21
** Chapter 21: The Ritual of Blood - A Stomach and Soul Challenge **
The atmosphere weighed like a suffocating blanket on the ** underground island **. Each competitor knew that the day off was just an illusory truce. As pieces of a brutal game, they now moved towards another challenge imposed by the cruel industry led by ** Henrique Nakamura **.
As they gathered for what promised to be one of the most visceral challenges so far, a thick silence covered the underground arena. Everyone refers not to imagine what would come next, but the barrier between ignorance and dread was too thin. And when Henry arose from their usual shadows, competitors' forced smiles were replaced by expressions of concentration and resignation.
-*"Today, brave adventurers, we will prove that the real challenge not only lies in the body, but in the psyche. In front of each of you, there is a chalice. These chalices are filled with ** Human Blood **, harvested in shape ... Ethical, of course,"*said Henry with a bitter irony that no one laughed. *"The challenge is simple: drinking. The first one succumbs to instinct, vomiting, loses. He who endures, even in nausea and revulsion, will prove that his strength is not only carnal, but transcends the unnameable."
The revelation caused a chill among competitors. Drinking blood was not just a challenge for the stomach, but a violation of values so intrinsic that many years of civilization could not completely erase.
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### ** Preparations for the challenge **
The two groups moved to the central table, where a row of sculpted chalices was positioned, similar to the grotesque glasses of a black mass. Each chalice shines in a tempting and terrible way under the luminescence of the natural lamps of the cave.
### ** Group participation **
#### ** Ancestral Light Group **
The shadow of the defeat remained heavy on them. However, willpower was a feature that still remained, even if fragmented.
** Hardy Nakamura **, leader in times of despair, advanced as always, trying to demonstrate confidence that inspired his companions.
- *"We are here not to lose, but to bear one more time. Let's try ... for ourselves, and for those who have sacrificed a lot."
He took a chalice, raising as if he made a toast to his inevitable destination. With determination, he drank the scarlet liquid, keeping his expression firm despite the visceral impulses that his body tried to manifest.
** Irene Dellis **, who remained firmly through his spiritual and emotional connection, prepared himself mentally before holding the chalice.
- * "It's just another road that we should walk," * she murmured to herself, before giving a deep sip. With a knot in her stomach, her internal strength prevailed, but the experience marked her deeply.
** Grayrock **, still shaken by recent torture, slowly approached, its almost impenetrable stone presence. He looked at the chalice with disdain before tilting the content to his mouth.
- * "Stone does not feel ... flavor," * murmured heavily, striving to swallow what seemed unnatural to him.
However, it was ** Drake ** who faced the biggest challenge. Still recovering from emotional and physical wounds, he seemed to falter before grabbing his cup. However, his determination not to give in once again gained strength. He drank in one movement, looking deadly controlled, but with a wild glow in his eyes that declared his commitment to survival.
---
#### ** Chaos Hunters Group **
Still strong from their recent victories, the group knew that much was at stake. But their predatory instincts did not allow to give in at all.
** Calley **, with the certainty of his domain, took the chalice boldly.
- * "This is just another proof that we are indomitable," * declared, before consuming the content with a disturbing naturalness.
** Leerstrom **, with his devastating smile, took a step further.
- * "Some challenges are simply delicious," * parodled, swallowing the blood with a scary calm.
** TowerFall **, always adamant, stared at the cup with a visceral intensity, drinking the Carmesim liquid with minimal reluctance.
- *"I've looked death in my eyes before. This is nothing." * *
However, ** Glenda **, known for his cunning and strategy, was more vulnerable than he expected. As he took the chalice, he hesitated for just a second before feeling the overwhelming craving that grew inside. And that is what compromised his success. Amid the effort to maintain the composure, she could not retain the impulse and vomited violently.
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### ** The end of the challenge **
Henry carefully watched the unfolding, his undisguised satisfaction while Glenda became the first to fall. He advanced, echoing his voice through the arena:
-*"Congratulations to the ** ancestral light **. You finally triumphed, overcoming your own horrors. As for the ** hunters of chaos **, today your victory has not prevailed. A new decision must be made now."**
Henry indicated that the ancestral light, with this victory in hand, would have the privilege of dictating the fate of a member of the hunters of chaos. And in doing so, he prepared the foundations for his most cruel game.
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### ** Preparations for the sentence **
Ancestral light members, still struggling to understand the recent change in luck, needed to decide Glenda's fate: death in the ** judgment of shame ** or severe torture until the next dawn.
After arguing with an echo of hope in the air, the decision was revealed: ** torture **.
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### ** The climax of the day **
With new shouts promising to echo in the next few hours, the competitors returned to their camps. Winning today had proved that there was still life, there was strength. But it was also clear what survival required: the violation of all possible psychological and emotional thresholds.
In this anthro of shadows and blood, where time did not always follow the rules, the real test was getting closer and closer. And so, once again, the night obtained his show: the torture of a victor who, for a brief moment, felt the defeat boil in his veins and echo in his bowels.
** End of Chapter 21 **
*(Next: day off - recovering fragments of humanity and fabulous strategies)*
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** Note: ***The blood ritual brought with it the change of luck that many despaired. And yet, even in the face of victory, a shadow of uncertainty remains, promising that more tests await.*