"Lila," The overseer called out, once again the bias in how much softer her voice was was clear.
Benson narrowed his eyes. This was the little girl with telekinesis?
The arena was eerily quiet, a sense of anticipation hanging in the air. The crowd shifted, their eyes fixed on the next fighter, a small girl standing in the center.
She couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen, yet her presence commanded attention. She was unassuming at first glance, small and slight, her features soft, but those who knew better recognized the power within her.
The Overseer stood at the edge of the arena, her eyes sharp as she scanned the fighters. Her gaze fell on the girl, and she nodded slightly. "Begin," she called, her voice cutting through the silence.
The girl—her name was Lila—took a slow step forward, her bare feet brushing the dirt of the arena floor. She looked calm, almost innocent, but there was a fire in her eyes. She wasn't here to play games.
Her opponent, a bulky man with rippling muscles and a smug grin, cracked his knuckles. He had the look of someone who believed they could crush anything in their path. He took a step toward Lila, laughing as the crowd cheered.
"You're gonna regret stepping into the ring with me, little girl," the man said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Lila didn't flinch. She didn't even respond. Instead, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, centering herself, feeling the weight of the energy building within her. Telekinesis wasn't an ability that required much movement, but it was an art—one that required control, focus, and, above all, timing.
The man lunged toward her, his fists swinging with force. Lila didn't move. She didn't need to.
As the man's fist closed in, Lila raised her hand, palm open, and the air around her seemed to ripple. The man's fist stopped in mid-air as if something invisible had held it in place. He looked down in shock as the force pushing against him increased.
With a flick of her wrist, the man's arm was slammed back, his body thrown off-balance. He stumbled, his feet dragging across the dirt. The crowd gasped, unsure of what had just happened.
Lila didn't give him a moment to recover. Her eyes narrowed, and with a sharp motion of her hand, she lifted the man off the ground. He dangled in mid-air, suspended by the invisible force, his face contorting in fear.
"You think you can just bully me?" she said softly, her voice eerily calm. "That's not how this works."
With another flick of her wrist, the man was hurled across the arena, his body crashing hard into the ground. He lay there, stunned, but the crowd cheered. They weren't used to seeing someone so small wield such raw power with such precision.
Lila didn't wait for him to get up. She moved swiftly, her hands moving in quick, graceful gestures. The man tried to stand, but before he could, she slammed him back down, sending a wave of force through the ground. He screamed in pain, but the sound was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
Lila's eyes remained cold, focused. She wasn't here to make friends. She wasn't here to show mercy. She was here to win.
The man struggled to lift himself, his muscles straining against the invisible force holding him in place. He looked desperate now, trying to push against the air, but it was no use. Lila's telekinesis was too strong, too precise. With another wave of her hand, she threw him into the air, sending him crashing into the edge of the arena.
The man gasped for breath, his chest heaving. He struggled to stand, but his legs were unsteady. It was clear he wasn't going to last much longer.
Lila stepped forward slowly, her expression unchanged. She wasn't a fighter in the traditional sense, but she didn't need to be. Her ability was a weapon in itself.
"You're done," she said quietly.
The man opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Lila raised her hand again. The air around him thickened, pushing him down into the dirt. He gasped as the weight of the pressure seemed to crush him. His body writhed, but the more he struggled, the more the force increased.
Lila's eyes flashed with determination. She wasn't going to let him win. She wasn't going to let anyone underestimate her.
With a final, decisive motion, she slammed her fist downward, and the force on the man increased tenfold. He cried out, his body convulsing as the pressure crushed him into the ground.
Finally, with a harsh crack, the man's body went limp. He was out cold, knocked unconscious by the sheer force of Lila's telekinesis.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, processing what they had just witnessed. Then, slowly, the cheers began, building in intensity until the whole arena was filled with the sound of applause.
Lila stood in the center, breathing evenly. She hadn't broken a sweat. She had won, and it was clear she had done so with ease.
As the Overseer approached, she gave Lila a nod of approval. "Well done," she said curtly.
Lila didn't smile, didn't show any sign of emotion. She simply nodded in return, turning to walk out of the arena.
As she made her way back, the other fighters watched her with a mixture of awe and fear. She was small, yes, but in that moment, she had proven that size didn't matter. Power, skill, and control—those were the true measures of strength.
The crowd continued to roar, but Lila remained unaffected. She had done what she came to do. And she wasn't done yet.
Boy A classes are really something. Benson thought, a small sliver a jealously crossing his mind.
Don't be.
Benson narrowed his eyes, his mind going back to the mission Greed had issued. Kill all of them. He had to find a way to kill every single one of that gang before the week ran out.
Benson wasn't sure to make of the greed he felt for the rewards that involved killing someone else.
"Might else go down this path,"
"What did you say?" He heard Malik respond.
"Nothing." He replied, glancing at Malik.
I wonder what rewards I could gain from consuming someone like him.