Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 59: Debut Performance

Chapter 59: Debut Performance

Klaus felt a little anxious. After all, he was about to face several death row inmates, men desperate enough to kill for a chance at survival.

Regardless, he stepped through the door and entered the white room. The moment he did, the door sealed shut behind him, cutting off his only escape route.

There was no turning back now. Only two outcomes remained: either he would die, or his enemies would.

Taking a deep breath, he unsheathed his sword with a sharp metallic hiss. The sound was unsettlingly crisp.

Steeling himself, he lifted his gaze just as the opposite door slid open, allowing several figures to step inside.

The five condemned men who entered were panting, their faces pale with fear. Though Klaus was much younger, their wariness was unmistakable. Some of them were even old enough to be his father, yet they were afraid of a teenager despite the fact they were holding guns.

It wasn’t due to some overwhelming aura or oppressive force. No, they simply understood the situation.

They were going to die.

This was their execution. Their final reward for their sins.

Click! Click!

The death roll inmates were looking at Klaus with their guns drawn. For a long moment, neither side moved, locked in a silent standoff.

Klaus closely examined them. Their equiped cyberware were cheap and so poorly made that he doubted it even functioned properly. Their bodysuits were just as worthless, offering no real protection. In fact, even the common thugs or thieves in Undertown wouldn’t be desperate enough to steal such low-grade cybernetic equipment. And even if they did, it wouldn’t fetch much on the black market.

That was how pitiful their gear was. No wonder they looked scared to death.

This entire setup was painfully rigged, so much so that the officials didn’t even bother hiding it.

Hell, he would be surprised if their guns were even loaded with real bullets, though he had no plans on claiming that speculation.

But that would make sense, right? I don’t think the academy would be foolish enough to give those guys firearms loaded with real bullets. Also, Lancer Jet said they were former rogue Awakened, but I highly doubt that.

Klaus did not feel a shred of familiarity from those men.

As an Ascendant, he would have recognized one of his own at a glance, even if their powers had been forcibly stripped away. But these men lacked the "scent" of someone from the same world as him.

In other words, they were just ordinary criminals. Serial killers, murderers, sexual assaulters — whatever their crimes, none of them had ever belonged to the ranks of the Awakened.

Thinking back, Lancer Jet’s words seemed odd. The mention of rogue Awakened didn’t quite add up. Typically, those kinds of people were eliminated on sight to prevent the risk of them escaping and wreaking havoc again.

Sure, the Requiem Shackles had the ability to strip an Ascendant of their powers, but they weren’t omnipotent. It was a well-known fact that <Chaos> could never be fully contained or controlled by human hands.

There had even been a case where a rogue Awakened was captured and restrained by MaxTech for interrogation. But due to a technical failure in the shackles and the unpredictable nature of <Chaos>, he managed to escape. The result of that was a catastrophic massacre, leaving an entire MaxTech facility in ruins and dozens of elite enforcers dead.

However, Klaus knew for certain that none of the death roll inmates that entered this place were Awakened. This was also evident in their inexperience in the usage of guns and frantic behaviour under stress. Trained Awakened would absolutely not panic under stress.

So why Lancer Jet lie about them being Awakened?

There was a simple answer to it. They wanted to justify this execution.

By labeling these criminals as rogue Awakened, the academy could frame this as a necessary measure and dispose of dangerous individuals who posed a threat to society. It was easier to sell the idea of a sanctioned death match when the public believed the condemned were once-powerful beings stripped of their abilities, rather than just regular criminals being sent to the slaughter.

It was a convenient lie. One that ensured no one would question the ethics of forcing a young Ascendant like Klaus into a battle to the death.

Moreover, it served as a means to encourage the Aspirants to fight without hesitation or remorse. Perhaps that was the true purpose behind it. After all, who would object to the deaths of convicted criminals? Even if they weren’t Awakened, they were still considered scum of the Earth that needed to be purged and cleansed. Feeling sympathy for them was difficult, if not impossible.

Besides, this system had practical benefits. By executing death row inmates in this manner, the academy not only trained its future warriors but also helped manage prison overpopulation. With fewer criminals filling cells, space was freed up for new offenders.

In the end, it was all about utility. And it was also beneficial to society too, so again, who would complain?

How unlucky for those guys, that is. Those poor souls already know they’re being used as training dummies. How truly unfortunate. But it’s not like I’m going to feel sorry for some criminals.

With his mind set, Klaus’s eyes turned icy cold. As he understood the situation, the already formed battleplan inside his head began to fall into place.

There was no need to worry about the speed of the bullets; what mattered more was how fast those death row inmates could pull the trigger. Since their aim would most likely be shit, he didn’t need to worry about getting hit either. He only needed a few steps to close the distance, and once that happened, his only concern would be avoiding the blood splatter.

His grip tightened around the sword’s hilt. The inmates were still hesitant, trembled their fingers over the triggers of their guns. They weren’t trained soldiers or battle-hardened fighters. They were criminals shoved into a hopeless fight, with their deaths already decided the moment they stepped into this room.

Even so,

Thud!

Klaus took a single step forward, preparing for his charge.

It happened right there.

One of the men flinched and squeezed the trigger in panic.

Bang!

The gunshot rang through the sterile white room.

As if that was the signal, Klaus already began to move.

His body blurred as he sidestepped and the bullet zipped past his shoulder. The man who fired barely had time to process what had happened before Klaus closed the distance and flashed his sword down in an arc.

The blade sliced cleanly through flesh and bone. A spray of crimson followed, and the man crumpled to the ground with a strangled gasp.

That was his first kill.

The remaining four inmates scrambled backward with pure terror in their eyes.

Klaus didn’t give them time to recover. Hesitating out of guilt for killing trash was meaningless.

He had no reason to fear their gunfire while running in a straight line. At his current speed, he could outrun most cars in short bursts.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A flurry of gunshots rang out, the flashes from the prisoner’s muzzles momentarily illuminating the already white room. Klaus weaved between the bullets and twisted his body at unnatural angles as his feet barely touched the ground. The air buzzed with the sharp crack of rounds piercing through empty space where he had stood mere moments ago.

His foot slammed against the ground, launching him forward like a bullet from a chamber.

Just like that, he was already upon the nearest inmate.

Shing!

A flash of silver, and an arm was sent flying, severed at the elbow. The man’s scream tore through the air as his gun clattered to the floor. He staggered back and clutched the stump where his arm used to be, but Klaus had already moved on.

Another step, another strike.

His blade shot out and found its mark, plunging into the gut of a second inmate. The man gasped and his breath hitched as his trembling hands gripped the sword impaling him.

Klaus’s gaze remained impassive as he twisted the blade.

A sickening squelch followed, and the man convulsed before going limp. Klaus kicked the corpse off his sword, sending it sprawling to the floor with a dull thud.

Three down. Two left.

The last two inmates had completely abandoned any notion of fighting back. Their hands shook too much to even hold their weapons properly.

One turned to flee.

Klaus narrowed his eyes.

In a blur, he closed the gap with a tremendous leap and flashed his sword in a merciless arc. The man barely made it three steps before his head was separated from his shoulders, and his body collapsed in a heap.

The final inmate dropped his gun and fell to his knees. He pressed his hands together in desperate prayer, his lips trembling as he muttered incoherent pleas.

"Mercy... please... I don’t want to die... I’m innocent... I’ve been wronged... I have a family."

The words were barely audible, choked out between sobs.

Oh, isn’t that interesting?

For a fleeting moment, Klaus felt a flicker of intrigue.

The legal system had improved considerably over the years, but it was far from infallible. On rare occasions, innocent citizens were convicted of crimes they hadn’t committed and forced to serve punishments they didn’t deserve. If this man was telling the truth, he was one of those rare cases, a victim of the system, sentenced to die for a crime he never committed.

A meaningless death.

Klaus almost hesitated. Almost.

But then, he reminded himself of one simple truth.

Does that really matter?

Guilt or innocence had no place here. The Empire had deemed this man disposable so that was why he stood before him now. In such a situation, his pleas were nothing more than empty background noise. And more importantly, Klaus was not a good person.

Without hesitation, he drove his sword forward, piercing straight through the man’s chest and crushing his heart. It was a merciful death.

The inmate let out a weak gasp before his body went limp as his blood pooled beneath him.

Klaus withdrew his sword and flicked off the excess blood with a practiced swing.

"Phew..."

Klaus exhaled slowly. The only sound in the sterile white room was his own breathing. He alone remained standing with his sword stained with blood. The death row inmates lay motionless with their lifeless bodies sprawled in crimson puddles.

It was a grim sight that bought him no pleasure whatsoever.

He didn’t want to admit it, but the fight had taken more out of him than he expected. He had been prepared to battle and survive against monsters, but killing fellow humans was something else entirely.

Perhaps that was the real test here.

Always prepare for the unexpected. After all, the Shadow Realm was just or even more unpredictable.

... Or so he would like to say.

Clap! Clap!

Applause spread from above. Klaus bowed politely to the glass window.

On cue, the closed door opened and he returned to the space where the instructor and other aspirants were.

"Did you learn that the sword technique of Instructor Kai? If I remember correctly, it was the Quicksilver style, yes?"

Instructor Jet asked with a curious expression. This was the first time Klaus learned there was a proper name for the sword style.

"Not exactly. I just repeated the moves he showed during the combat class sparring lessons."

He answered honestly. There was no reason to hide it. He wanted to finish early and return to his room, maybe pass out for the while day.

"Kai Zhang came from a prestigious family where he was taught by several sword instructors and eventually developed his own sword style throughout the years. But it’s different for you, isn’t it? And you were able to pick it up by just watching."

"You read my profile?" asks Klaus, a bit surprised.

Instructor Jet chuckled.

"Of course, I did. What kind of instructor would I be if I did go through the profile of those under my wing? Additionally, you have showed a lot of potential, young man. I’m sure your parents would be proud."

"I’m..."

"You don’t need to say anything. I’m simply praising you. Go back to your dorm and don’t forget to continue your training diligently."

"Yes, sir."

Klaus nodded and walked into the hallway, receiving stares from other aspirants, even ignoring Adrian. Feeling lightheaded, he rushed into the public male restroom and collapsed over a toilet as he began to puke his guts out.

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