"If she's not a puppet… then what in the heavens is she?"
But no answer came.
Su Xiaobai lounged on the stage, his posture lazy yet deliberate, like a king too bored to care about his throne. His fingers flicked blood off the trembling crimson sword, its sinister glow dimming, sulking as though mourning the loss of a worthier master.
Behind him, Xiao Hei stood motionless. Her petite frame soaked in crimson. Her smile faint. Beautiful. Terrifying.
The arena was silent, save for the scattered whispers that soon broke through.
"Tch… so it really was a puppet."
"Cheated! Without that thing, he'd be dead meat!"
Most of the complaints came from the failed contestants—resentful voices tinged with jealousy, their bruised egos showing more than their bruised bodies.
