Chapter 12: Trials of Strength
The blood on Ryo's hands had dried, but the weight of the fight, of the decision he'd made, still clung to him like a second skin. He stood in the cold, echoing corridors of the arena, his body aching from the brutal clash with the beast that had once been a man. The serum, that vile concoction of power and madness, still coursed through his veins, making him feel both invincible and fragile at once.
His thoughts drifted to Ren—the promise he'd made to his brother, to drag him from the darkness. But with each fight, with each drop of blood spilled, Ryo felt himself slipping further away from the person he used to be. Was the strength he'd gained from the serum worth it? Could he really save Ren when he was losing himself in the process?
His hand clenched into a fist, the muscles straining under the weight of his doubts. The next round of the tournament was approaching, and Ryo couldn't afford to be weak. He couldn't afford to falter, not now, not when Ren was still out there, somewhere.
"Ryo."
He turned to see Taro standing in the doorway, his arms folded, a look of quiet concern on his face. Taro had seen Ryo fight—had seen the toll the serum was taking on him—but never once had he spoken about it directly.
Ryo didn't respond immediately. The words were there, hovering on his tongue—I don't want this. But he swallowed them back down. He couldn't let himself be weak. Not now.
"Another round is coming up. You've been through hell already," Taro said, his voice low. "You don't have to keep going. This… isn't worth it."
Ryo met his gaze, the unspoken weight of Taro's words settling between them. The tournament, the serum, the power—it was all a means to an end. But Ryo wasn't sure what end he was even striving for anymore.
"I have to," Ryo replied, his voice hollow. "I have to keep fighting. I have to find Ren."
Taro sighed but didn't push the issue. He understood, in his own way, the burning drive that fueled Ryo. It was the same fire that had brought Taro to the arena in the first place—to prove something, to survive, to escape the chains of his own past. But Ryo's fight was different. Taro had seen it, seen how Ryo had started this journey for the sake of his brother, and now…
Now, Ryo was fighting for something else entirely.
"You're not the same," Taro said softly, his eyes flicking to the scars on Ryo's skin, the marks of the serum's toll on his body. "You're becoming something… else."
Ryo's eyes narrowed, but Taro's words struck a chord deep inside him. He could feel the change, could feel himself slipping. The serum wasn't just altering his body—it was altering his mind, his very soul. But he couldn't stop. Not yet. Not until Ren was found.
"I'll be whatever I have to be," Ryo muttered, his voice resolute, though his chest tightened with the weight of his words. "I'm not stopping until I bring him back."
Taro nodded, a somber look crossing his face. "Just remember—sometimes the things we're trying to save, they're already too far gone. And sometimes, the things we sacrifice… they can never be undone."
Ryo didn't respond. He couldn't. The doubt that gnawed at him would have to wait. There was no time for second-guessing. The next trial was already waiting for him, and with it, the next test of his strength.
Hours later, Ryo stood in the center of the arena once again. The crowd's roar echoed in his ears, but he barely heard it. His focus was singular—his opponent. The fighter who had been chosen to face him was a hulking brute, a man whose very presence seemed to shake the air. His body was covered in dark tattoos, symbols that spoke of ancient power and rage, but it was his eyes that unsettled Ryo the most. They were cold, dead eyes. Empty.
"Ryo," the announcer's voice boomed over the arena. "The next trial—The Brute of Blood. Will the man who calls himself a warrior survive the trial?"
Ryo barely registered the words. He was already moving, stepping into the ring, his body tense, every muscle screaming for the next challenge. The serum thrummed beneath his skin, and for the first time since he'd taken it, Ryo felt the full weight of its power—raw, untamed, and dangerous. It was a heady feeling, one that made his senses sharp, his focus laser-like.
But that power, that raw strength, was exactly what he feared.
The Brute lunged at him, his massive arms swinging with the force of a battering ram. Ryo dodged, narrowly avoiding the blow, but he could feel the air shift with the sheer force behind it. This opponent was fast, stronger than anyone he'd faced so far. And yet, Ryo felt something deeper within him—a pull, a voice urging him to fight back with the same ferocity.
He couldn't hold back.
With a growl, Ryo surged forward, his fist connecting with the Brute's side. The impact was sickening, and Ryo felt a sharp, undeniable rush of satisfaction. His opponent grunted but didn't fall. Instead, the Brute spun around, swinging his fist at Ryo again.
This time, Ryo was ready. He moved with an almost unnatural fluidity, his body responding to the serum's enhancements, instinctively avoiding the strike and countering with a crushing blow to the Brute's jaw.
The crowd roared, but Ryo's mind was far from them. His focus was entirely on the battle, on the fight for survival, and on the knowledge that this, too, was a test. The serum was making him stronger, faster, but was it worth the price?
The Brute staggered, his eyes narrowing with a new understanding. He launched a desperate attack, but Ryo was faster. He stepped into the attack, his fist connecting with the Brute's throat. The man collapsed, gasping for air, his body crumpling to the ground.
Ryo stood over him, panting, the serum still coursing through his veins. His heart was pounding, his body aching, but a sense of numb satisfaction washed over him. Another trial won, but at what cost?
The announcer's voice rang out again, but Ryo barely heard it. His mind was already far away, lost in the swirling darkness of his thoughts. The serum's power, the tournament's blood-soaked promise—how long could he keep this up?
His eyes flicked to the exit, the path that would lead him toward Ren. But the road ahead was becoming more and more uncertain.
The trials were getting harder.
And so was he.