Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

On the ring, Moon was like a walking crisis for those who thought it was just an easy item or some coins if they happened to all work together, but reality eluded them. They were instead faced with someone who didn’t mind trading injury for another, or testing the endurance limits of his own body against tens.

They were already trying to get past Zera and Dara, who were the strongest of the group, and even if they traded a few injuries, the two were strong enough to fight back and hold their ground for a moment.

Some avoided fighting and lurked in the background, though it didn’t change anything regarding the fact that Zera and Dara were strong.

Yet these two were taken out instantly without being able to defend themselves in the slightest.

By Samuel’s side, Ed squeezed his fists tight. ”Look at that, Samuel, can you see it?” His eyes fixed on Moon. ”This kid, who is barely sixteen or so, seems to have experienced crippling injury before in combat.”

”Under such circumstances, a child raised like this would have turned into a monster,” Ed added, before turning his gaze to Samuel. ”I, till now, was trying to see a little, if he was truly a monster, or if we can learn more about him.”

He shook his head, turning his gaze back to Moon. ”Samuel, I don’t care what you are going to do, but I didn’t think I’d see anyone as cruel to his own body as you till this day.”

”You know it takes long to teach my-” Samuel tried to retort, but Ed cut him off.

”I don’t care what you plan on doing or not doing, I will teach the kid everything I can and know,” Ed firmly stated. ”We had strict criteria, choosing suitable children to teach, to make them stronger than the children of any clan, to let them ascend without fear...” Ed paused, his voice shivering slightly. ”We were prepared to die in exchange for having someone live our dream.”

With that said, Ed stood up, not giving Samuel another glance. ”It’s almost time, I should go prepare his breakfast.”

He walked away. He had made up his mind, but he had too much to process... the three of them gave up their dreams, but does he remember what for?

The more he thought about it, the more he remembered... things he ended up losing regardless of giving up or not.

It meant nothing.

It was all meaningless, but maybe this kid would change that for him... Maybe it wasn’t all in vain.

He had already walked away, but he was still closely aware of everything on the ring, every single scratch on his body and every drop of blood he lost.

Back on the spectator seats, Lexie’s and Nola’s cheers had died down... Everyone, including Boa and Talia, was watching intently as the round was coming to an end.

As Moon was chasing those who were trying to get out of the arena, on one leg nonetheless...

”Magnificent, this level of adaptability is something I’m seeing for the first time in my life,” Talia commented, watching the scene unfolding.

”Using his limping leg as a weapon, disregarding his own injuries and physical state... sister, this is too barbaric to watch... uncivilized by all means,” Boa retorted.

Talia shook her head. ”Boa, you don’t understand... imagine such a person on our side, someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals...” She paused for a moment. ”Imagine if any faction within the tower had dedicated people to defend it.”

”Sister, there’s no dignity in his actions, form, or nature,” Boa retorted again, her mind refusing to accept the cruelty she was seeing as something praiseworthy.

Lexie was fed up listening to the two chattering. She looked at Boa and pointed at everyone below. ”Tell me, which of these clowns has any dignity?”

Boa, surprised, turned her gaze to Lexie. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Lexie didn’t plan on engaging in a meaningless fight, not with someone of a background like Talia. Even if she was her aide, she wouldn’t want to do that... But she held too much respect for Moon’s unwavering will, and his fighting style as well.

She turned her head back to the ring and smiled. ”Nola, I guess we soon will have our winner at last.”

On the ring, Moon was still chasing those who tried to run away from the ring... The newcomers didn’t put up much of a fight... They were cowards at best.

They all avoided direct confrontation, but Moon didn’t plan on letting them leave... even if they turned their backs on him, he would throw a kick at the back of their heads or drop an elbow on their crowns.

Though, inevitably, a few still managed to get away.

He was left alone in the arena now. No one was there, no one dared to attack him or step foot into it.

”So, at last...” Huff Huff Huff ”Hierarchy is established with me on the very top.”

He slowly lowered his body to the ground, ignoring the aches he was going through... No one cheered anymore.

He lay down on the sand, sprawling his arms and legs in a very familiar position.

”This is the third... huh,” He recalled...

Once was on the trial ground, where he watched the mud-colored sky after it was finally over, and the other was on the first floor, after that accursed battle where he lost everyone he knew, watching the grey sky.

He was now watching, or barely seeing rather, a golden sky after another battle...

He raised his head slightly. His eyes were heavy and almost completely closed, but he wanted to take a look at his injured foot.

And when he did, he pursed his lips.

”Can the medical ward shits fix this?” He asked himself.

His foot looked like a lump of mess. It was big, purple, and had the texture of a potato.

”Purple potato...” He laughed to himself before letting his head rest back down.

He wasn’t sure when the time would end, when the round was officially over, but it didn’t matter... He was just feeling lots of excitement, so he wasn’t in a hurry to leave, or assaulted by emptiness just yet.

But this battle threw him into a different kind of pain, yearning...

He remembered his brothers, the ten brothers of his... He was the fifth, though technically he was the sixth... he was 135, so he became fifth.

Their eldest, though he wasn’t the oldest of them... 139 was the oldest, but 130 was the one who became a slave the earliest among them, so he became the eldest.

He was called Zeroth Brother.

”What a stupid sense of naming we had back then,” He whispered.

Uneducated children trying to find their way and live on as slaves... he even fought him once for the title of Zeroth Brother, thinking it was cool.

They were trying to find support in whatever they had lost in life...

But what if he doesn’t remember what he even lost?

He hated his life as a slave, but he was still yearning for them, yearning for someone he could entrust his back to.

”Haaaa... how I wish to entrust my back to you again... brothers.” He said to himself, letting a few tears slip past his orange-sized eyes.

Across from him, a certain someone managed to stand back up again and was leaving the ring on his own. Unknown to him, Moon’s final lament reached his ears, forcing him to pause.