Few people have the resolve to actually think clearly when they think they are about to die, let alone answer a question. Ruka was no different. She realized the severity of the situation and gave up her resistance.
She deactivated her Martial Technique, the bow and arrow made out of flames disappeared into nothingness. As she started thinking of her impending demise, Ruka's legs started losing strength, she attempted to use her rapier as a crutch, but she still ended up falling to her knees powerlessly.
She was afraid but she was even angrier. Her mind was plagued by a simple question. "Why was this boy so strong?" In an intense fight to the death, taking note of one's opponent's age, would be one of the last things on one's mind. So Ruka had never paid much attention to Bastian's age. At first she was simply attracted to him but after closely examining him, she came to the conclusion that he should be no older than fifteen.
To think I would die by the hands of a child, how laughable.
Not to mention he was a child capable of killing a Teacher.
If he lives, he will undoubtedly become a monster.
To Ruka, that was her only consolation, because at the end of the day, she was a warrior and a gladiator. So dying at the hands of a future powerhouse, was an honour she would no doubt accept.
"I won't kill you. I'm not a sadist," said Bastian. When Ruka heard those words, she looked up and saw Bastian's face as he yawned. The mana tornado he had conjured slowly disappeared from above her head and in a matter of seconds, and the battlefield became silent once more.
Bastian was tired and Ruka was crippled. As far as he was concerned, she was no longer a threat to him. Either way, a useless gladiator would most likely be killed or sold off. Therefore, it was unlikely she would pose any threat to him in the future. Bastian therefore, saw no need to kill her. At that time, he just wanted to get it over and done with.
Kenshin appeared next to Bastian with a flash. "You were careless. You dropped the pouch." said Kenshin in a reprimanding tone. Bastian didn't even look behind and merely shrugged his shoulders, he was confident that Kenshin would pick up the pouch anyway.
Bastian could see that Ruka was confused. He felt far too tired and lazy to explain himself. "Come here." Bastian said to Ruka. Ruka was still confused but she still walked toward Bastian. She didn't want to believe that she wasn't going to die only to end up being killed, she thought she would end up killed. Some warriors did that out of spite. Hope can be the cruelest of punishments. The truth was that her fate was out of her hands and she did what she was told.
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"Give me a few pebbles. I want to give them to her." said Bastian as he opened his palm in front of Kenshin. "Why?” questioned Kenshin. "Because I want to that's why." replied Bastian in an annoyed tone.
"Could it be that you pity her? A person who tried to kill you only a few moments ago?" said Kenshin as he handed Bastian the pebbles he requested for. "Nope, I don't pity her; I'm making an investment. Just shut up and trust me."
Kenshin was baffled by Bastian's words but remained quiet. Bastian took the pebbles and threw them to the girl. "You owe me for this. Never forget that. If you remain alive after this, I will come back to collect my debt. Check the bodies around here, some should still have their pebbles. If I were you, I would do it quickly and run before others arrive."
As soon as Bastian said this, he turned around and left, with Kenshin following suite. Kenshin had taken pebbles from the majority of fighters but some had later joined the battle due to greed. In the end paying the ultimate price.
As Bastian walked away he heard the sound of a girl crying but he didn't bother looking back. He just limped away, other thoughts had taken root in his mind. Kenshin just followed his companion silently, with a slight smile on his face, because as far as that day was concerned, for him it was a big success.
...
It was night time at a distant location within Yani City. Shasha and Kai were standing near the teleportation circle located within a large hall. The circle was next to an altar, which had uniformed guards and white robed officials around it. The hall had quite a few nobles and wealthy people, each followed closely by their servants.
Most of the people were nervous though some looked rather confident, but Kai and his Master were quite relaxed. When the teleportation circle lit up, multitudes of warriors started coming out. Most were either heavily wounded or had looks of fatigue on their faces, with mild signs of battle here and there.
Some warriors would go toward the official and hand over their pebbles. An official would scribble something on a piece of paper and then hand each warrior a silver pebble. That was a sign of qualification to the next round of the tournament. Most warriors would shout in joy and run straight to their Master's, who in turn would also show delight.
Sometimes powerful looking warriors would come out of the circle in perfect condition, as if they had no trouble whatsoever. They would not even flinch a single muscle as they received the silver pebble and would go to their Masters and simply leave as if nothing important was happening. Shasha looked on in awe as this occurred, and told Kai to look dignified so that they appear cool and confident.
When Bastian and Kenshin came out of the magic circle however, Shasha's face became ugly as he saw the bloody and limping Bastian. He almost fainted on site, and would have, were it not for noticing that Kenshin was no different from when he had entered.
After seeing both Bastian and Kenshin qualify and receive the silver pebbles however, Shasha could not help but shout in delight, causing Kai to shake his head. Kai knew better than anyone else what Kenshin was capable of, so he had no doubt that the duo would qualify.
The issue is the next round. Will Bastian be able to pull through by himself?
As Kai was thinking of this, he noticed a group of people walking straight toward their direction. The group was led by two people, one very slim and one very fat. Each had a scantily dressed woman by his side. When Shasha saw this group arriving, he couldn't help but frown.