Chapter 19: High Alert
The dark fog created by the woman dissipated quickly after she was incapacitated, revealing the terrace in its entirety once again.
Leo's sharp eyes immediately locked onto his opponent, who lay sprawled on the cracked concrete, writhing in pain.
Her face twisted in agony, and her trembling hands clutched at the dagger embedded in her spine.
She desperately tried to yank it out of her body, but the angle at which it was lodged made it impossible for her arms to muster the necessary strength.
"AGHHH–" she screamed, her howls echoing across the terrace and grating on Leo's nerves.
A flash of irritation crossed his face as the urge to end her life immediately swelled within him. But before he could act on it, a faint glimmer caught his attention.
Her teleportation crystal.
During her fall, the crystal had slipped from her grip and rolled a few feet away, just out of reach.
That detail shifted the dynamic entirely. She was no longer a threat; she was at his mercy now.
"Please... please don't kill me!" she sobbed, her voice hoarse and trembling, her wide, terror-filled eyes darting between Leo and Felix.
Leo stood unmoving, his expression unreadable as his gaze flicked toward Felix. Without speaking, he gestured toward the crystal with a nod.
"Stomp it," he said coldly.
Felix hesitated, his face pale and his movements uncertain. The shock of the woman's earlier attack still clung to him, and the weight of her pleading made him hesitate further.
But Leo's tone left no room for negotiation. "DO IT," he barked, the command snapping Felix out of his stupor.
Swallowing hard, Felix shuffled toward the crystal. He cast one last nervous glance at the woman, who was still begging for her life, before raising his boot and slamming it down onto the glowing gem.
Crunch.
The crystal shattered beneath the force, releasing a bright, blinding light that momentarily engulfed the terrace.
The woman's screams were abruptly cut off as her body dissolved into shimmering particles, vanishing from sight in an instant.
And just like that, the duo had eliminated yet another opponent.
For a moment, silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the faint sound of Felix's ragged breathing. He stood frozen, staring at the spot where the woman had been moments earlier.
"She came at me so fast—" Felix muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, his wide eyes betraying his discomfort.
Leo, however, said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, his knuckles whitening as his grip tightened around the dagger in his hand.
Once again, he had chosen to spare an opponent's life by destroying their teleportation crystal. And once again, the act left a sour taste in his mouth.
'Why did I spare her?' he wondered, grinding his teeth as unease churned in his chest. 'Would she have spared me?'
The answer was clear—she wouldn't have. If their positions had been reversed, she would've cut him down without hesitation. Yet, despite knowing this, he had shown her mercy.
Was it a conscious attempt to be different from the killers around him? To prove to himself that he wasn't like them? Or was it simply a naïve act of weakness that could one day get him killed?
'Sparing those who wouldn't spare me... that's not mercy. That's stupidity,' he thought bitterly.
Logic told him that mercy had no place in a trial like this, for only naïve, idealistic fools clung to such notions in a place designed to reward ruthlessness.
But as much as he wanted to believe that he wasn't like the others here, something deep within him rebelled against the idea.
Every time he spared someone, his body reacted with a physical sense of discomfort, as though the decision itself was unnatural.
'Am I really any different from the others? Or am I just another murderer pretending to be something I'm not?'
The question lingered, heavy and unwelcome, as Leo clenched his jaw and forced the thoughts aside.
'I can't afford to second-guess myself. Not here. Not now.'
For now, the immediate threat had been dealt with, and that was what mattered most.
"Back to your position," Leo ordered tersely, breaking the tense silence.
Felix blinked, his trance broken. "Y-yeah, sure," he stammered, shuffling back toward the staircase with unsteady steps.
Leo returned to his spot near the edge of the terrace, his sharp eyes scanning the dark horizon for any signs of movement.
Despite the woman's screams and the commotion of their fight, Leo resolved to remain on the terrace for the remainder of this final phase.
As instead of a proper fight, the woman's screams seemed like a one sided torture, that could potentially warn off other competitors from approaching the terrace.
It was a gamble, but so was moving once more, so late into the test and Leo did not wish to take such a risk.
151 Pairs Remaining.
The end was drawing near, and with every tick of the Counter, it edged closer.
But until it arrived, Leo and Felix had to remain on high alert, for the trial wasn't over just yet.