A white butterfly landed on the stone parapet of the arena.
Its wings, fluttering in the sunlight, seemed almost too fragile for this place — like a breath from another world, lost in a kingdom of steel and blood.
It didn't move. It only watched.
As if bearing ancient witness to something that had happened a thousand times before.
But the snowy wings were soon speckled with crimson drops.
Below, a two-headed wolf was tearing into the flesh of a fallen fighter. Screams merged with the howls of beasts and the roar of the crowd.
"Why? Why more beasts?! They were already killing each other!" Ko'oni shouted, clutching the stone railing. "Isn't there enough blood?!"
Her voice drowned in the overwhelming din.
"Because that is the order," Osher replied. Calmly. Almost lazily. He kept his eyes fixed on the ring on his finger, as if gazing at the world through a thin sheen of gold.
He turned to her, a faint, deliberate, almost theatrical smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Don't like the performance? But this is only the second act."
"This isn't a performance," she hissed. "It's a slaughter."
"It's history," he corrected. "A play staged for centuries.
Three acts. Three phases.
And the script never changes.
War. Alliance. Death."
Down on the sand, a massive lion lunged at one of the fighters. The man barely dodged in time, but the beast was faster. Its claws ripped through his shoulder to the bone.
The sideburned warrior — the one wielding a staff — was beside him in an instant. His weapon arced through the air and came down with a dry crack on the lion's skull. The beast howled, staggered.
Kain seized the moment. In a flash, the blade of his sword buried itself to the hilt in the creature's chest. Green blood gushed from the wound.
"Why do the gods even watch this?" Ko'oni whispered, her gaze locked on the arena.
Yuzuki, sitting in the shade, touched her jade amulet.
"The gods must be present. This isn't just a spectacle. It's a confirmation."
"A confirmation of what?"
"Their victory," said Luceler. "Their right to rule the world. Every tournament ends the same — just like the Epoch War. With the strong triumphing over the weak."
Yuzuki turned to Ko'oni, her eyes as beautiful as a moonlit lake.
"Without their gaze, this is nothing but a massacre. With it — it's ritual. Law. Legacy."
"Then why the tournament at all? Why don't the gods just decide who's right?"
Osher smirked.
"Because even gods… need entertainment."
But something in his tone made Ko'oni doubt his words. As if behind the cynicism lurked a far more complex truth.
On the arena floor, the warriors had united. Those who were enemies moments ago now fought side by side. They had no choice. Only one still stood apart.
Taurus.
He fought alone. Tearing jaws, snapping necks, drenched in blood. He wasn't just surviving — he was reveling in it. At one point his face turned toward the stands — and Kooni caught a glimpse of his expression. There was no fear. No rage. Only joy. He was in his element.
"Why did you choose him?" she asked quietly. "There are hundreds of fighters. Why him?"
Osher didn't answer right away. "His memory… is clean."
"What does that mean?"
"It means he has nothing," Osher said, and for the first time, Kooni heard a note of genuine puzzlement in his voice.
"You two are sealed…," he mused. "Coincidence is rarely this generous."
Suddenly, Yuzuki shuddered.
One of the fighters in the arena began to glow with a golden light. The radiance flowed over his skin, filling his body. He raised his sword — and in the next instant, erupted with power. His blow hurled a chimera against the arena wall like a rag doll.
The crowd roared.
"What was that?" Ko'oni asked.
"Another reason why the gods never miss a tournament," Luceler replied softly. "Sometimes… unexpected abilities awaken. Under the pressure of death, something stirs in mortals that normally lies dormant."
Ko'oni didn't take her eyes off the fighter. Wonder filled his gaze. He didn't understand what had awakened in him.
But Taurus was already moving.
No warning. No shout.
He appeared behind him — and with a single palms strike, shattered the fighter's skull. The body dropped. The light vanished.
Vigfuss grinned from above.
"Potential is not forgiven," Luceler said. Calmly. Matter-of-factly.
Ko'oni turned away, but the image clung to her mind. The head — gone.
"That was an execution…"
"No," said Osher. "That was a lesson. For all who dare step outside the bounds of order."
Only four remained in the arena. Among them — Kain. Their bodies soaked in blood, eyes heavy with exhaustion, but they stood. Side by side.
And opposite them — Taurus.
Alone.
Not just surviving.
The last beast.