I“Pacts are of grave importance to Contractors. Without one, Mages will decompose them with their low mana tolerance and be crushed by the powerful Heroes. By having a Familiar or an Unrea serving under them, they could to close the gap.”

Luckily, before the match has started, there was a performance to fire up the Arena.

Favio made it and he was immediately led by a stagehand into the dungeon or rather the preparation room. It was quite dim inside, provided that the lighting was done by cheap crystal lamps.

There was nothing inside but two doors, the brick walls and a mask rack for participants.

Favio put on a mask with lots of crescents that show despair to conceal his identity as Bakunawa suggested. He didn’t know why he chose that mask but the other crescent mask seem to be a happy one, in a creepy way.

From different door he came in, he gazed out, curious of what is inside this building he is in.

He saw seats… Many rows of them, the nearest ones were on their level while the furthest ones were so high, he would have look up.

“Hoh… So there's a method of lining up seats like this.”

Bakunawa trembled for a bit with excitement by looking at the amount of spectators.

“I bet I- no, we could get more than we were promised from the headcount.”

Favio on the other hand, weren't looking at the audience but at the opening performance, the old receptionist dancing.

The person herself isn't the centerpiece of the performance but it was the dust on the Arena. Every time her feet moved, dust gets scattered.

And with swift sweeping hand motions various shapes are carved into it. Supreme dragons, brave warriors, unknown terrors, she could shape the dust at her will.

Countless figures merged from the midair dust, centered around her, moving, interacting with each other. Chaotic but a certain pattern could be seen.

After what seemed to be an eternity for Favio, everything returned to the ground like it was inevitable to return to the Earth.

“Mima Mellissa has just opened the Arena for events tonight, please give her a round of applause!”

A deep, loud heavily-accented voice resounds throughout the stadium as countless claps turn into an earth-shaking force.

“And for our opening match, it'll be a great opener for this Arena since who is fighting from the white find will be a mysterious local Contractor that who does not send his Familiar out! He is either strong or reckless.”

(Boy, he will call for us. You better stop cowering and come out like a man when he calls you.)

The shaking of Favio's legs lessened but the pressure of given put by the rest of the peanut gallery was still there.

“Please welcome… Sangbuan del Eclipse!”

The alias that Bakunawa suggested was called and a firm resolution flowed to Favio from his Heart link with Bakunawa.

He walked out, slow and steady as cheering came from the crowd.

“And his opponent for tonight, a crazy outlaw Spellslinger, with innumerable crimes that I would omit.”

The heavily fortified door on the moved its mechanisms, finally opening as if it looks to intensify the atmosphere.

The reason the door was fortified was because the black side sends out criminals to fight to death, instead of execution. That way, they could squeeze money out of them.

“He is finally chained for a life at the Arena. He comes for the black find, John Smith!”

A pale slender masked man exuding a heartless presence came out of the door. His mask is a mask of blank features except for the eyeholes like it was made just to cover face without any decorations.

Most of his upper half is exposed because he wore a torn cloak on top of it. He had loose pants riddled with holes and worn boots that protected his feet like an old friend.

Favio's heart stopped a few times before the man withdrew his Mana back to him. He is at least A class to cause that effect and if Favio touches him directly, he would die. But there wasn't a single clap for him.

“Contestants will be given 30 seconds before starting, they can kill each other, the white may surrender to be spared and that’s all.”

“You… Kill me? Ah, so boring!”

John twisted his body on impossible angles as he giggled on a high voice different from the voice he used to talk. He drew a bent wand as he put on his glove shaped magic casting device with his mouth.

(You can’t win this without my help so I will give you a bit of my lifeforce to heal instantly. Let’s set it to a hundred units, one for an amputation.)

“10 seconds more, folks!”

(Thank you but let me choose when and where I use them in, okay?)

The announcer continued to count down towards zero and Favio is yet to draw his sword. He already has a plan in mind though.

He will activate Silver Phase first to reflect any mana directed to his body if John could shoot condensed mana because Silver Phase allows most untouchable things to be reflected. It takes skill to reflect it back to your opponent though so Favio can only use it defensively.

The countdown is already at three and the spectators grew silent, waiting in anticipation. Most of them bet on John since he never fails to kill his opponent but they cheered on Favio because they are afraid of John.

“Zero!”

The pale wand hand blurred and shot concentrated mana aimed at Favio’s head. It moved at an absurdly fast speed compared to any spells Favio saw but still, it was slow enough for him to react.

He activated Silver Enchant silently and just right before it hit him, the blue bolt deviated to the right.

“Favio activated some sort of barrier and deflected John’s infamous Baneful Quickdraw! What will he do next?”

Favio wondered why the announcer could somehow speak very quickly but there was no time to ponder that. Moving forward, his left hand reached for his sword, drawing a smooth arc to slice the stone speeding at him. He slowly closes the 25 meter gap.

“And what is this! He drew a Samurai sword!!! Could he have Yamato origins? Is Sangbuan actually be Itsuki on Filipino?”

Spoiler : Kultura note: Sangbuan is a portmanteau of One and Moon in Filipino and Itsuki is spelt as 一月(normally read as Ichigatsu/January)

When Favio nears 5 meters, ice and water came next. First, the ice shard is going for his heart while the water ball is for his left shoulder however Favio slices the ice and redirects the other one with his free hand.

Mechanically, John kept shooting a variety of bullets with dead on accuracy, prompting Favio to dodge most of them, slowing his speed down. Fire, lighting, darkness and light are just reflected while every other shots are parried. It seems that the wand was crooked for easier aim.

Favio is already 10 meters away and his approach is going well… That is until a spine chilling sensation flowed into his own mind.

(He is turning into a nutcase. Pay extra care!)

Immense amounts of mana suddenly concentrates into John’s glove as a false mana crystal solidifies in his glove’s palm.

“WHAT IS THIS? John is already cornered to use his deadly Bomb… Will Favio survive this? Only time will tell.”

Despite of the announcer and Bakunawa’s warning, Favio continues his rush, turning into a mad dash.

Mages could cast higher power spell at the cost of cast time and if you would disrupt that the casting, the backlash would leave them unable to cast magic temporarily and that is what Favio aims for.

Hot anger with a concern on top of it was transmitted to Favio. He knew that it was a foolish action but it was already too late to back off, Favio is already 3 meters away from John.

Time slowed for everyone;

John draws his arms back, tensing for a throw.

Favio poses for a lounge.

Bakunawa screams inside his head.

The spectators roar with excitement.

Steel digged into John’s shoulder and his incomplete Bomb exploded, turning back time normal for everyone inside the Arena.

John’s slender body was knocked away two meters, with his Mana within his body dancing uncontrollably. His wand broke from the intensity of the Mana that flowed in it.

The explosion only burned a bit of Favio’s sword arm but because John was holding it, his entire left arm was burned severely.

Favio expected scolding from Bakunawa but overwhelming pleasure was given instead, washing over him.

(Boy… Nice job, it would be to troublesome to heal you, after all.)

The abruptness of change in Bakunawa’s attitude wasn’t gone unnoticed. The joy that Favio felt then eventually flows back to Bakunawa, creating an endless cycle positive emotion between them however it made him hesitate since his mind felt very hazy.

(The crowd wants him dead, boy but that wouldn't yield us the maximum reward, make him suffer and they will pay us more. Moreover, he has done many terrible things, wouldn’t a punishment be suitable? Now then, start with his arm. I know you can do it...)

John’s irises behind the eyeholes pulsated rapidly, his downed body shivering. He slowly moved away from Favio as he breathes unsteadily.

“Get away from me! MONSTER!!!”

The pleasure intensified upon hearing the pleading, melting the last bit of doubt in Favio’s mind. His mind is now clear. He must do something about this man.

So, he took stepped twice forward with a lonely stride.

“Spare me!”

Like a surgeon, Favio precisely cut a long length across John’s arm, not hitting a blood vessel nor a nerve. He didn’t do it to be gentle towards John but it was to cause fear, fear that he can cause the endless misery of a thousand cut’s death.

Even though it didn’t cause that much of pain, John is already desperate to get away, screaming like his previous inhuman self was a lie.

The next action that Favio has done was to cover John’s arm with tens of slow incisions. His hand was steady with determination and his cuts never missed an inch despite John’s flailing.

“Sangbuan is quite a proven torturer, even the demonic John Smith would plead for his life on him. Could we have invited the devil himself on our Arena?”

Most of the audience cheered on John’s agony, crying for more while others are doubting whether it was staged.

(As expected… You never fail to amuse me, boy.)

Bakunawa’s remark unexpectedly took away the clarity. Al least that’s Favio had thought it was but it wasn’t clarity or rather, it was selfishness to uphold his morals… Selfishness that moved Bakunawa.

“... I-”

The steady left hand began trembling, severing a major blood vessel as blood of obscene quantity painted his clothes crimson.

“““FINISH HIM, FINISH HIM, FINISH HIM”””

The blood in turn, motivated the spectators for the criminal’s death. John had already given up struggling, with eyes pleading death.

(This boy here had never had his selfishness granted so it’s only natural that he’ll fall for it. You better end this in a nice manner at least or else it would suck for both us.)

The realization came too late, Favio couldn’t spare John right now because if he did, he would lose the trust of everybody within the Arena.

He tried searching for a way out of this situation but it all pointed to John’s death. The crowd jeered at the still and thinking Favio for his slow delivery of the coup de grâce like they were waiting for him to end all the world’s evil.

It was cruel but Favio swore an oath not to kill and to break this oath, he must have a just enough reason to do so. He took a deep breath…

With a neat motion, Favio cleanly amputated John’s left arm. The body twitched from the pain after the arm was cut. John murderously glared at his executor to obtain the last blow however Favio just stood there.

“John Smith…”

“Just kill me.”

The viewers stared at the scene with high hopes.

“For your heinous crimes, you don’t deserve to die… You will forever rot here to fight. I only took your left hand to defang you so that people after could play around with you.”

“Fuck you…”

John cursed in a language Favio didn’t know but he knew he was cursing him.

“That is the perfect death for him, Sangbuan himself is the Demon Lord of this land.”

(What a pile of bull… You got out of that situation at least.)

The crowd cheered for Favio- for his cruel deed. What atrocities did John commit to receive such hate from all of his fellow countrymen? Only they know… The door on the white side opened to let the victor out of the Pit-

BOOM

A sudden explosion tore the black side’s door apart dust and rubble scattering, shrouding the other side of the door.

The crowd panicked and everyone one the seats quickly looked for the way out while the announcer tried to smoothen the flow of the crowd by using his loud voice to guide them.

A figure wrapped in grotesque pulsating darkness walked out of the dust as if it was Favio’s next opponent. Its oppressing Aura shook the ground causing the already rowdy evacuation to be more chaotic.

It was higher than A-class… The rank that Favio can’t break through even with Bakunawa’s aid. He asked for his burns to be healed to have the optimal chance of him coming out alive.

“HaAaAaAaA…”

Its breathing spewed out malice in every direction, sowing seeds of fear within Favio’s heart.

(This is quite a nice opponent… You can let me fight this or I can give you more moons to fight that guy, whichever way works. There’s no way that this fight could kill you.)

This will be a major choice… 2 of them will lead to defeat, one will lead to victory but they all have separate paths. This section has 18 endings in total and 11 of them are bad ends but congratulations on landing on the route I didn’t plan for at all, I had to repace most chapters due to that.

This chapter had 2.3k… I planned it to end on 1.6k though.

Choices:

2 Get Bakunawa’s help and use her against that thing. Bakunawa, use Moonblast!

1 No need, Favio can finish it off like a fucking badass. He's Chuck Norris reborn.

3 Use more moons and hope for the best. Will his power level exceed 9000?