They were waiting… for who? For what?
The whole stadium had gone silent… even the commentators…
Kevin let out a deep sigh and stepped forward.
At that moment, Admiral Anchor quickly readied himself and threw his anchor forward.
Kevin dodged the sudden attack and started running toward his opponent.
But Admiral Anchor immediately pulled the anchor back!
Kevin realized what was happening and tried to dodge to the side… but it was too late…
The anchor pierced through the right side of his body…
A chunk of Kevin's flesh was torn off and hit the ground, covered in blood.
"Arghhh!"
Kevin lost his balance. He was about to collapse.
But… he threw himself forward and grabbed the anchor.
He pulled it toward himself.
Even though it hurt his wrist badly, it helped him stay balanced.
But suddenly, the anchor loosened. Huh?
Kevin closed and opened his eyes.
Admiral Anchor… was right in front of him.
Kevin took what was probably the strongest punch he had ever received…
He hit the ground.
He tried to kick his opponent away, but his kick missed.
Admiral Anchor wasn't pinning him down.
Suddenly, a sharp strike landed on his leg in midair—
He was thrown back and retrieved his anchor.
Kevin tried to stand up. It hurt like hell.
He was having a hard time even staying on his feet.
Suddenly, someone… arrived just outside the stadium… but who?
Emily… she had just found out that her brother was in the Tournament of Death and that the final match was against Kevin…
She entered and ran toward the Arena.
She pushed through the crowd…
She reached the front.
Right where the Arena was clearly visible…
Kevin was desperately trying to hit Admiral Anchor.
With every failed strike, he was getting hit. His face was bruised.
His body was covered in blood. His upper clothing was almost completely torn…
Emily wanted to scream… but she couldn't… no voice came out… her throat felt frozen…
She couldn't save the person who had once saved her from death—
or a life worse than death…
Just then, Kevin saw an opening and went for an attack.
Admiral Anchor dodged and aimed at Kevin's stomach, stepping back.
With precise timing, he threw his anchor.
Kevin gathered himself. He could take this one.
At THAT moment… he heard a laugh.
A sadistic laugh… as if someone was enjoying all of this…
Suddenly, something caught his eye…
He couldn't block the anchor—
Kevin's stomach was slashed open…
And right then, and only then—Emily managed to scream.
The entire stadium… every single spectator… the commentators who were supposed to narrate the fight but had remained silent all along… everyone was quiet…
Admiral Anchor saw his sister…
At that moment, Kevin stood up…
What?? After all that??
The audience that had gone silent was now screaming.
They were fired up like never before…
Admiral Anchor looked at Kevin…
His eyes… were BLOOD RED…
Was it blood? No. It wasn't blood…
Right then… Admiral Anchor remembered who he was facing…
That stance… that determination… that will?
No… none of that… it was those red eyes…
And then, everything vanished…
Kevin couldn't see anything… everything was pure white.
Suddenly, he heard that same laugh again…
He turned his head… looked around…
And then… he saw her…
It was as if the wind started to blow all of a sudden…
A girl… wearing a black dress…
Her hair flowed in the wind.
Her face was hidden…
That smile on her face—
"You're really… too exciting… I just can't take it…"
———————————————
Suddenly, Kevin leapt at Admiral Anchor…
One last time…
Admiral Anchor braced himself and—
Just as Kevin attacked, he jumped—
While in the air, he slashed Kevin's back—
And as soon as his feet hit the ground, he drove the edge of the anchor into Kevin's back, right behind his heart—
Kevin… collapsed to the ground…
Once again… his eyes closed… he lost consciousness…
"Wait a second… why am I remembering all this now?"
"Shouldn't I be thinking about my current state?"
"Or at the very least… the situation I'm in...…."
"If I hadn't lost back then… would things be any different now?"
File #009
According to legend, the one who unites the Sacred Orb… can control time…
——————————————————————
The Final of
Volume 1: The Tournament in Shadows
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