"We can only survive this together!"
It took me a moment to remember the girl.
I had seen her when we entered the arena.
She was the only girl left alive.
All the others were dead.
If I remembered correctly, she was one of the spear users.
Her number was 16.
She was the only one who spoke up in this situation.
The others, just like myself, were focused on their own survival.
I didn't even think about communicating with them.
My only goal was to survive.
It didn't matter if the others survived or not.
But—
She was right.
I couldn't survive alone.
I couldn't slay a hundred wolves just by myself.
We had to work together.
Then, maybe one of us could survive.
But—
Her words...
They kept circling in my mind.
Her shout as she fought against the wolves.
It made something stir inside me.
AWOO!
There was no time.
I pushed this feeling away and focused on the beasts before me.
Only ten.
I gripped my sword tighter.
We only had to kill ten of these beasts each.
ROAR!
Two wolves lunged at me, jaws wide, teeth bared, aiming for my arms.
Step.
I took half a step forward and delivered a diagonal slash at both of them as they jumped at me.
Slrrsh.
The right wolf lost a leg and crashed into the sand.
Thud.
The strike wasn't strong enough and only grazed the other, a shallow cut across its chest, but it was enough to drive it back.
I turned my sword and stabbed downward at the crippled one on the ground.
Shuk.
A clean stab through the skull ended it instantly.
I pulled my sword back into guard.
'That's number three.'
AWOO!
Another pair attacked.
One of them was the wolf I had previously injured. It slashed at my left arm with its claws while the other leaped straight for my throat.
They were too fast.
I couldn't block both of them.
The decision felt easy.
I chose the more dangerous one and drove my sword forward.
To survive—
Shuk.
My sword pierced the leaping wolf's chest.
—sacrifices had to be made.
Skrtch.
The other wolf slashed my left forearm open before retreating.
"Aghh!"
A scream escaped me as pain shot through my arm.
Blood poured down, warm and sticky.
I glanced down.
The wound wasn't deep.
Just flesh.
I could endure it.
Slrrt.
I ripped my sword free and stepped back into line with the other teens.
Four corpses now lay before me.
The ground was uneven, slick with blood.
If I tripped—
I would die.
The wolves gave me a moment of rest.
I used it and looked at my injured arm more carefully.
A few small holes surrounded my wrist, and three deep claw marks ran along my forearm.
Blood streamed down, coloring it crimson.
No vital arteries were hit.
A relieved sigh left me.
RAWR!
I had focused too long on my injuries.
The same wolf attacked again, this time aiming for my neck.
It leaped, jaw wide, closing in on me.
My eyes widened.
Shock and surprise made me almost scream.
But even though my eyes were slow.
My body wasn't.
Before I knew it—
Swoosh.
My sword drove forward.
But—
RAAH!
It was already too late.
For a moment.
Everything slowed.
My blade rushing toward its chest.
Its claws reaching for my throat.
How its jaw opened, drops of saliva traveling through the air.
The way it floated in the air, jumping over the barricades of corpses as if they were nothing.
Grey fur swirled as it moved, catching the arena lights.
Seconds stretched.
They felt like minutes.
And I watched it all happen.
Then—
As its claws closed on my throat.
Clang.
Claws struck metal.
Once again—
The same metal that reminded me every day that I was nothing more than someone else's property—
Saved me.
The claws bounced aside after hitting my collar, and my sword pierced its chest.
Shuk.
Thud.
The wolf collapsed at my feet.
I stared for a heartbeat.
Realization came a second later.
I had almost died.
Haah.
The wolf was dead.
Haah.
The fear wasn't gone.
Haah.
The terror stayed.
Haah.
Death.
Hah.
My breathing quickened.
Hah.
My heart slammed against my chest.
But—
There was no place for fear in this arena.
AWOO!
The next wolf lunged at me.
I reacted on instinct, swinging my sword blindly toward the sound.
Slrrsh.
A shallow cut across its leg drove it back.
But—
The true terror hadn't even arrived.
ROAR!
"AGHHH!"
A scream tore through the arena, making my head turn.
My eyes widened at the scene before me.
To my left—
A teen was overwhelmed.
One wolf was biting into his leg, dragging him out of the circle. Another leaped for his face, jaw wide.
He had already lost his balance. Pain made his expression twist as he fell.
His sword moved, swinging blindly around while his other hand searched helplessly for something to steady himself.
"AGH—"
His scream died down as the second wolf jumped on his chest and bit straight into his throat.
Splurt.
Blood erupted, coloring both wolves' fur crimson.
The teen died instantly, but that didn't make the wolves stop.
The wolf at his leg pulled even harder, trying to drag him out of the circle while the other bit deeper into his throat.
They pulled in opposite directions—
Spurt.
Blood sprayed around as the wolf ripped his entire head off.
The rest of the boy's body was pulled out of the circle.
His corpse vanished into the swarm of wolves beyond the circle.
Just gone.
As if he was never there.
The horrifying scene had frozen me for a moment too long.
But seeing that the wolf that ripped his head off lost its balance made me move again.
Step.
I stepped forward and launched myself off the ground.
In the same motion, I twisted my blade and plunged it with all my weight into the wolf's back as I appeared above it.
Shuk.
My blade pierced its back before the rest of my body followed.
Thud.
The wolf smashed into the ground beneath me and died instantly.
Slrrt.
I tore the sword free, blood splashing around me.
Step.
And stepped forward, filling the gap before lifting my sword into guard again.
My lips parted, and I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"ONE DEAD! CLOSE THE GAP!"
ROAR!
Another wolf was already lunging at me.
I hadn't even seen him approach before his sharp fangs were in front of my face.
There wasn't enough time to move my sword.
I slid one foot back, gaining balance, and reached my left wrist forward as its jaws snapped shut.
Chomp.
"Aghh!"
Its sharp teeth dug into my flesh around the shackle, but the bite was weak, partially blocked by the hard metal around my wrist.
I clenched my jaw at the pain and braced for impact.
Thud.
The wolf's body followed, slamming into me.
Skrtch.
Its claws slashed across my torso as it steadied itself.
But I held my footing.
My right arm moved at once, stabbing into its chest before it could attack again.
Shuk.
Just as my sword pierced its chest.
Skrtch!
Dug its front claws into my chest as it reached for my throat.
The stab had pushed it back at least, leaving only scraping marks on my chest before it died.
Thud.
The wolf dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Haah.
I took a breath and repositioned myself, stepping into formation, and lifted my sword again.
Uneasiness wanted me to turn and look if the others had closed the gap as well.
But I didn't dare to take my eyes off the wolves.
It was a strange feeling.
Placing your trust in the hands of strangers.
And it wasn't just trust.
My life.
I could die if they made a mistake.
A wolf could break through and bite into my neck at any moment.
But there was nothing else I could do besides trusting them.
AWOO!
My focus snapped back to the wolves.
Streaks of grey and black flashed before me.
Fast.
Too fast for my eyes to follow.
But I took a chance as none attacked and focused on the corner of my vision.
Silhouettes stood at my right and left.
Their shapes weren't clear.
But it was enough to see that they were humans.
A blur of grey moved before me.
I shifted my focus at once and tried to track its movement.
Some of their moves were visible when I focused deeply, but it wasn't enough.
A wolf drew closer as if to attack when—
"HEY! SHACKLE BOY! USE YOUR EYES!"
A shout broke my focus.
I had lost it for only a moment—
RAWR!
—and it was already upon me.
It raised its front leg, aiming for my left arm.
I couldn't track its movements—
Swoosh.
But my body could.
I drove my sword forward and plunged the blade into its throat.
Shuk.
Thud.
Another corpse that would hinder my movement.
But that wasn't important.
I lifted my sword into guard and thought about the shout from before.
Shackle boy was likely me.
But what does 'use your eyes' mean?
I am using them right now, looking at the beasts?
So what the fuck does using your eyes mean?
And thinking about the voice... wasn't it a girl's voice?
Was she standing beside me?
Having no time to waste on these useless thoughts, I decided to ask directly.
"GIRL! HOW THE FUCK SHOULD I USE MY EYES?!"
ROAR!
Another wolf lunged at me, but I drove it back with a quick slash to its leg.
Awoo!
The wolf shrieked and retreated, vanishing into the pack.
I turned my head toward the girl after gaining a moment of rest and shouted again.
"I AM USING THEM RIGHT NOW TO LOOK AT YOU!"
The girl was fending off a pair of wolves as I shouted.
They lunged at her from both sides, jaws wide, aiming to bite her head off.
She moved at once and thrusted at one of them, plunging her spear into its chest before changing her grip and pushing its body against the other.
Thud.
The wolf was slammed to the ground under the weight, but its legs moved at once, pushing the corpse off before retreating.
Slrrt.
The girl pulled the spear free, streaks of red traveling through the air.
She glanced around, checking for other wolves, before turning toward me.
Blood had painted her blonde hair in a murky brown with streaks of red. A pair of green eyes stared at me with a look of annoyance and exhaustion.
Her lips parted as she shouted angrily.
"MANA YOU IDIOT! ENHANCE YOUR EYES!"