Niclos stood in the stands of the arena and watched the fights that went on for three days now, enjoying watching these very different fighters kill each other. He loved the excitement of the crowd, its bloodlust and the anger that accompanied it.

He was surrounded by his most loyal lieutenants: Palnia, Dejros, Kallum and Aguénor. The others were going about their business in the city and their activity did not really interest him. He had warned them to be ready at the end of the tournament, and they would be, without a doubt.

Otherwise, they knew the consequences of disobedience.

Some, like Shena, were shocked to see the treatment meted out to the survivors of the expedition as they arrived near the capital.

They had been either chased away, raped, or summarily executed by Palnia and Dejros. One of Niclos' secondary lieutenants, Dabiol, had spoken out against these behaviors and Niclos had personally taken care of him, decapitating him and playing with his head before throwing it to the side of the road as if it were just a toy that had lost all interest.

The others had understood that if they complained, they would suffer exactly the same fate, so everyone had kept quiet and continued on their way in silence while the four main lieutenants discussed the next steps as if nothing had happened, even laughing from time to time among themselves.

Then the team had moved on to the next step Niclos had planned: tracking down the list he had.

Using his lieutenants scattered around the city to watch for unusual behavior, he managed to track down two other players in just three weeks, but neither of them was one of the foals sent by the AIs or other leading entities of the Empire.

This had resulted in a certain frustration that Niclos had had a hard time dealing with. Until he heard about the tournament.

To take his mind off things, he decided to come and watch the fights, without thinking at any time that he would hit the jackpot.

On the first day, Dejros recognized one of the participants, the runist, and he explained to Niclos what had happened at the Orchid, where he had seen the young man.

Finally, when he heard the presenter, too conspicuous for his taste with his red tunic, announcing the name and the class of this participant, Niclos's blood did not turn.

Revenge, Runiste.

It was one of the names on the list provided by the Emperor, and not just any name. It was one of those he had to eliminate first when he met him. He almost got up from his seat, moved by the excitement of having finally found a target on which he could spend his frustration of the last few days and at the same time accomplish his objective.

But reason caught up with him and he interrupted his gesture, sitting back down and deciding to observe the fighting passively.

If he acted in haste, not only would he certainly miss, as the numerous guards dotting the alleys could intercept him, but he might also lose his skin. Attacking in full view of everyone would have consequences that he could not assume at the moment, so he calmed his thoughts.

He was pleased with his choice when he observed the fighting during those three days.

Not only did the Runist have many strings to his bow, but the green-clad mages were extremely powerful, capable of mastering the arena with the snap of a finger and changing the scenery as well as the elements that make up the arena at lightning speed.

The day after the famous Revenge and Nirdan fought, he even saw Knights of the Order of the Draconic Eye moving through the crowd. He did not want to be noticed by these men, who were none other than the Emperor's armed hand. Niclos would be beaten in a heartbeat if he had to face them, and even his lieutenants would not last long against the mastery they could show.

His cold sweat disappeared when they entered the backstage area of the arena and did not reappear in the stands, and he was content to watch the fights, not identifying any other player on his list.

The next day, when he saw Revenge's fight against Tekal, he really believed that Tekal would win thanks to his divination. But he was strangely surprised by the power that the Runist managed to unleash, becoming even more suspicious after he managed to defeat Tekal, even though he seemed to have been weakened.

He turned to the four lieutenants who were bright-eyed with excitement at the outcome of the fight.

"What do you think of this runist? Be honest..."

Kallum was the first to speak, and his voice betrayed an unconcealed desire.

"He's a good fighter. A bit limited in stamina, but I would love to fight him. He's good with a sword and his spells are all either powerful or useful..."

"Pffff, he's often on the edge. He doesn't plan enough, and other than his incendiary fight with the Archer, his wins are mostly due to luck, in my opinion!"

Aguénor had spoken angrily, not understanding Kallum and considering this Runist as an opponent far below his level.

Dejros didn't say a word, just shrugged his shoulders and gestured with his hands in uncertainty. The last to give her opinion on the subject was Palnia, and it was a very strong opinion.

"I think he's a dangerous person. If he's really a transmigrant like us, he's just starting out. When you see the level of power he can give off, letting him grow up could be a big mistake. Let's take advantage of the fact that his guard is down between fights...let me infiltrate the Arena and kill him."

"It's too dangerous...you're going to get caught and squashed like the little spider you are."

Palnia glared at Kallum who laughed at her reaction and did not apologize in any way.

"Don't underestimate my assassin skills, you big bully. I can get past the guards without any worries!"

She lounged against Niclos who remained unmoved and looked thoughtful as he pondered the pros and cons of such a plan.

He found her a little too clingy since he had given in to her advances when they had returned from the capital. A mistake for which he assumed the consequences.

If she managed to kill this Runist, one less name on his list would be a happy event.

If she failed, well...he wouldn't have someone almost between his legs all the time looking sheepish.

Finally, he nodded as a thin smile appeared on his face and his gaze turned to Palnia, who couldn't help but shudder at the coldness of it.

"Very well...Palnia you'll have your chance. Murder him tonight, when he's sleeping. If you miss, don't get caught, it would be embarrassing, especially if the Order questions you...now let's enjoy the next fights. I must admit that I like this tournament very much... "

"You can count on me, Niclos! I won't let you down."

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the healers who were carrying Tekal's body back to the large double doors leading to the backstage area of the arena, as well as to the famous Revenge, who seemed to be having a hard time getting out of the stadium after the disproportionate tornado he had summoned.

Blood would flow tonight, and it wouldn't be Niclos', smiling like a predator at his weakened prey.

**

Marlon was lying on his bed, and the searing headache he had suffered during his fight had now subsided, his mana bar having filled to a quarter of its maximum capacity.

Jacob had congratulated him after his fight, impressed with the spell Marlon had activated to win the fight, but he had let the young man slip away when he saw the state he was in.

The healers had of course healed his wounds, but they could do nothing against the mana exhaustion.

Marlon could hear the clamor of the Arena decreasing, and he understood that the sun must have gone down and that the spectators were leaving the Arena, surely already impatient to come and see the continuation of the fights the next day.

Luna lay at her master's feet, her tail gently thumping the air as the runist absentmindedly stroked her fur while inwardly reviewing the fight he had narrowly won.

"I need to find a way to increase my mana. Do you have any knowledge on that side?"

"None. I know how it moves, what it does, in part, but I have no idea how it works inside the human body. You'll have to ask Djilany if he knows a way, a method to magnify the amount of mana in a human being."

"Once the Tournament is over...if all goes well, I shouldn't have that many fights left, right?"

"Given the number of opponents left and the eliminations, three at the most."

At this announcement, Marlon felt relieved and tiredness suddenly assailed him. He hesitated to resist and head to the common areas to get a bite to eat, but finally decided that it could wait until morning.

He closed his eyes and drifted gently into the limbo of sleep, his muscles relaxing and his breath getting longer as he began to dream.

Several hours later, as the entire arena slept soundly, a shadow crept through the corners of the hallway, passing over the tired guards and creeping into every little pocket of darkness along the way.

One of them felt a chill run down his spine and turned sharply, expecting to see something spring up behind him.

"I must be hallucinating, I really thought someone was spying on us..."

"Landric, stop spending your rests in the brothel, you'll feel much better. And focus on the game, please, I don't want you to come calling me a cheater when I've robbed you."

The shifting shadow task continued on its way, seemingly hesitating as to which way to go. Someone with the ability to observe shadows would have seen this darkness moving between the many rooms that make up the backstage area of the arena, searching for its target and invisible to all.

After several minutes, she finally found what she was looking for. The runist was lying on his back in a dark room, so dark that she could have walked around him without him detecting her. The long breath of her target convinced her that he was sleeping, so she deactivated her [Shadow Body] ability.

Palnia stepped out of the darkness and both her hands grabbed the daggers hanging from her belt as she thought to herself what a shame it was not to have taken advantage of that beautiful body before killing him. But this mage could become too much of a danger to Niclos if she let him grow up, and Niclos was absolutely everything to her...

She heard the roar coming from behind her and only had time to turn around before being rammed into by what sounded like a full-grown tiger. A voice echoed in the room and the assassin didn't know who it came from.

"Marlon, wake up!"

Crossing her arms, Palnia absorbed the shock, ignoring the fear from the surprise, and acted reflexively as she cursed herself by throwing her skill [Paralysis] at the man who had opened his eyes suddenly in reaction to the commotion caused by the attack and the voice that had risen in the air.

Luna had a predatory instinct, and she had listened to it, huddling under the bench by the bedroom door to ambush her prey. She may have been a nice-sized tiger, but being a member of the feline family made her flexible and very discreet when she wanted to be.

Even with her near-perfect night vision, Palnia had not paid attention to all the details of the room, absorbed in the vision of her sleeping target just waiting to be killed.

Marlon felt that all his muscles were paralyzed, preventing him from making any movement whatsoever, in spite of the consequent effort that he put to break the paralysis that the assassin had inflicted him.

The chimera didn't give the assassin a moment's respite and threw herself at her again, roaring even more loudly as Palnia raised one arm to defend herself and with the other she drove her dagger into the feline monster's ribs.

Ignoring the pain, Luna sank her fangs into the assassin's flesh and squeezed as hard as her jaws would allow, snapping bone and shredding flesh as she shook her head to inflict as much damage as possible on her prey.

Palnia could only think of one thing as a sharp cry of pain crossed her lips: to run away.

Her strength lay in surprise attacks, and she was caught at the worst possible time, when she was most vulnerable. As long as people could see her, she could not blend into the shadows, one of the restrictions of her skill, and her [Paralysis] could only be used on a single target.

It was impossible for her to cast the spell on a new prey without nullifying its effect and freeing the previous victim. And if she freed the runist, he would pounce on her without delay. She had seen him fight, she knew what he was capable of.

Screaming in pain, she stabbed Luna two or three more times in the ribs, without letting go of the arm that was beginning to be reduced to pieces by her sharp fangs.

A puddle of blood formed on the ground, mixing that of the chimera and that of the assassin, without being able to differentiate one from the other.

Luna let go of Palnia's arm and backed away abruptly, snatching the dagger stuck in her ribs from Palnia's hand and immediately jumping back to the throat of the one who was trying to attack her master.

Panic-stricken, with one of her arms totally disabled, Palnia could no longer fight and saw death coming at her in the form of a monstrous feline, pushing her to do what she should never have done: free Marlon from his paralyzing hold and use it on the chimera, which froze in mid-air, hitting the assassin all the same and throwing her to the ground, but without inflicting heavy damage as would otherwise have been the case.

Loki had not ceased during this time to scold Marlon so that it fights against the fate of paralysis. Seeing the wounds of his attacker and that of Luna, this one could not help but feel a cold and cruel rage towards the person who had just tried to attack his life.

All his muscles were tensed, his body doing its best to fight against Palnia's ability, sweat running down his face and his eyes reflecting a murderous madness that was growing as the confrontation progressed.

So, when the paralysis dissipated, it took Marlon only a tenth of a second to reach Palnia's spot. He had grabbed his sword which was lying at the foot of his bed, and with a howl of rage he brought his weapon down on the still intact limb of the assassin, slicing it cleanly in a spray of blood and a high-pitched howl from Palnia who watched her limb flailing on the floor with a desperate look.

Pain was all the assassin felt, she had even lost the will to fight, having realized that death would come to her for her negligence. She saw it reflected in Marlon's bright eyes and icy smile as he looked at her almost hungrily. For a brief moment, she almost felt as if she was standing in front of Niclos...

"DON'T KILL HER MARLON!"

The gleam in the runist's eyes blurred vaguely and he let out a grunt before bringing his blade down again and slashing Palnia's second arm with a brutal gesture, again causing a geyser of blood.

The pain had reached such a stage that the slayer didn't even feel the difference, haggard from blood loss and suffering.

What she didn't see, with her eyes full of tears and regret, were the two scrolls Marlon took out of his bag on which he traced a rune that both produced a fist-sized flame.

These flames came to rest in a snap on the two gaping wounds that were her armless shoulders, instantly producing a deafening sizzle and especially a smell of grilled flesh that did not bother the young man, except that it reminded him his own experience of cauterization.

Not necessarily the best of memories...

This seemed to revive Palnia's consciousness and she twisted on the floor screaming so much that one would have thought one could hear her soul screaming directly, further accentuating Marlon's smile.

After the commotion, the young man was not surprised to see Jacob accompanied by two guards bursting into the room, and Marlon struck the woman hard with the pommel of his sword, rendering her unconscious as the trio watched the macabre scene with wide eyes.

Marlon glared at them and used a healing scroll on Luna before addressing them. The chimera's deep gashes disappeared and she seemed to be doing much better, her gaze never leaving Palnia as a continuous dull roar could be heard in the room.

The runist looked at the guards and said curtly:

"Isn't your job to protect the people residing here?"

Jacob stepped forward and placed a hand on Marlon's shoulder, who restrained himself from removing it brusquely, feeling no other emotion than cold anger at that very moment.

"What happened, Revenge?"

Marlon recounted the facts as they had happened, and his instructor's gaze became harder and harder as he told the story, turning to the two guards who accompanied him.

Loki took the opportunity to speak with the Runist in private.

"It doesn't matter how, but you need to know why she went after you, Marlon..."

"Go find Marcus, from the Order. He should be staying at the Inn of the Tenants. Hurry."

The last part had been barked by Jacob at the two soldiers who ran off as if the devil was after them.

"Jacob, I want to question her myself."

His instructor shook his head and his face became stern.

"No way. Marcus left instructions, and even I can't go against him. You'll have to deal with him. But beware, this guy is not a softy..."

Marlon glanced at Palnia's lifeless body and wondered if it would be better to run her through now with his sword than to let the order interrogate her. If she was one of the consciousnesses sent to Gaia, she could bring him a rune, a significant contribution to the Runist. But doing so in front of Jacob could be a problem, especially after the refusal he had just given him.

Inwardly, he ruminated against Loki who had prevented him from finishing her off and the AI felt his anger, taking the trouble to explain his reasons.

"A second death would have raised the suspicions of the order, Marlon. Marcus will be able to establish that she went after you, which will clear you. Believe me, it's better if the Order has no reason to watch you, especially given the power and influence they seem to have. Even the Empire on Earth didn't dare interfere too much with the old religious orders, fearing the retaliation they might bring. Never underestimate the power brought by millennia of domination..."

The young man's anger cooled somewhat, and he followed Jacob into a room where they would interrogate Palnia, Marlon casually dragging her by the hair after having tied her securely with a rope provided by his instructor.

Some of the fighters in the arena had woken up to the commotion, but Jacob sent them on their way, ignoring their annoyed questions about why there was such a commotion. They couldn't help but widen their eyes, however, when they saw Marlon dragging the bloody bundle that was Palnia, tied up tightly like a roast.

Luna had stayed in Marlon's room, licking her coat clean of the blood that had soaked it after the battle with the assassin. The runist had used a healing scroll to heal his chimera and was deeply relieved when he saw the wounds close.

They waited for almost thirty minutes before Marcus arrived, out of breath as if he had run from the inn, which he most certainly had. He was not wearing his black plate armor, but a pair of khaki pants and shirt that looked suspiciously like the military uniforms of Earth.

Some standards should be universal...

He looked first at Jacob and Marlon, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the young man he had questioned two days earlier, and then at the shapeless bundle that the assassin had become.

Jacob was the first to speak.

"Sir Marcus, we have sent for you as per your instructions. This woman broke into Revenge's room and attempted to murder him in his sleep. Without his chimera, the latter would be as cold as Nirdan, the Archer."

The Order's interrogator's gaze grew colder and he straightened, lightning flashing through his eyes as he walked toward Palnia. He smirked as he saw her condition up close and turned to Marlon, commenting:

"You can tell you know how to defend yourself...let's check it all out, shall we?"

Marcus reached out his hand to Palnia's head and just as he was about to make contact with her face, she opened her eyes and screamed.