Surviving the Death Hunt

Scar was running out of time. He’d gone to Arthur and gone to Mingle, begged them both to pull whatever strings they had to get him facing Joel in the Epic Competition. That was done.

Now the day itself had shown up, loud and early, the kind of morning that didn’t wait. All eight districts were awake before the sun was, streets thick with bodies and noise and anticipation. He hadn’t slept. The city hadn’t let him.

Everyone was pushing toward the arena, chasing memories from a competition that hadn’t even started yet.

The Epic Competition had its own arena, the third and the grandest. Nothing like the one students had spent the last two months dueling in. This one had white and golden stands, marble that caught the light, and an overall presence that spoke of supremacy and old money.

Ordinarily, the arena belonged to the God Killers. It was their space for settling disputes, for training, and for whatever passed as casual among people like them. But on occasions like this, it was humanity’s.

"Aren’t you even a little bit nervous?"

Julien asked, reaching up to adjust his bandaged arm. The three of them, he, Purple, and Scar, were still working the streets, soaking in whatever the morning had going before eventually making their way to the arena.

Scar eyed him peripherally.

"You should be more concerned about yourself. No sane person would break their own hand just to stay out of the competition."

Julien laughed.

"Don’t trouble yourself. It’s nothing. I only need to activate one of my states, and it’ll heal instantly."

Scar sighed. It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Julien was a Moon Killer now. That this world was his in a way it hadn’t been before.

Hmph.

"There are more people than usual today... what terrible timing."

Purple said with a reluctant sigh, her walking stick taking the weight off her wounded leg. She was slowing them down, but Scar wasn’t bothered.

His attention had drifted to the kids on the streets, the ones laughing and pulling at their parents’ sleeves. A world ruled by Scarlet Kins didn’t produce sights like this often. It was pleasant. Strange, too, in equal measure.

"Hm... you’re probably right. Last year, there weren’t this many people, and most of them were likely already in their seats in the arena."

Scar’s words raised some suspicion in Julien.

"Do you think the Supreme Council had a hand in this? They do need a lot of souls for V, after all."

Purple shrugged.

"I highly doubt it. The Supreme Council would never endanger human lives. But then again, who knows?"

That was literally everything the Supreme Council stood for. They were there to make sure Akumas’ lives were managed in a way that benefited humans, and today, if anyone were to die, then it was probably going to be an Akuma.

None of them intended to die today. Their plan was straightforward: Scar fights Joel early in the tournament. After that match, with Julien and Purple officially listed as injured and excluded, all three could escape before everything fell apart.

It all came down to whether Scar would face Joel, and crucially, whether it would happen early in the competition.

Free of worries, they strolled through the streets. Remarkably, this was the first time the three of them had the chance to simply hang out and have fun together. They made every moment count.

They tried everything they could find, and discovered Purple’s weakness: sweets. The slightest sour taste made her wince and tear up. She was so sensitive that she wouldn’t take medicine, but would eagerly consume anything sweet.

Julien had suspected her sweet tooth. Whenever he visited her room, he’d find sweets everywhere, some even stashed beneath her pillow for morning snacks. But he’d never thought much of it.

But now, seeing her actually cry over being allowed only one dessert, he understood. Her sweet tooth wasn’t just a preference, it was an addiction.

Scar knew Julien through and through. He prayed to his parents every morning and every night. Sometimes Scar would catch him having full conversations with their spirits, updating them on everything, like they were still there.

But he knew almost nothing personal about Purple, despite how close they’d grown. So seeing this bizarre sweet obsession in someone so composed, so controlled, it made him smile. She was human after all.

This little outing lasted longer than any of them expected. Even though the competition hadn’t begun yet, something urgent immediately grabbed all the Akumas’ attention.

"Students, brace yourselves! Some among the crowd are possessed!"

This immediately shifted the atmosphere. If it were just a single person, this could easily have been ignored, but students from the Supreme and Alpha Academy were already running through the streets, all shouting the same thing as some directed civilians to the arena.

"Huh? What’s going on? Is V out already?"

The confusion was painfully apparent in Scar’s voice.

Purple’s face fell for a moment. Whatever she felt—disappointment, anger—was clearly aimed at the Supreme Council.

"Tch. No, that’s not it. V’s allies are stalling. They’re trying to buy themselves time."

Julien’s expression darkened.

"Wait, what? Could they be trying to free V with this opportunity?"

Purple motioned negatively.

"That’s not it. They probably don’t even know where V is locked up, that place is top secret. But they want to postpone the Epic Competition. Something’s going on."

Scar grimaced.

He didn’t want to believe it. But if they were really trying to delay the Epic Competition, then these people were heading toward nightfall. They didn’t want to summon Theo, Ally of Mankind.

Purple’s prediction might be right. They were trying to summon the Gate God, the forgotten god of the universe. It should be impossible. But if they were actually attempting it, they had to have a plan.

He sneered.

"This is becoming irritating. We have to get this over with fast, take out Joel, and then get out of here."