The race continued down bleak corridors of the castle and around twisted, winding turns. Environmental interruptions were limited, and the participants relentlessly hammered away at each other.

As crow anticipated, it was in their favor. Only two racers on the Lions team had the points to use their abilities. Meanwhile, the dragons began an onslaught of aggression.

Higher and higher, the race led up ramps in the castle. By the time the participants reached the top, most were rightfully fatigued. Still, the Lions were vastly worse off because of the enduring invasions.

"Mickey, how much longer!" One shouted. His recipient skimmed at their watch, then responded, "I need another minute!"

As they communicated, another swirling portal arose on their left flank. Even though the group spotted it, they had little means to counter. From several yards behind, Crow was wide-mouthed and laughed uncontrollably, "better watch out, cubs!"

The sizeable, reddish-black claw extended from the distant outlet, then mimicked Crow's hand. Knuckled up, the detached, beastly limb jabbed toward the racer addressed as 'Mickey.' An earnest stab at terminating them, only another interfered.

Just before the broad fist clobbered its defenseless target, Mickey, he was thrust forward. Instead, the male in highlighter green, whose summon was strangled, was hit. Their body violently propelled across the hall's width, then bashed against a merciless wall with such force that it gained elasticity and ricocheted off.

They puked an agonized outcry. Their chest rapidly convulsed, and they clenched their torso to reclaim the wind that was knocked from their lungs.

Typically, summons could not be revived once killed in battle. So, the student who used himself as a shield did so to preserve the collective.

Mickey nearly lost his hat with how ferociously he pivoted and hollered toward the downed racer, "Zach! We got it from here; drop out!" He ordered.

Per the contract, any student whose HP reached zero would be expelled from the university. As a precaution, it became commonplace for athletes to 'drop out' or stop participating when their health was low.

Placing last would stain their record, but it was better than being zeroed and banished from the island.

The student accepted their fate, lingering against the wall while cursing and ruing their predicament. Inattentive, they didn't capture the moment when Crow rolled ahead of his team, steeled his fingers, and slashed his throat.

Digital blood spewed from the downed racer's neck, and he panicked while hurriedly clasping onto his wound to appease the bleeding. "No, No, not like this!"

His health points drained with the fountain of crimson, and once it reached zero, his face fanned open in agony. The student's arms dropped before his eyes sagged shut, then his body jellied and drooped against the floor.

The woman with the ribbon, known as Fray, became frenzied. Teary-eyed and red-faced, she descended to the rear of her group before she wailed, "you murderous bastard!"

Mickey grievously endeavored to soothe her, already aware of her subsequent action. He pleaded for Fray to save her energy for a more crucial moment in the race, but it was fruitless.

Fray's gun-posed hand sprung and directed at Crow before she shrieked, "Strongest link!"

Being the vile, ruthless human he was, Crow slowed and slithered his hand onto Adele's shoulder. "Your turn," he smiled.

She shuddered at his touch and became blue, almost drawn to tears. She was undeniably hesitant to march to her grave and stopped driving her board.

"Now, now, don't think. Just do," persuaded Crow with a nefarious grin that stretched ear to ear. "Don't forget you lost our race. You belong to me."

Adele's face contorted inward; she rasped, nodded obediently, then gradually pedaled ahead. She sniffled each time her left foot pressed against the floor to propel the skateboard forward. Bracing for the end.

The imprint shifted from Crow to Adele and then developed. Gay with callous, Crow laughed aloud and uttered, "say hi to the other lamb for me!"

The floor shook with what she believed was an anticipation of the blast. Adele shut her eyes and whimpered, "I w-worked so hard to get here. It's not fair."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Her mark amplified, and she prepared for an inevitable demise. The following words she expected were the Fray's voice sentencing her to death.

...

Some yards behind her, Tony sounded in question. "The hell is that sound?"

The prior rumbling became more recognized as heavy footsteps, which was odd since everyone rode on skateboards. Adele found whatever it was had only disturbed her more. She continued to snivel but peeked her eyes open, and at the same time, Tony yelled. "Move!"

Frightened, Adele's eyes burst open, and a large dark head began to pass directly by the left side of her face. She gasped and rotated to observe the giant giraffe, reanimated into a shadowy black figure.

It was too tall to run upright, so it charged forward with a horizontal neck like a battering ram. The spikes on its body collided with and shredded the wall as it rampaged ahead of her.

Fray frowned and bit her bottom lip in revulsion. "How could you!" She yelled, disturbed that her comrades trusted summon had run amuck despite its owner's expiration.

"I'm sick to my stomach," wept Fray, who remorsefully pulled the trigger to her ability. "BANG."

Adele gasped and sheathed her face from the brilliant flash emitted from the crosshair. Then, a tremendous shockwave and explosion blasted her off the skateboard and into an abyss of a reddish-black blaze.

She was lost, but the remaining three of her team emerged from the haze. Immediately after surfacing, the student with the hooped earrings clamored. "I thought you already killed that thing!"

"I did!" Argued Crow, who glanced ahead to locate the second team.

Tony skated toward him, pulled the man's collar, then berated him. "We were supposed to end it there! You said we only needed two decoys!"

"Forget this! I'm dropping out before she kills me next!

Even though the two chastised him, Crow collectedly mumbled to himself. "That's twice. Why is her skill suddenly so powerful? It has always detonated over a single target, but now we're all taking splash damage."

"And at the last second, I'm pretty sure Fray's target jumped from Adele to that monster."

"Hmmm," Pondered Crow. "Maybe the blast potency scales for targets with more Health Points."

"No. That explosion just now was much smaller than when our first decoy exploded. The normal blast radius should only be a few feet, but that Vin guy blew up with the entire avenue..."

"Everyone has the same starting health points. So why?"

Crow drew a nicotine rod, but it was slapped from his hands. "Helllloooo, anyone home?!" Fumed Tony, who'd been ranting beneath Crow's contemplation.

"Huh, you say something?" Mumbled Crow, visibly irked. It was a rhetorical question, and he sprung into a ramble before Tony could enrage. "There's still a chance," he declared.

"By now, Mickey has activated his gate, but Fray needs time to recharge."

"Let's rush them before that happens. And, at the very least, I'll hold her back while you guys finish the race."

Neither of his allies seemed convinced of his plan. But they understood the severity of losing. Not just the loss of FX Points, but the impacts it'd have on their racing record. So, they trekked forth.

<>

The Dragons eventually caught up, and as expected, the colossal ability called 'Heaven's Gate' was active. It trailed behind the Lions as if on invisible wheels, blocking any incoming attack.

Crow boiled at their safe approach to the race. He'd seen it utilized against Dragons before him and despised it. Every time they participated in an event, the same steps were repeated. Fray would use her one-hit-kill, then the entire team would protect her until she recharged and could spam it again.

That time came, and all the students in the Dragon faction unconsciously and simultaneously slowed. When it looked like Crow would be marked, he sneakily activated his ability behind their unobserved backs.

He pretended to take the lead, only to use his constructed arm to push Tony from behind at the last second. "No hard feelings," he said.

The Italian man attempted to cease momentum but had already advanced a nonretractable distance. "You bastard!" He roared. "I never should have joined your crew!"

Once again, the dreaded crosshair heated, and just as the trigger was pulled, the inconceivable happened. Repeating history, the darkened, misty thorny summon dashed in front of the group.

Tony, the giraffe, and the components of the structure exploded. With that, so did the emotions of the team of Lions.

They had no inkling how the creature kept returning, but they were nauseated by its new dreadful condition. It was not the same summon their defeated ally loved and trained; it was a possessed phantom that needed to be euthanized.

After watching Crow betray his teammate, his last ally knew they were next. The girl didn't cause a scene but rode cautiously as they toiled to break through their opponent's defense.

Inevitably, she, too, was sacrificed. Out with a bang, just as the others before her. No longer a surprise, the same summon appeared for the third time and dilated the eruption.

Then, there was one. The race was directed down the castle floors and back outside. Crow, the sole survivor, laughed manically as the night carried him on the town's dark streets.

While he'd never taken direct hits, he'd taken damage from each explosion and was cut down to half his original HP. With his life measured at 49 units, killing him wouldn't take much.

His race, like the others, appeared to be coming to an end.