He got up.The soldier turned. Its movements were slower now. Uneven. The damage to its knee affected its gait.*It's hurt. It can be hurt. Which means it can be killed.**You just have to figure out how.*Rome's eyes swept the arena. Sand. Torches. Stone walls. Other hunters watching, too scared or too injured to help.*Useless. All of them useless.**No. Focus. What do you have? What can you use?*His knife. Half the blade was chipped now. Wouldn't last much longer.His jacket. Already torn. Already bloody.His body. Broken and bleeding and running on fumes.*That's it. That's all you've got.**So use it.*The soldier limped toward him. Sword dragging through the sand. Those burning eyes fixed on him with something that might have been rage.*Good. Be angry. Angry means sloppy.*"That all you got?" Rome spat blood. Grinned with red teeth. "I've had hangovers that hit harder than you."The soldier's grip tightened on its sword.*Yeah. Definitely angry.*It charged.Limping. Uneven. B

"Pro... victoria mea..." Rome's voice was a rasp. "Peto... salvum conductum... pro ea."For my victory. I ask safe passage. For her.The arena went silent.The giant statue turned its massive head. Those burning eyes fixed on Rome. On the broken hunter lying in a pool of his own blood beside the corpse of its soldier.Seconds stretched into eternities."INSOLENS." The giant's voice rumbled like thunder. "SED... IUSTUS."Insolent. But... fair."UNUS VICTOR. UNUS SALVUS."One victor. One saved."CONCESSUM EST."It is granted.Rome let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.She's safe.Kiona's safe.That's... that's enough.He fumbled at his pocket. His remaining hand, his only hand now, was clumsy. Numb. The essence stones he'd collected earlier spilled across the sand. Eight of them. Maybe more."Kiona."She was still beside him. Still crying. Her hands pressed against his stump like she could somehow put him back together through sheer force of will."Kiona. Take them.""What?

Wheat rustled around Rome, golden stalks swaying in a gentle breeze that carried the scent of soil and sunshine. He pushed himself up to sitting, his head foggy like he'd slept for a thousand years."What the actual hell?" The sky stretched above him in impossible shades of purple and blue, colors that had no business being natural. Clouds drifted lazily, white puffs against a backdrop that looked like someone had spilled watercolors across the horizon.Rome patted himself down, feeling his chest, his legs, his—"My arm." He stared at his left hand, turning it palm up, then down. Flexing the fingers. "I still have my arm."The hand looked real. Felt real. He pinched the skin and winced at the sharp pain.*Okay, so either I'm dead, or I'm hallucinating. Great options.*He stood, wheat parting around him as he turned in a slow circle. Nothing but golden fields in every direction except—A hill rose in the distance, and atop it sat a small farmhouse with a peaked roof and wraparound por

"That's vague as hell."『Specificity will come with progress. For now, you should focus on recovery and understanding your basic capabilities.』Rome walked to the window of his hospital room. Outside, the sky was dark. Night time. How long had he been here?Then another thought struck him."Wait. If you restored my 'vessel' or whatever, why am I in a hospital? Shouldn't I be completely healed?"『External healing was necessary to stabilize your condition until our covenant could be fully established. Additionally, sudden miraculous recovery tends to raise questions. This provides a plausible narrative for your survival.』"So I'm still supposed to be injured?"『You were in critical condition when admitted. Multiple fractures, severe blood loss, internal injuries, and a severed limb. Your survival was considered medically improbable. Your current state would be... suspicious.』"Great." Rome sighed. "So I have to pretend to still be injured?"『For now, yes. Though your recovery can be exp