chapter 51: The Blood price

Chapter 51: The Blood Price

The coliseum was a beast of stone and sound, its breath thick with sweat, blood, and the roar of a hundred hungry voices. Beneath the dim lights, Rin flexed his fingers around the worn hilt of his dagger, rolling his neck as Edmund Verrain watched him from across the pit.

A low hum of excitement passed through the crowd. Bets were placed. Drinks were spilled. The scent of iron and smoke clung to the air. This wasn't just a fight—it was a spectacle. And Rin knew that here, under the eyes of those who fed off violence, survival was the only thing that mattered.

Edmund tilted his head, amber eyes gleaming as he spun his dagger between his fingers. "I hope you've improved, Rin," he mused. "Otherwise, this will be disappointingly short."

Rin exhaled, steadying his heartbeat. "You'll see soon enough."

The announcer raised his hand.

"No rules. No mercy. Begin."

A bell clanged. The fight had begun.

Edmund moved first, a blur of motion, closing the distance with a practiced ease that sent alarms through Rin's body. Steel flashed in the dim light—too fast to track.

Instinct took over. Rin twisted away, narrowly dodging the first strike, but Edmund was already adjusting. A knee slammed into Rin's ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. Before he could recover, the dagger followed, carving a shallow line across his arm.

The crowd erupted, laughing and jeering.

Rin hissed through his teeth, shaking the pain off.

"Predictable," Edmund sighed, flicking the blood off his blade. "I expected more."

Rin didn't respond. He just breathed, watching.

Edmund was fast, but he was cocky. He always aimed for a flashy, brutal kill, making a show of his superiority. That was his weakness.

Rin adjusted his stance. This time, he wouldn't fight Edmund's battle.

Edmund lunged again. Rin sidestepped at the last moment, his dagger slicing—not at Edmund's torso, but at his thigh. A precise, controlled cut.

Edmund grunted, staggering back. He glanced down at the wound, then back at Rin.

Something in his expression flickered.

The crowd had noticed, too. A few murmurs rippled through the stands.

Rin exhaled slowly.

He can bleed. That means he can lose.

Edmund's playful smirk faltered. His grip on the dagger tightened. "You little—"

He attacked, this time without the flourish, without the arrogance. Now it was desperation.

But Rin had already seen what he needed to.

He dodged left, then right, his movements sharper, faster. He wasn't reacting—he was anticipating. When Edmund swung, Rin wasn't there. When he lunged, Rin had already moved.

Then—his opening.

Edmund overcommitted on a downward slash. A half-second mistake.

Rin punished him for it.

He stepped in, too close for Edmund to adjust, and drove his dagger deep into his ribs.

Edmund gasped, stumbling backward. The crowd screamed.

Rin didn't let up. He lunged for the finishing strike—

—but Edmund was smiling.

Pain exploded in Rin's side.

Edmund had pulled a second dagger from his sleeve, hidden, waiting. The blade buried itself into Rin's waist, just shy of his kidney.

Rin staggered, his vision blurring.

Edmund grinned through the pain. "I never fight fair, kid."

Rin dropped to one knee, blood pooling beneath him. The crowd was in a frenzy now, chanting for death.

Edmund, breathing heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wobbled slightly but straightened, dagger raised for the final blow. "You fought well," he admitted. "Better than before."

Rin's fingers curled against the sand.

His mind was screaming at him to move, to fight, to survive.

But his body—

Before Edmund could strike—

A deafening explosion ripped through the coliseum.

The shockwave sent dust and debris flying. The stands erupted into chaos. People screamed. A second explosion followed, shaking the entire structure.

Rin barely had time to react before the ground collapsed beneath him.

He was falling—

Rin woke up to darkness. His body ached, his side was wet with blood, and the air was thick with dust. He coughed, forcing himself up.

Somewhere above, the coliseum was still in chaos—shouts, gunfire, the sound of people scrambling for safety.

Edmund was gone.

Rin wiped blood from his mouth and exhaled.

This wasn't a victory.

It was unfinished business.

A low chuckle echoed from the shadows.

Hudson stepped forward, arms crossed. "Well, that was a shitshow."

Rin scowled. "You could've helped."

Hudson smirked. "And ruin the fun? Please."

Rin pressed a hand to his wound. He needed to move. He needed to finish this.

Then he felt something cold against his palm.

Hudson had tossed him something.

A playing card.

The same kind Edmund had left before.

But this time, the message was different.

"Round Two. You know where to find me."

Rin clenched his jaw.

It wasn't over.

Not yet.

This version keeps the intensity high, expands the coliseum fight, and introduces an outside force disrupting the battle—setting up a bigger confrontation down the line.

Does this work for you? Would you like any specific tweaks?