A gentle chirping broke my room's silence, which was bathed in the golden light of the morning sun.

The birds outside sang their lovely morning song, like a harmonious concert that floated through the window and woke me from my deep, dreamless sleep.

For me, my room is just a place I can retreat to, since I only sleep here anyway and spend the entire day outside. The cream-colored walls were plain, only interrupted here and there by a closet and a bookshelf whose books I never touched before. A simple desk with drawers made of dark wood stood in one corner, covered with a few notes and sketches about the quests we'd done so far in the Adventurers' Guild, as well as a dusty oil lamp and a few crumpled papers.

My bed was directly opposite the window on the left when entering through the door, its curtains billowing gently in the morning breeze. The scent of fresh grass and morning dew tickled my nose.

I heard the chirping again, a little louder this time. Chirp-chirp

My eyes opened hesitantly, my gaze first wandered to the ceiling, and I thought that time temporarily stopped. Although it was a new day, an uneasy and heavy feeling was spreading over my body.

I slowly sat up straight, putting the white blanket to the side, and then I rubbed my eyes and yawned profusely. My limbs felt heavy, as if the night had not been long enough for me to relax.

I stretched and felt my muscles tense and then relax again. Then I got up and shuffled to the window. The wood creaked softly under my footsteps, as did the window when I opened it and leaned out carefully. The wind was cool but not unpleasant, it carried the scent of fresh leaves and the flowers that spread out in a wide flower garden right in front of my room. A beautiful sight every morning.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Haaa... The wind feels good.” My voice couldn't contain itself and let out a loud sigh.

For a while I remained just like that, listening to the birds chirping, the occasional rustle of the trees and the gentle breeze.

Eventually I turned away, went to the closet and put on my dark blue pullover over my grey shirt, I left my black coat and travel bag in the closet and made my way to the living room of this mansion. The long corridors were silent, only my footsteps echoed. Normally I would have bumped into one of the maids working here by now, but today I neither saw nor met them.

When I opened the door to the living room, I saw two figures sitting relaxed on one of the two long red sofas.

Monika had elegantly crossed her legs, single strands of her chestnut hair falling in front of her face as she leaned forward briefly and spoke to Anna.

Anna's red hair was tied into a loose plait today, which was the first time I had seen her do that since we first met, and she seemed to be holding something in her hand, a piece of paper that must have aroused Monika's curiosity.

“Good morning,” I said while closing the door.

“Good morning, my hero.” Anna replied, excited as always to see me.

“Morning.” mumbled Monika, without taking her eyes off the paper Anna was holding in her hand.

Right, Anna went to the guild yesterday and asked them to pick out some quests for us. I totally forgot about that.

Before I could say anything else, Elaine, Alicia and Dorilla entered the room.

Alicia seemed like she'd just got up, at least that's what her tousled hair and loud yawning told me.

Elaine, on the other hand, was beaming a warm smile at us wearing a casual dress.

“Morning.” Alicia yawned again and stretched.

“Good morning, everyone.” Elaine spoke in a clear voice.

“Did you sleep well?” Dorilla asked kindly.

“Yes.” I replied curtly, whereupon the living room door suddenly opened again. It was the butler called John. His immaculate black suit and upright posture showed the earnestness of his work.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your breakfast has been prepared and served.” he announced.

We followed him into the dining room, whose sumptuous interior always made an impression on me.

White-wallpapered walls with golden ornaments, the imposing chandeliers that bathed the room in a warm light and the large painting of the three heroes above the fireplace.

Numerous dishes were served on the table, which not only looked delicious but also smelled wonderful.

“Bon appétit.”

We started to eat. But while my hands mechanically grabbed some bread and ate my fried egg and a piece of fruit, I couldn't overcome the strange feeling that I was forgetting something. Something important that was lurking like a shadow right next to me.

After breakfast, I decided to take a short walk along the river, not very far from the property.

We were traveling for four, almost five months already, this journey was harder than we thought it would be at first, but we somehow managed it. However, today, everything feels strange. My mind keeps wandering, I'm trying to remember something... But what?

Once I arrived at the river, I knelt down, let the cool water run through my fingers and splashed it onto my face.

The crystal-clear water reflected my image... and then, like a flickering light, two small, blurred figures appeared to my left and right, their faces distorted.

I quickly jerked my head up and looked around frantically.

However, no one was there.

“What was that?” I whispered quietly.

“Kaito?” A soft, angelic voice suddenly drew me out my thoughts. When I turned to her, I looked into the girl's emerald-green eyes, which were wide open and shimmering with curiosity. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes.” I lied, forcing a smile on my face. “I'm fine.”

But something was raging inside. The images, the sudden visions, and the vague feeling that something was wrong... it was all gnawing at me.

It felt strange talking to Monika and it seemed like someone was trying to tell me something. But I couldn't understand it... or I didn't want to understand it.

“Shall we go for a walk together?” she suddenly asked me.

I looked at her surprised and gulped briefly. “Sure.”

From there, we strolled leisurely along the river, with the fresh morning air swirling around our faces.

Monika walked slightly ahead, her chestnut hair glistening in the sunlight, shimmering through the leaves of the trees above us. The river flowed gently beside us, a soft, soothing sound that was like a melody to our ears.

My eyes were fixed upon the person in front of me, walking over the pebbles lightly.

“So, Kaito.” she said and turned slightly towards me, her emerald green eyes searching my gaze. “Anna and I were talking about a new quest earlier.”

“A new quest?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Oh yeah, I remembered that earlier, but I don't have any information about this quest yet.

Monika nodded and told me the details. It was a hunting quest, which says that you have to kill twenty of so-called Long-tail Rabbits and hand in their remains to the guild.

The reward amounts to thirty silver coins.

Monika also spoke of the difficulties of finding these nimble, elusive creatures.

Although her tone was matter-of-fact, she couldn't quite hide her enthusiasm. Apparently she already tried to catch one of these long-tailed rabbits in the past, but without success. This made me wonder if we were capable of hunting down such a creature.

“These Long-tail Rabbits seem to be real masters of hiding,” I said, unable to suppress a smile. “Are you telling me you're letting a few rabbits provoke you?”

“Of course not!” she replied with a cheeky grin and placed her hands on her hips. “I already have a plan. You'll see, this time I'm going to get one of those things! ... I mean, of course... We're going to get those things.” She corrected herself and laughed crookedly.

I laughed without thinking.

Monika was always like that.

She usually had a plan, sometimes it almost seemed like she could see into the future. But despite her self-assurance, I felt a strange unease inside me.

I already sensed something strange earlier. When I looked at Monika, I felt a fleeting sense of strangeness, such as I was looking at her inside a dream.

Then suddenly, a soft buzzing echoed through my head, like a radio that couldn't find a channel.

I paused, my steps faltered.

An image flashed before my eyes. The image of a girl lying in a bed. Her face hidden in the shadows.

Who was that, I asked myself. Why did this image suddenly pop into my head so vividly?

“Kaito? Are you okay?” Monika's worried voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Ah, yes... everything's fine.” I replied hastily, but the truth was that I felt anything but fine.

This vision... where did it came from? And why did it felt so real?

We kept walking and reached downtown after about half an hour.

The streets were bustling, as they were every day, with traders displaying their wares and the air filled with the smell of freshly baked bread and sweet spices.

But this peaceful scene was suddenly interrupted by a scream.

“A pickpocket!” cried an old lady, desperately trying to run after a man with a thick beard and a hat.

The thief stole her pouch and ran straight towards us. Monika and I gave each other a look and nodded.

Together we blocked his path.

“Give the pouch back!” Monika shouted.

However, the man didn't hesitate. He muttered something quietly, whereupon strong gusts of wind catapulted him into the air. It was a spell using the wind attribute, whose name I didn't know at that moment.

“You're not going anywhere!” I shouted, and stretched my left hand forward, whereupon long, white metal chains broke out of the ground and chained the man up.

The chains shone brightly, and I could see the thief's surprised face before falling to the ground.

A guard rushed over, while Monika took the stolen pouch and handed it to the old lady, who thanked us tearfully. “Thank you very much. May God bless you.”

While Monika nodded with a smile, I felt that uneasiness again. Another image flashed in my mind, this time it was a little girl in a black dress. But her face was also blurred and therefore unrecognizable.

It was only a glimpse, but it made me shiver.

“Let's go back to the mansion, Kaito.”

Monika's voice sounded calm, but it echoed strangely in my head, like she was far away.

I just nodded slightly, unable to look at her. My eyes were fixed on the ground in front of me, but my thoughts were far away from me.

Something was wrong.

Visions flickered through my mind, images of distorted faces, blurred and yet so vivid that I almost thought I could touch them. The strange emptiness that had haunted me all this morning was accompanied by a restlessness that I couldn't shake off.

What is wrong with me? Why am I seeing these images? Who were these faces and why did it feel so... familiar?

I shook my head and tried to pull myself together. “Y-yes, let's go,” I mumbled in the end.

My voice sounded hoarse, as if the words had come through a thick fog.

Silently, we headed towards the estate.

The path was lined with tall, old trees, their branches reaching up into the sky like gnarled hands. The rustling leaves in the soft breeze were the only sound that broke the silence between us. Normally I would have found this silence pleasant, but today it weighed heavily on me.

Even the paths I had known for two weeks now seemed foreign to me, as if the world had changed unnoticeably while I wasn't looking.

When we finally arrived at the mansion, I was exhausted for some reason, even though it was only midday.

The large, beige building with its expansive windows looked almost like a foreign body in this environment.

I stopped for a moment, my eyes fixed on the high walls, to shake off the strange trepidation that had overcome me.

But when I turned around to say something to Monika... she had disappeared.

“Huh, where's Monika?” My words echoed in the silence, but no one answered.

She was just behind me, for sure. I checked everything around me and let my eyes wander over the estate, but there was no sign of her.

Maybe she already went into the house, I thought to myself. Maybe she has some business to do.

With that thought, I forced myself to ignore the anxiety that seized me and went to the door.

The massive front door creaked softly as I opened it.

The sound echoed in the empty, narrow hallway. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, which made a soft clicking sound as it fell into the lock.

“I'm home!” I said, but only silence answered me.

Normally, someone would have greeted me, maybe my mother or my older sister. But no one seemed to be home right now. The house looked empty, although it wasn't, at least that's how it seemed to me.

I took off my shoes and placed them neatly next to the others, then let my eyes wander through the hallway. The furniture was in place as usual, but the air was unusually stuffy and felt heavy.

My backpack slipped off my shoulder and landed on the floor making a thudding sound.

I hesitated for a moment before walking towards the living room, where a loud noise came from, covering my already quiet footsteps.

I carefully pushed the door open, and the noise got louder. It was the TV, the volume was probably at seventy percent right now, and its bluish light flickered across the walls, bathing the curtained windows and dark room in an eerie glow.

At the same moment, I saw something that paralyzed me.

My chest hurt, my heart stopped for a few seconds and my airways were blocked.

“Mom? ... Sis?” My voice was brittle and quiet, like a whisper.

This room was no longer the familiar living room in the house I had lived in since the day I could think.

In front of me, on the warm wooden floor, were my mother's and older sister's bodies, their skin pale and most likely cold. Their bodies... No, this thing in front of me can no longer be called a body. It was the opposite...

It was a massacre.

Their limbs were grotesquely separated from their bodies, their heads turned to one side, their eyes twisted, without any sign of life, empty and glassy.

Blood covered the floor, streaked across the furniture and dripped from the walls. The slightly metallic smell of the blood reached my nose and almost made me retch.

I wanted to scream, turn around and run away, but my body wouldn't obey me. My legs were heavy, like they were made of stone, and my eyes were nailed shut.

But then I noticed something. I realized that my left foot was getting wet, the same as when I stepped barefoot into a puddle.

Slowly, almost like a doll, I lowered my head and looked at the floor.

An arm was lying there. A single, severed arm, its fingers curled in a desperate gesture. On its wrist was a colorful, homemade bracelet... the bracelet I made in first grade during art lessons and gave to my sister as a birthday present; she had worn it ever since.

My blocked airways loosened briefly to take another breath, but they closed again and the pain in my chest got worse.

My heart was pounding like crazy, in a dull, unbearable rhythm that permeated my entire body.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

The world around me seemed to distort, plunging me into an endless vortex of darkness.

“STOP IT!!” My voice snapped me out of the maelstrom. I screamed without realizing it, stretching out my right hand like I was trying to reach for something that was no longer there.

“Ha... Ha...” I jerked up, my breath coming in gasps while my body was bathed in sweat.

I grabbed my chest, where my heart was beating like a hammer against my ribs. Slowly, my eyes wandered around the room.

It was dark, and the only sounds were the soft rustling of the leaves outside and the soothing breaths of Eiko and Reiko sleeping next to me.

“It was... just a dream.” I whispered. I closed my eyes briefly, but the images from that dream were still there.

I started to remember. Right... Monika is... And my mother and sister are...

“Papa?” A small hand tugged lightly at the sleeve of my shirt, it was Eiko whispering quietly and sleepily. Her half-closed eyes looked at me as she mumbled something inaudible.

I forced a smile on my face, put a hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. “Go back to sleep, Eiko,” I said softly.

She nodded slowly and lowered her head back onto the pillow. On my other side was Reiko, sleeping soundly, and her face was so peaceful.

I laid back down, but the sleep didn't come back. The night seemed to weigh heavily on me and my thoughts left me no rest.

I thought about Monika, about her current condition, which didn't seem to be improving. Her hair was getting darker day by day, a pitch black that was spreading more and more.

It looks like a countdown... But for what?

I can't do anything about it. At least I can't think of a helpful solution. This helplessness gnawed at my mind and left me unable to sleep for the rest of the night.

However, I won't allow myself to lose Monika. Not her. Not someone else who is dear to me.

Elaine faced me, holding her wooden sword tightly with both hands, the blade held in a vertical position over her body. The sun was shining mercilessly on the training ground today, its rays reflecting off the slightly shiny metal of Elaine's armor.

It was quite a warm day compared to the days before, and the smell of grass and earth mingled with the metallic aroma of sweat dripping from our foreheads.

“Ready, Kaito?” she asked.

I closed my fingers tighter around the handle of the wooden sword and nodded. “Of course, I am. But I won't lose this time.” I said confidently, and yet I was nervous. Elaine is incredibly talented when it comes to swordsmanship, even though I had made slight progress in the last few days, I am sure she is still far superior than me.

Elaine giggled quietly, a soft, almost melodic sound that seemed odd in the silence on the training ground. “You say you're going to beat me this time? Well I want to see that.” She lowered her voice and seemed to mock me. “But don't underestimate me, Kaito. I won't give you a second.”

I raised my sword in a defensive position and focused on my opponent's stance to predict her next attacks as quickly as possible. She, the golden lioness, is not only stronger and faster than me, but also incredibly precise in her movements. Each of her steps were deliberate, each of her attacks well aimed. There were no unnecessary movements, no hesitation, so it was almost impossible to see through her. But I tried anyway.

Elaine shifted her weight forward slightly, her feet dug into the ground a little, her muscles tensed. Suddenly, the blade of her wooden sword began to glow in a bright azure blue.

Overheat, huh. I gulped.

This skill is not only incredibly powerful, but also hard to counter. It gathered all of the user's strength into the blade, which requires a strong ability to concentrate in turn. If you couldn't parry the attack, which was almost impossible, you became temporarily immobilized.

But I had a plan. A risky but workable plan.

Elaine dashed forward, faster than I expected. The sand swirled under her feet, before I could even blink, she swung her blade at me with all her strength in a wide arc.

The blue glow was dazzling, and I could clearly hear the vibration of the skill in my ears.

“Now or never.” I whispered and got my own skill ready, called Heaven's Nail. My blade glowed in an intense orange and suddenly moved on its own.

Heaven's Nail is a three-hit combo that had two crossing slashes and a final high-speed frontal attack. The first two slashes hit her blade, creating loud wood-on-wood slamming sounds as they collided. The pressure of her skill was overwhelming. But I followed up and broke through the barrier of her skill with a final attack. “Nrryaaaaaahh!!!”

“khh...” Elaine gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. Her sword flew off her hands and landed on the sand with a thud.

For a moment, time seemed to have stopped. We were both motionless, the wind carrying the sound of rustling leaves softly over to us. My chest rose and fell heavily while trying to calm my breathing.

“Unbelievable.” Elaine whispered eventually, staring at me like she'd seen a ghost. “That was incredible, Kaito! How did you do that? How could you counter my Overheat skill?”

I lowered my sword. “That was the skill Heaven's Nail. Someone once told me that I should use it in situations like this.”

“Someone told you that?” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Whoever gave you that advice must be a master swordsman. I'd love to meet that person.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Perhaps you will, someday,” I said, though I highly doubt it. The one who gave me this tip was Loli. With her centuries of knowledge about weapons and their techniques, she was able to give me helpful tips and examples of when and how to use a particular skill.

Elaine giggled again. Her giggle was infectious, and I couldn't help but giggle too.

For a moment, we forgot about the heat, the sweat and the exertion. We lowered ourselves onto one of the fallen pillars that we often used as a seat.

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Elaine rummaged in a brown basket she had brought with her for our breaks and pulled out a small bag. She handed it to me, smiling gently. “Here, this is for you,” she said.

I took the bag and opened it, the smell of freshly baked cookies filled my nose.

“Thank you,” I said and took one of the cookies. I ate it and my face brightened. “Mhmmm... delicious! They're very good.”

“Thank you, I baked them myself.”

“You made them? You're a good baker.”

Elaine's face flushed slightly, and she played sheepishly with a strand of hair. “Th-thank you. I... I love baking. I'll make you more next time if you like.”

“I'd really appreciate that. I'm looking forward to it.” I said honestly. Back in that world, it was rare that someone cooked or baked something for me voluntarily, so I wanted to appreciate the gesture. If I recall correctly, only Koji and Yorihiko's mothers prepared food for me, but only because I was a visitor. I can't remember anyone else, since I lived alone in a small apartment, I always cooked myself.

We ate in silence for a while and enjoyed the short break after the strenuous training. The sun had reached its zenith, and a light breeze blew across the training ground, carrying a pleasant coolness. This feeling of peacefulness seemed almost surreal after the intense confrontation we just experienced.

After a while, Elaine raised her head and looked directly at me. Something in her eyes told me that it must be something serious. “Kaito, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“The Hero tournament is in a few days.” she began and hesitated briefly like she was searching for the right words. “I wanted to ask if you were interested to participate.”

“The Hero Tournament?” I asked, frowning. “What's that?”

Elaine explained that it was a competition where contestants could prove their strength. The winner would be awarded with the title of a hero by the king of this kingdom himself. Her voice was full of excitement while she spoke about the battles of the previous years and the importance of this tournament.

But the more she talked about it, the more doubt stirred in me.

A hero? Was it really that simple to become a hero by winning a tournament? In my imagination, a hero was someone who performed extraordinary deeds, who saved people or fought against evils. But in this world, it seemed more like a title you could win through popularity and strength. It felt... weird.

“Wait, wait, wait! Why are you asking me to participate in such a tournament?” I asked. “There are certainly plenty of fighters better than me.”

But then Elaine shook her head vigorously and leaned forward towards me. “That's enough! Stop underestimating yourself, Kaito. Just now, during our training, you defeated me, a heroine. With your own strength! You're strong enough to win this tournament, I know that.”

Her words hit me like a slap in the face, but before I could say anything back, she closed her eyes, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. “So please... stop talking yourself down.” she whispered.

Without realizing it, we moved closer together, our faces were only a few centimetres apart. For a brief moment, the world around us seemed to stop.

I could feel her breath on my skin and her eyes were half closed. My left hand twitched slightly, and I didn't know whether to pull it back or move it forward.

"Elaine..."

"Kaito."

“What are you doing?” Like a clap of thunder, a childish voice broke the moment of our silence. I flinched in shock and turned around. Eiko, Reiko and Anna were standing behind us. The two children looked at us with curious eyes, while Anna was red like a tomato and tried to hide her embarrassment.

“Ah, it's not...!” Elaine immediately jumped up, stuttered and took several steps away. Her cheeks were deep red and seemed completely overwhelmed by the situation. I couldn't help but smile a little, although my own pulse was still racing.

“Eiko, Reiko, Anna, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I... I wa... wanted... NOTHING!!!” Anna said stuttering and quickly grabbed the twins' hands. “Come on, let's go!”

“Hey wait a minute, Anna!” I shouted, but she was already gone with them. “I wonder what's wrong with her?”

I turned back to Elaine, but she wasn't looking at me. Instead, she touched her lips with her fingertips and mumbled something that I couldn't understand.

I sighed. Our conversation about the Hero Tournament was probably over for now, but the awkwardness remained between us like an invisible wall.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky when I found myself on the hot sand of the arena in Almone.

All around me there was... loud cheering, the thudding of feet in the stands and the fluttering echo of flags flapping in the wind.

The heat was almost unbearable, it seemed to emanate from both the ground and the air. My hands were soaked with sweat while I wiped them clean on my black coat.

The arena of the town of Almone was so huge that I felt almost tiny. High stone walls surrounded us and the grandstands appeared to reach endlessly upwards, like a coliseum. Filled with countless people who were all here to see one thing.

The hero tournament.

Or in other words, all these people were here to see us bash each other's heads, and I was one of those standing in the middle of the sand, waiting to get things started.

Next to me were the other participants, twenty in total. Men and women, young and old. Some wore heavy armor, others were dressed in light leather armor, and a few of them looked like me, only wearing simple fabric clothing that didn't restrict their movements.

The weapons they carried were swords, axes, spears and even some mages were among them.

And then there was me, Kaito, without a weapon in my hands or on my body, except for my longsword, which I only had to summon, and the skills I had learned so far, although not all of them were at a particularly high level.

I was firmly convinced that I would prefer to stay in my room, but of course none of this was my idea anyway.

No, this was Alicia and Dorilla's brilliant plan.

“Kaito, this is the chance you can't miss!” Alicia said, with that slightly arrogant attitude that only made me stare at her as if she'd just made a particularly bad joke.

And Dorilla just nodded, like he always did, because he obviously thought Alicia was never wrong. “You're a good warrior,” he had said. “You'll be fine!”

This is so annoying... Why of all people does this always happen to me, I asked myself. Well, maybe this is also a good time to improve my skills though, maybe I'll gain some experience points and increase my level.

However, the two people who signed me in, were now standing on an VIP stand, together with Elaine and... an old man?

Oh, I see! That must be the king of the kingdom of Veilchenblüte. At least Elaine had mentioned his presence at this tournament.

Well, back to the heroes. Of course, all three of them looked splendid in their elegant robes, with their courtly smiles and the way they naturally sat next to the king on a temporary throne.

Elaine was strangely quiet, I couldn't tell if she was worried or bored. Alicia, on the other hand, was in her element, waving to the crowd and smiling broadly.

And Dorilla? Well, he looked the same as always... serious, withdrawn, but then he looked at me, grinned briefly and had red cheeks, which was probably meant to calm me down somehow.

Well, thank you, Dorilla, I feel so safe now.

No way! Stop grinning, that's creepy!

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The thunderous voice of the presenter snapped me out of my thoughts. A man wearing an unusually large black hat with a beige-colored band and a big smile attracted the attention of the crowd while standing on a raised platform. “Welcome, everyone, to this year's Hero Tournament! Today we will see possibly the best fighters of the kingdom in a battle for glory and honor. Only one can triumph in the end, and that one will claim the title of the Hero of Almone!”

The crowd roared, and I hunched my shoulders automatically when the noise rose around me. I wonder how many people down here were as nervous as I was.

“But before we begin our tournament, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce our special guest for today! A big applause for... King Alfons François of Hadelborn XII!”

The crowd burst into cheers again, a thunderous applause rolled over us like a flood wave.

But that was just the beginning.

“But that was far from the end! We have three more honored guests with us today!” The presenter's voice swelled again, looking like he wanted to drive the crowd into an even greater frenzy. “He doesn't just look like a gorilla, he's also as strong as one, the hero... Dorilla!”

Cheers erupted, accompanied by a few whistles and shouts that sounded like drumbeats as Dorilla took a step forward.

“Let's keep going! She's small, cute, has a mischievous charm like a Valkyrie and even has her own fan club. The heroine Alicia!”

The applause for Alicia was a crescendo, like an explosion of excitement that was almost deafening. “We love you, Alicia!” her fan club shouted at the top of their lungs. Of course they did. Oh, man this can only get worse.

“And finally...” The presenter left a dramatic pause before continuing. “The heroine not only has a fantastic body and gets several marriage proposals at once but is also as strong as a lioness! The marvelous... Elaine!”

The crowd roared as Elaine took a step forward. Her posture was flawless, her smile so radiant that it would have softened even the most skeptical hearts for a moment.

The marriage proposal thing... I muttered in my head as I let the noise get over me. This is a joke, right? RIGHT?!

Before I could get lost in my thoughts, the audience was quietened once more. The presenter raised his hand. “Enough talking, my friends! We all want to see what we've been waiting for, don't we? The tournament! But before it really gets going...”

Suddenly, a glowing golden circle of magic appeared behind the moderator, followed by a large wheel about twice his size. “... let's take a look at our wheel of duels!”

Wheel of duels? Seriously? Who came up with that name? It was almost embarrassing. But the viewers seemed to love it.

The presenter spun the wheel with a dramatic swing. It creaked softly, and the tension was almost palpable. My pulse raced a little.

When the wheel finally came to a halt, showing the golden mark on the board, the presenter read aloud. “Defeat until one remains!”

I stared at him in disbelief. 'Defeat until one remains? Were you serious? No better name? Who the hell came up with these names?

“This year's format is something very special! Everyone against everyone, an ultimate battle to the last warrior! There are no teams, no allies, no second chances. The last one standing will be the winner!”

Awesome. Absolutely fantastic. A survival battle, huh? Why not? I sighed softly and scratched the back of my neck. “Okay, Kaito.” I muttered to myself. “That's easy. You just don't have to lose consciousness. It's easy.”

“Let the tournament... begin!!!”

Then the horn sounded. The deafening sound sent the fighters charging. Weapons clashed, war cries pierced the air, and I... I did the only sensible thing... I stood still at first.

While the others attacked each other like crazy, I held back and loosened my hands a little to prepare them for the upcoming skill.

In this tournament I will try to avoid using Demon Tears completely, even though I know that Loli is probably against it and is now sulking in her Sphere. Sorry, Loli.

For the time being, I watched the other contestants punching each other like there was no tomorrow before I joined the fight.

Dust swirled up, two huge guys swung their axes as if they wanted to tear each other to pieces.

A mage sent a wave of fire at a guy with a shield, the sand beneath their feet began to glow.

Another guy, smaller and more agile than most of the people here, charged at a man twice his size and landed a quick strike with a dagger, leaving the big guy staggering unexpectedly.

I took a deep breath. “Okay. Time to jump in.” However, before I could get started, I suddenly noticed a moving shadow covering me. I turned around just in time to block the slash of a sword that was dangerously close to my head with the skill Blazing Shield.

My opponent was a man with a bald head and a weird grin, who apparently considered me as an easy target. “Well, well, what do we have here?” he sneered as he lashed out again. “A small fish in a big pond?”

I dodged his next hit and jumped to the side. “Oh, and you're the big shark, or what?” I didn't have time to wait for an answer because he attacked again, and this time he was faster. His blade whizzed through the air.

I did my best not to get hit, my legs moved on their own. When he attacked again, I saw my chance. I ducked under his strike and let my hands touch the ground, then I activated the skill Earth Fist, creating a narrow, elongated pillar that rose from the sandy ground and struck my opponent under his chin.

“That was just luck.” he growled, staggering. “Oh sure,” I said. “Shall we see how much luck I have?” I hit him again with Earth Fist and within moments he was lying face down in the sand.

Not dead, but definitely no longer able to fight.

However, I didn't have time to celebrate because the next opponent was already coming my way.

This time it was a woman with two daggers who attacked me, her movements were smooth. She gave me no time to gather myself and I was forced to stay on defense for the time being. Her blades shot towards me like a whirlwind, I had to use all my reflexes to deflect her attacks. This attack pattern reminded me a bit of Monika's fighting style with her shortswords.

I used Blazing Shield several times in succession, but she managed to find an opening within a second between reactivating my skill. Her blade cut through the fabric of my sleeve, leaving only a superficial wound on my arm. “Not bad.” I muttered, dodging another hit. “But I hope you're better than that.”

She didn't reply, but increased her attacks. I waited for my chance to unleash another skill. When I finally saw an gap in her cover, I quickly unleashed the skill Lightning Spears, causing three glowing and electrifying spears to appear above me. After imitating a throwing motion with my arms, the spears shot towards the dagger fighter. The spears landed vertically on the ground with their tips and surrounded her in a triangle shape. The lightning that sparked out the spears combined and electrified the entire triangular area, paralyzing the dagger user and causing her to fall to the ground as well.

“Wow, this skill is better than I expected.”

The battles continued, losing all sense of time. I used one skill after another.

Every hit, every shout, every speck of dust in the air seemed to weave itself into a single, endless symphony. I didn't know how many opponents I had already defeated or how many were left, but I wasn't done yet! I haven't given up yet! And that's all that mattered.

Above the noise from the battle, I suddenly heard the announcer's voice echoing across the arena. “Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen! What a spectacle! Who will triumph in the end? The fights are getting more and more intense and our participants are doing their best!”

I couldn't help but grin wryly. “Yes, yes, we're doing our best,” I muttered as I set my sights on the next opponent.

But when I'm out of here, Dorilla and Alicia owe me something... for sure!

After a while, the stadium seemed like an endless mess. But all that slowly faded into shadow when I focused on the last remaining opponent.

The man, wearing heavy armor, was moving calmly, his sword, almost as big as myself, resting on his right shoulder.

The crowd was still going crazy. I could hear their shouts and screams, but they were blurred when I was lost in my thoughts. “Stay calm.” I muttered to myself while curling my right hand's fingers like I was trying to scratch something. My fingers began to glow, my fingernails grew by a few centimeters, and yellowish-green transparent claws appeared around my fingers, releasing a faint hissing sound.

The skill Super Claw!

“That's the last contestant, I believe. When I beat him, I've won the tournament.” I muttered.

But my own words hardly convinced me. Something was giving me a strange tingling sensation. I felt something like dark energy, like a murderous lust! Or was my intuition just playing with me?

He made the first move. His greatsword cut the air vertically like a falling tree, but I jumped to the side just in time.

The ground, where the blade hit, literally exploded, throwing dirt and dust in all directions. “Damn it.” I cursed and rolled away as another slash whizzed right over my head. “This dude is serious.”

I tried to analyze him while parrying his attacks with Super Claw. The fact that he was strong was obvious, but he was slower than I expected. Each of his attacks left small gaps in his defense, but the timing was crucial.

One mistake and I would end up like the other opponents, lying motionless on the ground.

Finally, I saw my chance. He raised his sword for another powerful strike, I took advantage of that second where I saw an opening.

I quickly jumped towards him and aimed with my skill into the gap between his armor and his glove. When the transparent claws finally made contact with my opponent's body, his entire body hissed and sparked, like an electric shock.

This was thanks to the side effect of Super Claw, when it reached level 4.

I discovered that after a certain level, some of my skills got certain side effects or additional skills, which is pretty useful.

“That... That's it.” I panted after my opponent fell down.

The presenter gave the signal, and the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers while my knees buckled and slowly landed on the sand.

At first, I thought that I could be happy that I had won. However, there was no time for that...

Once again, I felt a strange presence, just like before. I looked around me, but apart from the seemingly endless number of audience and the incapacitated participants scattered around the field, I didn't see anyone who caught my eye.

Until a sudden, inhibited laugh interrupted the cheers of the audience and tore me out of my thoughts.

When I heard this laughter, my heart skipped a beat. I cautiously turned my head to my left, my eyes wide open.

And there he was, standing at the edge of the field, where no one was until a short while ago, wearing a dark cloak that enveloped his massive, muscular body. Even without seeing his face, I recognized him.

My throat felt dry, and my hands began to tremble. “This... can't be real,” I muttered, staring at him.

Impossible. What the hell is he doing here? I thought that Number Two, the vice-commander took him with him. It may have been five days since then, but why does he want to destroy this town again? Why now, of all days?

“Father,” I finally whispered.

He raised his head, and I saw the scary glow in his eyes and the malevolent aura around him, stronger than last time!

“Hey, son.” he said quietly. “I thought it was time we should meet again.”

The crowd was confused, whispering and murmuring, but I heard none of it. All I could see was him. With an effortless movement, he pulled off his cloak and revealed the large two-handed sword he was carrying on his back.

“Why are you here?” I asked him. “Haven't you caused enough trouble already?”

He laughed, a deep, sinister laugh that went through me. “Oh, boy, you're still so naive. I'm here to have fun. What else?”

The king, who was still sitting in the VIP stand with Elaine, Alicia and Dorilla, looked worried.

“I won't let you get away with that. Not again!” I quickly summoned Demon Tears into my right hand and held his grip as tightly as I could.

He just grinned and attacked without warning. His speed was abnormal, each strike had enough power to force me down. I couldn't shake the feeling that he became stronger since our last fight.

But I refused to give up. I couldn't lose, no matter what. Not here, not now!

I attacked, using one Weapon Skill after another that I could perform. Heaven's Nail, Barrage Overcut, Lunar Circular, skills I had been practicing with Elaine for the past few days. I hurled my blade at him with all my strength.

But he parried each of my slashes easily, like it was nothing more than a game. “You disappoint me, boy. I thought you had learned something from our last fight.”

“I'm not done yet!” I shouted and attacked again. My blade glowed purple and formed several veils around itself, making the blade itself three times longer. The skill Dead End was the strongest skill I knew at the moment, despite the long pause after using the skill, I had no choice but to use it. At least I couldn't think of any other solution.

However, this skill was also useless. I started to slash with my sword first from a two-meter distance, but before the blade touched his body, he countered my attack with his two-handed sword. The impact caused a violent recoil, throwing me against the wall of the arena. “Gah.”

“That's it.” said Number Three as he slowly walked towards me. “You can't win. Just accept it. Not against me, not against anyone else.”

... He... might be right... The opponents I had defeated in this tournament were a piece of cake, to be honest. Even if I hadn't eaten that flower and my current level was still under twenty, I could have defeated them easily.

“No wonder you can't protect anyone.”

Huh...?

“Not your mother, not your sister, not even yourself.”

Suddenly. An abrupt, uncontrolled squeeze made my bones feel heavier. My vision blurred as my heart pounded furiously, and my mind was no longer under my control.

Meanwhile, a deep growl of a predator sounded from my mouth.

“Shut up.” I muttered.

“Ha? What was that? I can't hear you whine.”

“I said, shut the FUCK UP!!!”

An invisible pressure spread out from me as my entire body tensed. With a sudden movement, I rushed forward while a wave of dark energy swirled up around me.

“Kaito!” a familiar voice called out. Elaine... But it was already too late.

My body moved on its own, like a puppet. My thoughts blurred. Without realizing it, I activated a Weapon Skill that pulsed with dark aura.

“RAAAHHH!” an animalistic scream escaped my throat.

Uncontrollably, I slashed at Number Three. This Weapon Skill was unknown to me, but it didn't seem to have a proper sequence, or technique. It didn't matter where these attacks went. Everything was in the way for this attack. Everything had to disappear.

Number Three laughed. “Yes, just like that! Show me your true self! Unleash the monster inside you!”

I heard nothing anymore. I saw nothing anymore. My only intention was to destroy him... Or was it rather my will that led to this? Countless questions stormed in my head, but my mind, my thoughts, everything suddenly no longer belonged to me.

The blade of my longsword and his greatsword clashed, over and over again. Within minutes, our battle had destroyed about half of the battlefield. Dust and debris filled the air while the panicked people tried to flee.

A strange aura enveloped me, a dark presence, unknown to me, but still familiar. My breathing became heavier. My body... changed.

A painful jolt went through me as my bones cracked and shifted. White strands of fur grew on my arms and legs. My hands changed into a claw-like shape and had long claws like my fangs.

“No...” I gasped and tried to fight the change, but it was no use. “Not now...”

“Papa!” A childish voice snapped me out of my frenzy for a moment.

“My hero!” Anna's voice followed.

“That aura...” Dorilla stared with widened eyes. “That doesn't look good at all.”

Alicia took command. “We need to evacuate everyone immediately!”

“Your Majesty, this way!” A royal soldier rushed over and led them away.

But I couldn't stop it anymore, and Number Three, my father laughed out loud. “Whatever's going on with you, I like it! Kahahaha!!!”

Another cracking sound, this time in my spine. My body got a little bigger, my muscles tensed, my thoughts faded.

Without hesitation, I leapt forward and dug my teeth deep into my father's arm. The warm blood of his veins coursed in my mouth, and I growled in satisfaction.

“AAAAHHH!!! MY ARM!!!” His scream echoed throughout the entire stadium. “Damn you...” He staggered before falling heavily to the ground.

I stepped on his chest and pinned him to the ground with my claws. He could no longer escape.

His eyes met mine and he whispered, “You're a monster. Face it already. You're just like me. A murderer.”

I snapped my jaws open, ready to rip his neck apart. One bite and it would be over.

But then...

A bright flash hit me.

“Gahhh!” I staggered back. My body suddenly felt heavy, like something wrapped me in invisible chains.

Number Three took the opportunity to scramble to his feet, his wound bleeding profusely but still grinning.

Dorilla looked around in confusion while standing on the VIP stand. “What just happened?”

Alicia turned slowly to Elaine, who was a few steps away from her, standing in the shadow of the VIP stand, her head tilted toward the ground. Her right hand stretched upwards, her whole body trembled slightly, and liquid fell onto the stone floor beneath her. One drop, then another. “Please, forgive me... Kaito.” she sobbed quietly.

Soldiers stormed the arena's battlefield. “Arrest them!” an officer ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

I could no longer move. My vision, everything around me went black.

The last thing I heard were the desperate voices of my daughters, Eiko and Reiko, who were standing on the grandstand in front of the first row, crying and watching.

“Pa-” Eiko began, sobbing.

“-pa...” Reiko finished, trembling.

“PAPA!”

Then... everything fell silent.