Princess in Peril

Skull Crusher charged again, fury boiling in his veins. His fists rained down endlessly, each strike sharp and brutal, aimed to break Ren’s defense. The air cracked with every punch, dust flying with the force of his swings. The crowd roared, waiting for Ren to falter.

But Ren didn’t move. He stood firm, arms up, blocking every blow with calm precision. Each strike landed, yet not a single scratch marked him. His stance was unshakable. To the world, it looked like a desperate storm against an immovable mountain.

Minutes passed, and still Ren held strong. Skull Crusher’s breaths grew heavier, his swings slower. Sweat poured down his face, his muscles straining as frustration began to creep in.

Ren’s voice cut through the chaos, calm and steady. “It was great fighting you again… but I’m ending it right now.”

Before Skull Crusher could raise his guard, Ren stepped forward. His fist shot into Skull Crusher’s gut with terrifying force. The impact echoed like thunder. Blood burst from Skull Crusher’s mouth as his body went stiff, then crumbled where he stood.

Silence fell for half a second—then the coliseum erupted. The crowd roared, a wave of voices chanting Ren’s name.

The announcer hurried into the center, raising his voice over the deafening cheers. “We have a winner! The champion of the Tournament of Power—the strongest man in the world is…”

But before his words could finish, a scream tore through the coliseum.

Every head snapped toward the nobles’ stand. Princess Ariel stood there, trembling, her throat pressed against the edge of a knife. The blade was held by one of the nobles—a man who had been scheming from the start, the same one who had sent his giant into the tournament only to see him fall to Ren’s fist.

He wore a twisted smirk, one arm clamped tightly around Ariel, the other steady with the knife at her neck. She struggled, shaking, but he held her like iron.

The king shot up from his seat, eyes wide, the rest of the nobles gasping in horror. Before anyone could react, armored guards loyal to that noble raised their spears, aiming at the royal guards and other nobles, keeping them frozen in place.

“Leave the princess alone!” Ren’s voice boomed across the arena.

The noble didn’t answer. He only smiled wider, dragging Ariel step by step toward the stairs. His men followed, spears out, creating a wall around him as he descended from the nobles’ box into the arena itself.

The king’s hands trembled at the sight, but he couldn’t move. One wrong order and his daughter’s life would end in front of the entire kingdom.

Now standing on the arena floor, the noble glared at the crowd and barked, “No one moves—unless you want the princess to die!”

Gasps rippled through the coliseum. The festive cheers of moments ago had turned to a suffocating silence.

Ren clenched his fists so tight his knuckles whitened. He could end this man in an instant, but Ariel was in the middle of it. One wrong move, and… no. He couldn’t risk it.

“Why are you doing this?” the king shouted from above, voice cracking.

“Why?” The noble’s voice twisted with rage. “Because you cheated! You dared to bring that into the tournament!” His eyes burned toward Ren. “An old, forgotten race that should have stayed buried in history. You thought no one would notice?”

The king frowned. “What do you mean?”

The noble jabbed the knife harder against Ariel’s throat, making her flinch. His voice rose, trembling with fury. “Don’t play dumb! That boy right there—he isn’t normal human. He’s one of the invincible warrior race! And by allowing him to compete, you sabotaged everything. You robbed me of my rightful victory! My giant would’ve crushed this tournament, I would’ve won, and Ariel… would’ve been mine. I was supposed to be the next king of this continent!”

His words echoed across the arena, the truth—or what he believed to be the truth—broadcast to every corner of the kingdom through the floating cameras.

Ren’s eyes narrowed. So… he knows about the warrior race the elder told me about.

Up in the stands, Kazuma, Rachel, Melissa, Lisa and Alex were already on their feet. Their weapons weren’t drawn, but their eyes were locked on the scene below, every muscle tense.

“Kazuma,” Rachel whispered, her hand on her sword. “He knows about Ren.”

“Yeah,” Kazuma muttered, jaw tight. “And now the whole damn world will know too. This is being broadcast everywhere.”

Melissa’s fists shook at her sides as she watched Ariel struggle. “We can’t just stand here.”

Below, Ariel whimpered, tears spilling down her cheeks, her small hands clawing at the noble’s arm, but his grip only tightened.

The noble sneered, his eyes never leaving the king. “This is on you, Your Majesty. You forced my hand. You brought a monster into this tournament, and now you’ll pay the price. Your kingdom will pay the price.”

The princess’s cries echoed through the arena, piercing and desperate. She wanted to scream, to beg, but the blade at her throat cut off her voice.

The crowd could only watch, helpless, as the balance of power shifted in an instant.

“Please — leave my daughter,” the King begged, voice thin and shaking. He pushed himself up from his seat, eyes pleading. “Take gold, land — whatever you want. Just don’t harm Ariel.”

The noble’s smile widened, like a knife. He didn’t look interested in money. “I don’t need your gold, old man. Those things will come to me anyway. I want something else.” He glanced at Ariel like she was a prize already tied and wrapped. “I want to marry this sweet little princess.” The words slithered out with that disgusting grin, as he stared at her.

Ren couldn’t take this anymore. The fury inside him was boiling over, raw and unstoppable. His chest felt like it was on fire, every breath feeding the blaze until it seemed like his anger alone could burn the whole world down.

“Dad, I don’t want to marry him!” Ariel cried, voice breaking. Tears streamed down her face.

The whole coliseum fell silent. No one expected the day to twist like this.

Ren stepped forward, cutting through the frozen air. “Do you think you can just walk away if you hurt Ariel in any way?” His voice boomed. He didn’t shout — it was worse: quiet fury.

The noble’s face shifted. “I’m no fool,” he said. “If I harm her now, I die. I know that. But you see, I don’t need brute force.” He tightened his grip on Ariel, voice lowering into a dangerous calm. “When I marry her, I’ll bind her to me with a spell right here. If anyone kills her husband, she will share the fate. Hurt me, and she suffers the same. You think you can kill me and spare her? Think again.”

The words landed like cold iron. Ren felt something twist in his gut — this guy planned everything. He’d thought ahead; he’d set traps. No wonder the whole thing had felt staged.

Ariel stopped crying for a second, lifting her head. Her voice was small but fierce. “I’d rather die than marry you.” The words cut through the air. She bit his hand; for a heartbeat he lost control and the knife slipped from his fingers, clattering loud on the marble below.

Ariel almost broke free, but the noble caught her with his other arm, wrapping it tight around her waist and pinning her close. She kicked and screamed, but he was tall and strong; she couldn’t get loose.

That movement, the dropped knife — it looked like the opening everyone had been waiting for. The royal guards, following the King’s frantic orders, surged forward. Spears leveled, shields raised. For a moment it seemed like the rescue would be simple: cut through the noble’s goons, take him down, free Ariel.

The first guard pushed forward, closing in on the noble holding Ariel.

He didn’t even get a word out. One step closer and he lit up — not like fire from a torch, but like he was burning from the inside out. A single scream tore from his throat, sharp with both pain and shock, before his body collapsed into a heap of gray dust on the marble steps. The whole arena froze in horror.

The other guards froze where they stood. From the throne, the King shouted, “What are you doing? Get Ariel to safety!”

But it was like no one understood what had just happened — or they simply couldn’t believe their eyes.

Then one man forced himself forward, charging toward the noble. The moment he drew close, his body convulsed, burning from within. His scream tore through the hall before he crumbled into ash right in front of everyone.

“Hahahaha. You actually thought I’d come here, to the middle of a tournament, and take the princess with a petty pocketknife?” he sneered, voice bright with madness. “Anyone who comes near me will burn. I’m not some brawler like you, kid — I’m a mage, and one the whole world should fear. My defense barrier is absolute; not even gods could break them.”

He threw back his head and laughed, a sharp, crazed sound that cut through the arena.

Ren stared. Two guards, gone in seconds — ash where they’d stood. The noble wasn’t bluffing. This was beyond brute strength; this was something monstrous.

Kazuma’s jaw clenched beside Rachel. Melissa’s hands clenched so tight her knuckles showed white. Alex and Lisa were already moving, but even they hesitated. This was a trap nobody had been ready for.

Ren’s mind raced. He had fists. He had no spells. He was a fighter, not a mage. Yet Ariel’s life hung there between him and that man. The whole kingdom watched. The floating projectors hummed quietly, broadcasting the nightmare across the lands.

Ren swallowed. Fear was there, but underneath it was another thing — calm, sharp, certain. He couldn’t let this noble win. He wouldn’t let Ariel be used like a pawn in some twisted ritual.

He forced his jaw to unclench and looked up at the noble, at Ariel shaking in his arms. “Let her go,” Ren said, voice low and steady. “You don’t have to do this. Nobody has to die.”

The noble’s grin widened. “Oh, but you see, boy — I already decided. I will have my crown. I will have my queen.”

Ren looked at Ariel. Her eyes met his for a single, bright second — a flash of pleading, and then trust. It was enough.

He tensed, muscles coiling like springs. He didn’t know how he’d get her out of this — only that he had to.

To be continued...