"Haaa... Haaa... Haa..."

A heavy silence fell upon the crowd in the Possession Arena. It wasn't the silence of expectation, but of overwhelming impact. In the center of the pit, under the harsh lighting, Blair stood. Her body was covered in wounds, blood oozing from her skin and soaking her clothes, but she was upright. She had ended the lives of all her opponents. There was no one left to fight in that combat.

"... Surprising!"

"... Incredible...!"

"... She's like a berserker."

"She is a berserker!"

Witnessing such a scene, the crowd began to recover, and the initial murmurs slowly transformed into a roar of praise.

"Berserker!!"

"Berserker!!"

"BERSERKER!!"

Ultimately, deafening shouts echoed throughout the arena, supporting Blair.

"Ugh... Hahh... Haah..."

Hearing such things, Blair staggered on stage with her loud, uncontrolled gasps as her unstable vision made the world reel before her.

"(... I killed them... men... women... children... Even the elderly... I... I killed them...)"

At that moment, her thoughts were an uncontrollable chaos in which she barely maintained consciousness, clinging to her determination. In that state, with her mind destabilized, she whispered barely audible words that echoed throughout the arena:

"Who's... next...?"

With those words, the crowd reacted with emotion and fervor to Blair's appearance, save for two exceptions.

The first was Evianne, who, off to the side among the crowd, clenched her fists with such force that her nails dug into the palm of her hand, making it bleed discreetly. The physical pain was a pale echo of the torment she felt watching Blair.

The second was Lilith, who from the highest point of the arena in her luxurious seat, watched Blair intently as she noticed the forced and heartbreaking performance.

"Hahhh..."

Releasing a barely perceptible sigh that escaped her lips.

"From what I see, that brat has her reasons..."

Lilith murmured to herself, with an unexpected pity in her gaze.

"This truly... makes it harder."

"Don't underestimate me!"

Blair's next opponent approached, taking advantage of her evident vulnerability to lunge at her with an iron crowbar. However...

".... SHUT UP!"

"H-hhiiii!!"

Seeing the bloodlust Blair radiated, even in her exhausted state, the opponent couldn't help but gasp in terror.

"Die, you damn bitch!!"

He screamed, trying to mask his fear with desperate fury. Blair moved with a stumble, falling to the ground just in time to dodge the blow. Taking advantage of her attacker's confusion, she threw a knife that embedded itself in her opponent's abdomen. Then, without losing a second, she used her position on the ground to sweep his feet and trip him. Immediately, she proceeded to strangle him with all her might while the man desperately hit her, trying to free himself.

Originally, Blair had been another person. In her "normal" life, she was one of the designated princesses at the academy she attended, extremely popular and with a notable talent for swimming that she cultivated with effort and discipline. She was the very image of promising youth. However, she possessed one more talent, a dangerous one.

Had it been possible, it would have been better for both herself and others if she had never discovered or developed it, living a normal life far from conflict. However, under constant stress and the pressure of imminent death, combined with her survival instinct, Blair's secret talent finally blossomed. This was the moment her skills as an "assassin" began to shine.

Lilith, from her throne, had witnessed the situation and how Blair finished off that last opponent.

Over the course of the night, Blair had reached the mark of twenty people killed. Twenty lives taken to have the chance to face the reigning champion of the arena and, if successful, obtain the improved version of the possession drug.

"There's no other way."

Saying this with resignation, Lilith slowly rose from her luxurious seat.

"Haa... I guess, in that brat's words... This won't be pretty... Huh...?" she murmured with a tired tone.

However, at that moment she stopped, her expression changing to one filled with seriousness and dignity, and her eyes widened in disbelief at something she seemed to be the only one to notice.

"Is something wrong?"

Seeing such an unusual reaction, the maid beside her asked in confusion.

"Damn it! Now what has that brat done!!"

Lilith replied in a dignified and tense tone she rarely shows, then turned to the confused maid.

"... Change of plans. It seems I'll be indisposed, so I'm entrusting you to represent me in this fight."

Hearing such words doubtfully, the maid asked:

"Are you sure you trust me?"

Hearing such a question, Lilith replied in a threatening tone that left no room for retort:

"You should already know you can't escape. And if you try... Do you really want to go back to Susie's 'playroom'?"

At those words, the maid reacted with visible tremors and spasms before responding with an expression filled with horror.

"You can leave me in charge!!"

After hearing the confirmation filled with complete submission, Lilith proceeded to withdraw at an absurd speed, disappearing from sight and leaving the maid behind.

".... I can't go back to that... that lunatic!"

The latter, her face still pale from the threat, proceeded to descend into the arena. As she did so, the arena announcer shouted in a thunderous voice to raise the spirits:

"It seems there's a change of opponent! And coming to face this challenger is the representative of champion Lilith! She's called the Carnivorous Maid for her fighting style and her appetite for flesh!! SHE IS FARA!!"

The crowd went wild with jubilation, screams echoing throughout the coliseum. Blair, realizing how far she had come and the new threat looming over her, tied fragments of torn clothing to try and stop the multiple hemorrhages. With calculated movements, she pulled out a few papers with runes that she had kept hidden for this precise moment, discreetly scattering some across the battlefield.

Immediately after, Fara entered the arena, wielding a kitchen machete in each hand while a cruel smile spread across her face.

"Gufufu, it's been a while since I've been able to devour such good quality meat!"

At those words, Blair, exhausted, gasped as she replied.

"Hahh... Haa... Don't worry... Because... I made sure to kill you."

After those words, both stared at each other for a moment, palpable tension hanging over the arena. With a snap of her fingers, Blair activated the runes she had placed throughout the arena during her repeated fights, thus creating a dense cloud of smoke that completely covered the space. Taking advantage of the darkness, Blair accelerated, using the rune placed on her forehead to enhance her vision and attack by surprise, thinking she had won with her strike, but she was taken by surprise when Fara, also taking advantage of the darkness, opened her mouth, revealing a monstrously long tongue that not only blocked the attack but also counterattacked.

In the midst of the blackness and the clash, their voices were heard almost in unison.

"It seems that... you really are a monster..."

"You're not that normal either."

And at the same time, as they prepared for the definitive clash in the gloom.

Fara transformed her fingers into tentacles, taking advantage of the smoke screen so no one would notice. Blair, for her part, made lightning, fire, and ice runes appear in both hands while holding her knife.

"But I will win!!"

Both screamed at the same time, lunging at each other in the oppressive darkness, ready for the definitive battle.