The Red Goblet sold the most expensive liquor in this provincial city. Wine imported from the distant capital of Balistera, distilled spirits supposedly made by an artisan in some mountain village, and more. The display cases were packed with fine alcohol that the city's commoners could never dream of buying.
But the establishment had another, true purpose. Deep in its wine cellar lay a secret door ordinary customers could not enter.
Opening that door and descending the stairs led to the vast Colosseum spread beneath the city.
The Red Goblet was not its only entrance. Several businesses throughout the city connected to the Colosseum: inns, restaurants, general stores, and more. Though they appeared ordinary from the outside, each doubled as an entrance.
This was possible because the entire city belonged to Ebil.
“Hmm.”
The red-horned woman spoke as she examined the bottles on display.
The Crimson Ringmistress.
One of the Eclipse, the seven monsters whom even kingdoms could not oppose. She traced a finger over a bottle's label and chuckled.
“What's with that expression? Didn't you want to meet me?”
Ebil fidgeted, her cheeks flushed red. None of her usual composure or arrogance remained. Her clothing was disheveled, and her breathing kept trembling.
“I-I never imagined you would v-visit today, Lady Crimson......”
“Ah, I was scheduled to come tomorrow. Shall I leave if you aren't ready to welcome me?”
“N-no—there's n-no need for that.”
Ebil answered haltingly, not daring to raise her head. The visit one day ahead of schedule had startled her into rushing upstairs, but there was no problem. The Colosseum was closed anyway in preparation for the following day.
“Ervina Cares.”
Crimson picked up one of the bottles and turned toward Ebil. Ebil's shoulders flinched at the sound of her name.
“For a noble lady playing house, you've gone to impressive lengths. Of all the businesses you could have chosen, why a colosseum?”
“I-I......”
Ebil steadied her ragged breathing and spoke.
“When I was young, I visited your Colosseum, Lady Crimson. I was enchanted by the sight of y-you reigning over it......”
“Hmm.”
Crimson smiled as she caressed the bottle in her arms.
“As its owner, I'm grateful that my Colosseum excited you so much. Is that why you built one?”
“Yes...... Th-that's right. It's a shabby place compared to your Colosseum, Lady Crimson......”
“It's below us, isn't it?”
Crimson whispered after drawing a deep breath.
“I can smell blood from underground. Lead the way.”
“Y-yes......!”
“Oh, can I take this?”
Crimson asked as she raised the bottle. Ebil's shoulders trembled faintly, and she nodded.
“Yes......! If any of the liquor here pleases you, please feel free to take it.”
“One bottle is enough.”
Crimson answered with a faint laugh.
***
“What in the world is happening?”
Gaon blinked anxiously and kept glancing around. The guards had hurried them out into the Colosseum, where not only the Lower League gladiators but every gladiator from the Middle League and Upper League had gathered.
Even all the Evomon had been assembled. Well over a hundred gladiators and Evomon now stood in the Colosseum.
Yuto looked behind him. Of all the Evomon, only the Mad Fox remained imprisoned in a cage, bound by its magical blindfold and chains. Unlike the others, it was completely impossible to control.
“Has anything like this happened before?”
“Not as far as I know.”
Rugil answered tensely.
“This is the first time I've seen gladiators from the other leagues. And look over there. Even the prison slaves who haven't become gladiators are here.”
Slaves dressed in little more than rags, without even chokers around their necks. Jackie was among them. He recognized Yuto and looked startled, but the guards standing watch with drawn swords frightened him too much to approach.
“There aren't even any guests...... Why did they gather everyone here?”
“Maybe they're making us do a deep clean?”
Rugil's brows drew sharply together at Gaon's suggestion, and he glared sideways.
“Say something that makes sense.”
“Hey, if that's not it, why stand us all out here? Like you said, there aren't even any guests......”
“Shh.”
Yuto cut Gaon off. A door in the upper stands had opened.
Ebil emerged first, and someone followed her. A woman with red horns, carrying a bottle of liquor. The instant Yuto saw her—
Thump.
His heart began to race. Thump, thump, thump. His breathing quickened along with its wild pounding, and his clenched fists trembled without him realizing it.
The sensation was the exact opposite of what he had felt upon seeing the Mad Fox. Then, longing and sorrow had filled his chest. What surged within it now was—
Murderous intent.
He felt a blazing hatred and an impulse to wring the woman's neck that very instant.
‘What...... is this?’
His nails dug into his palms until they bled, but he did not even feel the pain. He had certainly never seen the woman before, at least as far as he remembered. Even so, an indescribable hatred boiled in the depths of his heart.
‘I...... know that woman.’
Certainty welled up that the woman whose name he did not even know was an ‘enemy.’ A stab of pain shot through his head, as though his skull would split. Murderous intent and hostility tangled with memories that seemed on the verge of surfacing, surging violently toward her.
“Hey, what's wrong with you?”
Gaon flinched when he saw Yuto's face. All color had drained from Yuto's usually impassive features, and his eyes had sunk into a murderous glare.
“It's...... nothing.”
Yuto answered briefly, forcibly suppressing the boiling impulse. He had to calm down. Giving himself over to it would accomplish nothing. A high wall separated the upper and lower levels of the Colosseum, guards with swords stood everywhere, and a choker encircled Yuto's neck.
No, none of that actually mattered. Yuto knew it instinctively.
No matter what his ‘current’ self tried, he could not kill that woman. He knew that simply by looking at her from afar. She existed on another plane. That was a true monster wearing a beautiful shell. At that monster's whim, every life here could vanish like dust.
“Everyone, lower your heads!”
After guiding the woman to the VIP section, Ebil shouted. Unlike usual, her voice trembled with excitement.
“Today! A most honored person has visited this Colosseum! One of the Eclipse......! Mistress of the Blood Arena! Lady Crimson Ringmistress!”
The gladiators assembled in the Colosseum were horrified. A monster whom even a kingdom dared not provoke stood before them. Terror flooded their faces at the realization.
Seated in the VIP section, Crimson gazed down at the Colosseum with a bored expression. She uncorked the bottle in her hand and slowly surveyed the hundred or so gladiators and Evomon gathered below.
“Is this all of them?”
“Y-yes......! It is!”
Ebil hurriedly sat beside Crimson as she answered.
“They are all slaves who belong to me. I'm sure they appear utterly insignificant to you, Lady Crimson, but I have trained them to obey any command I give.”
“Slaves, hmm.”
Crimson cocked her head. Ebil glanced at the bottle in Crimson's hand, wondering when she should offer one of the wineglasses she carried. Naturally, she held two.
“I see you have no Nobility Class.”
“N-no...... No, I have not yet been able to prepare gladiators of that class.”
“What were you planning to show me?”
Crimson rested her chin on one hand and gazed steadily at Ebil. Ebil swallowed under those crimson eyes before answering.
“I will show you anything you desire. A one-on-one match, a team battle, a Deathmatch, a fight to the death against an Evomon......! Simply say the word.”
“Hmm.”
Crimson tilted her head and turned her gaze back toward the Colosseum. Every gladiator bowed low, their bodies trembling.
Ebil anxiously studied Crimson's mood. She did not appear particularly interested. It was inevitable. The gladiators of Crimson's Blood Arena existed on an entirely different level from those here. Even members of the Nobility Class blessed by Constellations competed there.
Ebil knew that, but as no more than an ordinary noble, she could not recruit the Nobility Class as gladiators. Why would such people ever lack anything enough to become gladiators in the first place? Ebil herself was a noble. She enjoyed watching death struggles from above but could not even imagine personally taking part in such filthy combat below.
“Every one of them.”
Crimson spoke.
“They're wearing shackles. To force them to obey your orders, I assume?”
“Y-yes......? Yes, that's right. With one gesture from me, their chokers will sever their necks......”
“You see,”
Crimson's hand caressed Ebil's cheek. Ebil's shoulders flinched at the gentle touch.
“I hate those who look down from above.”
Her red eyes curved into crescents.
“I dislike those who believe they are unconditionally ‘above.’ When you drag them down and make them wallow in the mud, they become so alike that you can't distinguish them from those who were there from the beginning.”
“......What?”
“In my arena, those born to the nobility who enjoyed privilege their entire lives struggle desperately to survive one more day. Why do you think that is? It's simple. Because I threw them in there.”
Crimson whispered with a gentle smile. Ebil stared blankly, unable to immediately grasp her meaning. The fingers caressing her cheek slid downward and seized one of the wineglasses she held.
“You wrote it in your letter. You admire and respect me. You imitated my Colosseum because of that. Honestly, I didn't expect much, but this really is a noble lady playing house. If you want to be like me, this isn't enough.”
—SWISH! Red light shot from Crimson's fingertips and wound around Ebil's waist in an instant.
“Playing house isn't enough.”
Crimson whispered languidly. Before Ebil could react, her body shot into the air. A moment later, it sailed over the railing of the VIP section and plunged into the Colosseum below.
“Ah......?!”
Ebil cried out in belated surprise. She hurriedly twisted and tried to cast magic, but her body, bound by the whip, could not produce any. BOOM! She slammed into the dirt floor of the Colosseum as she struggled. Dust soiled her splendid clothes, and her elegantly styled hair came undone.
“Urgh......!”
Ebil groaned where she had struck the ground. The hundred or so gladiators in the Colosseum stared at her in shock. Sitting alone in the VIP section, Crimson giggled as she poured the red liquor into her glass.
Ebil staggered to her feet. The whip that had encircled her waist had already returned to Crimson. Swallowing a groan, Ebil looked up at her.
“You said you would show me anything I wanted, didn't you?”
Crimson whispered as she swirled the wineglass. Crackle, crackle. The whip that had returned to her hand began to rise slowly into the air, shedding red light.
“What I want to see is a Deathmatch. One where privilege and rank mean nothing, where everyone wallows in the mud and struggles desperately just to survive.”
The light radiating from the whip began to spread across the entire Colosseum. It was Crimson's aether. The blood-red energy rippled into an enormous veil and descended upon the arena. The gladiators could barely breathe beneath its overwhelming plane of existence, and the Evomon trembled and cowered.
Yuto felt the energy with his entire body. His skin prickled, and his instincts screamed. The power of a being on an entirely different plane bore down on the whole Colosseum.
Crackle, crackle.
Red light seeped into the chokers around the gladiators' necks.
—CRACK! Every slave's choker shattered at once. The restraints around the limbs of the Evomon broke apart in the same fashion.
“What......?!”
The gladiators stared in horror. Those chokers could never be removed by their own strength. The magical restraints that severed the wearer's neck if forcibly removed had crumbled helplessly before Crimson's aether.
“L-Lady Crimson?!”
Ebil, still below in the Colosseum, shouted with her face drained white. The means by which she controlled her slaves was gone. Crimson ignored the cry and spoke.
“Struggle, all of you.”
Crimson took a sip from her glass and continued.
“If you entertain me, I'll let you live.”