16 Chapter 15

- Yes!!! - The crowd exploded, watching how the debris of the human body scatter across the arena.

From the huge body of the "rookie killer" there were only legs lying in the middle of the arena.

- Long live the new "rookie killer"! - He said the judge, who has long been in the stands, in a safe place for his life.

Making his way through the dense rows of people who got drunk on the insole, Saya tried his best not to lose sight of the so-called monster from the Tomb of the Newcomers. A palette of various colors and smells raged around, a lot of people, struck by the sight, also tried not to miss the chance to get to the person who defeated the "newbie killer" as much as possible.

Finally finding himself near the railing of the arena, Saya jumped down. Dexterously landing, he slipped along the wall to the corridor, where the winner had left a minute earlier.

- And where are you? - The guy squinted, trying to examine at least something in the dense darkness. The corridor, to his surprise, looked more like a tunnel. "What else does that mean?" He jerked his hand away from the wall, on which he groped for shallow tracks that cut through the electrical panel. - Who is there?! - The young man sharply turned back, reacting to the noise of the door closing.

- What are you smelling here? - I heard a voice from the darkness.

The angler Tu Peri tensed, pulling out a formidable weapon in one deft motion.

- Show yourself! - His blade cut through the air, and then returned to its place. The darkness surrounding him seemed to become even denser, as if it were not at all.

- To appear? - Confusedly and caustically extended an unknown voice. - You know who I am? - He gruffed arrogantly.

- Yes! - Not a second without a doubt shouted Sia, pressing his back against the wall, very close to the broken shield.

- Ho-oh! - The lips of the unknown were stretched in a sign of contempt, which, alas, Sia did not see. He moved, almost not touching the ground, as if floating in the air. - I am sure that if I asked you to answer more fully, I would have heard something like "You are a monster," and nothing more. You do not know what kind of person I am. You don't even know my name.

"Why do I need to know him?" - Amazed at such a long language of his interlocutor, Saya continued to approach the entrance to the arena.

"Is it not interesting to you who knocked all his arrogance out of Ichigo and put brains in its place?" - Bright, dazzlingly poisonous eyes instantly appeared in the face of Saiya. - Yes. I know that you know this man.

The young swordsman did not even have time to jerk, as the pale, cold, thin fingers of the new "newcomer killer" closed in his throat. The purple tongue of a man resembling Kurosaki, like two drops of water, predatoryly touched dry, cracked lips from the heat. The room immediately rose in temperature, causing Sayou to grimace. High temperatures had a huge negative effect on him. They lowered his sensitivity, slowed down his reaction, clouded his mind.

"Bastard! .." - through the insurmountable veil of powerlessness, the owner of a bright blade muttered through tightly clenched teeth.

- Be quiet. - Angrily spat out a bleached copy of Ichigo. - Be quiet, boy, and sleep. His lips spread out in a predatory, mocking smile, when the look of yellow eyes touched an unusual weapon. Joyful lights danced in the eyes of the attacker, as if an incredibly vile thought had visited his head. - And while I play a villain. - It was not difficult for him to select a katana from the weak fingers of a young angler, and a blow with a hilt on the wheat head was enough to knock out the boy. "I'm following your footsteps, King." - "Double" grinning predatoryly, but quickly slowed down. - You are not far behind yet? - As if driven by a beast, he sent his weapons into the dark part of the corridor.

Soon three people came out of the darkness, whose main clothing was an unusually large, black cloak, more like a sloppy hoodie.

- We will not leave you until "those very times." - Pronounced one of the three. The other two were behind him.

- "What kind of times have you made this happen ?!" Putting the new weapon on his shoulder, Hichigo frowned thoughtfully. - Do not get under your feet! .. Or destroy it. He threatened viciously, giving the pestering people a cold look.

***

- So, again and in order! Hichigo leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the table. The Katana, still an hour ago owned by Saye, hung on his belt, just a couple of centimeters from the wooden floor of an inconspicuous bar, which was located in the Middle Zone of the Floor. - Well, something I misunderstand. - Significantly snorted "bleached."

Two women who still did not dare to show their faces, covering them with white, bone masks with slits for the eyes, simultaneously turned to their mutual friend. The third man, whose white-bone mask lay on the table to his left, carefully looked around. Hichigo immediately understood, even during their first meeting, these people, whoever they were, did not want anyone to see their faces.

- Good. - Pronounced the chief of the trinity. - As I said, my name is Bernard, I am a scout. The girl on the left is called Esther, and on the right is Doris. They are both spearmen. - He re-introduced his small group.

"No, that's just what I understood." Folding his arms over his chest, Hichigo snorted arrogantly. - But what you want from me, I still do not understand.

Bernard tensed, feeling Doris, imperceptibly for their "purpose", pulling him over the edge of his cloak. The man sighed, realizing that they had been noticed.

"We don't have much time, so listen carefully." - in a hurry said Bernard. - In two days a very interesting event will take place on this Floor. It's called the Rookie Race. As the name implies, only beginners participate in it. There is no condition in this competition that mentions the presence of a team. On the contrary, loners are welcome. So it is quite beneficial for those ascendants who either lost their team, or left it, or were completely loyal, but for some reason survived. In any case, the main reason for participating in this "race" is the reward for first place.

"And what kind of reward is this?" - Skeptical, but a little interested in what was happening, asked Hichigo, braking incredibly dirty hair. - "It will be necessary to wash .. necessarily." - He thought.

- Firstly, the right to move to the next Floor.

Hichigo rolled his eyes disinterestedly. It seems that this news was expected for him.

- Well, and secondly - a special weapon.

"I already found a" special weapon. " - Quickly grunted bleached, putting his right hand on the guard of a katana. "You are not saying something!" - He got angry.

- If you want to know the rest, then come tomorrow at noon to the third zone. - Threw at the end of Bernard, getting up and leaving the institution with his companions.

"Do you think he will agree?" - Esther asked uncertainly, walking in the foot to the right of Bernard. "Yes, and why do we need him?" Because of his strength? Yes, he has demonstrated terrifying abilities in controlling a shinsu and his melee weapon possession is astounding. - The girl remembered the first meeting with the "white man", who did not give her name. On that day, all three of the team realized that they just needed a fishing rod, but something else ... It's impossible to continue the ascent without such a circumvented part, since they had already encountered difficulties on the Fourth Floor. - But it is unlikely that he is suitable for teamwork. He is out of control!

Doris sighed imperceptibly, partly ignoring her friend's words, and partly agreeing with her. The wound on her right shoulder has not yet healed to the end, so she was only baggage for the team. And that is why she supported Bernard's decision to recruit such a strong man at the very beginning, until a stronger team could notice that could offer him much more than they did.

- Maybe. - Not quite agreeing with the words of his comrade, Bernard nodded, quickly looking behind himself. It seems that today they managed to break away from the persecution. "But let him be better on our side when we meet our enemies than he will be on them." The tower does not tolerate indecisive wimps. To go up, we need strong legs, keen eyes and sharp blades.

- I understand it. - Esther hastened to make excuses, but the right words did not come to her head to come up with a reason why the new "newcomer killer" should not join them. "He is cruel." After all, you saw what he did with his opponent in the arena! But what if we did not dissuade you from participating in the battle against him ?!

- I agree. - Falsely losing ground, Bernard agreed. - Not to fight the mysterious "monster" was the right decision. And, honestly, I am grateful that you undertook to dissuade me from this venture. - The man stopped.

Doris, out of her ear listening to the conversation of two comrades behind her, hurried to open the door of their temporary home. Such apartments were issued to all ascendants who managed to pass the test of the Third Floor on the first attempt.

"What do you think about this?" - Bernard touched a shoulder in front of a walking girl. - Still hurts?

The brown-haired woman immediately realized that the man was still worried about her recent injury. It seems he believes that these are his commands and decisions that injured one of his comrades and blames himself for it.

- Weakly aching. - She was a little embarrassed. For the first time, in a long time, someone was worried about her, not counting, of course, Doris. "Nothing life-threatening." She answered shortly, unknowingly resting her hand on the slowly healing wound.

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