Chapter 7: The Unseen Forces
The roar of the crowd was deafening—but Ryo didn't hear any of it.
His ears had learned to filter out the noise, just like his eyes now learned to ignore the bloodstains beneath his feet. The arena had become familiar, like a recurring nightmare you learn to survive. His body still ached from the battle with Gorath, but his mind was locked on the image of Ren standing above a lab, commanding enforcers like some dark general.
Could it really be him?
There was no room for doubt. Not anymore.
Ryo tightened his grip on the black serpent coin Kael had given him. Its cold surface reminded him that there was more going on beneath the blood and the spectacle. A system. A machine.
And he was going to break it.
Across the arena, his next opponent emerged.
A woman.
Tall, draped in a robe that shimmered like oil in water. Her eyes were covered with a thin blindfold, yet she moved with purpose. Fluid. Dangerous.
The announcer didn't bother with introductions this time. He simply bellowed, "Begin!"
The woman moved like wind. Within seconds, she was in front of Ryo, her palm nearly grazing his throat. He twisted just in time, the edge of her sleeve cutting his cheek like a blade.
She was fast. Too fast.
Ryo backed away, breathing carefully. He couldn't rely on brute force this time. This was different. Tactical.
She didn't speak, didn't taunt like Gorath had. She moved like a predator obeying some silent command. Ryo realized quickly—she was fighting with precision. Discipline. Like someone trained, not thrown into this place.
That's when he saw it.
A faint glint under her robe. Wires. A patch on her back that pulsed with a faint blue light.
Not natural.
Not human.
Not fully, at least.
This wasn't just a fighter. She was part of the experiments.
She lunged again, and this time, Ryo caught her wrist, pulling her into a throw. She flipped midair and landed on her feet like a cat, then struck his shoulder with such force that Ryo staggered backward, blood spraying from the impact.
Ryo wiped the blood from his mouth.
They were testing him.
This wasn't just about crowd entertainment anymore—this was surveillance. They were watching his movements. His decisions. His morality.
What was this?
Ryo let her close the distance again, baiting her into a strike. This time, he didn't dodge. He let her hand press against his chest, but before she could unleash the blow, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it hard.
Her blindfold slipped slightly in the process—and he froze.
Her eyes.
They were glazed… but not blind. They were… controlled. Flickering. Almost robotic.
"Who did this to you?" he whispered, breathless.
She blinked once, a single tear sliding down her cheek. And in that instant, Ryo knew—she wasn't here by choice. She was another pawn.
Another victim.
But she couldn't stop.
She moved again, but her strikes lost their precision, her balance faltered. The tear had broken something in her. Maybe even freed her for a moment.
Ryo locked her arm and flipped her to the ground, pinning her.
"I don't want to kill you," he said softly.
She didn't respond—but the light in her eyes dimmed, and her body went limp. Ryo stood slowly, raising his hands to the announcer.
"She's done."
A long silence.
Then the bell rang.
The crowd didn't cheer. It was confusion. Disappointment. But someone behind the scenes had made the call. The match was over.
Ryo didn't care about the audience.
He cared about what he had just seen.
Later that night, back in the fighter's corridor, he slipped away again—down to the old chamber where Kael was waiting.
"She was one of them, wasn't she?" Ryo demanded as soon as he saw him.
Kael nodded slowly. "A prototype. Fang Serum isn't just a drug—it's a tool. Sometimes it enhances. Other times it enslaves."
"They're using it to build controllable fighters," Ryo said bitterly. "Weapons."
Kael stepped forward. "Now you're starting to see the real Maw."
"They were testing me," Ryo continued. "They wanted to see if I'd kill her. To see what kind of monster I'd become."
Kael didn't deny it. "You've caught their eye now. You're not just a contestant anymore. You're a variable."
Ryo clenched his fists. "And Ren… he's part of this?"
Kael hesitated, then sighed. "I don't know how deep he's in. But he's not just a bystander. He's helping them expand the serum. The fighters being controlled now? That's just the start."
Ryo felt a cold chill creep down his spine.
"What are they planning?"
Kael reached into his coat and pulled out a tiny device. A chip.
"This," he said, "is a recording from the lower chambers. It captured a transmission two weeks ago—before they shut the system down."
He handed it to Ryo.
Ryo inserted it into a small port built into the back wall of the chamber—a stolen tech zone from old surveillance units. A hologram flickered into view, faint but clear.
Ren's voice echoed in the chamber.
"We've succeeded in stabilizing the serum in twenty percent of test subjects. The rest… terminated. The board wants live prototypes ready for deployment within two months. We'll begin trials outside the Maw next."
Ryo's heart stopped.
Deployment?
Outside the Maw?
They were planning to unleash this on the world.
Kael stepped beside him. "This tournament isn't just for bloodsport anymore. It's a training ground. A proving ground."
Ryo stared at the hologram, frozen.
Ren's face was hard. Focused. But behind the coldness, Ryo caught something—a flicker. A hesitation. Was it guilt? Or just an illusion?
Either way, it didn't matter.
Ryo now knew the truth. The fights were a cover. The Maw was a laboratory.
And he was caught in its gears.
Back in his cell, Ryo sat in silence.
The black serpent coin lay on the ground beside him. Tomorrow, he'd be moved to the Inner Tier. A place where only the best—or the most dangerous—were sent.
But he wasn't afraid.
Now, he had purpose.
They wanted a monster?
He'd give them one—but on his own terms.
No strings.
No chains.
And if Ren had been twisted into something else, Ryo would find out.
And if necessary… he would end it.
Even if it broke him.