War Zone part 3

"Ordinary fighter Ruthless King will have his rank lowered to 900,234, while Genie will rise to 725,467," Gensia announced in her usual cold voice.

"What?! No! He won through trickery!" Ruthless King shouted in disbelief.

"Falling out of the ring means defeat. The method doesn't matter—there are no rules in the War Zone," Gensia stated firmly.

Her voice seemed to be answering everyone at once, which made sense given how many fights were happening simultaneously.

"But… but… damn it!" Ruthless King cursed in anger, noticing that his body was starting to fade away from the arena.

"Ordinary fighter Genie, you can choose to withdraw from the game or participate in another match against a victor from another arena. What will you choose?" Gensia asked.

Odd thought deeply. He still had plenty of energy, and more fights would increase his combat experience.

"Alright, I'll continue."

"Only one other person has won a match so far. The others are still fighting, so the second ordinary fighter will now be sent in."

A new digital glow appeared, and a figure began to materialize behind the light.

Odd watched closely as the new opponent took shape. A short person emerged, wearing a silver mask that covered their entire face except for the mouth. They wore a shiny white breastplate and carried a black dagger.

From their slender build, it was easy to tell—this was a girl.

"Ordinary fighter No. 13, Genie, Rank 725,467. Ordinary fighter No. 97, Corrupter Slayer. The battle will begin in Arena E."

"..." Odd's jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock.

"Rank 97?! Damn it! Why am I fighting someone from the top 100 of the ordinary fighters' zone?! This is insane! What kind of matchmaking system is this? There's no balance at all!"

He stared at her silver armor.

From what he had heard, the top 100 fighters in the ordinary zone were granted special armor. There was no doubt—she was one of them.

Corrupter Slayer gazed at Odd.

Even though he couldn't see her eyes, he could feel her merciless aura.

To her, Odd wasn't a threat. He was merely another stepping stone to climbing higher in rank.

"There are four ways to win: either by killing your opponent, forcing them to surrender, knocking them out of the arena, or making them fall ten times. Weapons and techniques are allowed. The match starts now."

"Should I surrender?" Odd hesitated.

"...No. This is a great opportunity to test my level. And who knows? Maybe I can win."

He quickly drew his sword, raising it in defense against his opponent.

Corrupter Slayer charged at Odd with frightening speed.

Despite her small size, she was shockingly fast.

She slashed with her dagger, but Odd managed to block it just in time.

But to his horror—even though he successfully blocked the attack, the sheer force of the impact knocked him down.

Without hesitation, Corrupter Slayer lunged at Odd again, her killing intent clear.

Luckily, Odd regained his balance at the last second and jumped back several steps.

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen once," Gensia announced.

"She's insanely fast… and strong. Her aura feels like that of a trained assassin. Damn it! If I had known this earlier, I would've surrendered!" Odd thought in panic.

"Should I give up now? ...No. I can't. I refuse to be a coward."

Ever since Odd decided to return to his world, he had made up his mind—he had to stop being afraid.

He knew he would face many dangers on his journey back.

If he wanted to succeed, he needed to become stronger. Fear would only breed weakness, and weakness would prevent him from achieving his goal.

Odd steadied himself.

Since dodging Corrupter Slayer's dagger was nearly impossible, he had only one option left—attack with everything he had.

Corrupter Slayer looked at him with mild surprise.

"This boy is brave…" she thought, slightly impressed.

Odd launched an aggressive attack at her.

But—

"…But bravery alone won't be enough."

Just as he swung his sword, she blocked it effortlessly with her small dagger.

Despite her weapon being tiny, her immense strength made it enough to stop Odd's entire sword strike.

Then, in one swift motion, she leaped over Odd—

And kicked his head straight into the ground.

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the second time," Gensia announced.

"Damn it. If this weren't a virtual world, that would've hurt like hell."

Odd groaned as liquid-like blue digital fragments trickled from his head.

No one in the War Zone felt pain—it was just a pain simulator. Even if Odd's head was cut off, he wouldn't feel a thing.

Still, he stood up again, preparing to attack once more.

"Huh? He's still going?" Corrupter Slayer thought in mild surprise.

She rushed forward with blinding speed and slashed Odd's arm with her dagger.

The injury forced Odd to drop his sword, and before he could react—

Corrupter Slayer knocked him down again.

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the third time," Gensia declared.

"The power gap between us is insane," Odd thought in fear, staring at his wounded arm.

"But I won't give up."

He picked up his sword again—this time with his uninjured left hand.

"Again? Most people surrender after the third fall," Corrupter Slayer thought, annoyed.

Odd swung his sword at her neck, but she dodged effortlessly and punched his stomach hard.

He collapsed onto the arena floor once more.

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the fourth time."

Odd stood up again…

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the fifth time."

He stood up again…

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the sixth time."

He stood up again…

"Ordinary fighter Genie has fallen for the seventh time."

…

Odd lay unconscious on the ground, his face covered in digital fragments.

And yet—

He stood up again.

Even though he felt no pain, he could barely walk.

"What is wrong with this guy? He just won't stop."

For the first time, Corrupter Slayer felt genuine shock.

In all her time in the War Zone, she had never seen anyone with this level of determination—unless they were stronger than her.

She sighed.

"Looks like I have no choice."

Odd prepared to attack again, but—

Before he could react, she vanished.

In the blink of an eye—

She was right behind him.

Her dagger was pressed against his throat.

"Even though I aim to become an assassin… I don't enjoy killing. But you're incredibly stubborn—I'll admit that. Still, stubbornness alone isn't everything in this world."

Odd didn't pay attention to her words—

Instead, he focused on her voice.

"That voice… LUCY?"

He froze in shock.

She sounded just like Lucy, the younger sister of his best friend.

He wanted to speak—

But before he could utter a word—

Her dagger sliced his throat.

Odd's body dissolved into digital fragments, vanishing into the War Zone's virtual space.

"Ordinary fighter Genie has died. The winner is Corrupter Slayer," Gensia announced.

Corrupter Slayer exhaled, staring at the empty space where Odd had vanished.

"Genie, huh? If he worked harder… he could become a warrior worthy of that determination."

She turned her gaze forward—awaiting her next opponent.