[Tw// Violence and death]
"Arena Area will be compromised. Tributes that are not in the Valid arena area will be terminated. Red markers on the edge of the valid area will be shown to guide the tributes safely."
The robotic voice and the red markers were enough to have the remaining tributes emerge from their hiding spots. The red markers surrounded almost the whole arena. Only the center of the arena was the valid area.
And what's troubling the tributes, are the screams and grunts coming from that area. Clearly there was a fight going on. But the tributes knew deep down, that they're being led to the center so they'll be engaged in combat. All of them. They were rushing the match. They wanted to end it so badly.
Hoshi and Dino exited the cave that they were currently staying at, walking towards the center of the arena, fear was evident in the two, but they decided to brush it off and face their inevitable fate.
Seungkwan who was staying with Woozi had stood up, guiding the injured smaller male with him towards the center. However, Woozi hesitated. "What about Joshua? He's not back yet-" Seungkwan sighed, "I'm sure Joshua heard the announcement as well. We'll see him at the center, don't worry okay?" The trickster reassured.
Well Seungkwan wasn't wrong.
The tributes met at the center, with an intense fight going on in front of them.
Not only were they met with the two fighting men, but they were also met by the dead bodies of Seokmin, Joshua, Minghao, and Wonwoo.
Dino let out a gasp at the sight of Minghao's body, eyes wide open, irises an intense shade of green, fingers still in his mouth. The leader gripped his teammates shoulder and let him bury his head in his chest.
In the center most part of the arena were the two men fighting, both of them enveloped in Jeonghan's thick black smoke. Seungcheol was grunting in pain but his sheer willpower was keeping him from fully succumbing to the smoke's effects.
Jeonghan, who had gained little immunity from the smoke in the past few years, didn't feel as worse as Seungcheol. Yet his other abilities were taking a toll on him.
The awful memories were coming back.
Seungcheol was doing the same thing Jeonghan's father had done to him all those years ago. He was making him use his own abilities against him.
Jeonghan knew that he'd experience it once more. And so he trained hard enough to come up with a solution. He had learned how to use his abilities on more than one person. And while he was using them on himself, he was using them on the other leader as well. And he felt it. Seungcheol was getting weaker with every passing second.
The remaining tributes couldn't do anything other than watch the legendary battle going on in front of them. All of them held their breath when Seungcheol fell on his knees.
Woozi and Seungkwan almost sighed in relief at the sight of Seungcheol crumbling in the hands of their own leader. Vernon however only felt fear. He knew Seungcheol would do anything just for his own sake. Vernon was aware of where his leader had come from, and he refuses to go back to where he used to be. Seungcheol wanted the glory and honor. He wanted it so bad.
The healer expected next thing that happened. It was indeed one of the things his leader would do.
As soon as Seungcheol knew he'd lose to Jeonghan, he came up with a plan. Healers were meant to heal others he thought... So why not have them heal him right now? Infiltrating the minds of both Vernon and Hoshi, he forced them to heal them with the best of their abilities. And slowly he stood, his body healing, his strength coming back, and his energy doubling.
"Hoshi hyung!" The youngest of all the tributes panicked. His hyung was in trouble. But he knew he couldn't do anything. The young boy was sobbing. He can't lose his Hoshi hyung now, or not ever. He was nothing without him. All he did was protect and defend the young oracle. But now he was in trouble yet he felt his hands were tied. He knew he didn't have any means of helping him. Nothing could break the young man more.
Vernon... He was smiling sadly at how his leader, whom he considered as a brother, used him one last time. Tears fell down on his cheeks as his eyes turned to a ghostly white. A common sign of exceeding the power limit.
"I forgive you hyung." The Healer whispered.
Woozi couldn't hold back anymore. He had to do something.
With shaking hands, he summoned fire in his hands, sending balls of fire towards the opposing leader's direction.
Jeonghan's loud voice could be heard. "NO! STOP IT JIHOON! MESS WITH HIM AND HE'LL KILL YOU TOO! I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE PLEASE!" The leader yelled, voice filled with desperation as he turned to look at them. He glanced at Seungkwan, giving him a knowing look.
Then, the two healers dropped down dead on the ground. Seungcheol chuckled, ignoring the broken cries of the youngest tribute, and ignoring the body of his own teammate. He was now at his peak.
Jeonghan was strong, but it doesn't mean he wasn't tired.
Seungcheol pushed himself to his limit, using his abilities with the intent to kill. And at the exact moment, Seungkwan encased all of them in his illusion. An illusion of Jeonghan dropping dead in front of Seungcheol as he laughed in satisfaction.
Jeonghan hurriedly conversed with his members, it was only a matter of time before Seungcheol would sense an illusion around him.
"I have a plan. But I need you both to trust me. Can you both do that?" Jeonghan asked in a hushed whisper. "Hyung we do but what exactly are you planning?" The trickster asked worriedly.
"When I give seungkwan the signal, you're gonna break the illusion. And I'll surprise Seungcheol, and when I catch him off guard, I'll feed off most of his life force, which will hopefully help me regain a bit more strength. But Woozi, I need you to finish him off for me. I can't do it myself. Not with my condition. You're the strongest at the moment. Can you do that for me?"
"I'll do anything hyung. If it means we get to come home. I'll do it."
Jeonghan nodded. And with one last look at his members he yelled.
Seungkwan broke the illusion and Jeonghan charged at Seungcheol.
"Wait! How are you alive?! I killed you-" He was cut off with Jeonghan's scream trapping the both of them in the smoke, feeding off of his life force.
Jeonghan knew that his actions would use up more of his energy than what he'll get. And he accepted it.
He had to die to take away most of Seungcheol's life force.
Woozi could make out Seungcheol's figure dropping weakly to the ground, he summoned fire and lightning. And he shot it at him. Lightning up the area, making it visible through the smoke how he died from one lethal blow.
The smoke cleared up, but they were not met with one deceased leader. They were met with two.
Woozi and Seungkwan broke into sobs at the sight of their leader, a soft smile plastered on his face as a single tear fell from the leader's eye.
The two would've mourned and wailed at the fate of their leader, but the countdown cut the both of them off.
"5 minutes til Arena's self destruction."
The two exchanged a look and hurriedly picked up the bodies of their fallen teammates, not wanting to leave them behind before they locked in their scores in the transportation cubicle.
Two minutes before the scheduled self destruction of the arena, they met the broken eyes of the last surviving tribute apart from them.
'Lee Chan' 'Deo Academy' 'Oracle'
"Come with us. I can disguise you as one of our tributes." The trickster whispered.
The oracle shook his head.
"No, you go on. I want to stay with Hoshi hyung."
"But your Hoshi hyung wouldn't want you to die here."
"20 seconds til self destruction"
"Seungkwan." Woozi tapped his shoulder, "Leave him be. We have to go."
Seungkwan tried not to cry even more as he turned his back away from the arena, Woozi closing the doors and enclosing them safely inside the cubicle as they were transported outside the Arena, ending up in the center plaza where people were waiting for them.
Loud cheers, trumpets blaring, and cameras flashing. Everyone were pleased for the traumatized men.
"I PRESENT TO YOU, THE VICTORS OF THE DÉCÈS MATCH!"
[This is based off a story that admin wrote. Everything is purely fictional.]