Gladiator

Demon looked at the skinny boy with blue eyes and brown hair standing on the other side of the arena. That innocent face was staring at him with a resentful expression, as if he had just received terrible news — and, well, he really had. 

The poor boy was about to fight the company's strongest employee in his very first match. And worst of all, only one of them could leave this arena alive.

But Demon wasn't comfortable with this fight either. For some reason, when he looked at Luke — dressed in a leather armor similar to his own and holding an iron sword in his right hand — he hesitated. A small hesitation that no one noticed, but still, a hesitation he had never felt before in a fight.

Demon then began walking slowly toward the center of the arena, while Luke did the same. At that moment, neither of them could hear the deafening noise coming from the stands. They were locked in each other's gaze, oblivious to everything happening outside the arena.

Because they both knew.

They both knew that one of them had to die today.

"I'm not dying here today, Demon!"

Demon was slightly surprised after hearing Luke's words. Luke no longer wore that resentful expression but rather a determined one. It was clear the boy was going to fight with everything he had, but that wasn't what surprised Demon the most.

What Demon truly didn't understand were Luke's eyes.

Those big blue eyes weren't looking at him with the usual murderous intent that people in a death match had when facing their opponent. No, those eyes... they were filled with determination, but at the same time, guilt.

As if Luke was already blaming himself for having to kill Demon today.

Seeing that, all the hesitation inside Demon vanished. He no longer cared about Luke's past or his goals — today, he was going to end the boy's life.

Demon then spoke in a cold voice, staring straight at Luke:

"You really are arrogant, rookie..."

And the moment he finished speaking, when the two were close enough to strike, a loud shout erupted from the stands:

"FIGHT!!"

That was the judge's voice. And the second Demon heard it, he dashed toward Luke.

Unlike Luke, Demon had no weapon. But the reason for that was simple — he didn't need one. With a single thought, Demon activated his Path Mark on his hand, and in an instant, the small black stain on the back of his hand expanded, stretching all the way to his fingertips and halfway up his forearm.

As Demon sprinted toward him, Luke took a firm step forward, raising his right hand — the one gripping the sword — building momentum to strike Demon with everything he had. And the moment Luke was close enough, he swung without a shred of hesitation.

However, Luke could never have predicted what was about to happen…

Demon watched calmly as Luke's sword came slashing down toward the left side of his neck. But in a single instant, Demon planted his right foot firmly on the ground near Luke and turned into the sword's path, launching a punch with his right hand straight at the blade.

And contrary to what should happen in a duel between bare fists and the sharp edge of a sword — the winner was Demon's fist. The sheer force of the impact sent the sword and Luke's arm flying backward, creating a fatal opening in the boy's defense.

And like a true killer, Demon didn't hesitate for even a second to take advantage of it. Using the momentum of his punch, Demon pivoted his right foot to the left, spinning his entire body until his back was almost facing Luke. Then, he lifted his left knee into the air, and in one fluid, devastating motion, extended his leg straight into Luke's chest.

Luke coughed up blood as he was sent flying backward from Demon's powerful kick. His body crashed hard against the ground, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop. Kneeling on the dirt, he stared at the floor in front of him — his sword had slipped from his grip during the fall and now lay a few meters away.

Knowing that fighting Demon unarmed was suicide, Luke scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the weapon, his movements shaky and unbalanced. The moment he reached it, he bent down to grab the hilt — but suddenly, a boot entered his line of sight, slamming down firmly on the blade of the sword.

Unable to pull it free, Luke had no choice but to retreat. But at that very moment, another boot appeared in his vision — this time, flying straight toward the right side of his head.

With no time to react, Luke barely managed to raise his left arm to shield himself before the brutal impact of Demon's kick sent him soaring through the air once more.

Demon ignored the sword lying on the ground and charged straight toward Luke, who was still rolling across the arena floor. However, this time, it was Demon's turn to be surprised.

The moment Luke regained his footing, the boy shot forward with insane speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Just before they collided, Luke propelled himself into the air and unleashed a devastating side kick with his right leg, aiming straight for Demon's head.

Demon couldn't react in time to Luke's insane speed, so he did the only thing he could — he raised his left arm to block the kick. But the sheer power behind Luke's strike was something he couldn't handle with just one arm. As a result, it was Demon who was sent flying this time, the impact launching him backward across the arena.

He rolled several times across the ground, momentarily dazed, trying to process what the hell had just happened. His left arm was completely numb from the impact, but even so, he didn't waste time — he got back on his feet immediately. Ready to charge at Luke again, he looked up to locate the boy — only to realize that somehow, Luke was already right in front of him, launching another powerful kick, this time with his left leg.

Knowing that blocking wasn't an option, Demon threw himself backward, dodging the kick by mere inches. But the moment his feet touched the ground again, he saw another attack coming — this time, a front kick with Luke's right leg, aimed directly at his face.

Once again, Demon's reflexes saved him. In a split-second reaction, he arched his back almost parallel to the ground, watching as Luke's foot sliced through the air just above him. And as he fell backward, Demon twisted his body mid-air, planting both hands firmly on the ground. Using them as a base, he pushed off with his full strength, launching both legs forward in a powerful counterattack.

His feet crashed into Luke's chest, sending the boy flying several meters backward. But despite the force of the hit, Luke managed to land on his feet. Demon also sprang up immediately, and for the first time since the fight had begun, both fighters simply stood there, staring at each other.

On one side, Luke was already injured from the damage he had taken from Demon's brutal kicks. He was trying to catch his breath, trying to recover. On the other, Demon hadn't taken many hits — aside from his left arm, which was still numb — but he was trying to make sense of what was happening. Because, for the first time in a long time, he was shocked by an opponent's skill.

'What the hell is this speed?!'

Demon thought to himself. Without a doubt, Luke was the fastest person he had ever fought. And he had fought a lot of people. But then... Demon quickly remembered what Luke had told him the night before.

'For him to move this fast… it looks like his Path Mark really is special. And on top of that… this bastard actually knows how to fight!'

Demon groaned internally. Luke was probably the strongest rookie he had ever seen. But thinking about it… maybe that was exactly why the company had made the boy fight him in his very first battle. They wouldn't have done this unless they truly believed Luke could be a real challenge — someone who could put on a good show for the audience.

But… Demon had no intention of standing still, thinking about it now. He had someone to kill. And as if Luke was thinking the exact same thing, both boys lunged at each other at the same time.

Demon knew Luke was faster than him, but that only made him change his approach. Even if he couldn't outmatch Luke in speed, as long as he kept his eyes on him, he could react and counter. That was it — he just needed to keep Luke in his field of vision.

As expected, Luke covered the distance between them quickly, reaching Demon first and launching a right leg side kick aimed at Demon's waist. But as if he had already anticipated it, Demon effortlessly leaped into the air, dodging the kick while throwing a straight right punch aimed at Luke's head.

Yet, Luke reacted just in time, ducking under the punch.

At the same time Luke rose back to his fighting stance, Demon landed, and without wasting another second, the two of them launched into an unrelenting exchange of strikes.

Jabs, straights, hooks, side kicks, front kicks, knee strikes, elbow strikes… They traded blow after blow at a relentless pace. But even though Luke's superior speed allowed him to throw more attacks, Demon could react to everything. He dodged, blocked, or deflected every single strike, showing his overwhelming superiority as a fighter.

And not only that — though Demon threw fewer attacks, every single one was a precise and devastating counterattack, and Luke struggled to avoid them. Bit by bit, Luke's body accumulated damage from Demon's calculated blows.

But at the very least… Luke had managed to avoid being hit by Demon's right hand.

As Demon's self-proclaimed biggest fan, Luke knew very well that Demon's most dangerous weapon wasn't his insane battle instincts, nor his vast arsenal of attacks, nor even his inhuman ability to analyze and react in the middle of a fight. No, all of those things were terrifying, but none of them were as deadly as Demon's right hand.

The hand that could win against a blade in a direct clash. The hand that could shatter bones with a single punch. The hand that had made Demon the greatest gladiator in the entire company. The devil's hand.

Up until now, Luke had barely managed to avoid taking a clean hit from that hand. But not anymore.

After dodging a left jab from Demon, Luke immediately countered with a powerful right hook aimed at Demon's head. But… what he didn't expect was that Demon had already predicted his move.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Demon stepped inside Luke's attack range. Before Luke's punch could land, Demon suddenly ducked down, disappearing from Luke's line of sight.

Panic flashed in Luke's eyes. Desperately, he looked down, trying to find Demon, trying to step backward, trying to escape whatever counterattack was coming. But it was too late.

Luke barely caught a glimpse of a blur — before an unbearable pain exploded in his abdomen. In that instant, he felt his legs give out beneath him. But before his knees could even hit the ground — he was sent flying backward, his body launched through the air by sheer force.

Demon's right hand had connected. A devastating right hook aimed directly at Luke's liver.

His internal organs trembled from the impact. It was over.

Demon looked at Luke, lying on the ground, struggling with all his might to get up — but failing. After taking a hit like that, it was simply impossible for Luke's legs to obey him.

Demon also noticed that Luke had landed near his sword, which had been lying on the ground this whole time. But he didn't pay it much attention — the boy had no strength left to fight back.

Slowly, Demon began walking toward Luke to finish the job. After all, the boy couldn't fight anymore.

But… in a desperate, futile attempt to recover, Luke slammed his fists against his legs and let out a roar that echoed throughout the entire arena:

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

Demon ignored the scream and continued walking toward him. And then — the impossible happened. With sheer effort, Luke's legs finally obeyed him — and the boy stood up.

As if fate itself was toying with Demon, Luke's eyes darted to the side — where he spotted his sword lying nearby. Without wasting a second, Luke snatched the weapon off the ground and locked eyes with Demon, his face burning with determination.

And then, with a voice filled with absolute resolve, he declared:

"I already told you... I'M NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!!"

Seeing the determination of Luke, for a moment, a short moment, Demon hesitated. Remembering all the story Luke had told him, remembering Luke's objective and the boy's reasons, Demon hesitated for a moment. And while a quick thought that he shouldn't kill Luke crossed his mind, Demon made his first mistake in this fight.

He lost Luke from his sight.

And because of that mistake, when his eyes finally found Luke, it was already too late. He could only see the blade's edge cutting swiftly in his direction and raised his left arm to prevent his face from being slashed. He felt a burning pain in his forearm as the sword sliced through.

He didn't need much to realize it was a deep cut, and his left arm was now practically useless. But unfortunately for him, this was far from over. As if refusing to give Demon any chance to recover, Luke slashed again, this time from his left, aiming for Demon's stomach.

Unable to block in time, Demon could only push himself backward, but it wasn't enough — the sword pierced through his armor and carved another deep wound, this time on the right side of his abdomen.

Demon took another step back, but the situation he was in was simply too unfavorable. Before he could recover, he saw the blade once again, this time coming from Luke's right — a high strike, aiming to cut Demon's neck and take his head along with it.

Demon knew — it was too late to try anything. He simply had no strength nor opportunity to stop or evade that strike.

Accepting that the end had come, Demon closed his eyes, and a strange feeling of freedom and peace filled his heart.

It was finally over. He was finally free from this hell.