Everyone grimaced. They had never thought someone would be shameless enough to hit that place...
When she saw the attack, Eloise burst out laughing.
"That's the spirit! I did say everything goes, so don't hold back! I want to see wit, strength and creativity. Show me your value, you muts! Prove you are worthy of serving the army that will conquer the world!"
When she was done, she threw a quick glance at Atta, who reflexively covered his crotch. Even though he admired her, she had shown him that she was as ruthless as barbarians.
Seeing her fearful aid, she giggled.
In the week leading up to this, they had become closer and had begun creating various battle formations together. She liked teaching him because he had a sharp mind and was quick on the uptake.
To Eloise, it felt like raising a successor in case anything went awry.
The first round of battles quickly ended after that, leaving only 80 soldiers in the race.
The trio that was once part of the strongest fighters, Martin, Lucas and Trey, had lost, even while trying their best. Their bodies were simply in no shape to fight.
So far, nobody had really caught the attention of Eloise and Atta except for Thomas.
For him to recognize that winning was the absolute priority meant that he had a mind leaning towards schemes and deceit. These types of commanders were always dangerous, with their opponents always having to watch their backs.
After a short break, it was now time to start the second round.
Thomas tried looking for an opponent, but everyone avoided him. They weren't ready to risk their futures, even for the prizes at stake.
When he was about to despair, a youth presented himself in front of him.
"Remember me?"
Thomas froze. It was... the skinny guy he had beaten up before! What the hell was he doing here?!
The harsh memories of his friend's death also resurfaced, making him twitch.
When he saw the reaction, the skinny guy smirked.
"It seems you do remember! I'm sorry that your friend died, but you were all scum who terrorized us weaker people. In the end, you all reaped what you sowed"
Thomas's face turned solemn.
He knew that, from the bottom of his heart. And yet, when someone said it, it irked him to no end. It was like an itch that refused to go, no matter how hard he scratched it.
He wanted to show he had changed, that he was reborn.
"What's your name?"
The skinny guy was taken aback, but he smiled. He knew it was time to collect his dues, and with interest at that. He had given his all this last week, going from a powerless chick to one that had claws.
"Jojo Trubisky"
"Now that we know each other, I'll be frank. It is true that I was absolute scum, the lowest of lows. Beating those weaker than me always felt like I had an extra edge on everyone. Of course, that was all an illusion, something that kept me going in that direction. Bragging in our little group of trashes felt like the world to me, but I've realized how shallow it all was. I'm not the same guy from a week ago, meaning I'll still beat your ass, so don't start begging for mercy!"
With a shout and his face full of conviction, Thomas leaped forward, ready to strike.
When Jojo heard the last part, his smile had instantly disappeared. Who the hell was this guy taking himself for?!
They had ganged up on him, so he had had no choice but to give in that day! He had sworn to never be that weak again, and he intended to prove that today!
"I'll show you who's the weak little bitch this time!"
With a similar roar, he also leaped forward, and they both arrived face-to-face in an instant.
With a fierce right strike, Thomas tried to end it right away. He didn't want to admit it, but he looked down on his scrawny opponent. He clearly thought that one week couldn't let him overcome his disadvantages.
Jojo felt the disregard and his heart burned in his chest, raring to go. He was sick of being seen as a weakling.
He had been a farmer all his life, laboring the fields. He didn't know why or how, but his body refused to get bigger or bulkier. However, that didn't mean he didn't have weapons, ones that he had discovered during this hellish past week.
When the strike reached him, he bent backwards elegantly while swinging his wooden stick at the legs of Thomas, who was flabbergasted. The little shit had moves!
*SLAM*
Thomas badly grimaced, with his leg flexing awkwardly. The strike had damaged the muscles behind his knees, and it hurt like hell!
The pain twisted his face, and he saw the evil grin on the now standing Jojo. That bastard was a head shorter than him, but his agility seemed to be on another level.
It appeared he had made the same mistake as his previous opponent.
After controlling the pain, Thomas turned to face him.
"I underestimated you... Seems like you'll be worth crushing after all"
*SLAP*
Thomas slapped his face with both hands.
"Awake now? Let's end this"
"Come at me, BOY!"
With a damaged leg, Thomas had to carefully evaluate his next step. This wasn't supposed to be his last fight, so he had to figure out a way to maximize each of his moves while predicting his opponent's.
As for Jojo, he wasn't stupid. He knew that his adversary was looking for an avenue to quickly end the bout, so he immediately rushed in and rained hits after hits, further destabilizing the already weakened ex-thug.
After a few minutes, various battles had concluded, making the winners slowly trickle to the right side. However, one particular ongoing fight caught the eye of both sides, including Eloise and Atta.
On one end stood a scrawny kid riddled with bruises, and on the other, a bulkier man who kept staggering.
They were both panting and drenched in sweat. Their initial plans of going for a quick victory had gone out the window, and they knew they had no chance of winning their next battle even if they advanced.
Seeing the stalemate, Thomas decided to speak.
"It appears we're both fucked, haha..."
"Yeah... I didn't really expect to win, so I'm still proud of my result, hehe"
Jojo's tone was arrogant and prideful, and it sent daggers through Thomas's heart. He knew that if he hadn't been careless at the beginning, the flow of the fight would've been much different.
Alas, looking back on the past had no use.
"You little bastard... We're ending this right away, once and for all. Let's forget about the prizes and go all out"
Jojo was surprised, but he smiled in response.
"You're right, this has dragged on for long enough"
While both letting out a loud roar, they ran towards each other, ready to leave everything behind.