As the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, explaining the rules of the next round, Elias kept his eyes fixed on the three men whispering nervously nearby. The announcer declared:
"The rules for Round Two, as revised:
• The three contestants fighting together will be armed; the lone slave will fight using only his fists.
• Mercy will not be tolerated — anyone showing it will be killed.
• If the three manage to kill the lone boy, they all win and will advance directly to the grand finals.
• But if the lone fighter kills all three, he will proceed to the third round."
Elias listened carefully, eyes wide with curiosity and surprise, unaware of the faint smile creeping onto his lips.
Hah, this is exactly the kind of round where I'll struggle, lose control, and then have to use my magic, he thought. In just a few seconds, it felt as if he had understood everything.
He was not the only one who understood. Hedric, who had slightly raised his eyebrows after hearing the rules, seemed to grasp the queen's plan as well.
"My Majesty's lack of trust pains this humble servant deeply," Hedric said, placing his hands near the fire.
"I wouldn't say I don't trust you, Hedric," the queen replied. "You understand that this slave may have secretly learned magic without your knowledge. Considering you haven't reported his use of elemental energy to the kingdom, consider yourself lucky." She looked at Elias, now surrounded by other slaves behind the barrier.
"Very well, Your Majesty. My apologies," Hedric bowed, then turned toward Elias. "Shall we add some excitement? Who's willing to bet?"
"I'll put up 5,000 gold and say this boy will kill all three mercilessly," Queen Estella said.
"Fine! Then I bet he kills two and spares one. After all, the lower class tends to be more sentimental," Hedric replied with a polite chuckle.
Meanwhile, Elias remained alert, scanning his surroundings. Suddenly, the burly man on his right—brown-haired and bearded, wielding a heavy spiked flail weighing about 100 kilos—swung his weapon and muttered,
"Don't take this personally, boy, but we want to live too."
Strange... so some nobles don't silence their slaves completely, or maybe… Elias' thoughts were interrupted by a sudden threat. The man hurled the chained flail at Elias.
Leaping back, Elias noticed the blond on his left aiming an arrow at him. Seemingly stumbling, Elias dodged the arrow at the last second.
Quickly recovering, he rolled left to avoid the flail attack. From the start of the round, a dark-skinned, wild-haired man silently hurled a spear toward Elias.
Barely having landed after dodging the flail, Elias faced both the spear and arrow attacks. He bent down swiftly, spun on the balls of his feet, and deflected both weapons.
Then, vanishing from sight, Elias reappeared right in front of the man who had disarmed himself. With a sharp punch to the groin, the man flew back three meters, hitting the barrier and crouching in pain, coughing blood.
Elias, focused on the fallen man, dodged the flail coming down on his head. He jumped, flipped midair, and kicked the bulky brown-haired man square on the head.
Using the giant as a step, Elias vaulted onto another opponent, pressing his feet against the man's face and springing several meters away. The man collapsed, weakened by the force.
Landing safely, Elias turned to see two of his opponents rising. One held his face but struggled to get up.
A sudden fierce urge to fight surged through Elias. A faint, almost unrecognizable smile appeared on his lips.
So we're playing with some tough nuts, Elias thought.
The burly man charged at Elias, while the other, having failed to retrieve his spear, stealthily tried to approach from behind, armed with an arrow taken from the blond archer.
Elias narrowly dodged a flail strike powerful enough to break his skull by stepping forward to the left. Seeing the chained flail swinging after him, he spread his legs and jumped.
He waited for the flail to pass beneath his feet. Despite his bulky physique, the man could not stop the chain from sliding under Elias' feet.
After a brief pause, Elias stepped on the flail's smooth spots, using it as a platform. The flail and its wielder's hand slammed against the ground as Elias sprang up again.
He struck the wild-haired man, who had failed to shake him off, with the side of his foot in the nose. The man was sent two meters back.
One of the three was missing — the long blond archer. Elias noticed immediately as he landed and turned his head to avoid a glancing arrow that just skimmed his neck.
Without looking back, Elias empowered his legs and body with lightning and wind elemental energy.
He recalled their time on the farm.
Developing this technique was a good move. Using the form, I can use the wind element to mask my presence and the lightning element to increase my speed. This is the Assassin Form, Elias thought.
He slipped behind the blond archer and, before the man noticed, thrust his hand through his waist, pulling it out from his groin.
The warrior, suddenly understanding what had happened, collapsed to his knees and then to the ground, writhing in pain. Blood gushed from the wound Elias had created, the man coughing up blood, trembling as his breathing grew labored.
All of this happened within three seconds.
Tears streamed down Elias' face as the man's breathing ceased. Confirming the death, Elias looked at his bloodied hand.
I-I... killed him... but... I just want to live, he thought.
At that moment, a dark mist—visible only to Elias—took a semi-human form and whispered into his ear,
Then kill. If you want to live, show no mercy. Kill them all. If you show weakness, you will die.
Then it vanished.
Elias' lips curled upward near his ears, his teeth sharpening as if becoming a monster. His eyes glared wildly.
But thanks to the barrier, only the other slave fighters and Hedric—who had some understanding of what was happening—could see this.
Blood dripping from his hand, Elias advanced toward the others. The dark-skinned man on his right screamed in fear and ran toward the barrier.
The bulky man holding a spear in one hand and a heavy spiked flail in the other shouted,
"I'm not afraid of a child! We're all going to die one way or another, so let's fight with honor!" and swung his flail.
Elias punched the flail with his right hand, covering his palm with dirt to hide it. When his fist collided with the flail, its chain broke.
Before the man could react, Elias kicked him under the chin. The blow broke the man's jaw and sent him flying.
The brown-haired warrior hit the ground hard but was saved from a broken back by his armor.
He quickly recovered, stood up, and through his broken jaw snarled,
"Didn't they teach you respect for your elders, boy?"
Overflowing with uncontrollable power, Elias raised his hands and gave a wide grin. A terrifying killing intent radiated from his body.
Stepping forward, he suddenly appeared on the man's shoulder, forcing him to collapse onto his knees.
The brave warrior tried to grab Elias' leg, but Elias stepped on his hand to stop him.
With his right hand, Elias grabbed the man's throat and tore it apart. The sight was horrifying. He ripped off the man's throat as blood sprayed across his face and armor.
The brave fighter collapsed, breathless.
Elias' chilling, terrifying gaze shifted toward a man pounding the barrier, yelling,
"Open this damn thing!"
As Elias approached, the black-skinned man panicked. He shouted louder, threw sand at Elias, and sobbed uncontrollably.
His eyes wide with terror, he tried to stand and run, but his legs betrayed him.
Finally, as Elias stood over him, the man fell at his feet, eyes pleading,
"Please... don't kill me... I beg you, have mercy..."
The fear in his eyes wasn't of death. It was something else. Elias hesitated for two seconds. Why is he so afraid?
Taking advantage of the moment, the man grabbed an arrow nearby and stabbed Elias' foot. Elias didn't flinch, turning his head and grabbing the man by his hair.
Dragging him a few steps, Elias brought the man to where he had ripped the throat of another fighter. The man scratched Elias' hand with long, dirty nails but Elias only looked around. Something was escalating.
Finally, Elias released the man and impaled the slender, dark-skinned slave's skull with the spear he had used earlier.
The spear pierced from the crown of the head and exited through the mouth. The energetic man stopped moving, hands dropping to the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth; his eyes frozen in horror. His lifeless body fell.
Covered in blood, Elias killed his last opponent. He stood frozen for a few seconds, the smile wiped from his face. He looked at his hands, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
The barrier lifted, and the rain began to wash away some of the blood from Elias' face.
Speaking to himself, Elias muttered,
"Damn it... I'm going crazy. I shouldn't lose control so much..."
Watching all the brutality with pleasure from her seat, Hedric glanced at the queen thoughtfully.
"How cruel, isn't it?" he said.
"Yes, that boy is a madman—no, a demon," the queen said, lost in thought.
"Yes, and I don't think he'll lose the final round. I want my money, Your Majesty. Both the 100,000 and the 5,000," Hedric said.
The queen smiled, pulling 5,000 gold from her purse.
"That's the bet money, but the contest isn't over yet, Lord Hedric," she said.
"Oh, the mind games with our dear queen have become fun," Hedric replied.
"Wait until tomorrow's final," Queen Estella said.
---
Back in his cell, Elias was lost in thought.
Damn, the first time I tried the Assassin Form, something like this happened.
I don't know if it's because I used two elements at once or because the form is too powerful, but I barely managed to control my body.
If I had lost control, I might have used magic... or worse... committed a massacre.
He drifted to sleep in the darkness, lost in his thoughts.