"Sit down," Orion gestured to Mark, pointing at the sofa opposite him.
Mark frowned but ultimately sat down.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Orion asked curiously. He knew Mark wouldn't come to him unless it was serious, and seeing the solemn expression on his face, Orion understood that Mark had something important to say. "Choose your words wisely," he warned before Mark could start speaking.
Mark looked at Orion for a moment and said, "She is suspicious. I think she may know about you."
Orion's eyes narrowed at his words, and his face became serious. He knew exactly who Mark was referring to—he had met her not long ago and had even fought her.
"What did she say?" Orion asked, his brows furrowed.
"Nothing specific, but she mentioned that you and I are very different from others, especially you. I didn't understand what she meant by that, but I heard some things that made me believe she knows more than she's letting on. She hinted that you've had dealings with that person," Mark replied.
Orion's frown deepened. During his brief confrontation with Zeref, he realized she was both mysterious and powerful, hiding many secrets—one of which involved him.
But how did she know? Orion was certain only Mark knew these things, and he trusted Mark not to speak of it. So, the question remained: how had she caught wind of it?
Orion closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. 'Now that I think about it, she seemed oddly confident in my strength when she barely knows me.'
Recalling their fight, he realized she might have approached him to test his strength rather than just fulfilling the participant assessment's requirements.
"I see. It's unfortunate that she knows about my affairs," Orion sighed, wearing a defeated expression. "I have to warn you, stay away from her. She seems very strong—stronger than me—so be cautious if she comes to you again."
Mark frowned. "What are you going to do about it?" he asked.
Orion shrugged. "That will have to wait until the assessment ends. After that, I'll confront her and ask where she learned about my affairs. Very few people should know, and yet she does. She's definitely suspicious," he said, frowning.
Orion took the stairs down to the lower floor.
He didn't know what would happen, but as long as it wasn't against the rules, he planned to take advantage of it.
Some time later, he arrived in the basement and knocked on a metallic door. "It's me," he said.
The door opened, revealing Erza, who silently let him in and closed the door behind him.
***
Across the city, chaos reigned. Fights broke out in every corner, turning once-proud buildings into rubble. The entire city had descended into a battlefield, where participants slaughtered one another without a second thought.
For some, it was the thrill of combat that drove them, the sheer excitement of testing their strength against others. For others, the goal was clear: to reduce the number of participants below 200, no matter the cost.
They attacked on sight, with no hesitation, aiming to kill as many as they could. Some worked in groups, hunting together, while others fought solo, distrustful of anyone who might later become an enemy.
Yet, despite their differences in tactics, every participant shared one thing: the intent to kill. Whether they would survive or not didn't matter; all that mattered was that their target didn't live to see another fight.
With the top 200 within their grasp and the chance to join Dollas Academy dangling in front of them, most participants would do anything to secure their spot. The promise of prestige and power was enough to make them forget everything else.
However, not everyone was so willing to risk it all in the final stretch. Like Orion and his group, there were those who chose a different approach—hiding.
These participants didn't want to gamble their one shot at Dollas Academy by engaging in unnecessary battles. They knew that a single wrong move could lead to their elimination, so they opted to stay out of sight, letting the storm of violence pass them by.
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