Page 1
The stands are filled to the brim. The air is heavy.
The announcer raises his hands to the sky:
"People… the Bloody Wedding Festival begins!"
The cheering shakes the walls. In the arena, eight knights stand in silence. Each carries their weapon in a way that says something about them. The referee walks among them slowly. No one moves. Suddenly, silence prevails.
Page 2
The referee raises his hand. He drops it.
"Begin."
Seven knights move at once. The eighth does not move. The knight in the black armor stands in his place, his head bowed, as if he didn't hear.
Mabo moves to the edge of the stand and clutches the railing: "What is he waiting for?"
Page 3
The Black Knight slowly raises his head.
He draws his heavy sword. He begins dragging his heavy sword; the sound of metal scraping against the ground echoes. He heads toward the knight closest to him.
That knight moves with wide, theatrical motions—a knight with long hair and a large mustache. He says: "Welcome, Knight. Did you like my performance?"
The Black Knight continues advancing toward him.
Page 4
The sword comes from an angle no one expects. A quick, treacherous strike.
The Black Knight catches the blade with his bare hand.
A second of absolute silence.
Then, a head rolls on the dirt.
The announcer: "He didn't move from his spot and caught the sword with his bare hand! Does this man not fear steel, or does he not feel it?!"
Mabo freezes. His eyes are fixed on the hand that held the blade without pain.
Page 5
The Black Knight turns. He looks at the remaining seven.
He doesn't speak. He only points with one finger: "Come."
Mabo whispers: "Who is this man?"
The Grandfather beside him doesn't answer. But his eyes follow the Black Knight with extraordinary focus.
Page 6
On the other side, a White Knight speaks: "Do you think you're strong because you finished off that clown? Don't be arrogant, for I will show you your true place." Suddenly, he strikes his palms against the ground.
The earth shakes. It splits. A stone pillar emerges from beneath the Black Knight's feet. He dodges. Another pillar. Another.
The Black Knight moves among them as if he were walking down the street.
The announcer: "He dodges the rocks with only his body! No weapon! No power! Only legs and a fast mind!"
Mabo: "The White Knight controls the earth itself… and that one dodges it with just his feet?"
Page 7
In another corner, two are fighting silently.
One of them raises his hand. A water vortex swirls around his opponent, pressing with immense pressure. He begins throwing high-pressure water strikes. The other knight falls to the ground, covered in blood and holes filling his body.
The announcer: "The power of water pressure! He turned his opponent into a piece of cheese!"
The audience laughs despite the bloody scene.
Page 8
Before the punctured knight falls, a shadow descends from above. A sword plunges into his neck. It's over.
The killer stands over the corpse and looks toward the water-user.
The announcer: "The assassin drops from the ceiling like an owl, and now he stands alone before the cheese-maker! What does he have up his sleeve, I wonder?!"
Page 9
The killer draws his sword. He stands before the Water Knight.
The Water Knight forms a vortex in preparation.
Then the killer stops. He pulls out a small flask from beneath his armor.
Water Knight: "What are you doing?"
The killer: "Just one moment."
The announcer: "He pulls out a flask in the middle of a battle! Is he hungry?! Does he want a drink?!"
The audience bursts into laughter.
Page 10
Water Knight: "We are in a battle. Are you mocking me?"
The killer doesn't raise his head: "I know. I'll be finished quickly."
He pours the liquid onto the blade of his sword slowly. He draws a long line on the dirt in front of him. He takes two stones out of his pocket.
The Water Knight looks at him. He begins to take a small step back without realizing he's doing it.
Mabo watches silently: "Why is he retreating? Doesn't he see he's wasting his time?"
Page 11
The two stones strike together. Once. Twice.
The killer: "I am kindling a fire."
The Water Knight laughs: "Fire? I possess water! I'll put it out in seconds!"
The killer raises his eyes to him for the first time.
A look that carries neither mockery nor anger. Only a calm certainty.
"Fine. Let's see."
The announcer: "The killer's confidence makes me doubt his mind—or mine?!"
Page 12
A spark. The liquid on the ground ignites.
The fire extends along the line drawn in the dirt, surrounding the Water Knight from the front.
The killer ignites his sword with the fire and prepares.
The Water Knight forms a massive water vortex: "Your fire won't—"
The killer raises his other hand.
Wind blasts from his palm. It hits the fire.
Page 13
The flames do not go out. They grow. They turn into a massive firestorm. The heat swallows the air and dries the water vortex before it arrives.
When the smoke clears, nothing remains of the Water Knight.
The announcer with a trembling voice: "He combined fire and wind to create something that water cannot extinguish! My God… I won't forget this until I die!"
Mabo sits down slowly: "He combined two powers… and made a third thing that didn't exist."
Page 14
On the other side, a dirty leather armor. A man as massive as a wall.
He raises an axe that seems heavier than an ordinary man. He focuses. His right hand grows. And grows.
He grabs the axe and swings it. A part of the arena wall collapses.
The announcer: "The power of size manipulation! His hand became the size of my head! And honestly, my head isn't small!"
Page 15
The Blue Knight dodges with a light jump. He lands. He removes his helmet.
A handsome face. Long hair. He examines his fingers as if checking their cleanliness.
"How dare something shaped like this stand before me. It's an insult."
The announcer: "He removes his helmet in battle to show his face! And honestly, the face is worth it. Can I marry him too?!"
The Minister in the stands cheers for the Viking fighter. His daughter cheers quietly for the Blue Knight; the Minister shoots her a look that cuts the sound in her throat.
Page 16
The Viking fighter charges. A second strike, faster.
The Blue Knight raises his left hand heavily. An iron shield appears from nothing.
BOOM. The axe hits. The knight doesn't budge.
He sighs and drops the shield.
The announcer: "He creates the shield and then leaves it as if throwing a piece of cloth! A fortune of iron in every strike!"
Page 17
The Blue Knight focuses. His right hand, and suddenly it forms.
A spear forms from the air until it becomes a shiny metal.
He readies himself and throws it. It pierces the Viking's foot. A scream.
Then another spear. Then another. He doesn't rush. He throws as if he were painting.
The announcer: "A spear! Two! Three! He creates them out of thin air and throws them as if he were sowing seeds in a field!"
Page 18
The Viking falls among the spears. He doesn't move.
The Blue Knight examines his hands again and walks away with indifference.
Mabo looks at the Grandfather: "Are all these powers from the same origin you explained to me?"
Grandfather: "Some of them, and some not. Look carefully at who remains."
Page 19
We return to the Black Knight.
The White Knight sends a pillar from the middle of the wall. It hits the Black Knight and knocks him down.
A moment of silence.
The Black Knight looks at the dirt in front of him.
"Enough is enough."
He strikes the ground with his fist. He stands up.
Page 20
Another pillar is on the way; a single punch breaks the pillar into pieces.
The White Knight retreats: "What? How did this happen with just his hands?"
He sends two pillars together. The Black Knight dodges the first and breaks the second.
Mabo stands up: "No power. No magic. Just a body trained until it became equal to stone."
The Grandfather looks on silently.
Page 21
The Black Knight jumps.
He catches his sword in mid-air. He throws it with unbelievable force.
The sword pierces the White Knight's stomach and embeds in the ground behind him.
The White Knight turns to look at the sword emerging from his body. He falls.
The announcer with a hoarse voice: "He threw the sword… and threw the entire White Knight along with it."
This time, no one laughs.
Page 22
The cheering fills the place.
But Mabo doesn't cheer. He sits and places his hand on his knee.
He thinks of the Black Knight. Of his hands. Of his body, which trained until it could break rock.
Then he looks at his own hands. He remembers the forest. He remembers Thian.
He whispers to himself: "He reached this through training alone."
Page 23
The remaining three stand in the arena.
The Black Knight. The Killer. The Blue Knight.
The killer pours the liquid again calmly. He draws his line on the dirt. He doesn't hurry.
The Blue Knight measures the distance with his eyes.
The Black Knight doesn't look at either of them.
Page 24
He turns to the Blue Knight. He points his finger:
"You. Stay there. I'll be back."
Then he turns and begins walking slowly toward the killer.
The announcer swallows hard: "The Black Knight… is walking toward death with his own feet!"
The audience goes silent this time.
And Mabo stares at him. At his steady steps. At his straight back.
And he thinks of something he doesn't say out loud yet.
To be continued in Chapter 9