1.7

Number 6

Jim didn't really know what he had expected but certainly not this.

"Here, you ugly bastard"

Yelled Eikichi as he narrowly slid under a swipe, luckily it took the beast a few moments to realise there was nothing in its fist. The thing maybe a horrible monstrosity that could rip a person in half but it seemed to lacks even basic hand-eyes coordination.

"Oi, over here"

It was Doraemon turn to attract the creature attention and once again it failed to do anything, not out of a lack of trying though.

Eikichi's level of instinct and reflex were unlike anything Jim had seen before, but even then he struggled sometimes to dodge the thing. Doraemon, on the other hand, was another story. The girl pretty much pranced around the arena, leaving the lumbering beast behind as she chuckled manically.

That syringe must have contained a serious enhancement drug. Although it was quite clear having a physical boost wasn't its only feature, Doraemon was high as a kite.

"What's wrong, ya eunuch jelly"

She was hurling insults that Jim couldn't even understand. The girl also couldn't seem to stop laughing as she looked on the helpless creature. The futility of its action fueled her more and more.

It was certainly strange to describe that thing as helpless but it applied here somehow. The two weren't even engaging with it, no they just led the thing on an endless chase.

Of course, the creature wasn't exactly pleased about this either and the gashing wound didn't help. It just kept on raging, desperately trying to catch the people who were provoking it, who hurt it. But that was simply futile.

That reality of what was happening had pierce the creature mind's sometimes ago now. But driven by instinct, it was forced to keep on raging on.

At least it made for good entertainment for the crowd.

This whole event was to pick out individuals to serve this Eden world anyway. And in front of them were two very capable candidates. Although Doraemon unhinged behaviour didn't seem to trigger an alarm in anyone at all…

What kind of world was this, Jim Cross asked nothing but himself.

He looked on silently as the creature finally had enough, or more like its body had ran out. The beast crumpled into a mess on the floor, completely exhausted and drained. Eikichi and Doraemon's prediction was correct, whatever food that thing had eaten couldn't sustain such a massive body for too long.

Now the creature once so threatening were lying uselessly on the floor, panting painfully. Apparently air intake was also a problem as well. That exercise had heavily scarred the creature lungs now.

Eikichi himself wasn't really pleased about this result, though. He still felt bad for the thing but the man had his priorities. Doraemon, however, was revelling in seeing the creature in pain, the girl hugged herself slightly and gritted her teeth with a smirk. As the side effect seemed to wear off, she held back the smile, returning to her calmer self.

There was almost a trace of disappointment in Doraemon's eyes, aimed at herself no less. To lose herself like that, unacceptable. Her hoodie's turned back to featuring the Union Jack as she looked back.

"Let's go, we are done here"

"But I haven't spent enough time being the middle of attention yet" Answered Eikichi.

"And here I thought with that getup you would have plenty of attention already"

"Well, this is positive attention for once"

Doraemon's first remark was drenched in sarcasm, but Eikichi's reply was as straight as always. It was not what she was used to but the girl didn't exactly hate it.

As the trio turned back to the creature, however, there was someone standing in front. It was one of the original contenders, a very well-built man. He seemed to be whispering to the creature something softly.

"I wouldn't mind having what that guy is having" Said Doraemon.

The man slowly pulled his arm back then forms a loose fist. After an uncomfortable of time his grip tightened and he punched the creature straight at its head. There was no injury, or at least one immediately presented itself.

The contender turned back to the trio then clapped slowly.

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"Congratulation, you have far surpassed my expectation"

As he finished his sentence, the creature remaining eye started to bulge. Blood gushed out of all of its orifices and as the eye flew away the thing collapsed in its own gore, dead. As if it was exploded from the inside out.

"What the…" Doraemon exclaimed out loud.

Before the girl could do anything, however, the man was already in front of her. Did he just teleport! His fist followed shortly afterward straight to her stomach.

Doraemon staggered backward then looked at herself in disbelief. It was a powerful blow no doubt and yet the girl didn't even feel anything. But she knew what will come next, Doraemon looked at the dead creature.

Soon enough, it happened. A milky white fluid ran down from her left eye, then all hell break loose. The liquid busted out of her ears, her mouth, her nose, eyes, everywhere. Jim rushed in to catch Doraemon as she fell into his arms. The teenager could feel the strange milk-like substance running onto him. At least the girl kept her eyes.

"I was wondering how you could handle such a high dosage of the Ladder" The candidate said "Still, I have never seen anyone that comes close to you in bionic body modification. Hm, strengthen muscle, bone made of alloys, conductive blood and it seems like artificial skin as well. Isn't that a bit too excessive?"

"Ah… How… ah…"

Doraemon couldn't even speak anymore as the white blood was flooding her throat. What kind of punch was that, a normal person would have all of their internal organs completely crushed. Still, most of her important parts weren't damaged. But the girl had never been this hurt before, and from one blow no less.

Jim couldn't help but feel slightly repulsed by the 'girl' in front of him. The white fluid emitted a strange unnatural smell and one of her eye was glitching, rotating around. The feel of her hoodie was also so smooth it was alien.

But then the teenager could also feel something, coming through his arms. Doraemon was… trembling. Her remaining eye was filled with a nebulous fear, not out of being injured. Oh no, being driven to such a condition so suddenly had awakened dark memories within her and with the side effect still lingering on, those images were as vivid as the most cutting edge VR.

Doraemon could see light and in it… the Killer Queen. No, anything but that!

To see such a figure reduced to such a state was strangely karmic. But it wasn't Jim's place to judge, the teenager tried to hold onto her shaking hands.

He looked on to see that Eikichi had approached the contestant.

"You haven't introduced yourselves yet, my name is Eikichi by the way"

"Oh right" The man scratched his head "I was being so rude, my name is Six"

"Strange name you have there"

"Yeah, it's not like we can choose our names"

After all that, how could Eikichi still talked to that guy so casually. Jim was puzzled but there was nothing he could do. The bald man, finally, turned to him and the damaged Doraemon.

"Still, that isn't really a nice thing to do"

"My bad"

The two laughed then suddenly, in a blink of an eyes. Their fists were flying straight toward the others' face. Both narrowly dodged it, but suddenly Six seemed to realise something and once again teleported back away.

Turn out, Eikichi's blow had grazed the man forehead slightly. It was just a small cut though, nothing significant. Well, not for Six. Tears started to well up within his eyes.

"Sorry, huh" He was having a hiccup "I have been huh sleeping huh for like century huh now, my huh body huh isn't used huh to pain huh yet"

Six pulled out a handkerchief clumsily and took a huge sneeze.

"I'm alright now, so, I will be killing now, alright" The man started to form a loose fist.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea" Said Eikichi in his usual tone before the bald man readied himself again. His stance loose but steady as a rock. Asides from his abilities, Six was a highly trained operative.

This was supposed to fist fight but somehow it had turned into a stand-off as the two stared at each other. One blow from Six was enough to end his opponent. This was when Jim noticed something unsettling, the silence. The teenager looked around to find rows of seats filled with people with thin white featureless masks, all looking at him. Among them was Johann who was still thankfully normal, he hadn't moved from his spot though.

When Jim turned back to look at the fight, it was already over. He could see a bloodied hand going through Eikichi back.

In fact, Six couldn't teleport but the man could move with such speed that it could be perceived to be near instant. And with his enhanced strength and super speed, the fist easily went through an entire person body, but not without a price.

Jim could see something bloody in Eikichi hand and as Six emerged in front of him, he realised what that item was. It was an eye, or more specifically, one of Six's eye.

Knowing full well that he couldn't possibly dodge an attack of such speed, Eikichi went all in. The bald man charged forward straight into his enemy's punch. But the surprise advance could only get him so far. And so, Eikichi went for the throat and the eye, only the later succeed. The bald man looked at the item, it was artificial.

But to Six, for him to be injured so badly by a newcomer.

"Fantastic" He looked up to Johann "It seems like a lucky harvest for you"

"What do you want" The young warrior asked coldly.

"Now? I just want to introduce myself. My two mates are too shy to come out though so that will be it for today" Tears started to well up in Six's eyes "Oh, it seems like I am finally processing the pain now. OH IT HURTS! Anyway, be seeing you around"

Before he could leave though, Six could hear someone call for him. It was Eikichi, who was somehow still standing with quite a hole in his stomach.

"You forgot this" He handed over the eye.

"Thank mate, be seeing you around"

The knife was also retrieved from Johann's back, he immediately jumped down to join the others. Eikichi meanwhile made his way over to Jim, who was still holding onto the white suit.

"Hm, can you get me a cig… Oh wait, I don't smoke"

"Then why do you even want one" Asked Jim.

"Well, I figure it would look cool… Ouch, this actually really hurt"

"I… I don't doubt that"

Jim replied. It finally sunk into him and the summoned here. They were in a complete new world now. There were giant monsters, magic and people with absurd powers. And as Eikichi looked down at the new airhole he has, the man knew deep down, they would need to change if they wanted to survive here.

Sound fun. It had been a long time since he was this amused.

The four left the arena and as soon as they reach the outskirt of town, all the white masks were dropped then simply disintegrate. The townsfolks of Saragarhi and its many visitors continued their schedule like nothing had happened. This festival, this competition would go on. Fortunately, no more battles with dangerous monsters so at least something good happened.