A muscular, black-haired boy with sharp eyes appears.
He is the same boy who shouted at the contestants earlier and quickly led a group into the arena.
He was running swiftly through the stone pillars, an expression of intense panic covering his face.
He was gasping heavily as he ran at full speed, and a memory surfaced in his mind from when he had first entered the arena with the group.
At the beginning, they had been moving cautiously, and for a while, they had successfully avoided the falling pillars.
They had already crossed a considerable distance, to the point that he had begun boasting in front of his group:
“That’s how men should be!
They must be courageous.
“What good is victory without taking risks?”
One of his followers praised him:
“Long live Lord Icarus! He is a true warrior!”
The rest of the group followed with the chant:
“Long live Lord Icarus! He is a true warrior!”
One of them commented:
“Let Ryota sit outside the arena changing the diapers of cowards while we make history here!”
The group laughed, and upon hearing those words, Icarus smiled with immense pride.
And while they were absorbed in their chanting and laughter, Icarus’s pupils suddenly contracted until they were no larger than pinpoints…
No time to think…
No time to warn them…
No time to hesitate…
Not even time to look…
In a fraction of a second, without even realizing what the danger was, his body reacted instinctively, throwing itself sideways with all the strength it could muster!
A pillar had fallen without making any cracking sound beforehand!
Crushed corpses…
Shattered bones…
Blood spraying through the air…
And the voice of one of his followers, whose lower body had been crushed beneath the stones.
As he lay dying, he reached a hand toward Icarus and called out:
“Captain… save me…”
Icarus stared at him with stunned eyes, his tongue still unable to speak.
One of the stones rolled and fell onto the follower’s head, crushing it and putting an end to his suffering.
The white matter inside his brain splattered across Icarus’s face.
Icarus remained standing silently for several moments, nothing but shock filling his entire face.
Then, gradually, his heartbeat accelerated to its absolute limit.
For several moments, he was gasping as though breathing itself had become an extremely exhausting task.
And without willing it, he began running at full speed…
End of memory…
Icarus continued running for some time.
As he ran past one of the pillars, a faint cracking sound reached his ears.
His eyes widened for a moment, and he glanced upward from the corner of his eye, only to see the pillar falling directly onto him!
In a moment between life and death, his body reacted swiftly, throwing itself at full speed toward the opposite side of the falling pillar.
He barely survived, and the pillar crashed to the ground.
Icarus stood there, still gasping heavily, staring at the wreckage of the pillar that had nearly killed him, his hands trembling.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself slightly. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
But…
For a moment, his vision turned bloody…
The next moment, his vision turned into complete darkness…
The moment after that, his consciousness vanished completely…
A pile of rubble from one of the fallen pillars appears.
From between the stones, a human hand can be seen…
It was Icarus’s hand…
He had died without even realizing it…
…
Just before Ryota, Evander, and Mizushi entered the arena, one of the contestants called out to Ryota, interrupting them.
Alliance Leader Hitoshi:
“Lord Ryota, I hope you don’t mind us joining your group. We have observed the arena carefully and gathered some information. I promise we’ll be of help to you.”
Ryota narrowed his eyes and gave him a sharp look before speaking firmly:
“If you want to follow me…
“No questions.
“No objections.
“No side discussions.
“No suggestions.
“If I say right, you go right.
If I say left, you go left.
“Following me means keeping your focus on the arena, the positions of the pillars, the locations of the pillar debris, and even the movement of the wind itself.
“Don’t ask, Don’t argue, Don’t suggest, Just put all your focus into observing the situation around you and carrying out my orders.
“And if I give an order, even if it seems illogical, you will carry it out without question.
I’ll only explain what you need to know.
And don’t worry, I won’t order you to run toward a falling pillar.
“Our priority here is survival first and success second.
And let me be honest with you :
Even after observing and analyzing the situation for all this time, I still know very little about the mechanics of this test and the nature of its traps.
In other words, even if you follow my orders, I cannot guarantee everyone’s survival.
“Actually, let me be even more blunt and say it outright:
Casualties are bound to pile up at some point !
“One last piece of advice…
Whoever feels fear gripping their heart should stay here for about an hour.
The test will be completely over by then, but at least you’ll keep your life, and that is worth more than any opportunity.
“And since we’re short on time, you have thirty seconds to decide whether you will follow me or not. That’s the longest I’ll wait.”
Some of the contestants began discussing whether they should follow Ryota or not.
Some saw Ryota as an overbearing leader, while others believed Ryota’s reasoning was justified given the critical situation.
Some thought they should follow Ryota and observe his competence as a leader first; if he was good, they would support him, and if he proved otherwise, they would leave him…
Amidst everyone, Hitoshi stepped forward and shouted at the contestants:
“What the hell are you discussing?!
“It’s enough that Ryota is the hero who killed that damn bull and avenged the deaths of the older brothers…
“He cared about us and gave us advice throughout the entire test.
He even stopped to free some of you from the traps, and in return, he gave up his lead several times…
“Even if his words are somewhat harsh, at least he doesn’t sell false hope. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Instead, he presents a calculated risk, and his strict instructions are nothing more than an attempt to save as many of you as possible in a hellish test like this!
“He has shown us such generosity, and you’re still seriously questioning whether you should follow him?!
“Well, I’m not!”
He walked toward Ryota, stood before him respectfully, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly as he said:
“This warrior pledges his loyalty to the leader!”
Many quickly followed him, clasping their hands together and bowing slightly as they said:
“These warriors pledge their loyalty to the leader!”
Ryota looked toward the crowd.
There was no pride or arrogance on his face.
Instead, he studied their faces, emotion filling his eyes as he thought:
“The academy system usually lasts four years, and the Twilight Academy is no exception.
Some training groups, over such a long period, will have formed a brotherly bond among themselves.
So when he said ‘older brothers,’ he was most likely referring to the oldest among them, the most skilled among them, or perhaps their leaders.
“Their deaths must have been a tremendous shock and a source of great pain for them. So it’s not strange that they accepted my strict conditions so easily. After all, more than anything, they see me as the hero who avenged their brothers’ deaths and even protected the rest of them from that raging bull…”
Ryota’s heart grew heavy with emotion and responsibility, and he spoke firmly:
“And this leader accepts you!
“Warriors, let us carve our path toward the summit!”
Everyone shouted:
“To the summit! To the summit!”
Evander became excited and shouted:
“Let’s go! To the summit!…”
He and Ryota were the first to enter the arena.
Mizushi watched the contestants follow Ryota and Evander, running into the arena behind them.
For several moments, he felt a shiver run through his body as he thought:
“Casualties really are bound to pile up at some point?!…
“This isn’t merely a shocking truth.
This isn’t merely excessive credibility!
“It’s closer to a delayed death sentence!
“They don’t realize the meaning behind your words…
and you know that very well!
“Even if your principles are more noble, if you’re going to exploit their ignorance and blind obedience to you, even if it is for their collective benefit, then what difference is there between you and the system you’re condemning?!
“Perhaps your decision is the best one for the greater good, but what words could ever compensate the person who will become cannon fodder?!
“If he knew that he was a victim of the greater good, would he have decided to follow you from the beginning?!
“If you can’t save them anyway, then why take responsibility for them from the beginning?!…”
His hand trembled violently.
He struggled to breathe as he stared at Ryota, who was running at the front of the group, the shock still filling his face.
And as he stared at him amid the excitement of the contestants…
It was as though time had slowed for a few moments…
Mizushi noticed that Ryota had turned his head and looked toward him with a sharp gaze, displeasure filling his face…
And involuntarily, Mizushi’s body moved, and he followed them…
Only then did Ryota turn his gaze forward again…
………………..
Abdelrahman :
Did Ryota really look toward Mizushi, or has Mizushi already begun to….