They left the next morning, falling asleep next to each other. They were all fearful of the monsters that could have appeared, attracted by the scent of the fallen ants. But they were too exhausted to fight. To fight was to die and to not fight was also to die, so they took the easier way out. Thankfully they got lucky.
"It might be a high magnitude, diviner type monster. Who has the ability to cause illusions, and control other monsters. It must have some ability to hide its presence that's why no one else has seen it. We are probably its main prey because we escaped. But we have cut off the connection between the ant and the diviner." Suggested Asmir
By that point they had all agreed that the job was probably not finished. They all believed if they were to go back again the ant would appear again and their friends would die again. This time they had gotten lucky, Asmir has the ability to call upon the dead to restrain the monster but he cant use the same dead more than once. So the trick they had used won't work, unless Asmir is able to kill more monsters before they enter the ants domain again. Even if he does prepare again, the ant was smart. It was learning it would learn to predict the trap next time. They had agreed to not involve anyone else, it would simply cause more casualties and allow the monster to gain more intelligence. They had to do it themselves, at least this time what they were facing.
The rest of the train ride was solemn, Asmir was so drained he struggled to stay awake, Yuno was no different even his senses failed to keep him vigilant. Soon they arrived at the city, named Sah Raim. Once again the bustling city flooded Yuno's senses. A small dog sprinted towards Asmir and Yuno, with its owner a young boy struggling to keep up. The dog jumped on to Asmir who crouched down to give it a few belly rubs. The boy breathing heavily was finally able to rest. They all sighed knowing that the simplicity of Sah Raim was an oasis, compared to what lay past its borders.
The castel was beautiful as ever, but neither prince was admiring it. They both gloomed over tomorrow, they had to finish the job. They both parted ways at their doors, nodding instead of speaking. Their bags dropped like a landslide and echoed a thump. Shower, sleep, and eat. Yuno did that in that order, his face stolid with his only thoughts containing the plan Captain Hiro had put together. He took heavy breaths, and murmured a few sentences in his breath with a serious face. Yuno tried to get more sleep but he failed, so in the morning his eyes were red and his skin dry.
This time the train ride was quieter, they knew their roles and they had accepted the reality of the situation. Nevertheless they were nervous with Yuno's hands shivering despite his clenched fist. The morning sun kept them awake as they traversed the grassy plains heading towards the campsite. All monsters they fasted along the way were killed by Asmir. They even made purposeful detours to allow Asmir to replete his contract ability. Despite the bloodshed Yuno was unfazed and solely focused on his task, as he walked he murmured the same sentence under his breath over and over while gripping his sword tighter and tighter.
They made it to camp and once again it seemed like no fight ever took place. This time their bags were light, their campfire simple and their tents set up close by. Lastly this time they would all keep watch. As the sun disappeared and followed by the full moon they took their final breaths. Sitting surrounding the campfire they felt the silence of the night get filled with murmur of their fallen comrades. Yuno stood up, sighed and summoned his Anki. Asmir and Hiro gave him a nod followed by a whisper.
Yuno braced his legs pushing them into the ground, and sprinted towards the tents he unzipped one and saw to men who were about to fall asleep, they looked at him and then at his words taking multiple takes.
"Ah is everything okay" one of them said
Before he could finish his sentence, Yuno sunk his words into the man's head. The other man lunged back but before he could scream Yuno sliced his neck with one swift swish. Yuno, now breathing heavily and aggressively trembling, got out of the tent and went for the next one. One tent after another within less than 5 minutes Yuno killed every single soldier. As the last tent came the initial adrenaline rush faded and the reality of his actions registered into his mind Yuno felt like throwing up.
He once again murmured "their dead, their dead, their already dead" the last part being a scream as he beheaded the last person. The blood splattered in the tents dripped like condensation piling up in the side pockets and painting Yunos' skin crimson.
"Oh my, you caught on huh?" laughed the groggy voice.
"Right on que" said Captain Hiro.
This time Asmir stood up, the tents now ablaze once more. The smoke entered his eyes, making him tear up but he had no reaction. He sprinted towards the shadowing figure that blended in with the fire. This time the string above the ant was bolder, it waved like a puppet's string. Asmir summoned his sword and lunged towards the ant, he failed to land a blow miserably falling past it. The ant dodged and lunged towards Asmir, who managed to evade the attack but barely. The ant's sword left a cut on Amir's arm. The battle continued clashing as the fires continued to engulf the landscape.
"My turn" said Captain Hiro, manifesting swords around him.
Around Hiro stood a crowd of ants as far as the eye could see.
"3rd times the charm" laughed Hiro, his usual amicable tone now fading to one of dread and bloodlust.
A surge of raw aura erupted from Hiro, blasting the ants backward in a shimmering shockwave of power. The earth itself trembled at his command, fissures splitting open as colossal stone pillars erupted from the deep beneath, encircling the battlefield in a perfect ring. The ground groaned and heaved as walls shot upward, ancient and scarred, adorned by carvings of fallen heroes and legendary monsters, their eyes seeming to glow with a blood-red light. As stone benches spiraled into existence tier by tier, intricate mosaics shimmered to life across the arena's floor, depicting epic battles lost to history. Scarlet banners unfurled from the ramparts, snapping in a summoned wind, each emblazoned with the royal sigil of Ara. In mere moments, what had been empty wasteland was transformed—Hiro's dominion ability had conjured a towering colosseum, its presence dominating the horizon and pulsing with the promise of glory and bloodshed. The air seemed to tremble, infused with the echoes of countless duels, as the ants stared in awe at Hiro's impossible creation.
"No fight, may the glorious stand to hold the throne" laughed Hiro coldly.
In the hands of the ants, swords materialized—each weapon unique in shape and size, some jagged and cruel, others gleaming and elegant. Thousands of ants stood bewildered by their new surroundings, their lines breaking and reforming as the magical rules of the colosseum took hold. Each ant was paired off, forced to face another in brutal one-on-one combat. After each duel, the victor would immediately be challenged by another winner—one battle after another, a relentless cascade of violence, until only a single survivor remained.
The ants could not resist the curse of the colosseum; they were compelled to kill their own kin, their swords clashing of their own volition, sometimes even moving despite the desperate wishes of their wielders. The chaos below resembled a river of shining steel and shrieks of agony.
Just as the ants were paired up, so was Hiro. He faced the endless onslaught, slaying one ant after another, his swordwork precise and unyielding, dwindling their ranks even as they decimated each other. Soon, the arena floor was a grisly tapestry of mangled bodies, slick with blood, and littered with thousands of discarded swords.
But there was a catch: with every duel won, the victor grew more powerful, their aura intensifying, their wounds healing, sword arms growing swifter. With every duel, Hiro was gambling that his own might was enough to outlast half an army in single combat, trusting that the curse of the colosseum would reward his victories but never overwhelm his will.
The games of the colosseum continued, with Hiro's face covered in blood and his blade a reaper of death. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, Hiro and an ant stood in the center of the colosseum. Around them, the walls were now painted red. There was now silence—the thundering battle of hundreds of clashing swords had come to an end. There were only two swords remaining.
The silence was cut short by a crowd of onlookers cheering. The once empty seats were now filled with people and monsters alike, all screaming and chanting. Hiro never understood the crowd; they would always appear at the last duel, but he never noticed a single face in the crowd—it was almost beyond his domain. Regardless, he had bigger things to worry about.
The ant lunged at him, clashing swords as the crowd screamed louder and louder at their fierce fight. Their joyous screams felt like demands to fight to the death. So Hiro and the ant did—they fought and fought. However, unlike the two previous times where Hiro's sheer will was enough to win the fight, the ants were stronger and more fierce. Their victor stood in front of Hiro now, a creation of multiple failures with its only desire to be the winner of the duel. They exchanged wounds one after another; cuts and bruises appeared on both opponents' bodies.
"Ah, fuck hope the kids are doing better then me" said Hiro while spitting out blood from his mouth.
The colosseum is a domain that enforces equality, I'm unable to use my other contract powers in the colosseum. I must win with sheer skill and power, so here goes nothing.
Hiro's muscles strained and tightened as he prepared to lunge at the ant. His grip on his sword firmed, the massive blade—nearly as tall as he was—pointed menacingly at his opponent. With a burst of energy, Hiro sprang forward, sweeping the flat side of his sword into the ant's abdomen. The creature's ribs snapped audibly, and it tumbled across the sandy floor of the colosseum. The crowd erupted into applause, but Hiro ignored them, fixated on his foe.
Unfazed, the ant recovered with unnatural resilience, launching a barrage of blows that left Hiro with fresh cuts stinging across his arms. Driven by pain and anger, Hiro gathered his strength and leaped again, this time plunging his sword deep into the monster's face.
But victory was costly. In the chaos, the ant managed to strike back—its jagged limb piercing Hiro's abdomen, the blade slicing clean through his side. Blood blossomed from the wound as Hiro fell to the ground, locking eyes with the wounded beast. Both warrior and monster collapsed, the battle echoing in the stunned silence of the arena.
"I win fucker" laughed Hiro coughing out blood and falling to the ground.
While Hiro battled thousands of ants in the chaos of the colosseum, Asmir and Yuno faced a far more daunting challenge: the leader of the ants. As Hiro fought with unmatched ferocity, Asmir engaged the massive ant alone. But after Yuno had finished slaughtering a squad of soldiers, he quickly joined Asmir's side.
"How did you know I needed a sacrifice to appear? I must admit, I'm impressed," the ant said, its voice reverberating, strange and unsettling.
Asmir wiped blood from his jaw, still struggling with the notion that a monster could speak so fluently. But this was no ordinary beast—this was his chance to stall, to get closer, to search for any possible opening.
"Your presence was impossible to sense until the soldiers died," Asmir replied, circling warily, clashing steel against chitin. "Knowing you as someone who doesn't fear being witnessed… it seemed odd to me."
"I have a name, you know," the ant said while parrying Asmir's next attack. Its mandibles clicked, almost as if it was smiling.
"What is it?" Asmir demanded, tightening his grip on his sword as he stepped beside Asmir.
The ant's eyes narrowed, a glint of amusement in its gaze. "It's Avion."
The ant's name was the least of Asmir's worries as the shimmering string above his head faded away. Another reason Yuno had slaughtered the soldiers was to keep the string above the ant visible for longer. By the time the ant finished killing all the humans, more than fifteen minutes had passed and its connection to the Diviner had become impossible to see. They only had a few minutes left.
Yuno joined the fight, striking at the ant's back. The three of them danced across the field. The ant's steps were so methodical, it was like watching waves move across the shore. Avion weaved through the two princes as if conducting an orchestra.
Yuno and Asmir met each other's eyes, silently agreeing that their efforts were getting them nowhere. Then, Asmir made a deliberate mistake—not so obvious that it seemed careless, but just enough for Avion to move closer. Asmir coughed up blood as Avion's silver sword plunged deep into his heart.
"I do commend your spirit, but this time I win," said Avion.
Asmir dropped his sword, coughing blood.
"Ah, no you didn't," Asmir struggled to speak, refusing to give in.
He clung tightly to the ant, ignoring the agony from the sword embedded in his chest. Asmir's contract ability manifested, and once again, spectral hunters' hands rose up, grabbing both him and Avion.
"Yuno, now!" Asmir screamed.
"I've got you, Avion!" Asmir laughed, defiant.
The last thing Avion witnessed was Yuno—radiant with unyielding vigor, eyes blazing with fearless determination. In a single, fluid motion, Yuno surged forward, his blade cutting through the darkness as he leapt above the battlefield. With a roar that echoed across the ruined tents, he cleaved through the fading string and drove his sword straight into Avion's core, shattering the ancient cycle that bound them. Stunned, Avion's eyes widened, processing the impossible defeat before a faint, resigned smile flickered across his face as he crumbled to the earth.
Asmir collapsed beside Avion, the hellish glow of burning tents and the writhing swarm of ants dissolving into silence. Yuno stood tall for a moment, sweat running down his brow, then knelt and collected Asmir's fallen sword, pressing it into his friend's hand. The blood-red aura of the blade slowly dimmed, its relentless bleeding finally stilled. With every life lost on the battlefield, Asmir's wounds began to close—a miraculous power gifted by his contract, reviving him from the very edge of death.
The pitch-blackness of the night remained. Yuno, like Asmir and Hiro, had collapsed to the ground. The necklace around his neck was gone. The world seemed calmer, different—renewed. Only three tents remained; the ones that had been burning were gone, and the horde of ants had faded into the darkness.
"Congratulations, you have been marked by a good" said a holy voice in their ears.