As I gazed at the Butcher standing before me—
a strange excitement slowly crept through my body.
The screams from the crowd.
The flashing lights.
The deafening cheers echoing throughout the underground.
And above all—
the feeling of true danger.
There would be no teachers here.
No one to interfere.
No second chances.
Only life…
…and death.
For the first time in a while—
my blood actually felt hot.
I slowly glanced down at the dull iron blade in my hand.
Cheap.
Heavy.
Pathetic compared to Nocturne Veil.
Meanwhile—
the Butcher dragged his massive sword across the ground as sparks erupted behind him.
The crowd roared wildly.
Most of them were already imagining my corpse getting torn apart across the arena floor.
Above the pit—
Jasmine watched anxiously from the shadows.
Then—
The Butcher suddenly regained his confidence hearing the crowd cheer for him.
A massive grin spread across his scarred face.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"COME HERE BRAT!"
BOOM!!!
The giant rushed forward violently.
The sheer force of his footsteps cracked the arena floor beneath him.
His massive blade swung upward brutally enough to split apart a normal person instantly.
Meanwhile—
I smiled.
A dangerous grin slowly spread across my face.
"Come at me, fatty."
BOOOOOOM!!!
The Butcher's massive blade crashed downward with enough force to split the arena floor apart.
But—
it hit nothing.
His eyes widened.
Fast.
Too fast.
I had already moved.
Using the side of the pit wall—
I kicked myself upward before twisting midair.
Then—
CLANG!!!
My dull iron sword clashed directly against his massive blade.
The impact echoed throughout the underground arena.
The crowd gasped.
The Butcher himself looked shocked.
A skinny brat like me should've been blown away instantly.
Instead—
I grinned wider.
"Hm?"
"What happened?"
"I thought you were gonna slice me up?"
The crowd immediately erupted.
"OH SHIT!"
"THE KID BLOCKED IT?!"
Meanwhile—
The Butcher roared furiously.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
He swung his blade wildly again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike carried monstrous strength capable of crushing bones instantly.
But—
I danced around every attack.
Step.
Twist.
Parry.
Move.
The arena lights reflected against my golden eyes as excitement slowly consumed me.
This was fun.
No mana.
No affinities.
No overwhelming powers.
Just pure swordsmanship.
The Butcher swung horizontally aiming directly for my neck.
I lowered my body barely dodging beneath the blade as the wind pressure tore through my hair.
Then—
SMASH!!!
My fist slammed directly into his stomach.
The giant staggered backward coughing violently.
The crowd exploded hearing the impact.
Meanwhile—
above the arena—
Jasmine's eyes widened.
She had fought alongside Noctis before.
But this…
This felt different.
He looked alive inside that pit.
No—
worse.
He looked like he was enjoying it.
Down below—
The Butcher slowly steadied himself while breathing heavily.
Then finally—
his grin disappeared completely.
Because instinctively—
he realized the terrifying truth.
The boy standing before him…
…was treating this fight like a game.
The Butcher slowly steadied himself while breathing heavily.
Then finally—
his grin disappeared completely.
Because instinctively—
he realized the terrifying truth.
The boy standing before him…
…was treating this fight like a game.
Meanwhile—
I slowly rolled my shoulders while grinning at him.
"What happened?"
"You were talking pretty loudly earlier."
The crowd burst into laughter hearing that.
The Butcher's expression twisted violently.
"YOU FUCKING BRAT—!"
BOOOOM!!!
He charged again.
This time—
faster.
Angrier.
His heavy blade swung wildly toward my head.
CLANG!!!
I blocked it with the dull iron sword.
The impact shook my arms slightly.
Interesting.
His strength truly wasn't bad.
The Butcher roared before swinging again and again relentlessly.
The arena floor cracked beneath every strike while sparks erupted through the pit.
But slowly—
his movements became rougher.
Sloppier.
Predictable.
Fear was beginning to control him.
Meanwhile—
I felt excitement rushing through my body.
The screams from the crowd.
The danger.
The pressure of death hanging over the arena.
It felt…
good.
For the first time in a long while—
my heart was actually racing.
The Butcher suddenly swung horizontally aiming directly for my ribs.
I stepped back narrowly avoiding the strike before instantly rushing forward myself.
Fast.
The crowd gasped.
Then—
CLANG!
Our swords collided repeatedly at high speed.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
The Butcher's eyes widened more and more after every clash.
Because despite my smaller body—
my technique completely overwhelmed him.
No wasted movement.
No panic.
Every swing felt precise.
Clean.
Like I had fought hundreds of battles before.
Sweat slowly rolled down the giant's face.
Then suddenly—
I twisted my sword slightly.
His eyes widened.
Too late.
CLANG!!!
His massive blade was knocked away briefly.
An opening.
I stepped forward instantly.
The iron blade stopped directly at his throat.
Silence.
The underground crowd went quiet.
Even The Butcher himself froze completely.
Meanwhile—
I slowly tilted my head while grinning at him.
"…You're getting slower."
The giant's breathing became uneven.
For the first time—
fear appeared in his eyes.
And above the arena—
the timer continued ticking downward.
02:04
...
The Butcher tried to move.
Tried to stand back up.
But before he could even react—
I moved first.
SLASH.
His weapon crashed onto the arena floor.
The giant screamed in agony as both his arms fell uselessly beside him.
The underground crowd erupted instantly.
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
Their screams echoed throughout the Black Pit like madmen worshipping violence itself.
Meanwhile—
The Butcher collapsed onto his knees trembling violently.
"N-NO— WAIT—"
But I didn't stop.
Not anymore.
Something inside me had snapped completely.
I stepped forward again.
The dull iron sword flashed beneath the underground lights.
One strike after another.
Cutting across his body.
His face.
The giant screamed desperately while trying to crawl backward across the bloodstained arena floor.
But the crowd only cheered louder.
They loved it.
Every scream.
Every strike.
Every moment of terror.
And somehow—
so did I.
A grin spread wider across my face while excitement rushed violently through my body.
The fear.
The chaos.
The life-and-death atmosphere.
It felt intoxicating.
Above the arena—
Jasmine stared downward with widened eyes.
Because the person standing in that pit right now…
…didn't even resemble a normal human anymore.
Meanwhile—
Lynn slowly whispered beneath her breath while watching the massacre unfold.
"…What kind of monster did we bring down here?"
The Butcher tried to crawl backward.
Tried to escape.
But before he could even move properly—
I appeared in front of him again.
SLASH.
His weapon spun across the arena floor.
A horrifying scream escaped his mouth as his arms collapsed uselessly beside him.
For a brief second—
silence filled the Black Pit.
Then—
the underground erupted.
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
The crowd screamed my name like starving animals witnessing a feast.
Meanwhile—
The Butcher trembled violently on the blood-soaked floor.
"N-No…"
"PLEASE—"
His massive body shook pathetically while he tried dragging himself backward.
Away from me.
Away from the sword.
But I slowly kept walking toward him.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The sound of my footsteps echoed through the arena louder than the crowd itself.
And somewhere along the way—
I realized something horrifying.
I was smiling.
Not from happiness.
Not from rage.
But from something far worse.
Excitement.
The iron blade slowly dragged across the ground as sparks followed behind me.
The Butcher's terrified eyes reflected my figure approaching closer and closer.
Then—
the sword flashed again.
A scream echoed throughout the pit.
Another strike.
Another scream.
The crowd had gone completely insane now.
Some cheered.
Others looked horrified.
But nobody looked away.
Blood stained the arena while the giant desperately tried to shield himself despite no longer being able to fight back.
And yet—
I didn't stop.
It felt like the screams around me were growing distant.
Muffled.
Like I was sinking deeper into something dark inside myself.
Above the arena—
Jasmine stood frozen.
That widening grin.
The calmness while standing amidst blood and screams.
It felt less like watching a swordsman—
and more like watching a monster wearing the skin of a boy.
Meanwhile—
even Lynn's playful smile had disappeared beneath her cat mask.
"…What the hell…"
"…is he?"
Soon—
The Butcher's body finally stopped moving.
Silence briefly filled the Black Pit.
Then—
the massive screen above the arena flashed crimson.
WINNER — NOCTURNE
The underground erupted into deafening cheers.
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
"NOCTURNE!"
I slowly stood in the center of the arena while blood stained my clothes, hands, and face.
The iron sword rested loosely by my side as I breathed quietly.
And somehow—
that dangerous grin still remained on my face.
The crowd screamed louder and louder the more they looked at me.
Some out of excitement.
Others out of fear.
Above the arena—
Jasmine silently stared downward.
Something about Noctis felt wrong right now.
The atmosphere around him had changed completely ever since entering the Black Pit.
Like the pit itself had awakened something dark inside him.
Then suddenly—
the cheering slowly began to die down.
Not because the fight had ended.
But because someone had arrived.
My eyes slowly lifted upward.
And the moment I saw him—
my body instinctively tensed.
The man standing beside Lynn looked almost unreal.
Long pale blue hair flowed down past his shoulders while a black mask covered the upper half of his face.
Elegant dark clothing rested perfectly against his figure alongside black feathers decorating one shoulder.
Everything about him felt refined.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Like a noble standing above commoners.
But it wasn't his appearance that made my body react.
It was his presence.
The moment his visible eye met mine—
fear crawled down my spine.
Pure instinct.
The kind that screamed at prey standing before a predator.
For the first time since arriving in Astryx—
I felt danger.
Real danger.
Meanwhile—
Jasmine immediately noticed my expression.
Because ever since meeting Noctis—
this was the first time she had ever seen him look genuinely uneasy.
Above the arena—
Lynn's playful smile disappeared slightly beneath her cat mask.
"…Azrith?"
"Why are you here?"
A faint smile appeared beneath the masked man's lips.
"Let's just say…"
"…a friend of mine asked me for a favor."
Then slowly—
his gaze sharpened while staring directly at me.
And somehow—
it felt like he could see through everything.
The disguise.
The fake identity.
Everything.
My grip around the iron sword unconsciously tightened.
Meanwhile—
Azrith calmly spoke.
"Lynn."
"Sign me up as his next match."