Chapter 93: The Survivors Who Refused to Fight

The Survivors Who Refused to Fight

Selena suddenly spotted the survivors.

Her golden eyes sharpened.

There.

Steffan and Victoria.

The moment she recognized them, she moved.

She didn’t wait for Leon to give an order.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath her feet.

Her silver-white figure shot forward like a streak of lightning. Dust kicked up behind her as she crossed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Steffan’s expression changed.

Victoria noticed it too.

They had already been watching Selena.

They seemed to understand what she was about to do.

Just before Selena reached them, both of them moved.

Whoosh!

Her attack cut through empty air.

Selena’s eyes narrowed.

They had dodged at the very last moment.

Steffan immediately pulled back.

Victoria followed him without hesitation.

The two of them retreated together, putting several meters between themselves and Selena.

Selena landed lightly.

Her feet touched the ground without making much noise.

She turned around.

Her golden eyes locked onto the two of them.

Evelyn had been watching carefully from behind.

"They’re reading our approach."

Leon nodded.

"They’re cautious."

Evelyn’s fingers twitched slightly.

Her eyes followed Steffan and Victoria as they continued moving.

"I’ll try cutting off their escape route."

"Do it."

Evelyn raised one hand.

Spiritual power gathered around her fingers.

The air trembled.

A moment later—

THWIP!

A venom-laced web shot forward.

The thin strands spread through the air, glimmering faintly beneath the bright arena lights.

But Evelyn wasn’t aiming directly at them.

She had already figured out their movement pattern.

Steffan and Victoria had been avoiding every direct attack.

So instead of targeting where they were, Evelyn targeted where they were going.

The web flew ahead of them.

If everything went according to plan, they would run straight into it.

But—

They dodged again.

Both Steffan and Victoria changed direction before the web even reached them.

The strands swept harmlessly past.

Evelyn’s expression changed slightly.

They were fast.

More importantly, they were alert.

It was almost as if they had eyes on the backs of their heads.

Steffan didn’t even look toward the web.

Victoria didn’t need to either.

They simply moved.

Then they kept their distance.

The two circled around the arena cautiously.

Neither of them attacked.

Neither took unnecessary risks.

They were waiting.

Waiting for an opening.

Waiting for Selena, Evelyn, or Leon to make a mistake.

Leon watched them quietly for a few seconds.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted.

"Professional rats, huh?"

Evelyn glanced sideways at him.

"That’s actually pretty accurate."

Selena continued watching the two survivors.

"They’re careful."

"Very careful," Leon replied.

His eyes remained fixed on Steffan.

These two had managed to predict his group’s attacks several times.

That was mildly surprising.

At least they weren’t completely useless.

Leon almost found himself enjoying it.

Fighting enemies who collapsed after one attack was boring.

There was no tension.

No excitement.

No reason to take them seriously.

But these two were different.

They knew they couldn’t win through brute force.

So they had chosen another method.

Survive.

Run.

Wait.

It was simple.

But effective.

Leon shifted his gaze toward Steffan.

"An SS-rank beast-girl, huh?"

His eyes briefly settled on Victoria.

"Interesting."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Too bad they refuse to fight."

Down on the stage, Steffan and Victoria continued running.

They moved around the arena like hunted animals.

Every time Selena closed in, they slipped away.

Every time Evelyn tried to block their path, they changed direction.

They didn’t give their opponents a clean opening.

But the longer it went on, the louder the crowd became.

The initial excitement had already disappeared.

Now, impatience was taking its place.

Then someone shouted from the stands.

"What happened to Steffan?!"

"He won’t even engage those three?"

Another voice immediately followed.

"The arena is completely empty! He’s probably just stalling until the ten-minute mark!"

Laughter erupted from several sections of the crowd.

Steffan’s jaw tightened.

He heard them.

Every single word.

Another spectator shouted from the stands.

"Is this really Jade City’s pride?"

"Does he not even have the courage to fight?"

"How is someone like that supposed to fight demonic beasts and defend our homes in the future?"

"Yeah!"

"That’s pathetic!"

The insults came one after another.

They grew louder with every passing second.

And they became uglier.

"At this rate, Steffan is going to trend as ’Best Clown of the Day’!"

The crowd exploded with laughter.

Some people whistled.

Others shouted even louder.

"This is so fake!"

"Can Steffan just fight already?"

"This is painful to watch!"

"Seriously!"

Steffan’s expression grew colder.

His fingers curled slightly.

He could feel the tension building in his hands.

The voices kept hammering against his ears.

Every insult reached him.

Every laugh reminded him of what the crowd wanted.

They wanted a fight.

They wanted blood.

They wanted to see Jade City’s so-called pride stand up and prove himself.

But Steffan didn’t turn around.

He didn’t shout back.

He didn’t even spare the stands a glance.

There was no point.

The moment he let his emotions take control, he would lose.

And Steffan knew that better than anyone.

He had already witnessed Selena’s strength.

He knew how terrifying her attacks could be.

One mistake was enough.

One wrong step.

One moment of hesitation.

Even a slightly delayed reaction could cost him everything.

The next thing he knew, he could be flying out of the arena.

Just like the others.

Steffan swallowed quietly.

His throat felt dry.

The humiliation stung.

The laughter was irritating.

But none of that mattered more than staying alive.

He wasn’t going to throw his life away just because a crow d demanded entertainment.

So he kept running.

His footsteps struck the ground again and again.

He endured the shouting.

He endured the laughter.

He endured every mocking voice behind him.

No matter how humiliating it became, Steffan refused to lose his focus.

He would rather endure their ridicule than make one reckless move and pay for it with his life.