Crystal Bank 27

Altair, with a swift motion, grabbed the cyborg by the neck and plunged the tail spike into his heart. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the silver mask with a ghastly red. The cyborg struggled in agony, his hands covering his eyes, howling in pain. Altair then stood up, looking down at the cyborg with a cold, detached gaze, his eyes as icy as the snow.

The crowd around cheered like a tidal wave for their arena victor. "Punishment! Punishment! Punishment!" Golden light flowed from the roof, as if crowning him with a golden crown.

Altair looked down at the nearly frenzied gamblers below; some had seized vast fortunes here, while others had been dragged into the arena by the dealers. Purple and gold beams of light illuminated their faces, making them look like clowns with painted faces, monstrous in their grotesqueness.