Ch.249Night Cat Clan VS Water King Clan

“Both fighters, prepare for the match!”

When the betting ended and the referee ordered the fighters to prepare, Kasim, the Leonin male, exuded a murderous aura and spoke to Seti with a growling voice.

“Where are you from?”

“Ulrinka. Seti, daughter of Gashu bi Elem and Dain Ran Lu. And you?”

“Kasim of Bekya. I will not reveal my parents’ names.”

“…!”

At Kasim’s response, Seti swallowed hard and tried to calm her pounding heart.

No one in this arena would understand the significance of their exchange.

The naming convention of the beast-folk, listing father, mother, and one’s own name in sequence, stems from a culture that values the bond between parents and children above all else.

For a beast-folk to refuse to reveal their parents’ names, there were only two possible reasons:

Either they lost their parents too young to remember their names,

Or their parents died such a shameful death that their names could not be passed down to their children.

And just as Fatum of Nidavellir had done, those who fell into the former category typically made that fact known to others.

So Seti could easily guess that Kasim, who said he “will not reveal” his parents’ names, belonged to the latter category.

Furthermore, Kasim’s hometown “Bekya” was the name of a Leonin village that had waged war against the pioneers of Riverside,

Which meant this man Kasim was from the same homeland as the young Leonin who now lived among the dwarves in Nidavellir.

“I’ll kill you, traitor of Ulrinka. You who have fallen to become the pioneers’ clowns are a disgrace to the beast-folk.”

But Kasim’s eyes reflected nothing but deep resentment.

Most of the Leonin who had been defeated at the Riverside front and fled far west considered the Felinid from Ulrinka to be “traitors,” and Kasim was no different.

Of course, this was a one-sided claim by the Bekya Leonin, and it was an even more absurd grudge against Seti, who hadn’t even been born at the time.

“Seti won’t die. For the one I care about, I will win.”

“Grrrr-!!”

The leopard-headed Leonin, Kasim, responded to Seti’s determination with a roar.

The ancient grudge between the two tribes, once neighbors but now divided, was merely good drama for the audience at the arena.

As if to prove this fact, the referee finally announced the start of the match with an excited voice.

“Fight!”

“Raaah!!”

“Hyaah!”

The two contestants charged at each other, launching fierce attacks without hesitation.

Seti narrowly avoided Kasim’s log-like fist and delivered a kick, which Kasim easily blocked with his forearm before countering with a body tackle.

Seti jumped up in place, stepped on Kasim’s shoulders with both feet, and leaped backward, then pushed off the chain-link fence to charge again with a kick aimed at Kasim’s face.

But Kasim also moved his upper body at the last moment to avoid the attack and regained his stance.

The audience watched the ring in silence, forgetting even to cheer, as the match unfolded more intensely than any previous bout.

“That Kasim guy, he’s surprisingly agile despite his appearance, huh?”

“As expected of the Leonin, the strongest race in close combat. He’s several levels above Fatum.”

“Will Miss Seti be alright…?”

“She’ll be fine, she’ll be fine. No matter how fast the opponent is, for Seti—”

*THUD!*

“Ugh!?”

Just as Mina was trying to reassure the worried Iris, Kasim’s body blow connected with Seti’s stomach.

Having allowed a major hit for the first time, Seti quickly created distance to regain her composure. Kasim, unwilling to let go of his advantage, leaped in to deliver a follow-up attack, but—

*WHACK!*

“Guhk!?”

Seti, who Kasim thought would dodge to the side or back, boldly jumped toward his face.

She struck Kasim’s forehead with her right knee, grabbed his shoulders, and did a somersault, putting her weight on his face as he fell backward.

*CRASH!*

Kasim hit the back of his head on the ring floor, unable to break his fall due to the unexpected counterattack and Seti’s weight.

But this Leonin man’s determination was extraordinary; even as he fell with a bloody nose, he managed to grab one of Seti’s ankles.

Seti tried to kick away Kasim’s hand with her other foot to escape his grip, but Kasim was slightly faster in pulling her down.

*THUD*

“Ahh…”

As Seti landed on her backside, Kasim, who had been rising to a half-crouched position, pounced on her, pinning her down and baring his sharp teeth as he thrust his head toward her neck.

The audience held their breath at this motion—a carnivore’s attempt to bite the prey’s neck to ensure death—but—

*CRACKLE!*

“GYAAARRGH~!”

Red sparks flew from the collar of servitude Kasim wore, and a pain-filled roar of a carnivore echoed throughout the arena.

The collar had detected his intent to take a life and imposed a sanction.

It was a critical opening for Kasim, and a golden opportunity for Seti.

*THUMP!*

“Guhh!?”

With a dull sound, Kasim rolled to the side, clutching between his legs with both hands.

The faces of the male spectators winced slightly as they understood what had happened.

Of course, I did too.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

“Grrrr…”

“…Sorry, it was reflexive. But you broke the rules first.”

After the back-and-forth struggle, Seti regained her freedom and caught her breath, while Kasim groaned, enduring the pain in his groin.

At a glance, Seti seemed to have the advantage, but having adventured with her for a long time, I could tell she was approaching her limit.

If she had been at full condition, she wouldn’t have allowed Kasim to grab her ankle, let alone permit that initial body blow.

‘The longer this match goes on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for Seti. Fortunately, that Leonin is restricted by the collar of servitude, so it would be better to make a bold move before her condition deteriorates further.’

It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this, as Seti lowered her body and took a charging stance while maintaining distance.

She planned to compensate for her lack of weight with speed, concentrating her attack on a single point.

The final match toward her 10th consecutive victory… this attack would likely be the decisive move.

~~~ Hell’s Garden Underground Arena, Secret Passage Connected to the Second Floor ~~~

‘These useless fools… what on earth are they doing?’

Josephine, the madam of Hell’s Garden, watching the match through a gap in the secret passage, was irritated that things weren’t going according to plan.

None of the spectators had noticed, but just before this match began, Seti was supposed to be administered a certain “drug.”

It was to be mixed into the whiskey passed from the round girl’s mouth to hers.

‘That stupid girl. She hesitated and missed the timing to administer the drug…!’

This drug, just a teaspoon in quantity and effective for about 5 minutes, was designed to disrupt the user’s optic nerves, severely impairing depth perception and dynamic vision, and even causing intermittent dizziness—a kind of debuff potion.

If these symptoms suddenly appeared during a match, suspicion would naturally fall on Hell’s Garden, but after drinking strong whiskey between rounds and moving vigorously, it would be assumed to be the effects of alcohol.

Moreover, this potion was formulated to be undetectable by any means after its 5-minute duration, so even if the defeated contestant suspected drug administration, no evidence could be found.

If Seti had quietly accepted the mouth-to-mouth drink instead of making a fuss about the whiskey, this match would have ended with Kasim’s victory long ago.

‘Damn it, why did that girl make such a scene there? Does she think she’s a dwarf or something…’

Josephine thought the girl was incredibly lucky.

In reality, Seti had detected the strange smell from the round girl’s mouth and improvised to avoid the danger.

‘At this rate, she might actually achieve 10 consecutive victories…’

Backed into a corner, Josephine gnawed at her beautifully manicured nails.

No matter how dishonest and unfair Hell’s Garden had been in operating matches, they couldn’t refuse to award the prize or give a fake to someone who achieved 10 consecutive victories in front of dozens of spectators.

If they did, before being arrested for fraud, the countless men who had spent money at the arena wouldn’t stand idly by.

Her only remaining hope was for Kasim to win and prevent Seti’s 10th consecutive victory.

Unfortunately, Kasim’s skills weren’t enough to overwhelm Seti, and the opportunity he had seized was nullified by the collar of servitude.

Of course, the attack Kasim had attempted earlier was dangerous enough to take Seti’s life, which would have resulted in Kasim’s disqualification according to the arena’s rules…

But what difference did it make whether it was a KO loss or a disqualification if Seti’s 10th victory couldn’t be prevented?

‘At this rate, even if another opportunity comes to Kasim, he’ll waste it again.’

If Kasim were allowed to rampage freely, he would likely kill Seti and be disqualified.

But if left as is, his defeat was certain.

The possibility of disqualification versus the certainty of a KO loss.

It didn’t take long for Josephine to make her decision.

If—

If Josephine had been able to assess the situation more calmly,

Or if there had been even one person in Hell’s Garden who could object to her decision,

The tragedy about to unfold might have been prevented.

But the anxiety of potentially losing an S-class artifact, of having to shut down the underground arena business, robbed her of rational judgment, and—

“In the name of Josephine Hawkins, master of servitude—I release the Leonin Kasim from the status of slave.”

With the casual attitude of one dealing with a human slave,

She made the grave mistake of unleashing a beast hungry for vengeance.