Creak.
A sharp sound snapped Malakai out of his thoughts. His head jerked to the side just in time to see the altar at the center of the hall descending into the ground.
‘…What is happening?’
Wincing, he pushed himself up, dragging his tired feet toward the center.
‘A hole?’
As he approached, he saw the altar being swallowed by a yawning black pit that had suddenly opened beneath it. Within seconds, the altar was gone. But the hole remained.
Malakai stared at it for several seconds, unmoving. Then, he raised his head, scanning the hall once more.
Blood everywhere.
Massive pillars.
Stone walls like prison bars.
No other exit.
‘I’m supposed to enter this hole?’
He truly hoped not.
The darkness within was like an abyss. There was no sound. And no hint of what lay beyond the hole.
“Shit.”
Malakai cursed under his breath.
As if things weren’t bad enough, now he had to dive headfirst into a black hole with no clue where it led?
‘Calm down… calm down.’
He inhaled deeply, steadying his nerves. Then he assessed his situation more clearly.
Currently, there was no pressure.
No timer.
No voice demanding him to immediately act.
The hall was silent and still.
‘I can take my time.’
With that realization, Malakai staggered back and let his aching body slump against the nearest wall.
There was no need to rush, so he decided to rest. And gods knew he needed rest.
But still, even as he rested, his eyes remained wide open and his senses sharp.
He wasn’t going to be caught off guard, not after what he’d been through.
‘It’s quiet.’
The quiet was a luxury, one he welcomed with his whole being. It let him retreat into his mind, which he considered his sanctuary.
In his sanctuary, Malakai hypothesized about the next trial he would face after leaving this hall.
‘There should be five of us left. This is probably the finals.’
Five teams had made it to this round. If each had been forced to fight among themselves, then only five individuals would remain, including Malakai.
‘I have to be ready.’
He couldn’t afford to underestimate any of them.
Whoever survived this far had killed their teammates. They were not only skilled, but cold-blooded and ruthless.
And most importantly, they were the best of the best. Evolved. Unlike him.
Next, Malakai began to assess his condition.
His body was riddled with cuts from the blows he received from Jerom.
The Devil’s Fruit he’d consumed near the end had healed the worst of them, but they were far from gone.
There was no fresh blood leaking from them, but he still felt pain radiating from each of them.
Still…
‘I should save the fruits for later.’
He needed days of rest to fully recover from the fruits. Eating another fruit now, even for healing, would push his body closer to collapse.
He couldn’t afford that, not before the final confrontation.
Turning to his supplies, he decided to take inventory. He looked at his Devil’s Fruits first.
‘Only one and a half left.’
That meant he had three more bursts of power. But unfortunately, he couldn’t use all of them.
Given his current state, even one more use could be enough to shut his body down entirely.
‘I have to be careful.’
He checked his Mini Vita Mine dispenser next.
It was a rectangular case with a rounded slot at the bottom for releasing the mines.
They were secure inside and were designed to prevent accidental detonation.
He glanced at the small display screen on its side.
“6 left,” he muttered.
Then he checked his gun and was relieved it was still functional. It could fire at least six more shots.
It had a battery at the bottom which was made from compressed volatile Vita, just like the others.
Next were his throwing knives, reinforced wires, hidden blades…
They were all intact.
Malakai was satisfied and decided to move to another thing.
‘I should eat.’
He was grateful he’d packed another water bottle, considering the fact that the one he gave Kendal had gone up in flames.
Taking out his rations, he ate in silence.
Soon he drank, breathed, and rested.
Then he leaned back and reviewed the battle he had just fought in his mind.
Every move he had made, every choice.
How Kendal had died.
How Jerom had fought.
What could’ve gone wrong. And what he could’ve done differently.
Just like that, hours passed. Malakai didn’t know exactly how long, but he was sure it had to be more than five.
By then, he felt… better. He was not completely healed, but stable enough.
His body still ached and muscles burned, but his mind remained sharp.
SCCRREEEECH.
His eyes snapped toward the wall to see it was closing in slowly from all sides.
His gaze sharpened.
‘Looks like there was a time constraint after all.’ He had obviously exhausted his time.
It was time to leave.
Malakai sighed heavily, stepping away from the walls that were inching toward him.
He gave himself one last inspection.
‘Still sore…’
The rest had helped, but his body remained stiff, and a dull ache radiated through his limbs. Still, he had no choice.
He turned toward the dark pit and stared.
‘I’m starting to hate pits.’
There was something about them he couldn’t shake. The eerie silence. The absolute blackness. And the uncertainty of what lay beneath it.
But the walls didn’t care.
He walked toward the edge, and waited, letting the final seconds tick by, determined to use every single second he had.
Then, just as the walls were about to crush him, he stepped off the ledge and the darkness swallowed him whole.
‘I’m falling.’
It wasn’t like before. He could actually feel the rush of air, and the pull of gravity acting on him.
‘That’s good news.’
It meant he wasn’t being teleported somewhere else. He was still inside the labyrinth.
‘This narrows down what to expect.’
The fall lasted several seconds, until he saw it.
A bright light rushing up from below.
‘I’m almost at the bottom!’
But at this speed, if he hit solid ground, his legs would shatter.
His hand shot into his jacket and brought out two small daggers, gripping them tightly.
He had felt it earlier, stone walls surrounded him as he fell.
Malakai twisted midair, gritting his teeth, and then, he stabbed.
The daggers scraped against the wall with a screech, sparks flying as his arms trembled from the force.
He felt an intense pain surge through his shoulders, elbows, and wrists, but he held on until his descent slowed, eventually coming to a stop.
Malakai breathed heavily, ignoring the ache burning through his limbs.
He looked down, squinting through the bright light below.