Deep within the underground VIP area of the colosseum, the high officials and major clans remained seated around their private tables while observing the tournament.
The Wyndhams were also there, their eyes fixed on the large visual display showing the events happening across the battlefield.
They weren't only watching their own clan members.
Every clan had access to parts of the tournament visuals. They could observe other participants, track movements, monitor fights, and count how many members each clan still had remaining.
That alone was important.
For powerful clans, the tournament was not just about winning. It was also a scouting ground.
A way to observe rising clans.
A way to identify dangerous participants.
A way to see who might become a future threat.
Even clans that failed to win could still leave a strong impression through their performance.
However, the Wyndhams were less interested in talent scouting at the moment.
Right now, they were mainly focused on counting problems.
Problematic clans.
Problematic fighters.
Problematic variables that could interfere with their progress in the tournament.
Although nobody in the VIP area could directly interfere with what was happening inside the battlefield, they could still watch everything unfold in real time.
And honestly, sometimes all they could do was hope their participants avoided the wrong enemies.
The Synapse Circle.
The Anakim.
Or any hidden monster waiting inside the tournament grounds.
In the middle of all this, a sudden notification appeared.
Every elimination in the tournament was announced publicly to the spectators.
Normally, those notifications were small and quickly disappeared.
But clan eliminations were different.
Far more noticeable.
Far more serious.
The moment the notification appeared, the entire Wyndham display was suddenly blocked by a massive glowing screen.
All conversations around the table immediately stopped.
Everyone's attention shifted upward.
Because the notification was specifically marked for the Wyndhams.
And from the look on several faces around the table, they already had a bad feeling about what they were about to see.
[A member of the Wyndhams clan has been eliminated from the tournament]
[Name: Alex]
[Stage: 2]
[Path: Warrior]
[Kills: 0]
[Eliminated by Quitting]
For a brief moment, silence filled the Wyndham table.
Then Jake leaned back in his seat and let out a disappointed sigh.
"I won't lie, I am surprised he even lasted this long," Jake said.
"Yeah," Jim added with a shrug. "I honestly expected him to get eliminated much earlier."
Neither of them sounded shocked.
If anything, they sounded like people watching a result they had already expected from the beginning.
Meanwhile, John's expression darkened as he turned toward Lucius.
"I told you that boy was useless in this tournament," John said coldly.
"He couldn't even take down a single opponent."
His voice grew sharper with every word.
"We wasted a tournament slot on him."
John slammed a hand lightly against the table.
"A position that could have gone to a more talented member of the clan ended up being handed to a weakling who only started cultivating a few weeks ago."
The anger in his voice was obvious now.
Every word was aimed directly at Lucius.
But Lucius remained silent.
On the surface, his expression barely changed.
Calm.
Controlled.
Unreadable.
Yet beneath the table, his fist had already clenched tightly.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly.
He was angry.
Not because John insulted him.
Not because the others doubted his judgment.
But because of the result itself.
'Was I wrong about the boy?' Lucius thought quietly.
His eyes stayed fixed on Alex's elimination screen.
'Is he really no different from the others?'
That question irritated him more than he wanted to admit.
From the beginning, Lucius believed Alex had something unusual about him.
Something hidden.
Something dangerous.
Yet now, the result sitting in front of him felt painfully ordinary.
And honestly, the part that angered him the most was not even the elimination itself.
It was how Alex got eliminated.
He quit.
That single word bothered Lucius deeply.
Because quitting meant only one thing.
Alex had chosen to run away from his opponent.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Ztheu, deep within one of the forest regions, a young dark-haired boy lay motionless on the ground.
His upper clothes had been completely torn apart during the fight, leaving only part of his lower clothing covering his private area.
Not too far away from him stood another figure.
A man covered in a metallic battle suit with only his head exposed.
It was Eric.
As for the person lying on the ground, it was Alex.
For several seconds, Alex didn't move at all.
Then slowly, with a painful grunt, his fingers twitched.
His hand pressed weakly against the ground.
His body trembled from the effort as he tried pushing himself up.
At first, he barely managed to lift himself.
His arms felt heavy.
His muscles burned.
But eventually, he forced himself upright enough to sit.
Alex breathed heavily as he looked around the forest.
His vision was still blurry from whatever had happened earlier.
'No... no... how am I still here?' Alex thought in confusion.
He tried recalling the last thing he remembered.
Eric.
The detached mechanical wrist.
The moment it grabbed the arm wearing his tournament wristband.
Then...
A bright flash.
A ridiculously bright flash.
The light had swallowed everything in his vision instantly.
After that, his memories became unclear.
Alex could vaguely remember feeling dizzy.
Heavy.
Almost like his mind had blacked out for a short moment.
As for how long he had been unconscious, he had no idea.
Still breathing hard, Alex quickly looked down toward the wrist where the tournament wristband was supposed to be.
There was nothing there.
Alex stared at his wrist for a moment longer.
Empty.
The tournament wristband was gone.
"You must be looking for this."
Eric's voice suddenly cut through the silence.
Alex quickly raised his head.
The detached mechanical hand that had grabbed him earlier flew back toward Eric before attaching itself smoothly to his suit once again.
Held tightly in that metallic hand was Alex's wristband.
The moment Alex saw it, his expression darkened slightly.
"I figured you were trying to leave the tournament," Eric said casually. "But I can't let that happen."
He lifted the wristband slightly like he was showing off a trophy.
"So I took it."
The way he said it sounded almost childish.
Like he was proud of himself.
Alex clenched his jaw.
"Give it back..." Alex said.
His voice came out weaker than he expected.
His body still hurt badly from the Anakim fight.
"I don't want to continue this tournament."
Eric simply stared at him with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"I have the right to leave whenever I want," Alex continued while catching his breath.
He planted one foot firmly against the ground and slowly pushed himself upright.
His legs shook slightly from the strain, but he still managed to stand.
"And you can't stop me."
For a second, Eric was silent.
Then suddenly he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!"
The sound echoed through the damaged forest.
"Rights?" Eric repeated while laughing harder.
"Ha... rights..."
He placed a hand on his forehead as though Alex had just said the funniest thing imaginable.
Eventually, the laughter slowly died down.
Then his expression changed.
Not completely serious.
But colder.
Sharper.
"What right?" Eric asked.
"The tournament only gives people one real right."
He raised the wristband again.
"The right to survive... if they can get themselves out before they die."
Eric's grin widened after saying that.
Wild.
Unstable.
Almost excited.
Then he stretched his arm outward, making sure Alex could clearly see the wristband in his hand.
"So why don't you prove it?" Eric said.
"If you really have the right to leave..."
His smile widened further.
"Then come take the wristband from me."
Alex was tempted.
The muscles in his body tightened for a brief second as though he was about to rush forward and snatch the wristband away.
But eventually, he forced himself to calm down.
'At this point, it looks like I am stuck here with this lunatic,' Alex thought.
His breathing remained heavy as he stared at Eric.
'If I try to run, he will definitely chase after me.'
That much was obvious already.
Meanwhile, Eric seemed to be growing impatient from Alex's lack of reaction.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Since you don't want it..." Eric said casually.
"I guess this thing is useless now."
Before Alex could fully process those words, Eric's metallic fingers suddenly tightened around the wristband.
Crack!
The sharp sound of metal breaking echoed through the area.
Then slowly, Eric opened his hand.
Broken pieces of the wristband fell from his palm.
Alex's eyes widened immediately.
He watched the fragments drop toward the ground one after another.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
Then anger rushed in.
Pure instinct.
"AARRGH...!" Alex roared as he suddenly charged forward.
He ignored the dizziness in his head.
Ignored the pain in his battered body.
In a single burst, he closed the distance between them.
The moment he reached Eric, Alex swung both fists at the same time.
A double hook.
Fast.
Direct.
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of fists slamming against metal rang loudly.
Eric had blocked both attacks perfectly.
One hand caught Alex's right fist.
The other stopped the left.
Precise.
Clean.
Like he had already predicted the attack before it even came.
Then Eric moved.
He bent his body slightly forward and retaliated instantly.
The punches he threw looked almost identical to Alex's.
But there was one terrifying difference.
They were much faster.
The two punches slammed directly into Alex's abdomen.
Bang!
Bang!
Pain exploded through his body instantly.
Before Alex could even react properly, Eric followed up immediately.
An uppercut shot upward.
Boom!
Eric's fist crashed into Alex's jaw and lifted him completely off the ground.
The attacks flowed together smoothly.
Fast.
Clean.
Almost effortless.
The next moment, Alex's body was sent flying backwards through the air.
But Eric wasn't done.
Not even close.
While Alex was still airborne, Eric's mechanical wrist suddenly detached again.
The metal hand shot forward like a rocket with its fist tightly clenched.
It curved slightly through the air before slamming into Alex's side.
Bang!
Alex's body twisted violently from the impact before crashing across the ground.
He rolled several times like a rag doll before barely managing to stop himself.
Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Still, the detached hand came again.
It didn't even give him time to breathe.
The metallic fist slammed hard into Alex's chest.
Boom!
This time, instead of knocking him away, the force carried him backwards.
Alex's body was pushed violently across the ground until he crashed into a thick tree behind him.
Crack!
The tree shook heavily from the impact.
The detached fist remained pressed against Alex's chest, pinning him firmly against the trunk with his feet slightly above the ground.
Alex coughed painfully.
His breathing turned rough and uneven.
Meanwhile, Eric calmly walked toward him.
Slow steps.
Relaxed posture.
Like he already owned the battlefield.
"You do have good fighting spirit," Eric admitted as he approached.
"I'll give you that."
He stopped a few steps away from Alex.
"But fighting spirit means nothing if you don't know how to fight."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or when your opponent is simply far stronger than you."
Alex stayed silent.
Mostly because talking hurt right now.
Eric continued anyway.
"You see..." he said while raising one of the broken wristband pieces.
"With your wristband destroyed, everyone outside will think you have already been eliminated."
He smiled lightly.
"They can't watch you anymore."
"They can't track your current condition either."
His grin slowly widened again.
"Nobody even knows you're still inside the tournament."
The mechanical fist pressed harder against Alex's chest.
Pain shot through his ribs immediately.
Eric leaned his head slightly to the side while staring directly at Alex.
"So now..." he said quietly.
"I can do whatever I want to you."
His tongue slid briefly across his lips.
"Because right now..."
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"You are completely at my mercy."