Chương 8: Shattered Chokers

The pub Red Glass sold the most expensive liquor in this rural city. There was wine from the distant capital of Valisthera as well as distilled spirits created by some artisan in the mountains. The display cases were packed with expensive beverages that commoners from this rural place could never afford. But selling liquor wasn't the real purpose of this establishment. Deep inside the storage where the bottles were kept was a secret door that ordinary customers could not access.

Behind that door was a set of stairs that led downward, and these stairs connected to the massive Colosseum that spread under the city. Red Glass was not the only entrance. Many establishments in this city served as entrances, including inns, restaurants, and stores that sold miscellaneous goods. They looked like ordinary stores on the outside, of course. This was only possible because the entire city belonged to Eville.

"Hmm." A woman with red horns inspected the bottles on display. She was the Crimson Ringmistress, the first of the seven monsters known as the Seven Eclipses—beings whom not even entire kingdoms dared to oppose. She ran her finger along the labels and grinned.

"What's with that look on your face? I thought you wanted to see me?" she asked. Eville's cheeks were pink, and she was fidgeting. The usual arrogance and relaxation were gone. Her clothes were disheveled, and her breathing was irregular.

"I-I had no idea you would visit today..." Eville said.

"Right, I was actually supposed to come tomorrow. If you aren't ready to have me here yet, I can leave," the Ringmistress said.

"N-no! There's no need for that," Eville stammered, unable to look up. She had hurried here, taken aback by the sudden visit, but there were no issues. The Colosseum was sitting unused for tomorrow, anyway.

"Ervina Carres." The Ringmistress picked up one of the bottles and turned around to face Eville. Eville flinched at the name.

"I have to say, this seems quite serious for just a hobby project by a noble lady. Why did you choose this, out of all the businesses you could attempt?" the Ringmistress asked.

"I-I..." Eville tried to get her breathing under control.

"I visited yours when I was little, and I was so taken by the way you ruled over that place that I..."

"Hmm," the Ringmistress said. She touched the bottle she was cradling and smiled.

"So my Colosseum got you excited. That's always good to hear, as the owner. Is that why you created this place?"

"Yes. Th-that's right. It's nothing compared to yours, of course, but—""It's below here, isn't it?" the Ringmistress whispered with a deep intake of air.

"I can smell the blood down there. Guide me there."

"R-right...!"

"Oh, can I take this with me?" the Ringmistress asked, holding up the bottle. Eville trembled and nodded.

"Yes! If there is anything you like, you may take it with you!"

"One bottle is more than enough," the Ringmistress said with a chuckle.

*

"What in the world is going on?" Garon looked around him incessantly, blinking nervously. The guards had rushed them out to the Colosseum, which was already filled not only with fighters from the lower league but also with everyone from the other leagues. Even the Evomon were all here. More than a hundred fighters and Evomon were now gathered in the Colosseum. Yuto looked behind him. Among the Evomon, only the "crazy fox" was bound with the magical blindfold and chains and kept in a cage.

Unlike the other ones, the fox was completely uncontrollable.

"Has something like this happened before?" Yuto asked.

"Not as far as I know," Lugil said, tense.

"I've never even seen the fighters from the other leagues. And look, even the prison slaves who didn't manage to become fighters at all are out here." These slaves were wearing rags and did not even have chokers. Jackie was among them. He seemed surprised to see Yuto, but he seemed scared of the guards who had their swords out and did not dare approach.

"There are no guests... Why is everyone gathered here?" Lugil asked.

"Maybe they want to force us to do a large-scale cleaning," Garon offered. Lugil scowled.

"Don't be absurd," Lugil said.

"Why else would they force us to stand out here like this? As you said, there are no guests—""Shh," Yuto said. A door had just opened in the audience seats above. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Eville was the first to emerge, and a woman with red horns followed behind her, carrying a bottle of alcohol. The moment he saw her, Yuto's heart began to race. His breathing quickened, and his fists closed by themselves and trembled.

This was the opposite feeling he'd had when he had seen the fox. Back then he had felt sadness and longing, but right now he felt a burning rage and the impulse to wring the woman's neck. What is this emotion? His nails bit into his palms and drew blood, but he couldn't even feel the pain. He had never seen this woman before, at least as far as he could remember. But that didn't prevent this unexplainable anger from bubbling deep inside.

I must know that woman... He felt perfectly confident that this woman, whose name he didn't know, was an enemy. His head was suddenly wracked with pain. Vague memories he couldn't put a finger on mingled with murderous intent and enmity, roiling inside him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Garon said, taken aback by Yuto's expression. Yuto was usually so calm, but right now his face was pale and his eyes were sharp and cold.

"It's... nothing," Yuto said. He forced the impulse down. He had to calm down. He would not be able to accomplish a thing, even if he leaned into the impulse. The Colosseum was hemmed in completely by high walls, and armed guards were everywhere. Besides, Yuto was wearing a choker around his neck. But the truth was that such things didn't even matter. Yuto knew that on an instinctive level. He could not kill that woman no matter what he tried right now.

He knew this even though he was only watching her from a distance. She was on a completely different level. She was a real monster that wore a beautiful skin. If she were in a bad mood today, everyone standing in the Colosseum would end up dead.

"Heads down, everyone!" Eville shouted after showing the woman to the VIP seats. Her voice seemed unusually excited.

"A very... important guest has visited our Colosseum today! It is the strongest of the Eclipses, the owner of the Arena of Blood—the Crimson Ringmistress!" The fighters gathered together were shocked. She was so monstrously strong that not even the kingdoms could do anything about her. The fact that she was here filled them with terror. The Crimson Ringmistress sat in the VIP seats and looked lazily down. She uncorked the bottle in her hand and slowly ran her eyes over the hundred or so fighters and Evomon.

"This is it?" she asked.

"Yes... Yes! This is all there is," Eville said. She quickly sat down next to the Crimson Ringmistress.

"These slaves all belong to me. They might not look like much to you, but I have educated them to obey my every command."

"Slaves, huh?" The Ringmistress gave a nod. Eville glanced at the bottle and debated when to hand her a glass. Naturally, Eville was holding two glasses.

"You don't have any nobles?"

"No... I don't have any fighters like that yet," Eville said.

"What is it that you wanted to show me?" the Crimson Ringmistress asked, cupping her chin and watching Eville steadily. The red eyes made Eville nervous. Eville gulped.

"Anything you like, be it a one-on-one battle, a group face-off, a death match, a fight with an Evomon... Please just say the word!"

"Hmm." The Crimson Ringmistress tilted her head and turned to face the arena again. All the fighters trembled and bowed their heads. Eville watched the Ringmistress carefully. She did not seem particularly interested, which was natural since her own Arena of Blood had fighters of a much higher caliber. Not only that, even nobles who had the protection of Constellations fought there as participants in battles. Eville knew this, but she was only a noble herself, and could not invite other nobles to her arena.

Besides, the nobles had no reason to become fighters in a place like this. She enjoyed watching the battles unfold, but she could not imagine taking part herself in the dirty fighting down there.

"I see that all of them are wearing restraints. I assume this is to ensure that they obey you?" the Ringmistress asked.

"What? Oh, yes. With a single gesture of my hand, the chokers will tighten around their necks and—""You know something?" The Ringmistress felt Eville's cheek gently, making Eville tremble.

"I hate those who look down on others from above." The red eyes curved pleasantly.

"I don't appreciate people who think they are absolutely superior. When you pull them down into the dirt with the others who are already there, oftentimes you will find that they are exactly the same."

"I'm sorry?" Eville asked.

"In my arena, nobles who were born that way and enjoyed their privileges all their lives struggle to extend their lives by another day. Why do you think that is? It's rather simple. It's because I tossed them into the place," the Crimson Ringmistress whispered with a smile. Eville couldn't understand it immediately and looked dazed. The hand that had been touching Eville's cheek now took a glass from her.

"You wrote in your letter that you admired me, and that's why you copied my arena. I did not expect much, but just as I thought, this is nothing but a toy put together by a noblewoman. You're going to need much more than this if you want to be like me." Red light whipped out from the Ringmistress's hand and wrapped itself around Eville's waist instantly.

"Simple toys like this won't cut it," the Ringmistress whispered lazily. Before Eville had a chance to react, her body flew into the air. Then it was dropped right into the arena below.

"What...?" Eville stammered moments later. She tried to twist her body and use her magic, but the whip around her body prevented her from using any sort of spell. Squirming, she slammed into the dirt floor. Her fancy clothes were now covered with dirt, and her gracefully brushed hair was a mess.

"Ugh!" She moaned as she lay there on the ground. The hundred or so fighters gathered here looked at her in surprise, while the Ringmistress sat alone in the VIP area, pouring red liquor into her glass and snickering. Eville got up unsteadily. The whip that had been around her body had already gone back to its owner. Eville bit back another moan and looked up at the Ringmistress.

"You said you would show me anything I wanted, right?" the Ringmistress whispered, swaying her glass. The whip slowly floated into the air, crackling with energy and glowing red.

"What I want to see is a killing, one that has nothing to do with privileges or status, a raw, desperate fight for survival in the dirt," she said. The red light from the whip spread out across the entire arena. It was the Ringmistress's ether and was the color of blood. It settled like a vast net over the Colosseum, and the sheer power of it took the fighters' breaths away. The Evomon cringed and shook. Yuto felt the energy throughout his entire body.

His skin stung, and his instincts screamed at him that this was dangerous. Here was a being who was on an entirely different level, and her energy had overtaken the entire Colosseum. The red light seeped into the chokers around their necks. All of the chokers broke apart at the same time. The same happened to the restraints around the limbs of the Evomon.

"Huh?" The fighters were shocked. They could never remove the chokers on their own, and attempting to do so would have beheaded them. But the Crimson Ringmistress's ether had removed them easily.

"C-Crimson Ringmistress?!" Eville shouted from below, pale in the face. There was nothing keeping the slaves in check anymore. The Ringmistress ignored her.

"Now, everyone, it's time for your struggle to begin," the Ringmistress said. She took a sip from her glass.

"Entertain me, and you'll be allowed to live."