Rey applied pressure to the dark purple plant ropes that wound around his body like thick vines, flexing his muscles until they snapped with a dry crunch, breaking him free. The red assassin quickly stood up in a sudden panic, taking a shaky step back.
"Get ready to be touched." Rey smiled menacingly at the red assassin.
The red assassin quickly grew out more of the dark purple plant ropes, shooting them forward like wild vines to lunge straight toward Rey.
Rey dashed forward, dodging the vines while making his way toward the red assassin. Leaping into the air, he swung his arm straight at the red assassin's face. The punch landed hard, the impact causing the red assassin to collapse to the ground.
The red assassin groaned, reaching out to his back to take out a hidden dagger tucked within his clothes.
"You can't even touch me, I kept my true powers hidden for a long while."
Rey stood right before him, grinning menacingly.
The red assassin saw an opening and pulled out his dagger, getting up on one knee. He stabbed straight toward Rey's right leg.
Rey quickly threw a heavy kick, right in between the legs of the red assassin. The man collapsed completely powerless, dropping the dagger and holding the spot with both of his hands while screaming in absolute agony.
"I literally told you that you can't injure me, bro. You deaf? That's just skill issue." Rey noticed the dagger lying on the dark floor and crouched to pick it up by the handle. "What if I shove it up yo ahh?"
...
Back on the stage.
The strange portal opened up, and the red assassin ran out for his life, stumbling out onto the wooden floor. Rey followed right behind him out of the portal, grinning, but before he could do anything, the red assassin tripped over his own feet and passed out cold.
[Your stamina has run out]
{Right now...?}
Rey dropped straight to the ground, his grin vanishing the exact moment he noticed Lynx and Lucia standing extremely close to one another, both of them overflowing with killing intent. Both of Lynx's daggers were lying on the floor.
{I can't even get myself to speak...}
Rey's body completely gave out, passing out.
"So how does it feel," Lynx said mockingly, his voice sharp and cold. "To be lied to all your life, ha!?"
"Give my NX back!" Lucia's eyes were tearing up while raging, her voice trembling with anger.
"No," Lynx sneered. His hand blazed with an overwhelming green aura as he swung it straight toward Lucia's face.
In the blink of an eye, Lucia pierced her blade straight through Lynx's stomach, white lightning sparking wild all around them. Lynx's hand froze right on the cheek of Lucia. The green aura swirled onto her, healing her cheek on the spot while her bloody clothes cleaned themselves back to normal.
"My divine healing magic?" Lucia's eyes widened, and she whispered in complete shock. "But why?"
Lynx fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding stomach. "I can't have my trophy looking ruined... before I come back to finish you."
Lucia suddenly felt something strange deep within her mana core, a thin connection between her and Lynx, acting like a tight wire sucking her mana. {The familiar contract? Why is it reactivating... I don't have any of my familiars with me, but why is its connection so strong yet incomplete?}
Closing her eyes, she sensed NX's presence inside her mana core, coming directly from Lynx's soul. Her mana flew out of her body, forming a glowing circle around Lynx before going inside to search deeper inside Lynx's body, but it was sealed tight by an invisible wall, completely unknown to her.
The red assassin quickly scrambled up and picked Lynx up by the shoulder, breaking Lucia's focus.
"Stop!" Lucia shouted, white lightning sparking wild around her body.
The red assassin threw a smoke bomb hard at the ground. Lucia speed blitzed right inside the thick smoke. The harsh wind created from her speed blew all the smoke away in a single second, but she was already too late, they had already vanished.
The staff members slowly began to clap. The anti-sound barrier disappeared into nothing.
The crowd's deafening noise and suspension came rushing right back into the arena.
...
Hours later, night had fully set in.
Inside the quiet waiting room.
Rey was laying flat on the bed, staring up at the dark stone ceiling. {Everything is just flying through my head right now...}
{Right after Lynx was gone, they began selecting members, allowing people who failed to participate in the tournament to showcase and explain their skill on the stage, while the authorities bid on them.}
{What was that spammer's name again... Luhas? He got taken by the one who I heard interrupted our fight.}
{But at our turn, when it was time to bid on us, The Host, The Administrator himself came and took us to his office to offer us safety and keep us hidden from the eye of Luch. Just because we are the winners, they suddenly wanna help us? Man, that sounds so sus. I wonder where Lucia went off to...}
{At least I'm not locked up by the cult. Only the summoner guy could command me around by force, but he didn't show up.}