Somewhere in the underground where the arena was built, there was a peculiar room on the end of the hallway. Scratches and dents marked the thick, tall steel double door. As water droplets trickled down from the tiny gap on the ceiling, a dozen people marched toward the cell, carrying torch staves. One of them was clad in white, the warden who was leading; another one was a mage. The rest was the guards, carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

The warden looked at the person behind him for approval to unlock the door. The mage nodded. A brass key was inserted into the keyhole. Unlocking the door, the mage turned around to check the guards. They all nodded and clutched their weapons tight. Placing both palms on the cold surface, the warden pushed it open.

Rotten stench leaked outside, causing them to cover their nose, except for the mage. He strode forward in the darkness, followed by others. The room was spacious yet mostly empty. On the opposite end, there was a person inside an intricate magic circle. He had a narrow face — a muscled warrior whereas his actual age was much younger than he appeared. Sitting on the damp surface, his long black hair reached the ground.

The man was chained with an iron ball on his foot. It was unclear whether he was awake or not. After several steps, he stopped.

“Good evening, Seifer.”

Seifer’s jaw opened, large enough for a whole arm. His saliva dripped to the ground as he screamed, “Hungry… Meat!”

The mage gestured to the wardens. One of them threw two raw cow thighs from afar. When close enough, Seifer caught it by mouth. He gobbled it as blood spurted everywhere, making a mess.

“How is it? Delicious?”

Seifer ignored the questions. He finished gulping down all of the meat — leaving the bones intact — and pounced toward the mage. A translucent barrier blocked the advance as if there was a solid wall between them.

“Give me more!” He pounded the barrier repeatedly. The energy wavered with each slam.

“A rank 2 barrier can now barely contain you. Such a fast growth!”

“MORE!” With a twisted face, Seifer kept banging the barrier until a tiny crack appeared.

“Enough!” The mage cast thunder at him. The spell bypassed the barrier. Seifer jolted before lying on the ground, then getting back up as if nothing happened.

“I’ll give you even better food than those.” He pointed at the remains. “If you win the final match. That should be easy for you.”

“Yes! YES! I. WILL. CRUSH HIM!” Seifer roared even louder than before.

“Now, rest until the day comes, alright?” The mage turned around and commanded, “Put him to rest.”

The guards drew the bow and shot at Seifer. In a blink of an eye, the arrows riddled his body. He howled in agony, tripped, and twitched before falling unconscious. No movement was detected except breathing. They then approached him and pulled the arrows. The wound stabs healed at a rapid rate.

“Inject three shots of FR-14 and report to me next day,” said the mage as he exited the cell.

“Sir? FR-14 is still in the experimental phase.”

“I have already conducted some testing in other subjects and the result was satisfactory. Now go and carry on.”

The warden nodded and hurried away, leaving the mage alone in the hallway.

“Let’s see what you got, Kane,” he snickered.

---

The next two days, Kane had gotten out of the bed, stretching out his limbs. The pain had mostly gone away, albeit the bruise marks still persisted — even with a long rest on the bed. He had to be careful to not get hit too much since permanent injuries were within the realm of possibility. When he overextended his shoulders, they started aching.

Then, his warden knocked on the door before opening it. “It’s time.”

Kane silently followed them from behind. Until several steps later, when the warden said, “Didn’t think ya’d make ‘til the final.”

“So did I.”

“Heheheh, yer being too humble.” He let out laughter before his face turned somber. “What a pity.”

“Why is that?”

“Hm, guess I’ll tell ya for bein’ an obedient boy this whole time.” The warden turned his head to see Kane. “There was once an undefeated Champion here. He held an outstanding record of 50 wins in a row. Until not too long ago, Magus Wadmar acquired a wildman from The Untamed Land and forced him to fight that Champion. Then…”

“What happens next?” asked Kane. Hearing the word ‘Magus’ made him think of one word: experimentation. They were mages that indulged in research, rarely going into the field or battle. Very useful piece of information. This was the reason why he chose not to antagonize the warden — nor anyone if possible. Unless they were insufferable, which was a whole different story.

“That Champion was brutally murdered in less than a minute. He was even eaten alive in front of the audience! Since then, he’s the reigning Champion of this brawl.”

“How can such a person still be allowed?”

“First, he’s owned by this brawl’s owner. Second, he brought more audience and people even paid a hefty sum to just watch him killing all the Champions. Are ya afraid now?”

“Afraid?” Kane blew from his nose. “Ha. I can’t wait to bring him down.”

“How naive,” he whispered under his breath. “How do ya plan on doing that? With that ring?”

“Yes. It should be allowed, right? I’ve seen someone wearing that.”

“Don’t ask me. I’m just a guy who watches over people. If ya make it not obvious, sure why not? Don’t think it matters anyway.”

“That’s good to know.”

Once again — hopefully for the last time — he arrived in the heart of the massive chamber. Clamors and chatters reverberated inside. Unlike before, all the seats were occupied. What a stark difference between a final and a non-final match.

The announcer then spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final event of this tournament!”

“On the east side, here we have a young half-oni, the dark horse of this tournament, plowing through promising Champions with ease! With deceiving looks, he gives no mercy to every opponent he meets! Be men or women, they all fell victims to his ruthlessness! We present you, Kaaaaane!”

Kane swaggered toward the caged ring. Cheers and jeerings were mixed between the noises. Some even yelled, “Give back my money!” and some threw food at him, which he dodged easily. Clutching the oversized ring, he entered the empty caged ring.

“I’ve never said this to other Champions before, but do yer best to keep yerself alive,” said the warden before leaving.

“You don’t have to remind me.”

The announcer then spoke again, “On the west side, here is the Champion who needs no introductions. You all are waiting for him. The man himself, the beast, and the realest Champion of all champions, boasting 10 wins in less than a minute! Will Kane break the record? Or succumb to his strength! Here he is, Seifer of The Untamed Land!”

A hulking, tall man was escorted by a dozen wardens and guards. Magical runic chains similar to Sharon’s spell wrapped him on a vertical wooden board with wheels. Although a full mask might have covered his face, Kane still understood the nature of the so-called wildman from his blood-shot eyes alone. A beast inside a husk of man, indeed.

When Seifer was ‘placed’ inside, the wardens immediately distanced themselves. He eyed Kane, grinning like a madman — scratch that, he was.

---

In the audience seat, Sharon and Ral were watching the two people. Her back was slightly hunched and their head jutted forward.

“You look more serious than usual,” said Ral first, opening the conversation after a long silence.

“Do you think Kane can win?” she asked.

“Is that important? Whatever the result, it’s irrelevant to our goal.”

“I bet my entire fortune on him. My entire 35,000 gold.” Sharon folded her lips.

Ral immediately faced her, dumbfounded. “Here I thought you’re the smartest one among us.”

“Ugh, I know, I know!” She kneaded her forehead. “I was foolish and reckless! To think I was convinced by his… confidence. How atypical of me.”

“Oh yeah, I don’t get why he was so sure to win! Was it because of my ring?”

“Seems so. He insisted on borrowing a ring with the hardest gem such as diamonds. That means he’ll punch with it.”

“You’re right.” Ral nodded. A while later, he stood up and yelled, “Don’t tell me—!”

“What is it?”

“Err… nevermind. Kane’s a mage and still young after all. There’s no way that can happen.”

“Can you tell me regardless?”

“No, just another dumb thought of mine.”

“Then, stop giving me false hope.”

Ral sat down. “I didn’t really mean that.”

“I know.”

---

“The final match is now…” The referee declared. “Begin!”

As soon as he said that, the warden undid the binding chains as the board dropped on the ground. Seifer was let loose and free, then he did… nothing, contrary to what Kane expected.

“Heheheh… you look sooo fragile… I can’t wait to grind your bones… until you PERISH!”

If the opponent was another person other than him, Kane would’ve said something. But now, he remained silent and extended his arm. To which he taunted Seifer; no words were required.

“YOU’RE DEAD!” Seifer roared, pouncing toward Kane.

Kane sidestepped. Seifer’s fist struck the ground instead, obliterating the concrete floor. Debris scattered about as dust clouded the surrounding area. Then, Seifer split open the particles, attempting to hit Kane again. He missed. With agile steps, Kane separated himself from the opponent.

Unlike Giyori’s trained moves, Seifer’s attacks were utterly predictable despite having destructive power. Similar to Ral, except this wildman had no slightest ounce of intelligence. If Ral was a wolf, then Seifer would be a rabid dog.

Still, a clean hit would guarantee death; luck had no deciding factor here.

“AHHHH! STOP RUNNING!!” Seifer charged, from one end to another.

This time, Kane stood on his feet. As soon as Seifer was close enough— throwing another punch — Kane ducked, stabilizing his foothold, and pointed his horns frontward. They penetrated Seifer’s stomach. The same move as before. Despite his best effort to maintain his position, the strong momentum pushed Kane back. He was dragged backward, gradually slowing, until he hit the steel bar.

However, something was amiss. Kane quickly removed his horns before rolling to the side. He was spot on, otherwise a double hammerfist from above would crush his head. Kane observed Seifer from a distance; he seemed unaffected. The holes in his stomach became smaller and smaller until they healed. Great. Dealing with opponents that had regeneration abilities was always annoying since they would prolong the fight.

Bad situation for Kane; he had limited stamina, even less so due to his injuries. He was battling against time.

“Guess I have no choice but to use this.” Kane fiddled with Ral’s ring inside his finger.

---

“Heheheh… your struggles… are FUTILE!” Seifer stretched his mouth ear to ear, cackling. He rushed at greater speed than the previous.

In response, Kane pulled his foot, clenched his fist and the ring, and dodged the incoming attack. He delivered a blow to the chest. The embedded diamond dug into Seifer’s thick skin. If one observed very closely, they would notice a tiny little translucent glow, almost impossible to see with naked eyes.

Kane didn’t stop there. He kept throwing fast light punches around his torso until Seifer was ready to attack again. When that happened, Kane stepped out of his melee range.

All of a sudden, Seifer’s face contorted. He became disoriented, gasping for air. And then, his eyes turned white. He collapsed. No signs of movement detected.

“…”

“…”

“…”

No sounds were uttered. Not even whisper. A total deafening stillness had descended, leaving the audience agape.

“Hey, referee,” called Kane, the only person who remained standing in the caged arena.

“Huh?” The referee snapped back into reality. “W-what is it?”

“What are you waiting for? Announce the result.”

Gulping his saliva, the referee stepped down. After checking Seifer’s condition, he raised Kane’s arm and shouted, “The winner of the final match—”

“—is Kane!”