"What? A race?"
Was what came to every participant's mind when the first mini-game was revealed to be a race
"The rules are simple! There aren't any! You can get to the finish line however you want, the method does not matter, you can attack, intervene with or kill any participant, it is up to you!"
The man on the screens explained as excitement all of the participants were feeling began to vanish
"Wait what? Kill...but like, isn't that a crime?"
"And for those who are afraid of penalty, worry not! The king himself has allowed murder, you can do with your opponent whatever you like, it matters not how cruel a murder you commit"
The man yelled as his gigantic friendly smile turned into that of a menacing one, his snake-like eyes began to shine as he watched over the participants through the screens.
The mere thought of killing another person was something that would haunt the young participants to insanity
"Everyone's afraid, but of course, how wouldn't they be, this is the first time killing someone else in a tournament so meaningless was ever allowed. No one even gains anything from this, apart from recognition and humiliation that is"
Ean thought as he looked around the field, paying close attention to how the participants reacted. Some attempted to leave the field but weren't allowed to, others simply screamed, while others smiled, they found this situation suitable for them
Meanwhile, Arthur, Louis, Eran, Asai, Leo, and Alice remained calm, as if the word 'Murder' meant nothing to them, they were part of noble families, seeing people die because they broke an empire rule was nothing new to these six
"They're not even faced at the thought of being killed—I mean why would they? They're literally the strongest six, even if murder were to be added to this meaningless tournament, they wouldn't care, they are too strong to be killed...damm, why weren't we told about this? Did they not care about our well-being? Including me there are more than thirteen nobles on this tournament, aren't they afraid of the backlash? What the hell is going on?"
Were the thoughts that ran through Ean's mind as he bit down on his lower lip, beginning to sweat while imagining a scenario in which all the participants unleashed their abilities at once
"Now, the race commences!!"
The man yelled as the majority in the field dashed forward, as their combined rush created a small shockwave, leaving behind the ones too scared to even participate, including Arthur and Ean
"Why isn't he moving?"
Ean questioned as he slowly unsheathed his blade, staring at Arthur who began to walk
"Well it doesn't really matter, I should focus on my own thing"
Ean thought while completely unsheathing his sword, and once he did, blue energy began to spew from the blade, replicating the way the sun unleashed its hot flames
"Ok! I can't meaninglessly waste all of my energy like I did when fighting Shu, I should use only a bit to increase my physical strength.."
Ean whispered to himself as the energy that spewed from the blade began to surround his body, taking the form of a delicate warm aura
"Come on, I trained for a month, this should be a piece of cake!"
The boy yelled at himself before grinning, as he dashed forward, racing behind the other participants, and of course, it didn't take long for him to reach and pass right by them
"Hey—what the hell!"
One of the participants yelled as Ean ran passed them, leaving behind a strong gust of wind as well as a blue trail the size of a human
"Who is that!"
Another yelled while falling hard against the ground, as the sudden gust of wind made them lose their balance
"Ok..all is good, I'm not losing control, just gotta focus—I can do this!"
Said Ean to himself as a small smirk of confidence grew on his face, but before he could completely celebrate, he quickly ducked down, dodging an attack to his face while sliding through the grassy ground, before gaining back his composure, beginning to run once more
"What the hell—"
"Hey, where do you think you're going, huh!?"
A familiar voice yelled as Ean began to turn his head from side to side, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, before turning his head back, realizing who the one that attacked him was
"Louis. fuck"
Was all Ean could say, as Louis began to speed up, catching up to Ean as a purple aura began to surround him
"Seems like you've improved, by a lot, last month you were just a whining little boy, I'm proud of you. But.."
Said Louis, as a wicked smile grew on his, before swinging at Ean with the intent to kill, but to his surprise, Ean would easily dodge, countering his attack by moving his arm to a side, causing Louis to lose his balance, slowing down as Ean's speed began to increase
"Tch—you think just cause you dodged such a meaningless attack that you mean something?"
Louis yelled as his wicked smile turned into a frown of annoyance, regaining his speed, beginning to chase after Ean with the intent to kill him
"Woah—did I just counter Louis? Me? Ean?
The boy questioned himself, as the smile of confidence once more grew on him, and with it came a kick, which he sighed with ease, sliding through the ground with his knees, continuing to run seconds later, passing by other participants, some lost their balance and tripped over, slowing Louis down as Ean began to run faster, leaving nothing but his trail of energy
"Fuck, the more he runs the faster he gets, it's beginning to annoy me!"
Louis yelled as he jumped onto one of the participants, using their shoulder as a platform to dash into the air
"Come back here Lianert!"
Louis screamed as he chased after Ean, dodging those who stumbled using those who were too slow as a stepping stone to boost himself
"Come at me asshole! I'm not scared of you anymore!"