Chương 6: Those Eyes

Yuto didn't cut too deep.

He could have cut off the arm completely, but he didn't bother. It hadn't even been that long since the match had started. If it ended too soon, the guests would be disappointed.

That would not do. The key thing about the first match was to make himself as memorable as possible, especially to Eville.

He had to show that he was an obedient slave and a fighter capable of getting the crowd excited. That would force Eville to respect him, since she owned the slaves as well as the Colosseum itself.

"Ugh!"

Gedrick groaned and backed away hesitantly. It was only a shallow wound. There was pain, and blood dripped from his body, but he could still move his arm.

"Y-you...!" Gedrick spat, taken aback. Yuto twirled his sword and plunged it into the ground. Then he took a few steps back.

Gedrick was puzzled.

He couldn't really understand how Yuto had managed to steal the sword away. Everything had happened too quickly, and Gedrick had too narrow a mind to comprehend it.

What he did know was that his shoulder had been cut and his wrist bent painfully. His index finger was broken. The pain came with humiliation and rage. Yuto had given up the sword he had stolen and left it in the ground.

He didn't try to wrap his mind around why Yuto would do such a thing. The embarrassment and anger overshadowed everything else. He let out a wild scream and ran forward so that he could pull the sword out of the ground.

Yuto let him, and when Gedrick resumed his attacks, his movements were even simpler and cruder than before. His wrist was already damaged, and his index finger was completely bent. Naturally, his swings were messy.

Yuto didn't make any large movements, just like before. He just moved half a step to the side so that the sword would not hit him.

He didn't take the sword away. Instead, he slammed his fist into Gedrick's face after he lost his balance again.

There was a dull noise as Gedrick's head spun away and blood flew out of his mouth.

"Guh!" Gedrick grunted, struggling to stay on his feet. Yuto wasn't done. He grabbed Gedrick by the shoulder and pulled, shoving his knee into Gedrick's chest.

Gedrick moaned.

He couldn't breathe and bile came up from his stomach. He lost his grip on his sword again, and it clattered to the ground. He backed away, his hands covering his chest, and only realized moments later that he had dropped his weapon.

Yuto didn't try to pick it up; instead, he raised his bare hands into the air and stepped back a few paces. Gedrick's eyes trembled at this.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed. He grabbed the sword again and ran at Yuto again. He was already half crazy from the pain and rage by now, and he swung in random arcs. Yuto didn't counter, focusing only on dodging. After a while, Gedrick was out of breath. Full-power swings were bound to consume energy quickly.

Cheers burst from the audience. The watchers hadn't been able to understand right away when Yuto had taken the sword from Gedrick for the first time and cut him on the shoulder. They had just murmured from their seats. As the match continued, however, they grasped what he was doing, and it shocked them.

Yuto noticed that the audience was getting excited. He lunged forward just after Gedrick made another wild swing. Yuto's elbow struck Gedrick hard in the nose.

Gedrick screamed.

His nose was broken and blood coursed from it. Yuto hit him harder with his fist than before, and more teeth broke. In a matter of seconds, Gedrick's face was a bloody mess.

"Didn't I tell you?" Yuto murmured. He struck Gedrick on the chin with an uppercut.

"The sword is wasted on you."

Gedrick's knees gave way. Before he could even fall, Yuto's foot landed square in his stomach, sending Gedrick flying and tumbling in the dirt.

The Colosseum exploded with shouting. A bare-handed boy was thoroughly beating his opponent who was armed with a sword. This wasn't even a real fight. It was a game. The guests got up and stamped their feet. Even the nobles who had been drinking apathetically were now leaning forward in their seats.

Yuto noticed their gazes. Everyone was thrilled, including the ordinary audience and the nobles. His goal of leaving an impression had been achieved.

But not yet.

This wasn't enough. Just flooring his opponent didn't make him an attractive product. What the people who came to this Colosseum wanted was more than that.

They wanted blood, cruelty, vicious fighting.

I know exactly what these people crave.

Once again, he couldn't say for sure how he knew, but something in his gut told him exactly what it was that got these people so excited.

Gedrick had gotten to his feet.

In a final desperate scramble, he swung his weapon again, but Yuto avoided it easily and snatched Gedrick's wrist.

The damaged wrist was completely shattered this time, and the sword fell away. Yuto caught it smoothly before it touched the ground.

Then he slashed laterally.

This time the cut wasn't shallow—Gedrick's left foot was cut clean off.

Gedrick screamed and fell on his face. Blood poured from the cut ankle and drenched the Colosseum floor.

The audience was buzzing now. They stamped their feet, shouted at the top of their lungs, and waved their arms in the air. Yuto approached Gedrick slowly, while Gedrick struggled on the ground, clutching his leg.

He couldn't even surrender. Only animalistic screams came from his mouth. Yuto stared coldly at the boy's back.

The sword dropped down and pierced Gedrick's right hand, sinking deep into the dirt below. His hand was now pinned to the ground.

Gedrick yelled. He could no longer run away or get back up. And only then did Yuto turn his eyes away from the boy. And slowly, he faced the VIPs.

He raised his arms into the air, and the crowd cheered even more loudly. Nobody remembered his name properly, but what did that matter? This was his debut fight, but in it he had completely crushed his enemy without even a weapon, and nailed the boy's hand into the ground. It was a powerful first impression, and the audience would never forget him after this.

He moved his hands, encouraging the crowd to shout even more loudly, controlling their mood like a fighter with much more experience than he actually had.

So I'm accustomed to this as well.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. He was familiar with having a crowd cheer for him, and that raised a question in his mind.

"I-I surrender... I surrender..." Gedrick stammered, tears coursing from his eyes.

"Th-the match is over!" yelled the master of ceremonies. Who could have predicted such a result?

"The winner of today's first match is Yuto!"

The Colosseum went wild again. Yuto slowly lowered his arms and looked up at the VIP seats again.

The nobles sitting with Eville were gazing at him with interest in their eyes. A few of them were asking her something, or she was answering them with an odd look on her face.

Good, Yuto thought. The first match had ended in exactly the way he had wanted. Not only was he an obedient slave, but he was also a fighter capable of getting the crowd excited about what he could do. He was also a product that attracted the attention of the nobles.

Now all he had to do was wait for an opportunity for him to get out of here, based on the impression he had made. He plunged the bloody sword into the ground and walked back into the barred lobby.

Behind him, he could still hear Gedrick's sobs mixed with the cheering of the crowd.

"Wh-what the hell? How?"

Lugil and Garon were on him instantly when he reached the lobby. Garon, in particular, seemed extremely agitated, his mouth wide open as he looked back and forth between Yuto and Gedrick, who was being carried out on a stretcher.

"H-how... Actually, listen. I'm sorry I was so rude to you yesterday. I mean it. I was just trying to look impressive, alright? Do you know what I mean?"

Garon said cautiously with a coward's smile. He was worried he might have to fight Yuto in the matches that would take place two days later.

"He won't be going up to the middle league after this. You're not scared of a boy missing a foot, are you?"

Yuto asked with a grin.

"Wait, you took revenge for me?" Garon asked.

The word "revenge" sparked another headache. Yuto was confused by it.

"It's nothing as grand as revenge, but I did pity you," Yuto said.

"C-can I serve you like a younger brother?" Garon asked suddenly.

"I don't even know my own age. I'm probably younger than you," Yuto said.

It was an odd thing to say, but Garon didn't ask any questions. It was common among slaves not to be aware of one's own age.

"You're going to be given meat today," Lugil said, swallowing loudly.

"Maybe even a new bed or a weapon..."

"I-if you fight us next time, go easy... Slight cuts are okay, but please don't amputate us. I beg of you," Garon said.

Yuto shrugged.

The remaining matches were held. Lugil and Garon fought poorly, but they eventually won. Garon jumped and cheered despite his limp, but the audience wasn't too impressed.

This was how it was for most of the matches, since Yuto had set too high a bar at the very beginning. The other fighters paled in comparison.

"After the lower league's battles are over, is it the middle league's turn?" Yuto asked.

"No, the middle league matches are not held on the same day as those of the lower league," Garon replied, massaging Yuto's shoulders.

"And the upper league fights once a week."

"How many fighters?" Yuto asked.

"We don't know for sure. There are twenty fighters today, but there are more than that in the lower league. There must be at least a hundred if we count the middle and upper leagues as well, and even more than that if we include the Evomon."

"You won't be able to watch the middle league fight, but you can see the Evomon battle," Lugil whispered. He was right. The metal door opposite the empty Colosseum was opening. The doors were not simply bars like those in this lobby. The Evomon lobby was sealed off with a thick metal door, and inside were the creatures locked in small pens.

It wasn't hard to guess why they were harder to control than human beings, since they were stronger than humans as a rule.

"That's the crazy fox right there," Lugil whispered. The creature, which had fought blindly and torn apart its opponent in its first match, reducing it to an Evostone, was very small considering its reputation. It was smaller than a 10-year-old human child, and it stood on its hind legs. Its fur was orange, its arms and legs chained, and its eyes covered with a blindfold. It didn't even look that violent, but its face was twisted into an angry scowl, and it was breathing rapidly. Red flames mingled with its breath.

"It's not that big, but it's extremely quick and strong, and it can even use fire," Lugil continued. Yuto stared at it blankly. His heart was racing out of control, and his head was hurting. He couldn't even hear the master of ceremonies or the cheering of the crowd right now. Every one of his senses was focused on the creature in the pen on the opposite side.

Huh...?

Before he realized it, Yuto had gotten to his feet. The moment he saw the small fox, an emotion filled him that came from somewhere deep inside. It wasn't hate or anger. He couldn't describe it in words. It warmed him inside, but also filled him with painful sadness.

He felt longing and grief.

Why do I feel this way toward that creature?

Yuto had never seen that Evomon before, as far as he could remember. But his heart was beating like crazy, as if he had just been reunited with someone he had lost for a very long time.

His throat burned and his nose ached. He felt like crying for some reason.

Why?

Yuto set his teeth. It made no sense. He wanted to cry after seeing an Evomon he had never met before. Where was this emotion even coming from? He just didn't get it. His head felt like it was about to explode. That fox touched some vague memory he couldn't put a finger on.

I know that Evomon. Yuto didn't know its name. He didn't understand where he had met it, but he was certain beyond a doubt that this Evomon meant the world to him.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? That look on your face..." Lugil said, flinching. Yuto didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the Evomon. Fire in its breath, face contorted with anger, covered eyes, chains on the arms and legs—it hurt Yuto to watch this.

"Now then! Here we have an Evomon match, something which you've no doubt been waiting for!" the master of ceremonies bellowed. The crowd cheered in response. Evomon fights were far more violent and fun than human matches.

"Allow me to introduce the first creature! It is Gluton, a sticky predator with a soft body that no attack can damage!"

A different pen opened up, and a massive slime slid out. Its body was glossy and sticky, and it moved slowly toward the center of the Colosseum.

"And also, we have the mad, flaming fox that tore apart his opponent in his first fight!"

The master of ceremonies pointed to the fox's pen.

The lock clicked open, and the magical chains around the fox's body did as well. The blindfold disappeared, revealing the fox's eyes. They were the yellow eyes of an animal overwhelmed with emotion. The master of ceremonies had been right when he described the fox as mad. There was no trace of cold, logical reasoning in its gaze.

The fox roared and dashed outside, covered in flames as it rushed toward its enemy. It moved so quickly that it was hard to follow. The slime Evomon slowly turned around, intending to negate the charge with its gooey body. It could deflect most physical attacks.

Unfortunately, the flaming fox tore right through Gluton's body.

The slime that made up its body evaporated as soon as it came into contact with the flames. Gluton twisted and resisted, its whip-like tentacles trying to grab onto the fox.

The fox snatched the tentacles out of the air, tore them apart, and sliced them with sharp claws. Then the fight became completely one-sided. The fox's flames burned away the gooey makeup of the Evomon's body, and the claws tore what remained apart.

There was silence in the Colosseum. Not long after the match had begun, Gluton became unrecognizable. It was now a melted mess. And when it disappeared, a blue stone dropped onto the ground.

It was an Evostone. The fox cried out, having defeated its opponent, but it was still as agitated as ever. It stamped its feet and spun around to face the audience, who roared.

They were extremely pleased by the one-sided carnage they had just seen. The yellow eyes of the fox continued to watch the audience, and it continued to growl.

Eventually, its gaze reached the entrance of the lobby of the fighters of the lower league, where Yuto was. The fox's eyes opened wider.

It screamed and dashed forward. The fighters and guards inside panicked since they hadn't expected the fox to come after them.

Just as the fox was about to reach the bars, magical chains closed around its body. The flames sputtered out, and the fox tumbled to the floor.

"Look, the mad fox is still hungry for blood after tearing its opponent to shreds!"

the master of ceremonies yelled. The fox could not even struggle against the chains, and only managed to raise its head to look through the bars. Its eyes met Yuto's. Before he knew what he was doing, Yuto had gotten up and moved closer.

Those eyes.

He recognized the emotions in those eyes. They were deep despair, endless rage, and...

Longing...?

He saw it in the fox as well. A guard stopped Yuto as he tried to move closer, and another guard dragged the fox away toward the opposite lobby.

But why?

Yuto was no longer thinking about how to escape. His head was completely filled with thoughts of the fox.

* After the Evomon matches were over, the fighters returned to their rooms.

Yuto was about to do the same, following a guard, when someone walked toward him in the corridor.

It was the woman who had guided him yesterday.

"The mistress would like to see you," she said.

After his incredible performance in his first match, it was natural for Eville to want to speak to him.