[128]
The door to the arena closed behind him.
As soon as he was alone, his hands began to tremble.
Chris calmly hid his hands under his clothes.
‘Losers’ bracket.’
The loser on that arena was ‘Wolf.’ A loser in life.
The Colosseum had brought forth the enemy who had tipped the scales of that life.
A well-prepared plate of revenge.
‘How convenient.’
The money earned through provocative matches was probably just a side income. Their true intention must be to remove the master holding the leash and gain the loyalty of the dog left alone.
At this point, the Colosseum wasn’t simply a space prepared for Esper disposal.
‘They’re gathering unregistered Espers.’
Specifically, those who survive until the end in these dogfights.
A cold tension gripped his spine.
Chris would remain calm even if knives rained down from all directions. But this time was different.
Because he had fallen into this trap with Yuri.
Meredith, whom he met before entering, had said:
He must absolutely kill his opponent.
Even if Chris failed, they would kill Yuri. They needed the master holding the leash to disappear so they could take the dog.
An ordinary competitor would have cheered at such help from the Colosseum. They had set the stage for him to kill his enemy, hadn’t they?
And then they would move for the Thorns Order, either pledging loyalty or repaying the favor.
‘What should I do?’
Chris slowly rolled his eyes.
The rest period was short. He needed to use it properly.
‘…The position of the pillars supporting the arena.’
As Chris focused intensely on drawing a blueprint in his mind, the mechanical voice reached his ears.
– The match will now resume.
The platform where he stood began to rise slowly.
Having reached the arena, Chris looked at Yuri standing opposite him. He felt cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
Chris slowly began to gather his strength. Before any outside interference could come in, he needed to end this in one go.
That’s when it happened.
Thump.
Something fluttered down from above.
Wondering where these paper pieces came from when there weren’t even any holes, Chris checked the content and widened his eyes.
“What… is this?”
From beyond the fluttering paper rain, Yuri whispered:
“How do you like it?”
And the same propaganda that Chris had seen was being scattered throughout the entire arena.
***
Yuri looked at the fluttering papers and checked above.
Black holes could be seen in various places.
‘…Peter Garrett did well.’
The story of how he came to step onto the arena goes back just a few days.
“I heard rumors spreading that you applied for the losers’ bracket.”
“The Colosseum seems like they’d announce that news even on downtown billboards in the Spring Continent if they could.”
At Edgar’s words, Yuri raised one corner of his mouth and sneered.
It was hard to understand why they were making such a fuss when some matches weren’t even properly promoted.
That made him all the more curious.
The Colosseum wouldn’t make a big deal out of nothing.
“Shouldn’t you be happy if your match is successful? Why so indifferent?”
“It’s suspicious when I receive a lot without giving anything.”
Yuri bluntly replied to Edgar’s question.
“…You’re terribly suspicious.”
The other’s voice sank. Yuri looked at him quietly.
Under his silent gaze, Edgar remained silent for a while. But gradually, he avoided eye contact.
“Seems like you’re hiding something.”
Yuri rose from his seat.
“Aren’t you going to dig deeper?”
“No reason to.”
Confusion flashed in the broker’s eyes.
“We’re business partners. There’s no trust, but as long as we both have something to gain, you’re not stupid enough to throw your money purse in the mud.”
Adding that if he was that stupid, it would be his responsibility, Yuri shrugged.
“I’d like to check the ledger in preparation for our next deal.”
“…Will it be okay if I send it by evening?”
Yuri nodded.
Upon returning, Yuri paused. He sensed someone inside.
If it had been Chris, he would have come out to greet him. It was like a long-standing habit of his to welcome Yuri.
‘Who is it?’
Yuri spotted Meredith sitting in the middle of the room.
“It’s been a while.”
There was no particular tension emanating from her face as she waved her hand.
Thinking that there was no use in locking the door in such a space, Yuri sat down across from her.
“I don’t recall inviting you.”
Meredith laughed at Yuri’s words.
“Does an owner need permission from guests to come and go?”
“If they’re owners with common sense.”
It was a pointed remark. But Meredith responded with a nonchalant face and a shrug.
“Well, the real ‘guest’ we’ve brought in isn’t you.”
“Ah, you mean Wolf. But wolves are known to react sensitively to those who invade their territory.”
Yuri muttered as if talking to himself.
“That’s for him to come to terms with. The reason I came here today.”
Meredith cut off Yuri’s sarcasm.
There was no time for arguments.
“It’s because you’ll be participating in a special match.”
“Special match…?”
“Yes. I hear the players call it the losers’ bracket.”
Meredith answered.
It was quite interesting information.
“People would really spend money to see a non-player, an ordinary person, compete there?”
It was sarcasm implying that no one would spend money on that.
“Besides, I’m not crazy, so why would I go up there? If I had the audacity to face an Esper barehanded, I would have returned to the soil long ago.”
“Naturally, we’ll provide weapons to face the Esper.”
Meredith manipulated her terminal and placed it on the table. A sleek-looking pistol hologram rose from the terminal.
“This is a gun with special functions. Just embedding it in flesh prevents the opponent from using their abilities anymore.”
“…The Colosseum had something like this?”
For the first time, an astonished voice emerged.
“Espers aren’t exactly docile sheep. It’s a sort of… control measure for peace, let’s say.”
Yuri clicked his tongue internally.
First guiding drugs, and now anti-Esper weapons.
The capabilities of the Thorns Order were more impressive than he had previously assumed.
‘And that pistol probably isn’t the finished product either.’
They would have kept the real goods hidden. This was, as Meredith said, just prepared for managing the Colosseum.
Yuri leaned back, resting against the backrest.
“What if I refuse?”
The tone in which he asked, with his legs crossed, dripped with arrogance.
Despite facing such a haughty opponent, Meredith remained calm.
This was something she experienced every time she came to propose participation in a match. Honestly, the attitude shown by ‘John Doe’ before her was almost gentlemanly.
“Then.”
Meredith manipulated the hologram again.
The image of Yuri meeting Edgar replaced the pistol hologram.
Even the handshake while exchanging something.
“I’ll make sure you can never have fun again.”
The woman who thought she had grasped a crucial weakness smiled, showing her teeth.
Yuri flipped through the screen a few times as if entranced. It was a suspicious scene by anyone’s standards. And at the end, there was Edgar’s profile attached. It detailed who he was and how he made a living in this arena.
If this were to be distributed, there would be no shortage of enraged individuals rushing to question John Doe about match-fixing.
“You found it well.”
Meredith smiled.
“You should have been more discreet.”
What would happen if gamblers found out? That man would have to live trembling at the thought that his limbs might be torn apart at any moment.
“Haha.”
Yuri laughed out loud. Surprised by the unexpectedly cheerful sound, Meredith looked at him.
“That’s something only a pathetic fool who doesn’t even have the confidence to eat and die would do.”
His face, from which the laughter had immediately disappeared, was chillingly cold.
“What use is all that money if you’re dead?”
Yuri wasn’t particularly shaken by Meredith’s words.
“Isn’t that why you can’t escape this small place?”
“Hmm.”
“You may strut in front of me, but you’re just playing the role of caretaker for other players at the bottom of the Colosseum.”
Even at those words, Meredith didn’t wipe away her smile. But her lips were trembling slightly.
“You should watch your mouth, John Doe.”
Yuri remained silent, his eyes averted.
“You said money is the most important thing, didn’t you?”
Meredith growled.
“If you participate in the match, we’ll at least preserve your life. We won’t question the origins of the money you’ve earned so far.”
“……”
Yuri remained silent.
“If you win, you can still keep your Esper, but if you fail…”
Meredith rolled her eyes and smiled like a mischievous cat.
“That Esper will belong to the Colosseum.”
Forever.
“You have a bad habit of coveting what belongs to others.”
Yuri sighed.
“Your tongue is too long for someone who has no other choice.”
Meredith’s face was full of triumph.
“So. Will you accept the proposal?”
“…Fine.”
Yuri nodded. Meredith rose with a satisfied expression.
But before she could leave her seat, Yuri asked with a puzzled look:
“Where are you going? Don’t we still have things to discuss?”
“…What?”
“Since I’m betting my life whether I win or lose, I should at least secure some money to make it worth my while.”
“Ha.”
Meredith let out a hollow laugh.
If you were about to have a death match with an Esper who hates you, you’d reasonably be trembling with fear, but in the midst of all this, he’s looking for money?
He’s consistently crazy.
“First, let’s determine the payout ratio. And I’d like to receive hazard pay.”
Yuri counted on his fingers one by one.
Honestly, the money wasn’t important. He just wanted to mess with her.
“Fine.”
Meredith, gritting her teeth, sat back down.
“Let’s negotiate well.”
While she manipulated her terminal, Yuri checked an alarm that had come to his own.
It was from Edgar.
At that moment, a bad thought came to mind.
A very, very bad thought.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
