Victor suddenly opened his eyes.
He had felt it.
A nearly imperceptible rumbling crawling through the ground, like the herald of an earthquake.
The grains of sand danced along the vibrations as a foul, metallic stench filled the coliseum despite it being open to the sky.
A few moments later, a red mist began to rise from the ground, the blood accumulated in the four corners of the arena condensing and merging, forming small clouds which all drifted toward the center.
What followed happened very quickly.
The countless limbs and bodies scattered across the floor began to move.
Heads rolled, or used their jaws to drag themselves forward, digging the few teeth they still had into the dirt.
Arms crawled like worms.
Legs hopped on their remaining feet, falling over, then getting back up the next second.
It was the most disturbing and bizarre thing Victor had witnessed in the past few days.
A nauseating sound of bones breaking and knitting back together echoed through the arena, followed by the wet squelching of flesh melding with flesh like clay, all of it gradually forming a pink, slimy, grotesque shape in the center of the arena.
Dozens of faces emerged from that mass of flesh, their expressions frozen in terror or hatred.
And at the center of that hideous, formless bulk, a mouth now faced the three unfortunate companions—lined with several rows of teeth of varying shapes and sizes.
Some had once been human teeth, scattered during the slaughter. Others were simply broken bones wedged at impossible angles.
The spectators were completely silent.
They were horrified.
Not by the bloody heap itself, but by the realization that they could one day be condemned to become part of this amalgam of flesh and bone.
That idea alone was chilling. Repulsive.
Even the strangest of creatures recoiled at the sight of something so vile and abominable.
A guttural, wet gurgling escaped from the "mouth" of the mass.
Victor immediately tensed.
That was the signal.
The chimera had begun to move—long columns of flesh, bone, and muscle sprouting from all sides of the Amalgamate, stretching several meters forward like twisted, malformed limbs.
« Fuck, I just cleaned these clothes. »
Akane was the first to move, refusing to give the creature time to fully form.
She struck the creature's side, making its slick body ripple.
But it had no effect.
A grotesque whip erupted from the creature's flesh—nothing more than a string of vertebrae tied end-to-end—and snapped toward her chest.
« Dodge. »
Helene gave a simple yet effective order, her voice forcing Akane's body to bend backward against her will, narrowly avoiding the bone appendage.
Victor didn't stand idle. He rushed in as well, his cane now transformed into a spear nearly two meters long.
He closed in on the monster with incredible speed—his fifty-nine points in agility propelling him forward as he took advantage of Akane's distraction.
He drove his spear into the slimy flesh, but it only sank a few centimeters before the tip struck several bones the creature had deliberately shifted to block the blow.
Without hesitation, he withdrew alongside the Japanese girl, returning to Helene's position several dozen meters away.
His spear was already losing length—he planned to use the same tactic he had used against the ants, hoping that fragments of the Symbiote might weaken the creature from within.
« It can rearrange its bones to protect itself. »
« Blunt force won't help. »
Thankfully, despite its resilience, it didn't seem fast.
Or so they thought.
A second later, the cold, composed expression on the redhead's face shattered.
« Move! »
Victor dove left just in time, barely avoiding the grotesque body that slammed into the exact spot where they had been standing.
He wiped cold sweat from his brow.
If he had been a second slower…
He rushed again, slashing and stabbing relentlessly while the thing focused on one of the others.
A gigantic arm made of countless mismatched arms formed above him, its palm aimed downward as it swung with terrifying speed.
He rolled back, narrowly avoiding the strike, and resumed carving into the gelatinous mass.
Between strikes, he shouted, voice rough and breathless.
« It's useless! »
« Jump! »
His body suddenly moved without his consent—his legs kicked him upward instinctively.
Below him, dozens of sharpened bone spikes shot out of the creature at the exact spot he had stood.
Victor wasted no breath thanking Helene—he landed beside her, giving her a sharp look while staying alert.
« If this keeps up, I'll die of exhaustion before it kills me. »
Helene lowered her azure eyes, meeting the ink-black depths of his.
« For now, we will take turns until we find a way. We suggest you use your remaining points. We know someone like you can't be this weak. »
Victor raised a brow.
He had been called many things, but weak?
« Yeah, yeah. Go help the little demon girl, will you? »
The redhead vanished—reappearing a fraction of a second later beside the Amalgamate.
Victor couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
He was fast—especially since his little… escape.
But this woman was something else.
If he had to guess, she had at least eighty agility points.
And her explosive strength—though useless against a creature that absorbed impact like a cheap slime—was enough to make anyone pale.
He shook the distractions from his mind and focused.
While Victor caught his breath, Akane had changed tactics.
Before, she punched.
Now, she tore.
She ripped off chunks of flesh, vein after vein, wrenching bones free and throwing them aside like worthless sticks.
A faint red glow was growing in her eyes as her injuries piled up.
She was feral, laughing and grinning despite the horror of the situation.
A real demon.
But the creature didn't care, constantly replacing the parts she removed.
Its size decreased—but so slowly it was laughable.
The fight seemed impossible.
But Victor knew better.
If these trials were entertainment, then it had to be winnable. Otherwise, where would the suspense be?
There had to be a way. But what?
He didn't have time to think—the scream snapped him back.
« Fuck! Let go of me, you piece of shit! Go fuck yourself! »
Akane's arm was being swallowed by the flesh, pulling her in deeper with every movement like quicksand.
« Hey! A little help here, assholes?! »
Victor sprinted toward her, reaching her within seconds as she dodged the jagged bones erupting around her, each one threatening to impale her if she slipped.
The fact she could still dodge while being absorbed showed how sharp her instincts were.
Victor reached her and pulled, veins bulging along his thin arms.
But it only got worse—she was nearly in up to the elbow.
No matter how strong he was, it wouldn't help.
He jumped back, avoiding a sharp femur strike.
He watched her for a moment—thinking.
There was only one immediate solution.
And she wasn't going to like it.
Or… maybe she would?
They were all strange.
« You want me to cut your arm off? »
Akane froze for a moment, then let out a mocking laugh.
« Charming. You always this forward with women? »
« Women, men, doesn't matter. Hurry up, you don't have much time. »
She clenched her teeth.
« What're you waiting for, little monster? Do what you gotta do! »
Victor nodded, his long spear morphing into a short but razor-sharp dagger.
He rushed forward.
« Extend your arm. Bite something, this is going to hurt. »
He didn't wait for her answer.
He brought the blade down with all his strength.
Flesh parted instantly. The bone held for a second—then cracked.
The scream was immediate—raw, violent—her vision blurred by tears from the overwhelming pain as she continued dodging attacks at the same time.
Victor didn't hesitate—he grabbed her and retreated, leaving Helene alone against the monstrosity.
« Stay here and stop the bleeding. You can't fight right now. »
Akane's dark eyes were nearly entirely red now, her breathing so heavy steam seemed to escape between her teeth.
« What the fuck do you know? I can still fuck that shitty bastard up. You're not my fucking dad to tell me what to do asshole. »
Wow.
« Charming. That how you talk to men? You'll die if you go back. »
Victor snorted and turned his attention back to Helene.
The woman fought with inhuman precision—dodging every strike and returning what little she could.
But strangely—she wasn't using the voice ability that came with her power.
« And what the fuck are you two gonna do without me, genius? We're all gonna die here if I don't go back! »
Victor narrowed his eyes, fingers sliding into his pocket.
« I think I might have a solution. »