The Ashen Dominion

In the training ground...

"Ugh, I think I cracked a rib."

"Fuck, me too."

"I still can't believe we can barely last a minute against those three."

Kaiser, Viktor, and Edmar were sprawled across the concrete floor of the training arena, eyes staring blankly up at the sky. Their bodies ached, sweat soaked through their clothes, and their breaths came out shallow and dry.

They were exhausted.

Utterly wrecked.

Brock, Khan, and Jin had just finished their daily sparring match with them—and by match, it meant an all-out beating. A one-sided massacre.

Kaiser's arms were numb. Viktor's left leg kept twitching. Edmar couldn't even feel his shoulder. They were alive, yeah, but it felt like barely.

"I thought we were doing good."

Viktor muttered as he sat up and winced, pressing on his chest.

"We've been training non-stop for three months straight... What the hell happened?"

"Reality happened."

Edmar said, dragging himself to sit beside him.

"Those guys are monsters."

He added.

Kaiser groaned as he rolled to his side, then forced himself to sit up with his hands behind him for support.

"No. We're just still not enough."

Despite all their progress, despite how strong they'd become... the gap between them and the the three monsters didn't feel like it was closing.

In fact—it felt like it was getting wider.

"They're still not going all out against us."

Viktor said, frustrated.

"Brock didn't use both hands when attacking with his greatsword. Khan didn't use a single personal technique of him. And Jin... I don't even know if he took us seriously at all."

"..."

Kaiser didn't respond. He just stared at the floor for a few seconds, his jaw tightening.

"...We're not catching up to them anytime soon."

Edmar finally said, his voice quiet.

But they all knew it was true.

Three months ago, they thought the three of them could reach that level.

Now, they weren't so sure.

Kaiser leaned back, wiped the sweat off his face, and gave a long exhale.

"Haaaaaaaa..."

Then—

"Tch. Fucking Brock."

Viktor muttered.

Edmar chuckled.

"Yeah, fuck him... He's a meathead who doesn't know what the word 'restraint' means."

"Right? He just slams everything like a damn rhino."

Viktor continued.

"And that laugh? Every time he lands a hit, it's like—'HAHAHA!' Like man, shut the fuck up."

Kaiser cracked a smirk hearing his genuinely annoyed voice.

"Then there's Khan too..."

"He's so kind off-battle, but when he's fighting, it's like he's trying to teach you a lesson every second."

Edmar said, shaking his head.

"I get you, last time—he kept dodging all my attacks, then swept my legs just as I was about to blink."

"He was smiling when he did that too."

Viktor grumbled, his brows furrowed.

Then—

"And Jin..."

Kaiser muttered, joining the conversation.

The three of them went quiet for a moment.

Then Viktor continued...

"That guy's a damn ghost."

"He doesn't even move much."

Edmar followed, nodding his head.

"He's just there. No wasted motion, no flash. He just dodges, counters, and puts you down."

"He always fight like he's bored."

Kaiser said.

"That's because he probably is bored."

"To him, we're just another warm-up set after all."

Edmar stated suddenly.

Moving on...

They sat there in silence for a bit, letting the aches settle in. The sting of defeat burned—but they weren't upset at the others.

It was admiration.

Jealousy.

Frustration.

And maybe... motivation, too.

"...We'll get there as well."

Kaiser finally said, voice calm but firm.

"We'll just need more time though."

Then he followed.

Edmar smiled faintly.

"And more cracked ribs."

He said.

"Plenty of that already.

Viktor replied quickly.

And so, after that—

They rested for a few more minutes. The sun was still high, the air dry, the arena silent except for the occasional breeze sweeping the area and the grunts coming from the othr gladiators.

...

...

...

After some time—

Kaiser stood up.

"I'm going first."

"Meh, I was just about to leave too."

"Me three."

Then Edmar and Viktor followed.

Just like that—

They limped their way back to the training equipment—gritting their teeth, stretching their arms, rotating their sore shoulders. It hurt, but they moved.

No rest. No shortcuts. Just more grind.

They continued training now.

Their bones ached, their muscles screamed—but none of them stopped.

...

...

Minutes turned into hours...

Sweat poured again. Sandbags were thrown. Weights were lifted. Movement drills repeated.

Kaiser focused on speed. His footwork. His ability to close gaps.

Viktor kept hammering on his form—more power, tighter swings.

Edmar, on the other hand, tried increasing the coordination of his left and right hands to each other. It's so that he could dual wield better.

Their trainings weren't perfect.

Their bodies didn't respond like they wanted.

But they trained anyway.

Until the sun lowered.

Until the sky dimmed orange.

Until—

BAM!

Viktor slammed the barbell he was using on the ground, panting, then dropped on his back again.

"Haaaaa... haaaaaa... haaaaaaa..."

Kaiser knelt, hands on his knees, chest rising and falling.

GULP—!

Edmar sat cross-legged near the weapon rack, drinking water like it was the last thing on earth.

"...I think I'm gonna die."

The three of them muttered at the same time.

*****

A few hours passed, and the sun was already starting to dip behind the walls of the training ground.

The sky slowly turned orange.

The heat had faded, replaced by a soft breeze brushing through the trees near the edge of the facility.

Kaiser, Viktor, and Edmar were sitting on one of the benches, wiping sweat from their faces, their shirts already stained and half-dried from their earlier beatings and non-stop drills. Their bodies ached, but they endured—like always.

"Ugh... I like the breeze."

"Same here... It's refreshing..."

"Fuuuuuuuuuh..."

Then—

Soon after, they noticed a familiar trio walking their way.

It was Khan, Brock, and Jin.

The six of them met near the exit gates of the training ground. Their faces were tired, eyes slightly drooped from exhaustion, but they still carried that calm presence that only warriors could have.

"Same time tomorrow?"

Brock asked with a wife grin, one arm slung over his shoulder, holding his training greatsword.

"Get a good rest for tomorrow's training."

Khan added calmly, smiling.

Jin just raised a hand in a lazy wave, barely opening his mouth.

Kaiser gave a short nod.

Viktor grunted.

"We'll be there."

Edmar chuckled.

"Next time, don't crack our ribs, Brock."

The big guy just laughed in response, loud and boisterous.

"HAHAHA! No promises!"

They all gave short nods and small waves.

And just like that, they went their separate ways...

Kaiser, Viktor, and Edmar took the left path after exiting the training ground, heading back to the Silver Place where they stay at while being escorted by three guards too.

While Brock, Khan, and Jin walked off to the right side—heading back too. Nobody was guarding them. It was obvious thet there are special treatments surrounding the three.

*****

As the Kaiser, Viktor, and Edmar made their way down the familiar path, the cold air started to settle in.

Swoosh~

"..."

The three of them didn't say a word throughout the walk.

They were too tired to.

But it was a peaceful silence.

The kind that only came after a full day of pouring your soul into training.

Anyway...

After a while, they arrived.

The Silver Place—thick stone walls, metal gate, and the dark gray facility that housed seven [Silver Rankers] in the arena. Their own temporary home.

Tap.

Though, the moment the three stepped inside...

Someone was already there waiting for them!

A tall guy.

Short dark hair, sharp eyes like daggers, and arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the hallway wall just past the entrance.

It was Leo. (Chapter 99)

One of the first members after Edmar. The serious type, always sharp and observant. Didn't talk too much unless needed— but when he did, it meant something.

"Ah...! You guys are here."

The moment he saw Kaiser and the others enter, he immediately stood straight and approached them.

Tap. Tap. Tap—

No words at first.

Just a serious expression locked on his face. He stopped the three with a hand gesture, his eyes fixed on Edmar.

Kaiser and Viktor blinked.

Edmar raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?"

He asked.

Leo stayed quiet for a second, glancing between the three of them.

Then—

"I have big news."

Leo stated that.

Viktor tilted his head.

"Big news?"

"What kind?"

Edmar asked again, voice slightly more alert now.

Leo took a second to compose his words.

Then he opened his mouth—

"They made organizations a real thing now. It's not just a made-up group by gladiators anymore. The owner is officially acknowledging them."

The words hung in the air for a few seconds.

Kaiser blinked, a bit confused.

"Oh, I mean, that's surprising and all, I guess…"

He said with a shrug, waving a hand dismissively.

"But nothing really changes, right? We're still—"

"They added [Organizations VS Organizations] in the events."

Leo cut Kaiser's words short and dropped that bomb casually.