UNIFIED W

Chapter 4: Phase one, part 2

"And so, let the first phase begin now."

As soon as the clan leaders explained the rules, they stepped back, and a commentator took their place to comment on the royal battle.

The entire world fell silent, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Inside the arena, the participants stood still, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Sweat dripped from Kai's face, and the only thing on his mind was how to be useful to Zeru and May.

Zeru noticed Kai struggling and tried to cheer him up.

"Keep it together, Kai. These losers are no match for the mighty Zeru of the Fire Clan."

"I wish I had your confidence, Zeru."

Before Zeru could say another word, a team leaped from behind and launched their attack.

"Zeru!!"

"Don't worry about me, Kai. Focus on keeping each other safe. I can handle these losers."

The commentator's voice came through the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that one team has ganged up on one of the most promising candidates this year: Zeru from the Fire Clan."

The commentator's words made everyone shift their attention from the other fights to Zeru's.

Zeru was pushed from the corner to the center of the arena, away from Kai and May.

"Give up while you can, fire boy."

"It's three against one."

Zeru kept his composure and dodged their attacks with ease.

"You'd better run while you still have your legs."

The three participants ignored Zeru's warning and launched a full-force attack.

Zeru drew his chain knife, and his bright red eyes blazed with intensity.

With a single swing of his chain knife, Zeru inflicted severe burns that left them unable to stand.

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Zeru of the Fire Clan, also known as the Future Flame, has emerged victorious against an entire team."

The entire arena erupted in cheers, shouting Zeru's name.

"Zeru."

"Zeru."

"Zeru."

***

Soon after Zeru's fight, a mysterious man began rampaging through the arena and had already taken down ten teams.

The man was no ordinary person; he had the physique of a martial artist in his prime, with visible scars and tattoos on his body.

He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark pants.

Blood from his opponent was smeared across his brown hair and trickling down into his dark-silver eyes, giving him a menacing, killer appearance.

The commentator's voice got everyone excited once again.

"What's this? One individual taking down ten teams all by himself."

All eyes were now on the mysterious man.

The commentator received information about the mysterious man and was now sharing it with the crowd in the arena.

"Listen up, everyone. According to our data, the man's name is Vin, from the Earth Clan."

The crowd in the arena whispered among themselves, trying to find someone who had seen Vin's fight.

"What? He's from the Earth Clan?"

"Did anyone see him use Earth abilities?"

As whispers filled the arena, one voice from the crowd rose above the rest, trembling with fear.

"H...h...he didn't use any powers. In fact, the only thing he used was his bare hands."

"How is that even possible?"

As the crowd chatted among themselves, phase one was drawing to a close, and everyone was going into defensive mode to secure their positions for the next phase.

***

"Since the test began, Kai and May have barely moved, remaining in defensive mode."

"May was on her toes, trying to avoid fights."

"How are you holding up, Kai?"

"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about all this fighting happening around me."

May glanced back at Kai.

"I don't like your gloomy attitude. Why can't you be as energetic as Zeru for once? Look at how much he's enjoying himself out there."

Kai immediately gave May a response.

"You don't know anything about Zeru. His passions can overtake him and make him obsess easily."

"Why is he like that?"

"He prefers to do everything alone. He's overconfident in his strength and doesn't believe he needs help when fighting."

Suddenly, May jumped out of the way and knocked out someone who was sneaking up behind Kai.

"Listen up, Kai. Let's close the gap between us and Zeru."

"You're right, May. If we do that, we'll have a better chance of surviving this."

As May and Kai moved toward Zeru, they were unaware that someone had been watching from the shadows all along.

It didn't matter how strong Zeru was. If the participants used the rules to their advantage, they could eliminate him for good.

The remaining participants went after Kai and May, splitting them up.

May was shouting to Kai from across the arena.

"Don't you dare lose to them, Kai!"

May was up against only one team, which felt like a distraction. The real focus was on Kai.

Kai was facing two teams at once and wasn't sure how to react; he froze as soon as they surrounded him.

This forced Kai to quickly analyze his surroundings.

'As long as they don't attack simultaneously, I have the advantage. They can't kill me, and the only way they could win is if I lose consciousness.'

One of them charged at Kai, trying to grab his legs.

Kai noticed him immediately, jumped over him, and countered with a drop kick.

The guy fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

As soon as the guy fell to the ground, the crowd's attention shifted to Kai and his fight, and the commentator began speaking through the speakers.

"What do we have here, folks? The powerless boy can stand on his own?"

The crowd didn't like that Kai could stand up to multiple opponents at once, especially since he was considered the weakest in this year's test.

Kai could hear people insulting him, but he could also make out Zeru's voice from a distance.

"Don't listen to them. They don't know how strong and brave you are. This will be over soon, so don't give up. FIGHT!"

This inspired Kai to believe in himself and find the courage to push through.

'Zeru was right. I've worked so hard to get this far. So what if I don't have the same power as everyone else in the arena?'

"Thanks, Zeru, for cheering me up. I feel much better now."

Kai pulled out his sword and took his battle stance. His heart was beating out of his chest.

"I don't want to be a burden to Zeru and May anymore."

Kai gave his opponent a confident face...

"Come at me!"