chapter 52:Below theBeast

Chapter 52: Below the Beast

Pain dragged Rin back to consciousness. His ribs throbbed, his side was slick with blood, and the air was thick with dust. Somewhere above, the coliseum was still in chaos—gunfire, screaming, the crackling of flames.

He groaned, forcing himself up. His vision blurred, but his instincts sharpened. He wasn't dead. That meant the fight wasn't over.

A chuckle echoed in the dark.

Hudson.

"Well, that was a shitshow," the drunk murmured, leaning casually against a cracked pillar. His arms were crossed, his smirk annoyingly intact. "You look like you lost."

Rin pressed a hand against his side, wincing. "I didn't lose. Edmund ran."

Hudson snorted. "Sure, kid. Whatever helps you sleep."

Ignoring him, Rin glanced around. They were underground now, beneath the coliseum, where the structure had collapsed from the explosion. The tunnels smelled of damp stone and old blood. Bodies of fallen fighters and spectators were buried under rubble, some groaning, some too still.

His fingers brushed against something cold.

A playing card.

Edmund's.

But the message was different this time.

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

Rin clenched his jaw. It wasn't over.

Not yet.

Hudson peered over his shoulder. "Cute. Looks like your boyfriend wants a rematch."

Rin ignored him, steadying his breathing. He had bigger problems. The coliseum hadn't just been attacked—someone had planned this. And from the sounds above, it wasn't over.

He stood, ignoring the way his body screamed at him. "We need to move."

Hudson raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"If you weren't leaving, you wouldn't still be here," Rin shot back.

Hudson grinned. "Fair point."

They moved through the tunnels, footsteps light on the cracked stone. The deeper they went, the more Rin's instincts screamed at him.

Then—voices.

He gestured for Hudson to stop.

Above, the ruins groaned as figures in tactical gear stepped through the debris. Mercenaries.

Not coliseum guards. Not Edmund's men. Someone else.

One of them muttered, "Find him. The Voz family wants his head."

Rin stiffened.

The Voz family. Elsa's enemies.

This wasn't about him. This was about their war.

Hudson muttered, "Well, shit."

Then a rock slipped under his boot.

The mercenaries whipped around.

"Contact!"

Gunfire erupted.

Rin darted left, dodging through the shadows as bullets ricocheted off stone. Hudson cursed, pulling out a pistol and firing back.

A merc charged at Rin, a blade flashing. Rin ducked under the swing, driving his dagger into the man's knee. The merc screamed, but Rin didn't stop—he grabbed the man's collar and slammed his head against the stone wall.

Hudson, still grinning, tossed a grenade.

"Hope you weren't planning on staying here."

BOOM.

The explosion rocked the tunnels, sending dust and rubble crashing down, separating them from the mercs.

Hudson dusted himself off. "Well. That was fun."

Rin exhaled sharply, gripping his bleeding side. "You call that fun?"

"Surviving's always fun."

Rin rolled his eyes.

They found a sealed iron door, rusted but sturdy, with an old crest barely visible beneath the grime.

Hudson whistled. "You're lucky, kid. This? This is one of Balotelli's old escape tunnels."

He pried it open, revealing an ancient railway tunnel, leading into the dark.

But before they could step forward—

A figure stood waiting.

A man.

Tall, lean, wrapped in a black coat with silver-threaded patterns. A blade rested at his hip, and his eyes gleamed in the dim light.

Hudson stiffened.

Rin didn't recognize him. But something about the way the man carried himself—the quiet confidence, the air of someone who didn't fear death—sent a shiver down his spine.

Then the man spoke.

"Rin."

His voice was smooth. Calculated.

"I was hoping to find you alive."

Rin's fingers tightened around his dagger.

He knew Rin.

But Rin had never seen him before.

Hudson muttered under his breath, "Shit."

Rin kept his stance loose, ready. "Who are you?"

The man smirked. "Someone who knows what's coming." He tilted his head. "And someone who knows you're not ready for it."

Rin narrowed his eyes. "That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you'll get for now."

The tunnels rumbled as another explosion rocked the city above. Time was running out.

The man stepped closer.

"Come with me, and I'll tell you who really wants you dead."

Hudson scoffed. "That's a terrible sales pitch."

The man didn't react. His gaze stayed on Rin. Unshaken. Unbothered.

"But if you stay," he continued, "you won't live long enough to meet them."

Rin's mind raced.

The Voz family wanted him dead. Edmund wanted him dead. Now, this man was hinting at something worse.

Hudson muttered, "I don't like this."

Rin didn't either.

But he had no good options.

And something told him that whoever this man was—he wasn't Voz. He wasn't Balotelli.

That made him dangerous.

The ground above groaned, more stone falling.

The stranger extended a hand.

Rin made his choice.