Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – The Gauntlet of Pain

As dusk deepened, the battlefield grew more merciless. The forest’s shadows became indistinguishable from the silhouettes of its combatants. The Shuffle Selection had entered its most brutal phase, a gauntlet designed to test every fighter to their breaking point. Mike pressed forward through a corridor of tangled vines and shattered bark, every sense alert to danger.

In this stage, alliances shifted like sand. Some fighters temporarily banded together, only to betray one another in moments of weakness. Mike found himself reluctantly allied with a few desperate souls—figures scarred by relentless combat and ambition. Among them, even Celine’s presence grew more frequent. Though she rarely spoke, her eyes tracked his every move with an intensity that belied a growing fascination. In whispered exchanges, she would remark, almost to herself, “I will only fall for him if he is strong.” It was as if she measured his every decision and every scar against her own strict criteria for strength.

The gauntlet was more than just a series of isolated battles—it was a continuum of pain. In one savage encounter, Mike was ambushed by a cadre of foes under cover of darkness. The sounds of their attack were brutal: guttural shouts, the whistling of thrown blades, and the sickening crunch of bone meeting stone. Mike fought with every ounce of strength, the fear of failure driving him to extraordinary feats. Each swing of his dagger, each desperate parry, forged him into something new—a man who refused to be defined by his past weaknesses.

Midway through the onslaught, a vicious confrontation with a particularly relentless fighter nearly overwhelmed him. The man, known among the combatants as “The Wraith,” moved with ghostly speed, his attacks leaving little time for defense. Mike’s body trembled under the ferocity of the assault, his vision blurred by pain and adrenaline. In that desperate moment, he thought of Celine—her unwavering gaze, the unspoken challenge in her eyes—and found a new reservoir of strength within himself. Summoning a final, explosive burst of energy, he countered The Wraith’s assault, delivering a decisive blow that silenced his enemy. The crowd around them roared in approval, but Mike barely registered it. All he felt was the searing heat of battle and the heavy burden of survival.

Throughout the evening, as the relentless battles continued, the overseer periodically updated the rankings. Whispers spread like wildfire among the combatants: Mike was climbing steadily, his determination and resilience earning him precious points. Celine, too, was quietly amassing a formidable score. Rivalries flared, and as each skirmish ended, the air filled with tension as fighters eyed one another with a mix of respect and resentment.

Despite the carnage, a curious camaraderie emerged among a few survivors. In rare moments of reprieve, fighters shared wounded glances or murmured words of acknowledgment. Yet, trust was fleeting, and betrayal was ever around the corner. The gauntlet of pain had not only tested physical strength but had also scoured the soul of every fighter.

As the night deepened, exhaustion set in. Mike’s body bore the marks of countless clashes—bruises, cuts, and scars that told the story of a brutal journey. But within that agony, a fierce pride burned. Every injury was a reminder of how far he had come, how much he had endured. It was a hellish experience that would shape him for the future, a crucible forging a fighter who could stand against even the most formidable adversaries.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***