Chapter 17 - 16: Unexpected Mercy
"Freeze! Association enforcement!"
The underground arena erupts into chaos. Steel-armored agents surge through every entrance like a flood breaking through a dam. Their shouts pierce the crowd’s panic as spectators trample one another in a desperate scramble for safety, the hunters in the crowd coming to the front trying to catch a few stragglers.
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Leon’s consciousness flickers between awareness and darkness. Pain throbs through his broken body with each heartbeat. Through blurred vision, he sees Damian speaking to a group of agents near the tournament master’s platform.
"The elixir was stolen in the confusion," Damian’s voice rings out clearly despite the chaos. "Someone grabbed it during the panic. I tried to pursue them but lost them in the crowd."
The lead agent’s face twists with frustration. "Impossible. We had this place surrounded."
"Check the bodies if you want. Search everyone still breathing. But whoever took it is long gone."
Leon feels strong arms lifting him from the bloodstained sand. The world spins as Damian hoists him over his shoulder like a wounded comrade. Around them, the arena descends into complete mayhem.
"This one’s barely alive," Damian calls to a passing medic. "Taking him to the exit for emergency treatment."
The medic nods without stopping. The arena is filled with too many wounded for anyone to track individual casualties.
Damian moves through the chaos with practiced ease, navigating crowds of fleeing criminals and confused agents, always staying ahead of the search teams. Leon’s awareness fades in and out as they pass through stone corridors that reek of fear and desperation.