"I know what this place is." Amunet said slowly. "It’s not good."
Grey didn’t reply immediately. He had some guesses already, but he was also kind of hoping he’d be able to find another way.
"This is the proving grounds for the Dark Kin. It’s almost like their own Genesis Games. A bunch of people enter, but only one person can leave. You might have to..."
Amunet hesitated. She didn’t want to finish the words because it wasn’t just her here. Thi Lan was here as well. If she was just speaking for herself, then fine. But she didn’t want to speak on Thi Lan’s behalf as well, especially not when the latter had just spent all this time taking care of her and protecting her from their alien invaders.
Grey frowned, and then he stood up, looking around for a moment.
An Instance was an Instance. You couldn’t leave until you had cleared it. Grey had learned this the hard way once himself.
He had literally died once before because he tried to escape from an Instance. He ran into an invisible wall so hard that he became meat paste before he understood what happened. It was undoubtedly the most ridiculous way that he had ever died.
It made sense that this place followed the rules of the Old Ones if it was triggered by Amunet. So it also made sense that it would follow their rules.
And by that logic...
There was no way out of here unless he was the last one standing.
Grey’s gaze flickered with cold.
’There has to be another way.’
**
"Do you see this, ladies and gentleman?! What a dramatic scene, a hero coming to save two damsels in distress only to be left with a choice that is simply impossible!" The Great Udon’s voice boomed. "I must simply see how this will end. We’ll have a word from our sponsors and be right back with you! And once we return, I have a special guest!"
The crowd was on the edge of their seats, watching the scenes ahead of them with rapt attention.
Their throats were already sore from earlier. Grey’s battles were always something to behold, but now they were on the edge of their seats for a completely different reason.
Would Grey sink into his role as a villain completely? Or would he sacrifice himself?
And if he did sacrifice himself... who would he choose?
Would he choose the mature beauty or the young beauty?
Would he choose the new flame or the old flame?
Would he kill himself in an act of valiance to avoid the decision? Or would he have them do it themselves?
They could hardly stand it.
The Great Udon hovered from on high. Workers wearing mechanical wings on their backs fluttered around him, wiping sweat from his brow and touching up his makeup.
Even so, the grin on his face was never wiped away. He watched the crowd with a light of passion in his eyes. This was exactly the sort of grand stage he wanted.
The sponsorship segment ended and rolling waves of fog spilled into the arena. The lights blared back on and pulsing lines of lasers swept by. They looked so real that one would have thought an enemy attack was on the way.
"Welcome back, ladies and gentleman. When I last left you, I made a promise that we’d have a special guest, and here he is."
The sound of grinding gears and a heavily opening gate echoed as curtains swung open and a large pair of doors opened to spill out lines of fog.
And then the clicking echoes of shoes filled the air.
A young man appeared. His skin was greyed in a perfect vampiric sort of aesthetic. He leaned forward in his walk, his hands in his pockets, his strides long. However, what was undoubtedly his standout feature was the band of brain matter that wrapped around his head.
Just like all Monelay, the cap of his skull and the rest of his head were separated, revealing the complicated folds and pulsing black veins of his brain.
Despite the oddity, the young man was undoubtedly extremely handsome even by Earth’s standards. His jaw was chiseled, his nose bridge proud, his eyes carrying a confident, arrogant air to them.
"Many of you may be familiar with this young man."
The cheers resounded before the Great Udon could even finish his sentence. They didn’t care about their sore throats any longer, even if they would rip their throats apart they insisted on cheering.
The Great Udon didn’t bother trying to speak over the crowd. Instead, he laughed and laughed.
Of course they would recognize this young man. He was none other than the King of the 3020th Genesis Games, the one who stood atop of all the others and planted his flag of supremacy.
"I know, I know, your blood is boiling much like mine is. How I wish I could have been the one to host his rise to the top. Unfortunately, I could not, but I am back now!
"Still, I have secrets that you all may not know, secrets that may chill as well as boil your very souls. As much as you all know about Grid, reigning Genesis King, you do not know everything.
"You do not know that amongst the Monelay, he comes from a humble branch of a humble family. You do not know that he does not carry their royal blood nor their full support. You do not know that he rose from nothing to claim the Genesis Throne for himself and provide his father the chance to become an Associate Producer of the 3021st Genesis Games.
"And you do not know that, out of humiliation and destitute rage, Grid’s father, Associate Producer Gard, committed suicide just days ago."
The crowd released a gasp.
"Ah yes, you must all be wondering how it is a family slowly rising could fail in such a way. Was it heartache, betrayal? No. It was none of these things.
"Instead, it was all because of Grey Temolt."