Chương 48: A Little Game

Ch 48 - A Little Game The three Stellaris members backed away, huddling together as they watched him. Gasps rippled through the stadium as spectators recognized the man onstage, while those who didn't looked around in confusion.

"Who the hell is that guy?"

"Shut up! Didn't you read the news?" Victor waited for the murmurs to spread before speaking.

"Let's make a few things clear. This entire stadium is now my territory. Most of you already know what my ability does. I make things explode, and right now, this place is basically one giant powder keg. So don't try anything funny unless you want to find out what happens when it goes off."

"You... you insane bastard!" one of the stadium guards shouted.

"You won't get away with this! The Awakeners will be here any minute!"

"I'm sure they will, if they can get through that." Victor nodded toward the dome-shaped barrier enclosing the stadium.

"It won't be easy." He glanced toward the camera crew.

"Oh, and cameramen, don't stop recording. Keep the livestream going. We can't let the rest of Nova Terra miss this wonderful event, can we?" The operators flinched but continued filming, too frightened to disobey.

"Now then, I'll keep this simple." Victor spread his arms.

"Nobody leaves until I'm finished. Anyone who tries to escape dies. And if anyone outside tries to force their way in..." His gaze swept across the crowd.

"You all die." Scattered gasps echoed through the stands as thousands of spectators sat rigid in their seats, afraid to make a sound.

"Good. Glad we're on the same page." He clasped his hands behind his back and began strolling across the stage.

"To be honest, I'm not really into all this singing and dancing. No offense, ladies. It's just not my thing. So I figured this grand finale could use a little more excitement. Nothing livens up a show quite like blood and desperation." He surveyed the stands.

"Let's have ourselves some matches." Frightened spectators ducked behind their seats, pulled up their hoods, or desperately avoided his gaze.

"For our first fight..." He stroked his chin, letting his attention wander across the audience until it settled on two people.

"You. The woman over there... and the man by the aisle." The two instantly turned pale.

"W-What are you talking about? I'm just a civilian!" the man cried.

"I can't fight!" the woman shouted.

"I can't!"

"Exactly." Victor chuckled.

"Wouldn't that make it more interesting? Besides, you live in the Outskirts, don't you? Surely you know a little self-defense." He crooked a finger.

"Come up here." Neither of them moved.

"It seems you need some encouragement." Victor snapped his fingers. Kaboom! A section of the upper stands erupted in a violent explosion. Screams tore through the stadium as people scrambled away. Blood sprayed across nearby seats while those closest to the blast were ripped apart before they could even react.

"Aaaaah!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Mom!"

"Silence!" Victor's voice thundered through the stadium speakers, instantly drowning out the uproar with its overwhelming volume. The frightened cries faded, leaving the stadium eerily quiet.

"Better." Victor nodded toward the two frozen civilians.

"Is that enough motivation?" The pair had gone completely white. The spectators around them shoved them out of their seats.

"Go!"

"Do you want us all to die?"

"Just do what he says!" Unable to resist the terrified crowd, the two stumbled onto the stage. They stood there trembling as Victor welcomed them with the demeanor of a friendly host, seemingly unfazed by the innocent people he had murdered moments earlier.

"Now then..." He reached into his gear and tossed each of them a knife.

"Amuse me."

Ryusei strode through the halls of the Enforcement Division headquarters, his expression grim as reports continued to pour in.

"What's the situation?"

"Awakeners and military units have already been deployed to Lumina Stadium, but no one has managed to get inside," Deputy Director Catherine Lussier reported. Dressed in the Enforcement Division's dark navy uniform, the brunette kept pace beside him while reading from the tablet in her hands.

"Have the barrier specialists been called?"

"Yes, sir, but their estimated arrival time is forty-five minutes."

"And our current assessment of the barrier?"

"Personnel on the ground don't recognize it. It doesn't appear to be the result of a skill, so the leading theory is that it's an Artifact." Ryusei's jaw tightened. The bastard had infiltrated the government's ranks, hidden in the Wildlands for weeks, and remained right under his nose the entire time. While Ryusei had wasted countless hours searching the Inner Districts, his target had been somewhere else entirely.

"Make sure no one approaches the barrier or attempts to tamper with it," Ryusei ordered.

"That madman wasn't bluffing. If we force our way inside, he'll kill everyone in the stadium."

"Understood, sir."

"Is the transport ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Ryusei turned toward the hangar.

"I'm heading there myself."

Things had gone from terrible to something far worse. Evan could hardly believe what was unfolding before him. The two civilians circled each other on the stage with pale faces and trembling hands gripping the knives Victor had given them. They kept their distance, neither willing to strike nor able to accept the nightmare Victor had forced upon them. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"This isn't a staring contest," Victor tutted.

"A fight requires some action. Start moving, or do I need to give you another bit of encouragement?" The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted into uneasy shouts.

"Fight!"

"Do something!"

"Don't just stand there!" The same crowd that had been cheering for Stellaris moments ago, waving their glowsticks and singing along, now screamed for blood. Thousands of voices pressured two ordinary civilians into doing something neither of them wanted. The pair flinched. Then, as Victor's expression grew more amused, they moved. Gritting her teeth, the woman charged first, swinging her knife at the man's arm. He recoiled on instinct, narrowly avoiding the strike before lashing out with his own blade.

The knife carved across her upper torso, and her anguished scream rang through the stadium.

"Good! Good!" Victor clapped, looking genuinely entertained.

"Now that's what I wanted to see." The woman stumbled backward, clutching the wound on her chest as blood quickly soaked through her clothes. Seizing the opportunity, the man charged forward and drove her to the ground. He raised his knife to finish her off, but the moment he looked into her terrified eyes, his expression faltered. His hand trembled, leaving the blade suspended above her shoulder, unable to follow through. Reika rose to her feet, but Carmen grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?!" Carmen asked.

"Someone has to stop him!" Reika snapped.

"Are you insane?!" Carmen hissed.

"Did you not see what he just did? He'll tear you apart!"

"I'm an A-rank!"

"You're still a student!" Carmen shot back.

"You don't even have your license yet! If the instructors aren't moving, what makes you think you should?" Evan silently agreed with Carmen. They were still students, and this was something that should be handled by trained Awakeners and adults with actual authority. Charging in without a plan would only create more casualties. Even so, he couldn't ignore the strange circumstances surrounding Victor.

An A-rank Awakener was certainly dangerous, but seizing control of an entire stadium, erecting a barrier that even the government couldn't immediately breach, and threatening thousands of lives all at once went far beyond what Evan expected from someone of that rank. There was no way Victor could have orchestrated all of this alone. He had accomplices, and the barrier's unnatural nature suggested another troubling possibility: someone proficient in demonic arts.

Evan silently cursed himself for not making better use of his ability to inspect other people's System screens. In his defense, every activation consumed mana, and with his pitiful reserve, he couldn't exactly go around checking everyone he met. Still, if he had been less stingy with it, he might have noticed something before everything spiraled out of control.

"Come on," Victor said, gesturing toward the man still frozen above the woman.

"You already started. Don't disappoint me now." The crowd began shouting again.

"Do it!"

"Finish it!"

"Stab her!" The man's grip tightened around the knife, his trembling arm hesitating for a brief moment before he finally swung downward. Horror flashed across the woman's face as the blade struck her shoulder.

"Uaaagh!" The woman screamed as blood soaked into her clothes. She curled up from the pain, tears streaming down her face while the man stared blankly at what he had done.

"Stop!" Yeon-ah's voice cut through the stadium. She stepped forward, raising both hands as she placed herself between the two civilians and Victor.

"Haven't you done enough?" she cried.

"Please... let them go." Gasps spread through the crowd.

"Yeon-ah!" Ines moved forward, but Olivia grabbed her arm and stopped her. Victor approached the idol and reached out, grabbing her face.

"You have a very pretty face, little miss," he said.

"It would be a shame if something happened to it, wouldn't it?" Yeon-ah flinched at the threat but refused to step back, keeping her hands raised protectively in front of her.

"I heard you awakened as an S-rank," Victor continued.

"Do you really think you can save them?" Yeon-ah bit her lip, her voice trembling as she answered, "No... I can't."

"Oh?" Victor raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me more." Yeon-ah lowered her gaze.

"I'm... an Artificer." His expression shifted slightly at her answer.

"An S-rank Artificer?" Victor let out a low laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's impressive. Do you even realize how many guilds would fight over someone like you? And yet you're still working as an idol?" Yeon-ah remained silent, only lowering her head further.

"Well, I suppose that explains it," Victor said.

"An idol protecting her fans. How touching." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine. Take them and get them healed." Yeon-ah hurried over to the injured woman, helping her sit up while trying to stop the bleeding. Nearby, the man who had attacked her remained frozen in place, staring blankly at his blood-covered hands. Ines and Olivia helped Yeon-ah carry the wounded woman off the stage while the guards escorted the shaken man away. Once the two civilians were removed from the spotlight, Victor casually surveyed the crowd with an amused expression.

"Alright! Now that the first fight is over, should we move on to the second match?" he asked. The crowd remained silent. Thousands sat frozen in their seats, while others shrank back, hoping to avoid Victor's attention.

"No? I suppose there is usually a break between matches," Victor said with a shrug.

"How about I entertain you all with some stories from my time in Special Containment Prison? Let me tell you, it was absolutely terrible. And I'm not just talking about the food. There was nothing to do in that place!" As Victor continued rambling onstage like a failed comedian performing for an unwilling audience, Evan rose from his seat and made his way toward the idols, who were now being escorted by the guards.

Mehra and Brooks, who had been assigned to accompany the students to the stadium, had already reached the injured woman. Mehra pulled out a potion and carefully poured it over the wound before handing the bottle to her.

"Drink it slowly," Mehra instructed. Meanwhile, Brooks turned his attention toward Evan with a frown.

"And what exactly are you doing here, young man? Return to your seat, unless you want that madman on the stage to choose you next."

"Has anyone tried leaving?" Evan asked. Brooks shook his head.

"No. The vomitories are blocked by that strange barrier, and I even tried contacting the staff in the concourse, but nobody is answering." Evan's expression darkened. He was certain the person maintaining the barrier was somewhere inside the stadium, but they clearly weren't among the spectators. His gaze drifted upward toward the control room overlooking the seating bowl. If there was someone directing this entire situation from within the stadium, that was the most likely place to start looking.

"If you're finished investigating, get back to your seat," Brooks said.

"Our priority is keeping you students safe. The Enforcement Division will handle Victor." Evan ignored the comment and instead approached Yeon-ah, who was staring with tear-filled eyes at her injured fan lying pale and weak on the ground.

"Yeon-ah, I have a question," he whispered, gently getting her attention. She blinked away her tears before nodding.

"When you got close to Victor, did you notice anything unusual about him? Something that could be an Artifact?" Yeon-ah furrowed her brows, thinking back.

"I'm not sure, but... I think he was wearing a ring. Could that be the Artifact?"

"Maybe."

"Then if we destroy it, can we stop him?" she asked. A sharp voice interrupted their conversation.

"And who exactly are you planning to stop?" Mehra asked, looking between them with a stern expression.

"You're not a licensed Awakener, Ms. Lim. And you, Mr. Whitfield, return to your seat. Now." Evan didn't argue and followed her instructions. By the time he settled back among the other students, Victor had finished yammering and stretched his arms.

"Alright, I think we've had a long enough break. How about we begin our second match of the day?" The tension inside the stadium spiked. Thousands of spectators glanced around nervously, some sinking lower into their seats while others gripped the armrests. Victor smiled as he scanned the crowd, letting the silence stretch before speaking.

"I already have the next two people in mind." His gaze slowly moved toward the academy section, and a moment later, he pointed directly at them.

"The Konoe siblings."