"Good," the emissary said, his voice carrying across the chamber. "You're all here. It looks like everyone is complete." He paused, his eyes sweeping over the gathered fighters. "I know many of you are wondering why the numbers dropped so drastically, even after I warned you before. Let me explain again.
"This tournament isn't like the one you imagined. For fighters with promise, for those who prove their strength early, they only fight once. But for the weak… the weak must fight each other again and again. Some of them were forced into five battles in a single day just to survive. That's how the numbers were cut down so sharply.
