread. He pulled at the arrow, struggling like a poor cub in a bear trap. The arrow felt like a stone pillar. The treant watched Kagami and gave a sickening laughter.

“Good! Go ahead and struggle!” As it raised its claw, an arrow hit the treant. His claw slammed into the ground.

The archer was still alive, though, he had blood coming down his face.

“Stay away from him. He’s mine.”

The treant yanked its arm off. A new arm immediately sprouted.

“Your powers will do you no good to me.”

The archer clicked his tongue in frustration, and fired more arrows.

The treant laughed as it walked towards the archer. The arrows may have hit him, but they bounced off him as if they were toothpicks. Its arm grew and like a snake snatched the man by the neck. He held him up high, as if he were admiring a shiny coin.

Its face turned in disgust. “Your face is ugly.”

The archer’s face turned purple and then it popped.

The arrow that held Kagami down, became light and he immediately took the chance to yank it out. The treant laughed even harder.

“So weak. His Aura couldn’t even stay active in death.” It tossed the archer aside, but he was attacked by the tall man.

“Thom!” He screamed, his stone fist smacked the treant’s midsection.

The treant’s mouth twisted into a delightful smile. It rose its claws, ready to reap the tall man’s life.

“Let me take a look at your face.”

Kagami pulled the man out of the way, the claws missed him by a hair.

“Hey, get out of the way!” Kagami yelled. “This is my prey.”

“Prey? It’s you who is my prey.”