LeRoy should have been broken. By every measure that mattered, his body had already taken more than it should have been able to withstand. His muscles screamed every time he shifted his weight. A dull ache pulsed beneath his ribs, a constant reminder that adrenaline only borrowed time, it never erased damage. And yet, he was sitting upright. Not healed. Not recovered. Just functional enough to be dangerous. The infirmary smelled like antiseptic and old blood. The kind that never fully washed out of concrete no matter how often it was scrubbed. Rust-colored stains marked the edges of the floor where fighters before him had been dragged in, patched up, and pushed back toward the noise. Somewhere beyond the walls, the crowd was still roaring. They always were. LeRoy leaned back against the narrow bed, staring at the cracked ceiling above. The flickering light hummed softly, almost soothing compared to the chaos outside. His breathing was steady now, but every inhale stil

The rookies had never been tested like this. Tonight wasn't about proving potential or impressing a crowd. It was simple and brutal. Win, and they walked away. Lose, and whatever dreams they had of reaching the big stage would die in this basement with them. The underground reeked of scorched metal and cracked concrete. Smoke hung thick in the air, stinging the lungs with every breath. The echoes of the first exchange still rang through the halls, overlapping gunfire and collapsing walls blurring into a single, relentless roar. Kaya had been the first to break from the chaos. She sprinted blindly through the corridors, boots slapping against concrete until she skidded to a halt. The passage narrowed sharply, pipes lining the walls, brick closing in on both sides. A dead end. Her chest heaved as she spun around. Her HUD flickered into view. HP: 85 of 120 Stamina: 61 percent The android pursuing her stepped into the corridor with mechanical calm. Taller. Heavier. Rein

Rain hammered the empty streets, cold and unrelenting, turning the town square into a warped reflection of fractured light. Water streamed along cracked pavement as neon signs bled colour into the storm. Beneath the sagging awning of a shuttered shop, the group stood huddled in silence, their breath fogging the night air.The rain swallowed the city’s noise, but it did nothing to drown the tension between them.Shawn leaned against a fractured concrete pillar, shoulders slumped, his breathing uneven. In the harsh glow of reflected light, he looked smaller somehow—older. This was not the confident organiser who had guided them through contracts and cages, but a man finally cornered by the weight of his own decisions.For a moment, no one spoke.Then Yohan broke the silence.“Give me one reason,” he said quietly, his voice sharp as drawn steel, “why I shouldn’t end you right here.”His gaze never wavered. Rain slid down the length of the blade resting at his side.Jax stepped forward, f

Axel and his opponent stepped onto the platform, facing one another as the announcer’s voice rolled through the arena one final time.“The rules are simple,” he said, tone sharp and absolute. “Victory is achieved by knockout, total incapacitation, or death. Yes, death is permitted.”A ripple passed through the crowd.“You may activate your stake module and wager anything you choose, provided both fighters agree. Weapons and external gadgets are allowed. The only restriction is interference from outside the platform.”He spread his arms wide.“With that said… may the match begin.”The announcer lifted off, jets roaring as he disappeared into the rafters.For a brief second, the platform stood silent.Then the barriers snapped into place.Translucent walls surged upward around the fighters, humming with power. The floor beneath them vibrated as light flooded the arena. Space bent. The world blurred.And then the environment changed.Steel towers rose around them. Streets stretched into

Outside the infirmary, major fights continued to shake the arena. The roar of the Blood Circuit filtered faintly through reinforced walls, but inside, everything felt slower. Quieter. Heavy with exhaustion. Axel lay stretched out on one of the beds, torso wrapped in fresh bandages. Thin lines of stitches crossed his side where the detonative arrows had torn through him. His chip pulsed faintly beneath his skin, already accelerating the healing process. Despite the damage, he looked stable. Breathing steady. Color slowly returning to his face. Kaya rested on the opposite side of the room. Her injuries were not life threatening, but the cost of her final attack still lingered. She sat propped up, an ice pack pressed firmly against her bruised waist, eyes half closed as she focused on keeping her breathing even. Most of her strength had been burned away in that last strike. The rest of the group gathered nearby. Same room. Same silence. Different thoughts. Shawn leaned against the wal