ADRENALINE RUSHED THROUGH Leah's veins like buzzing electricity, making her visibly tremble with excitement. After she had been fed tales of what Battlefield Arena was and after witnessing the previous match between Henrick Young and Farrah Graver, Leah craved for the prestigious title that came with winning her match.

She always had a reason to fight and now, she simply had a stage to showcase it. Leah wanted to prove to Julius Cain that he had not brought her spirit down despite everything that man had put her through. It was obvious to her back then that the older man had wanted to crack her clean open. After all, she was nothing but a child that seemed too bratty to keep up with the rest of her family.

However, her family was now left in shambles.

Tammy Lane was dead, her parents were most likely grieving the 'deaths' of their three children, and Travis and herself were kept in a city far from home.

Ultimately, Julius Cain succeeded. That was because there was no way for Leah to survive in this world filled with lurking dangers if she didn't change. She had to adapt to her surroundings. It was time for her to grow up.

When the bell finally rang after many torturous minutes, Leah was already in her starting stance, assessing her opponent. Her gaze inevitably still fell on Matilda June's weaker leg, watching it limp just slightly whenever she placed her weight on it. It was a perfect advantage for Leah but by no means was she about to make the same mistake as Henrick Young did. Leah Lane would not underestimate her opponent.

Training under Candice meant that Leah had long memorized the golden rule of their trade. It was kill or be killed, no other options.

Leah moved first. She plunged forward, rushing at full speed. Matilda June reacted fairly quickly, thrusting out her right leg in an attempt to kick Leah to a stop. Unfortunately, Leah had fast reflexes. Once she noticed the kick coming, she dipped to her knees, bending her back backward as she neatly slid across the floor under June's outstretched leg. Wasting no time, she placed a palm on the ground to prevent herself from sliding too far away. With one leg kicked out, Leah aimed for the back of June's left knee.

"Ah!" Matilda June screamed as she lost her balance, collapsing to the ground as the crowd echoed 'ooh's and 'aah's.

Even so, it wasn't enough yet. Matilda June might be on the ground but she was still conscious. The competition was far from over and Leah wasn't finished.

Before her opponent could find the strength or chance to get back up, Leah tugged hard on June's left leg. Perhaps it was because Matilda June's left leg had an old injury that never quite healed, perhaps it was because Leah had used too much strength, or perhaps it was a mixture of both but when Leah yanked, June's leg cracked loudly. It was paired with her sickening shrieks of agony, reverberating through the arena. It rivaled even the sound of the gasps and cheers from the crowd, drowning them out with the young girl's blood-curdling screeches.

"Heh," Leah scoffed in delight, her lips curling at the sight of Matilda June clawing at the floor, desperate to get away. "I'm not done yet."

Too engrossed in knocking her opponent out, Leah couldn't even hear Travis screaming his throat hoarse, his voice lost in the crowd. He yelled at the top of his lungs, begging for his sister to stop with her violent ways but all of his words fell on deaf ears. Leah was far too entranced by the euphoria that came with inflicting pain.

June had begun to push her upper torso off the ground, attempting to drag her own body away from Leah. However, before she could get far, Leah sat on June's back. The sudden weight caused Matilda June's quivering weak body to drop back down flat, her chin plummeting onto the ground.

Grabbing a fistful of June's hair, Leah began to slam her opponent's face against the stage floor. Blood splattered everywhere, spraying from June's face uncontrollably with each time Leah brought her face back down to kiss the ground. Matilda June's was already painted scarlet, a steady stream of blood flowing from both nostrils and from the corners of her mouth. Even her forehead was bruised and crimson, the skin scratched and raw.

"Stop!" Travis howled from the crowd. "Leah, stop! You're killing her!"

"She can't hear you," Candice said, shaking her head.

Hearing her words, Travis slowly turned his head to look at the blonde. He breathed out heavily, forehead wrinkled and eyebrows furrowed. When his eyes landed on Candice's expression, his heart fell. She hadn't even looked away from the stage, her gaze fixated on Leah's and June's figures. On her lips, Candice wore the same smile that Leah did. It was a sadistic grin, toothy and wide but filled with a murderous aura.

As if sensing Travis's gaze on her, Candice continued to speak, "This is the real Leah. My beautiful polished diamond."

The crowd had never been more alive. They all chanted Leah's name in unison as she finally stood to her feet. Matilda June was still not unconscious but she was barely clinging on. As of now, she was no longer a threat to Leah's eventual victory.

Soaking in all the glory, Leah spread out her arms wide, walking around the stage with a beckoning motion. She eagerly urged the crowd to continue with their cheers, nodding in delight as her smile grew wider with each passing second.

The heat of the spotlights seared her skin but the light was not nearly blinding enough. She still wanted to glow more. She was a mere star in the night sky, forgettable, one in millions. However, on stage with her opponent knocked down, Leah was now the sun, the lone source of light in the day.

She turned back to offer Matilda June a glance, admiring her handiwork. Her opponent was a sobbing mess on the floor, her eyes hooded and barely opened, lips parted as there was no way for her to breathe through her broken and bleeding nose. Her face was practically half-submerged in a pool of her own blood, snot, and tears, the metallic smell stirring in the air.

"P-Please," she wheezed breathily, her voice barely audible with all the commotion. "Please, no m-more. I c-concede." Matilda June even blinked slow. "P-Please... Please d-don't hurt me."

Before Leah could land her final blow, the speakers located around the arena crackled to life. Everyone turned their attention from the two teenagers on stage towards Julius Cain. His deep voice reverberated through the arena, hushing the crowd into an immediate silence as they listened attentively to what their leader had to say.

"How exciting of a performance it has been thus far, am I right?" Julius Cain chuckled, holding the microphone in his hand as he looked down from his elevated arena skybox. At his words, the crowd went wild, cheering and hooting once more as hands waved in the air. As quickly as the noise came, the sounds disappeared the second Cain raised his hand in a request for silence. "Apologies for interrupting a match right at the climax of the fight but I had to... confirm something that I heard."

Gesturing to the referee, the latter nodded immediately, rushing to a hidden corner behind the stage before returning speedily. In his hands was a single black pistol that he now held out for Leah to take.

"If I wasn't mistaken, Matilda June had conceded the match." A smile stretched across Cain's lips ominously. "What would that mean for an active agent on the field?"

"Spilling secrets!" Someone yelled from the crowd.

"Rattling and betraying comrades!" Another piped up.

A chorus of 'boo's erupted from the crowd, all jeering at Matilda June as Leah began to frown. She eyed the gun in the referee's hands, her own fingers quaking as he motioned for her to take the weapon from him.

"Leah Lane, you should know what you have to do," Cain said. "I have no need for a weakling that so effortlessly raises a white flag to save her own skin just because of a little hardship."

At his words, Leah's blood chilled cold. She had not known that entering the ring might mean taking someone else's life. For all the practice she had gone through, for all the trials and tribulations that her training had taught her, she still wasn't prepared to take a life.

The weapon felt exceedingly heavy in Leah's hands. Black — the color of death — stared her in the face as she looked over at Julius Cain again. He did nothing but smile serenely, nodding once before speaking into the microphone.

"While we're young, Leah," he sang. Though his tune sounded merry, it also reminded Leah of the bells that were rung by the angels of death. The little boy that stood near Julius Cain now had his face plastered against the glass, seemingly eager to see what would happen next. Seeing the boy's reaction, Cain grinned. "If not, there might be two bodies to clean up instead of just one."

"No!" Matilda June screamed, horrified. Her voice had returned, regaining a short burst of energy as her body kicked into its survival mode. "No, please! Please spare me! Don't hurt me!"

Kill or be killed.

With trembling hands, Leah raised the gun that was poised to shoot. Her finger hovered over the trigger as the crowd descended into silence, all holding their breaths in anticipation as June's begging grew in volume.

"Please, Mr. Cain! I'll change! I promise I'll do better! I'll train, work harder, make you proud! Please, just please don't kill me! I'll—"

Her cries were cut short by an ear-splitting bang. Matilda June's body went limp as it slammed down onto the ground, lifeless. Smoke wafted out from the barrel of the gun, its victim dead on the floor. In-between June's once-lively eyes was a small hole that dripped scarlet, blood trickling from the wound and down her face.

With that, Matilda June was dead and Leah Lane became the winner of the second match. At the same time, she also became a murderer.

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