Gambling

Draco was currently engaged in a life-or-death chase within the Ahmar Cage.

Meanwhile, the flawless white tiles above Draco held a sinister secret.

The ceiling of the vast chamber was actually a high-grade illusionary artifact, and behind this artifact was a shocking sight!

If Draco were to know what was there his eyes would surely pop out of their sockets.

This was because the other side of the unsuspecting ceiling held what could only be described as a hidden room!

This room was spacious, and could comfortably hold over a score of people.

The room had white walls, and alongside each of the walls were many golden pillars.

Adorning these pillars were numerous projection screens, all capturing different angles throughout the Ahmar Cage.

Most interestingly, the floor of the room was entirely translucent, and the carnage below was completely visible to anyone within it.

Within the room stood a number of lavish padded seats and sofas. Seated atop these were a vast range of individuals.

Some wore luxuriously tailored suits and dresses, while others wore elaborate and colorful robes that shimmered with power.

With the exception of several servants that milled about, every single one of these people radiated the faint pressure of a powered individual.

Some of these individuals had a stronger presence than others, but they were all united by their singular goal.

Gambling!

"227, you bastard! Get over there!" one man could be heard shouting, as if his life was the one in danger.

"That's right, 529! Almost there!" shouted another voice.

All throughout the room held similar sights. Men and women of astounding wealth chatted amongst themselves as they watched the events below.

On one side of the room sat a pair of quieter gamblers.

The two of them were older gentlemen. One of them had blonde hair and European features, while the other had dark hair and Asian features.

The Asian man chuckled haughtily, "Feeling foolish now, Mr. Williams?"

He gestured towards the floor below them, "Do you see that? The Ahmar Grace I have authorized will make #529's victory all but assured." he said, a smug smile on his lips.

When 'Mr. Williams' heard this, his eye twitched angrily, and he reached to grab a drink from a servant in front of them.

"You're just paying to win! Tanaka-san, I must say I thought you were better than this." he said, chuckling darkly as he took a sip from his drink.

However, in truth, Mr. Williams was not too perturbed.

This was because he had an idea of who Draco was!

How could he forget? After all, for a short time Draco's face was plastered everywhere within The Order's London branch.

It couldn't be helped, for Draco's bold actions had given him notoriety in the powered circles of London.

Draco was responsible for running through London's streets, exposing his powered status to everyone nearby.

Mr. Williams knew this because he was part of the team tasked with mind-wiping everyone within a mile radius of these events.

'It doesn't seem like this #227 has much combat experience. However, he was reportedly able to best the young master of the Harrington family.' he thought to himself, satisfied with his bet.

If Mr. Williams was to find out that Draco wasn't even the one who took out the Young Master, he would surely spit out his drink!

The European man of course said nothing of this knowledge to Tanaka-san.

He simply crossed his legs and hummed a tune, waiting for his bets to pay out.

***

Below the carefree upper class seated above him, Draco was becoming desperate as he watched the man approach the pedestal.

Atop the pedestal sat a rather dangerous looking harpoon gun, and Draco didn't want to be on the other end of that thing.

Unfortunately, Draco was unable to gain distance on the man!

After all, there was a large cut on Draco's left foot, and his intense exertion had opened the gash drastically.

This proved to be a huge hindrance to Draco, who would occasionally slip on the blood leaking out of his own foot.

Draco was now only 20 feet away from the pedestal, and he was determined to reach it before the other man.

Harnessing the strength within his limbs, Draco picked up his pace and accelerated.

However, this increased speed caused Draco to roughly slip on the smooth tiles once again, and when he looked up he cursed aloud.

To his dismay, the man had already reached the pedestal!

Once there the man didn't hesitate, and he promptly lifted up the harpoon gun.

The man turned around swiftly, crouching to a knee and taking aim. His sights were set directly on Draco's position!

Without waiting for a queue, he pulled the trigger and sent a long harpoon straight towards Draco.

The speed of the harpoon defied logic, and before Draco could even register the weapon firing, the harpoon had arrived before him!

Draco only had the time to look down in shock as the harpoon roughly pierced into him.

The harpoon flew through his right shoulder, puncturing cleanly through to the other side.

Belatedly, Draco also realized that the harpoon seemed to be attached to some type of rope.

The rope was purple in color and shimmered in the light of the room.

It also gave off a sinister aura, and Draco watched with dismay as it punched straight through him!

The other man then braced himself, holding himself firm as he pulled on the rope.

This caused the harpoon to be pulled backwards, back into Draco.

Draco let out a pained grunt as the end of the harpoon lodged itself onto his back.

The end of the harpoon had wicked edges and claws that dug into Draco's flesh, and he could feel his knees buckle from the force of the other man's pulling.

Unluckily, the harpoon's rope also seemed to be imbued with some sort of poison or toxin.

After passing through Draco's shoulder the whole limb began to feel numb, and Draco rapidly began to go over his options.

However, in this moment Draco realized something.

He figured that this situation actually worked out well for him.

'This rope is a double edged sword.' Draco thought dubiously, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.

Draco braced himself, ignoring the pain in his eye and the rest of his body.

Sliding his right foot backwards, Draco steadied his balance and pulled with all of his might!

While the other man was no doubt a Ḥāmin warrior, Draco's strength was more than his match.

After all, this Ḥāmin was simply a low-ranking soldier within the Khalid Dynasty.

Before the man's fall from grace, he would only have had access to the Dynasty's most basic of training supplies and equipment.

Draco on the other hand had spent an extended time in advanced facilities used by the Dynasty's royal family!

He was fortunate enough to even have been allowed to swim through the Gravis Chamber's rejuvenating waters.

This was not even mentioning the time he had spent in the Immortality Chamber, or the strength serum he had been gifted by Amira.

The ST-E Progenitor Serum that served as Draco's powered foundation was a prime example.

While Amira downplayed the Serum's significance, it was in fact a pro-serum that was only available to high-ranking Ḥāmin and the children of the royal family.

All of this meant that Draco actually had a significantly stronger foundation than that of the disgraced Ḥāmin he was currently battling!

The results of this were evident in this final confrontation.

When Draco began to pull on the rope lodged inside of his shoulder, the other man resisted with all of his might.

Unfortunately for him, this only bought a few seconds of reprieve, for Draco's enhanced strength quickly overcame him!

The man continued to hold onto the harpoon, even as Draco began to pull the man towards himself.

The other man only seemed to notice that he was sliding down the floor when he was a dozen feet away from Draco.

The man realized the situation and dropped the harpoon gun, turning to run away and put distance between the two of them.

Draco, however, saw his intentions and wasn't about to let him have his way.

With a feral roar, Draco launched himself towards the man, paying little regard to the condition his body was in.

A single step was all it took to launch himself halfway towards the man, and another took him directly to his position.

Draco grabbed the man around his waist and promptly lifted him into the air, intent on breaking his spine against the hard tiles below.

The other man wasn't about to just lay down and die though, and twisted himself in the air, getting behind Draco's figure.

Once behind him, the man let out furious punches that pounded against Draco's neck and back.

Feeling the blows against his back, Draco had no choice but to launch himself backwards into the floor.

Draco slammed his back into the ground, feeling the other man's body crush and crack beneath his weight.

Rolling off of the man, Draco then attempted to get atop of his figure.

However, when Draco turned around the man was already atop of him!

Throwing Draco down to the ground, the man mounted a final desperate attempt against him.

He rained down a flurry of punches onto Draco, and Draco was forced to guard his face with his arms to defend himself.

The man was battered, though. When Draco saw an opportunity to counter-attack in between strikes he didn't hesitate to take it.

While the other man's arms were still raised, Draco broke his guard and launched himself directly towards the man's neck!

With a fierce bite, Draco tore into the man's jugular with his canine teeth.

Draco felt the iron taste of blood enter his mouth as the man's blood cascaded down his throat, but he didn't let go.

Draco shook his head violently, tearing the man's throat even more open.

The man let out an agonizing screech, and he reached for Draco's face, putting pressure on his destroyed eye.

Draco did not relent though, and he continued to hold onto the man's throat until he felt his grip begin to loosen.

Only when the man's hands fell from Draco's face did he let go.

The man fell limply onto Draco's chest, causing blood to pool onto him and the tiles below.

Draco's arms went slack and fell to his sides.

All of his energy was spent, and the numbness in his shoulder had spread to his entire right side.

Draco fought to stay awake, but ultimately was unable to keep his eyes open and lost consciousness.