“Y-you crazy bastard?!”
Gedrick started to charge in fury, then flinched to a stop. A guard was approaching with a vicious expression.
“What are you two doing?!”
“Th-that bastard attacked me!”
“He grabbed my shoulder first.”
Yuto answered quickly.
“Hard enough to break the bone. I only defended myself.”
“Wh......? What? When did I ever do that?!”
Gedrick shouted indignantly, but the guard had seen him grab Yuto's shoulder. After glaring at Yuto for a moment, he spoke.
“If you want to fight, do it during the match. Touching each other in the waiting room is forbidden.”
Since Gedrick had started it, the guard did not try to make an issue of the incident. He could not beat a gladiator with a match about to begin.
“You...... fucking bastard.”
After confirming that the guard had withdrawn, Gedrick glared at Yuto as he picked up his fallen tooth.
“I barely have any teeth left as it is......!”
“Take good care of it.”
Yuto stared directly at Gedrick and whispered.
“You won't have time to collect them later.”
He meant to knock out every tooth Gedrick had left. Gedrick's face twisted. Shuddering, he clenched the hand holding the tooth and licked the blood from his split lip.
“Fine, you son of a bitch. I'll just kill you today.”
With those words, Gedrick spun around. Watching him walk away, Yuto gave a faint laugh.
Today was Yuto's debut in the Colosseum. Judging by Gedrick's warning that he should not damage him too much in his first match, he had intended to take it easy― but that was not what Yuto wanted.
It was right to conclude that escaping the Colosseum under his own power was impossible. Even if he tried to win over a guard, Yuto was currently a slave and a gladiator with nothing he could offer in exchange. The guards would never betray Ebil.
‘She doesn't trust others enough to keep anyone but slaves in chokers as her personal guards. She must have some other means of controlling the regular guards too.’
Under those conditions, Yuto needed help from an outsider unconnected to the Colosseum if he wanted to leave it.
The nobles sitting beside Ebil in the box seats. To draw their attention, he had to leave a powerful impression from his very first match. It took both hands to make a clap. If Gedrick came at him halfheartedly, Yuto could not show the nobles anything impressive.
They would not immediately demand to purchase Yuto, but a powerful first impression might change even the food served to him today.
‘I might receive a weapon too.’
In a fight, having no weapon in his hand felt strange. No matter how hard he tried, his past remained lost― but it seemed his ‘past’ self had fought with a weapon in hand.
‘Probably...... a sword......?’
Yuto opened and closed his empty hand. It had probably been a sword.
Yet he felt as though that had not been all. In a fight, in ‘battle’...... something else― someone else― had been at his side, beyond a weapon. ―Throb! His head began aching again the moment he thought of it. Yuto swallowed a groan and clenched his teeth.
“H-hey......! New blood, are you insane?!”
Gaon limped over. Keeping his voice low, he glanced at Gedrick and whispered.
“You don't know who that bastard is. Of course you fucking don't. He's the one who did this to my leg.”
“Really?”
The headache faded. Yuto steadied his breathing and dropped into an empty chair.
“Sit down. It's hard to watch you drag that bad leg around.”
“Who the hell are you to pity me? Worry about yourself......!”
Gaon shuddered and plopped into the chair beside Yuto.
“Gedrick will probably move up to the Middle League soon. He has one of the best win rates among the Lower League gladiators.”
Gaon's voice held fear of Gedrick. His leg had been ruined in their last match. Yuto looked toward Gedrick as he listened. Sitting some distance away, the boy was glaring at Yuto with even more murderous intent than before.
“Is that why you're talking to me? Because once he moves up to the Middle League, you won't see him again.”
“Wh-who are you calling a coward? I just wanted to say something because I felt sorry for you. If you don't want to be crippled in your first match...... surrender the moment it starts. You'll get cursed out, but it's better than becoming a hopeless cripple.”
“Am I allowed to do that?”
“N...... no. Not normally. But since it's your first match, they might let it pass.”
Gaon muttered without conviction.
“You have to at least pretend to fight. If you're branded a coward in your first match, things will get difficult. They might even assign you to a match against the Mad Fox.”
Rugil approached.
“The Mad Fox? What's that?”
“An Evomon that debuted in the last match. I don't know where they found it, but it's a beast that can't even communicate.”
Rugil shuddered as he spoke.
“It's a mindless Evomon and fucking vicious. In its last match, it tore the other Evomon to pieces and turned it into an Evostone.”
Unlike other races, Evomon did not experience complete death. When they suffered fatal injuries beyond recovery, they reverted to small stones called ‘Evostones.’
“The guests loved how spectacular it was, but from the mistress's perspective, matches like that cost too many gladiators...... She'll use it a few times, then probably bring it out only for deathmatches. So if you don't want the Mad Fox to eat you, at least pretend to fight.”
“Pretend, my ass. You think Gedrick will allow that? He'll probably cut off the new boy's leg the instant it begins.”
Gaon scowled as he spoke. Yuto listened to them and nodded.
If he failed to show his value as a gladiator in his first match, he would eventually be sent into a Deathmatch against an Evomon. Spectacle was what mattered in the Colosseum. If a coward incapable of fighting properly was dragged into a Deathmatch and executed by an Evomon, the guests would naturally cheer.
‘It might be worthwhile to request a match like that myself later.’
Winning one would certainly appeal to the nobles. As that thought passed through his mind, the door connecting the waiting room to the Colosseum opened.
“Gedrick, Yuto. You two are the first match.”
The schedule had not listed the order of the matches. It was probably intended to put the gladiators under greater mental pressure, but Yuto rose without the slightest change in expression.
Gedrick, on the other hand, wore a twisted smile. The guard whispered to him.
“Don't overdo it. Don't kill him.”
“I won't kill him.”
Gedrick said that, then stared at the guard.
“Are you using it?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Don't go too far.”
At Gedrick's answer, the guard shrugged and looked at another guard.
The man opened a locker on one side of the waiting room. Several weapons lay inside. He selected a sword and handed it to Gedrick.
“Heh.”
Gedrick's smile deepened. He had threatened to chop off Yuto's leg, and it turned out he had a sword reserved for his matches.
“That sword was sponsored for Gedrick.”
The guard directed a completely unsympathetic gaze at Yuto as he spoke.
“Depending on how you perform, someone may sponsor a weapon for you in the future. So fight as hard as you can.”
“Yes.”
The guard's eyebrow twitched at Yuto's answer. It was his first match, and his opponent even held a real sword. Yet not a trace of fear appeared in the young boy's eyes.
‘How can that be?’
Even gladiators who had undergone minimal testing in the prison inevitably froze in fear during their first match. Until now, the guard had never seen an exception. Gladiator was merely a name. Every person here was a teenage boy.
That made Yuto even more uncanny. He had not frozen into stillness from extreme fear. His eyes were calm, and even his steps toward the gate were light. That young boy truly felt no fear whatsoever.
“You're starting to regret earlier, aren't you?”
Gedrick whispered before the gate leading into the Colosseum.
“Kneel and beg now, and I'll let you off with losing your fingers instead of your leg.”
“Maybe it's because you lost another tooth, but you're spraying every word. I can't understand a thing you're saying.”
Gedrick ground his teeth at the reply. He wanted to swing his sword and cut off the insolent bastard's leg immediately, but he could not do that yet. The match had not begun.
A man in splendid clothing climbed onto the platform built in the spectator stands. Spreading his arms wide, he projected his booming voice.
“We thank every guest who has visited our Colosseum today!”
There were no referees here. Defeat came only through surrender or loss of consciousness. This man was merely an announcer, not a referee. Rather than addressing the entire audience, he bowed only toward the box seats occupied by Ebil and the nobles.
The ordinary spectators applauded. The nobles in the box seats flicked their hands arrogantly or sipped their wine with bored expressions.
“Now, let me introduce today's first match! Our first gladiator is Yuto, making his debut today!”
At the announcement, Yuto walked out into the Colosseum. Lukewarm applause drifted from the stands. Debut matches were not especially entertaining. Newcomers were usually too frightened to fight properly. The audience expected little.
“And his opponent is a rising powerhouse of the Lower League! A glorious record of eight wins and two losses! The ruthless butcher who has never let a single opponent leave intact! Geeedrick!”
Gedrick entered after Yuto, stomping into the Colosseum. A sizable cheer erupted from the audience. He raised both arms and answered their cries.
“He brought a sword? I heard his opponent is making his debut. Does he need one?”
“I suppose he wants to swing it. At least the first match won't be completely boring. That poor kid, though.”
A little anticipation bloomed in the eyes of the guests looking down on the Colosseum. Even the nobles shed some of their boredom and looked at Yuto and Gedrick.
When Yuto and Gedrick faced each other at the center of the Colosseum.
“Now that our gladiators are here, what more needs to be said?! Let the match begin!”
The announcer shouted.
Gedrick immediately kicked off the ground.
“Die!”
Closing the distance at once, Gedrick brought his sword down from above. His first blow was a downward strike filled with murderous intent. Rage over his broken front tooth had completely consumed him.
Yuto watched Gedrick's sword. It was a real blade with a keen edge. His form was terrible, but if a real sword crashed down with such brute force, it would slice clean through a child's limb.
That thought passed through Yuto's mind with perfect calm. A real sword descending right before him, filled with murderous intent. All of it felt utterly ordinary.
‘I......’
Yuto became certain once more.
‘I'm good at this.’
Yuto was calm because he felt no fear.
He had no reason to be afraid. To be honest, Gedrick's gap-toothed face looked more vicious than the sword he was swinging. The weapon appeared threatening. If it struck an unprotected body, it would surely cut flesh, sever bone, and spill blood.
If it struck. That was the condition. If it did not, there was no problem. Nor was there any reason it should. To Yuto's eyes, the sword moved unbearably slowly.
From the shoulder that moved before the blade, he could clearly see how Gedrick would swing it. The boy's center of gravity pitched forward through his feet. His leaning body was unstable. It was an attack that gave no thought to what came next. Naturally, he had no reason to consider it. Why would he need to, when swinging a sword at an unarmed, unarmored opponent?
Even in the unlikely event that Yuto dodged, an awkward evasion would leave him unable to recover, while Gedrick would still have his sword. If the first strike did not cut him, the next one would. Gedrick's path to victory in this fight was extremely simple, and it could afford to be.
Because Gedrick did not know Yuto.
‘Neither do I.’
Yuto did not know who he was either.
But of one thing he was certain. He knew this. More than merely knowing it, he excelled at it. Why? How? There was no need to think about that. Yuto did not know the method, but he entrusted himself to his senses.
The body engraved with those senses knew ‘what’ it had to do.
Swoosh.
Yuto leaned to the side. It was no large movement that required him to step away. He merely tilted his upper body diagonally.
He had predicted Gedrick's sword path with certainty. Leaning this far would be enough to evade it without fail.
Knowing that did not mean anyone could attempt such a movement. The slightest error in prediction or timing would result in his body being cut. Even the smallest fear could create that error.
Yuto did not err. He perfectly avoided Gedrick's sword, exactly as intended. The blade cut only empty air, and its momentum broke Gedrick's balance.
‘Huh?’
If Gedrick made a huge swing and Yuto made a huge evasion, he could correct his stance as much as necessary. But he could not do that now. Yuto had avoided the blade with a tiny, weightless movement. Gedrick hurriedly planted strength into his leading leg and hauled the sword upward.
At that moment, Yuto leaned forward. His body's center of gravity shifted naturally. Before Gedrick could raise the sword and attack again, Yuto's hand moved first.
Crack.
He twisted the hand holding the sword. The force devoted solely to lifting it was easily wrenched aside by power intruding from another direction. A sound rang from the wrist, followed by pain. Before Gedrick could even groan, Yuto's hand moved again.
As his wrist twisted, the strength in his fingers loosened. Yuto slipped his own fingers into the opening. Crack. Gedrick's index finger bent backward.
“Ugh......!”
Eight wins and two losses. A ruthless butcher. In the end, that record had only been built against boys of roughly equal ability. His adaptability in such a situation and his tolerance for pain were both shallow.
Gedrick could no longer hold the sword and let it go. Yuto accepted it naturally, as though it had belonged to him from the beginning.
Yuto's hand gripped the sword with overwhelming familiarity.
“You.”
Yuto spoke quietly as he guided the blade.
“A sword is wasted on you.”
SLASH!
Blood sprayed from Gedrick's right shoulder.