The rhythmic thrum of war drums vibrated in the marrow of Han Sen's bones. It was a heavy, primitive sound that echoed through the stone halls of the Golden Pavilion. He stood at the edge of the arena tunnel, his hand resting lightly on the cold, damp stone of the wall.
[HP: 10/10]
[Status: Prepared. Diamond Body Protocol Active.]
He was at full health for the first time in weeks, but he still felt like a paper crane in a windstorm. Across the sandy floor of the arena, the crowd was a sea of colors and noise. Thousands of citizens and nobles had gathered to watch the Level 1 "aberration" meet his end.
"You can still run," a voice said from the shadows behind him.
Han Sen didn't turn. He knew the scent of jasmine and sharp steel anywhere. Zhao Ling stood there, her amber eyes reflecting the torchlight. She looked at his thin frame, then at the heavy iron alchemist badge pinned to his chest.
"I don't run," Han Sen said.
He stepped out into the light. The roar of the crowd was a physical blow, a wave of heat and sound that made his ears ring. But as he walked toward the center of the pit, the noise died down, replaced by a wave of confused whispers.
"That's him? That's the one who killed Elder Fang?"
"He looks like he would break if he tripped over a pebble."
Han Sen ignored them. His gaze was fixed on the three figures standing on the opposite side of the sand. They stood in a row, their auras radiating outward like a physical weight.
Stone-Crusher Tie stood at the front. He was a mountain of a man, his skin the color of wet granite. He didn't look at Han Sen as a rival: he looked at him as a bug beneath a boot. His gaze was heavy and dismissive.
Beside him, Snake-Tongue Lin licked her lips, her green eyes shimmering with a predatory hunger. She played with a small, jade-handled dagger, her movements fluid and unnatural.
In the center sat Su Chen. The young master of the Heavenly Beast Sect was dressed in robes of white and gold. He sat on a carved chair, his chin resting on his hand. He didn't look angry or excited. He looked bored.
[Detected: Su Chen (Level 58)]
[Skill Active: Chrono-Sight (Future Prediction)]
Su Chen finally looked up. His gaze was piercing, a sharp, cold light that seemed to look through Han Sen's skin. He was already looking three seconds into the future, seeing where Han Sen would move and how he would die.
"This is the joke Elder Fang died for?" Su Chen's voice was smooth, carrying effortlessly across the arena. "I have seen seventeen different versions of the next minute. In every one of them, you are a red stain on the sand."
Han Sen didn't answer. He reached into the folds of his cloak. Ten needles of midnight-blue Star-Fall metal drifted out, hovering in a silent, perfect circle around his head.
The crowd went silent. Even Su Chen's bored expression flickered for a heartbeat. He looked at the needles, his future-sight narrowing.
"I see your needles, boy," Su Chen said, standing up. "I see where they will fly before you even think to move your finger. Speed means nothing to one who already knows the end."
Han Sen smiled. It was a cold, sharp expression that didn't reach his eyes. He opened his system. He had millions of points left. He needed to break the future.
[Skill Selection: Basic Strategy]
[Allocating Skill Points: 15,000,000]
[Basic Strategy has evolved into: Causality Paradox (Max Level).]
"You see the future?" Han Sen whispered.
He twitched his finger. One needle hissed through the air, but it didn't move in a straight line. It flickered in and out of reality, appearing in three places at once.
Su Chen's eyes widened. He jerked his head to the left to avoid a needle that wasn't there. A sharp, stinging line appeared on his right cheek as the real needle grazed his skin.
The young master of the Heavenly Beast Sect froze. He touched the blood on his face, his hand trembling. For the first time in his life, his future-sight had lied to him.
"The future is just a calculation," Han Sen said, his voice a low, terrifying hum. "And I just changed the math."
The tension in the arena broke like a glass window. The first face-slap was silent, but the blood on Su Chen's face told the entire city: the Level 1 boy was no longer the prey.