The sound of the world was his breathing.No voices.No music.Only the faint brush of metal being fastened on his back.
Vex woke before dawn. Not because someone called him. Not because he wanted to.Simply… because he couldn't sleep anymore.
He got ready in silence. Every movement deliberate. Every fold, every knot, adjusted without hurry.When he opened the door, Kaen was waiting outside. Standing still.They said nothing.They walked together toward the coliseum under a sky still void of light.
The atmosphere wasn't tournament-like anymore. It was heavier. Colder.The hallways vibrated with murmurs, bets, and fear.Elois's injury had changed everything.
As they passed by Karg's locker room, Vex didn't look. Didn't stop.But he felt the presence on the other side. Like something dark was smiling.
The waiting room was empty.Vex sat down. Closed his eyes.He mentally reviewed what he'd learned. Visualized the movements.Don't fight like yourself.Fight like everything you've learned.
Aric's words floated through his mind like a sacred command.
The gates opened.— "Second round match!" shouted the announcer from above."Vex Lugulband, Class Terna… versus Karg Molt, Class Umbra!"
The crowd went wild.Vex entered without looking at the audience.His steps in the arena were steady. Straight.His eyes locked on his opponent.
From the stands, Aric watched him. He didn't clap. He didn't smile.He just nodded.
Karg waited in the center, twirling his sword with a crooked grin.— "Coming to avenge trash?Your little buddy Elois… wasn't even good enough to be entertaining.Didn't even scream right when he fell."
Vex said nothing.Karg took a step closer.— "Not even funny.Seems like your class specializes in disappointment."
Then Vex spoke, without raising his voice.— "No.I'm not here for revenge.I'm here to bury you with the trash."
The bell rang.
Karg attacked immediately. Brutal speed. Low blows, aggressive, dirty.But Vex moved differently.He dodged. Read.
The audience noticed.The commentator was quick to follow:— "This isn't the same kid from the last tournament! He's reading Karg, calculating him!"
Karg growled.His dark rune flared and shadows wrapped around his body.He attacked again. Faster. Sharper.Vex blocked two strikes. Stepped back. A slash grazed his arm.
Not serious. But enough.
He closed his eyes for just a second.And then, his white rune lit up completely.A glow enveloped him. Dense.
The air grew heavy.Silence fell over the arena.Vex began to move like never before.It wasn't instinct. It wasn't training.It was as if his body remembered.A dormant sword art… awakening.
He blocked. Twisted. Anticipated.Karg couldn't keep up.He was pushed back, slashed on the shoulder, disarmed.And in a single motion, Vex brought him to his knees, sword at his neck.
Karg panted. He couldn't stand.His eyes wide, his forehead sweating.And still… he smiled.— "What a bitch your mother must've been……to give birth to a runt like you."
Vex's face changed.Something ignited inside him.Not normal rage.A silent, black fury. Abyssal.
His eyes went dark.His expression emptied.The rune flared up his neck like white fire.His sword trembled in his hand.
From the stands, Aric's voice tore through the air:— "VEX, NO!"
But he didn't hear it.
There was a crash.The ground shook.A shockwave swept across the arena.The crowd screamed. Some fell from their seats.
Dust. Cracks. A dry, sharp sound.
And when the cloud cleared…Inches from Karg's neck,a hand held Vex's sword.
The hand of the Director.Aureon Tarsk.Standing between them, unmoving, eyes fixed on Vex.Beside him, a massive crack stretched from the arena floor to the coliseum wall.
Karg couldn't move.Vex was breathing, face shadowed, out of control.
— "Sheathe your sword," Aureon said without raising his voice.
Vex didn't respond.Didn't hear.
So the director raised his free hand.One blow.Vex collapsed as if his soul had been pulled from him.
Aric appeared instantly. Took him in his arms. Carried him off. Said nothing.The silence was crushing.
Altair, cloaked in the shadows of his section, his right eye crossed by softly pulsing rune tattoos, whispered:— "It wasn't a technique.It was memory."
Kaen lowered his gaze.The rune on his arm glowed… then dimmed.
Saria Rymot said nothing.She looked at him.Not with mockery. Not with superiority.With surprise… and for the first time, doubt.
In the northern section of the coliseum, a pale-skinned young man in a dark blue robe, eyes completely white, whispered:— "So it begins."
Karg remained on his knees. Didn't move.He trembled.Aureon looked at him. His expression wasn't judgment.He smiled.— "Today… death let you live one more day."
And he walked away.
The commentator took several seconds to catch his breath.— "What we just witnessed… should not exist."
No one applauded.No one cheered.Only the echo of steel remained…And the silence that comes when something breaks… and can never be the same again.