Chapter 10: Inescapable Death
Scene 1: The Tournament's Toll
The arena trembled under the weight of clashing steel and roaring crowds. Yoshito stood amidst the chaos, his opponent—a sneering second-year mage—looming over him. Blood dripped from Yoshito's split lip, but his eyes burned colder than the northern winds.
"Pathetic," the mage spat, dark energy coiling around his fists. "Commons shouldn't play with magic."
Yoshito's gaze flicked to Miku, her small frame trembling in the stands. Protect her. He crushed his glasses underfoot, the sound swallowed by the crowd's gasp.
"You shouldn't have touched her," Yoshito murmured.
Space rippled.
In a blink, he was behind the mage, a spectral sword materializing in his grip. The first cut was shallow—a warning. The second drew blood. By the tenth, the mage's screams echoed like a dirge.
"Mercy!" the mage begged, limbs twitching.
Yoshito paused, the sword trembling. Miku's voice pierced the haze: "Brother, stop!"
The blade dissolved. Yoshito knelt, breath ragged. "Lucky," he whispered to the mage. "Hell's kinder than me."
Scene 2: Nero's Trial
Nero faced Suna, her poisoned daggers glinting. The crowd chanted his name, oblivious to the tremor in his hands.
"Surrender, priest-boy," Suna sneered. "Poison's a cruel teacher."
Nero's flames flickered beneath his skin. Hide it. Always hide it.
She lunged. Nero sidestepped, purity magic flaring to neutralize her toxins. A dance of light and shadow—until Suna's blade grazed his arm.
Flashback:
Ledger's warning: "They're hunting you, Nero. Your fire's a beacon."
Blue flames erupted, incinerating her daggers. The crowd roared. Suna collapsed, unharmed but humiliated.
Nero bowed, heart pounding. Too close.
Scene 3: Keisuke's Reckoning
Keisuke faced Kai, their rivalry a tempest. Blood slicked the arena floor, Keisuke's left arm mangled, Kai's grin unhinged.
"Still standing, gutter-rat?" Kai taunted, conjuring a sphere of crackling energy.
Keisuke spat blood. "You talk too much."
Fist of Calamity.
The blow shattered Kai's defenses, healing Keisuke's wounds as Kai's arm tore free. The crowd fell silent.
Above, the sky cracked—portals spewing demons.
Scene 4: The Abyss Descends
Ledger materialized in a blur, yanking Nero from the collapsing stands. "Move! They're here for you!"
Demons swarmed Aryavarta. Kenta and Sayuri carved through them, but the horde was endless.
"Why me?" Nero shouted over the din.
"The Gates," Ledger hissed. "They need a sacrifice to open them fully."
Tsumibito blocked their escape, his smile serpentine. "Leaving so soon, comrades?"
Ledger drew a dagger etched with runes. "Run, Nero. Now."
Scene 5: Edge of the Abyss
Nero fled, Yui and Eri at his heels. Five S-rank mages cornered them at the border.
"Orders are orders," their leader shrugged. "Die quietly."
Nero's flames roared—
—only to falter as General Arata emerged, his aura crushing the air.
"Enough," Arata intoned, eyes like smoldering coals. "The Namakami ends here."