Shinobi From Hell

'If I don't do this, it would be all over.,' Colt whispered to himself.

Hell was a cruel place. It was as if the wrung out every drop of energy out of them making them work day and night like slaves. And even when that wasn't enough they invented those weird potions to leach them off even more.

It was all a whirlpool a vortex that kept sucking you in. From a young age you are made to believe that if you didn't work your ass off there was something wrong with you.

Such was the forced stoicism that was imposed upon them. It was like a rat race and the fun fact was, that even if you won the race you are no different than a rat and you are doomed to die a rat's death.

For Colt it was no different. If he dared to slow down even a little there were too many rats threatening to run over him from behind. Unlike the other second gens who were spoon fed and were adored by their parents, he had to work his ass off but it had never been enough. He had no one to spoon feed him either.. 

"No I cannot be defeated here…," he whispered in a daze as his hands started to feel numb.

Even if Colt had won the main match and also all of the subsequent matches after that, but there would be no point if he loses the curret one.  All of his victories were to hollow and were only meant to buy the reverence of the newbies after all.

All of his efforts would be in vain. Klautz's very identity as a newbie would be enough of an impetus for his reputation to pummel to the ground. He would lose the trust of his batchmates and also his position in his guild.

*Clasp*

Colt gritted his teeth as he pulled himself towards his sword with a drooping body as he pressed hard onto his hand trying to stop the blood flow. 

Usually in such a situation a white mage or a healer is employed to easily deal with such situations or maybe gulp down a potion or two. But in a 1 on 1 match with Klautz that could hardly be considered as an option.

Klautz shook his head in denial as his pupils followed his motion.

"I can't let you do that.."

Klautz shrugged.

He understood the implications of Colt losing here. Decades spent in hell had made him aware of many things. It was nothing but a grave misfortune for him. After all, Klautz too had once been part of the rat race and maybe he still was. But even if he knew of the implications, he couldn't allow Colt to win.

'Cause I need to build my reputation more than you do.'

Klautz was a newbie. His words had far less credibility than those of the second gens even if he was stronger than them. As such in order for him to stand on equal grounds with them, klautz needed to build all of his reputation from the very scratch unlike the second gen whose reputation was partly influenced by their guild.

If Klautz were too loose here, wouldn't that mean him giving up on his only chance? His loss wouldn't just mean losing the battle but it was losing such a decision event that could lead him to lose the war as well.

Klautz couldn't afford to do that. For if he does, he would be reduced to just another follower of one of the second gen and possibly Benton…. Or worse he would end up in the ninja village again. Klautz couldn't afford to let that happen at all costs. The very thought of the village let shivers down his spine.

'The newbies must know that there exists some one amongst them who can stand against the second gen in the newbie camp.'

The strength of the masses couldn't account against that of absolute strength. In a world of Satan systems, the strength of the masses could hardly account to anything. One powerhouse was enough to wipe them out. Or so was what the average person thoughtl once they basked in the glory of the towering power houses of hell.

But that was hardly the case. Those in the upper echelons knew of the importance of public favouritism..

It doesn't matter how heavy a weight is; when the same type of weight is put on two sides of a balance, the arms of balance tilt to neither side. But add a light feather to one of the arms and you would know which side it would be that would win.

The same went for the second gen as well. Benton was definitely stronger than most of the newbies. Colt wasn't much weak either. But they both aspired to form their factions and gain followers in their own unique way.

While on the other hand the less influential second gens wanted to choose the winning faction and wanted to make a decision based on the same.

'But alas, after his loss here no one would follow him. Not only would I have a better reputation but also one of my potential opponents would be severely weakened. It's like killing two birds with one stone.'

Of course Klautz would bring about all of this at the cost of Colt's wrath and his downfall but sooner or later Colt was doomed to fall anyway, Klautz had just fastened up the process.

Klautz had never believed in risks. Hell, wasn't a place to play around. But Klautz had always believed in calculated risks. And this was a bargain he was willing to make.

And last but not the least, there was no room for pity in the world of hell especially for a pragmatist like Klautz. If an opportunity presented him, he would grab it at all costs!

***

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