Chapter 119: Because he wants Ethan’s hands
"Begin!" With that shout, Eva moved, and Selina’s gaze quickly shifted, becoming serious at Eva’s speed.
Although she was a healer, she knew basic fighting moves. She raised her arms to block Eva’s attack, but the expected blow didn’t land. Instead, a sharp pain shot through her left leg, and the force of the impact pushed her backward, nearly causing her to stumble.
Selina hissed, breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain. She tried to heal her wound, but Eva didn’t give her that chance.
Eva spun on her heel, her foot slamming into Selina’s chest.
"Argh!" Selina cried, stumbling back before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
Eva blinked when she saw how easily the female lead was beaten, and she couldn’t help but feel disappointed—she had expected more from her, and her urge to test her strength dimmed.
Selina, at the moment, felt she was close to death. Her chest caved in, making every breath she took painful.
Gritting her teeth, she healed herself, a wave of fear mixed with an incredulous feeling of disbelief flashing through her mind at the sight of Eva.
At that moment, she realized how wrong her assumptions were, recalling how pleased she had been to face a weak opponent, and her face flushes with shame.
"Do you want to give up?" Eva asked with a bored look. The enthusiasm to fight had been drained from her by Selina’s mediocrity.
Selina was angry at Eva’s expression, causing her to tremble. She was the chosen one—she was supposed to live her best life. Now she was reborn, not to be beaten by some nobody who should have died ages ago.
"Who said I’m giving up? Let go again!" Selina refuted, her face a mask of fury and hatred for Eva.
The crowd grew noisy—some commended her for her bravery, while others thought she was foolish not to accept reality. At the very least, she could have saved her energy for the fight.
"Alright... sigh..." Eva accepted, her tone showing no interest in the fight.
This enraged Selina even more, and she lunged carelessly at Eva, her long nails targeting Eva’s face.
The crowd drew in cold breath as they watched the next scene unfold.
Eva’s expression shifted. "No, she didn’t, my beauty." She snapped, dodging Selina’s attack. She hooked Selina’s arms, lifted her high above her head, and drove her into the ground with a bone-rattling slam.
A sickening crack echoed through the quiet clearing. Everyone thought it was over, but Eva kept raining blows on Selina.
Selina screamed; everything she wanted to say was "give up." Eva firmly slapped her mouth, forcing the words down her throat.
Dean glanced at Grace, hinting with his eyes whether they should stop the fight. "The opponent hasn’t given up yet, so don’t interrupt the competition," Grace responded calmly, clearly ignoring the fact that Eva wouldn’t let her opponent speak.
Dean felt a wave of pity for Selina due to Grace’s obvious bias against her daughter.
Dean wisely said nothing and watched Selina being throttled; the sounds of flesh being struck echoed around, and everyone was already numb from hearing it. They wondered if Selina was still alive—her screams had faded into breathless moans.
After a while, Eva felt bored, her hands numb from striking Selina’s hard flesh. "Sorry, you were so punchable, I couldn’t help myself." Eva’s tone sounded sincere—if you could overlook the unapologetic glint in her gaze.
Her words were the final blow. Selina coughed up blood and fainted, her delicate features disfigured by swollen, bluish bumps that left her unrecognizable to the crowd.
They pitied Selina, but no one stood up for her. They watched as Dean called for the next match, saving face by not announcing the winner, since everyone sensible would know Eva had won.
Eva fist bumped the air with a smile before rushing toward Julian and Ethan. "I won. Though she wasn’t much of a challenge," Eva added, her tone tinged with disappointment.
"Well done," Ethan praised her, pinching her cheeks softly. Julian rubbed her hair, and she swatted at his hand, but clearly missed.
"Sister, did you forget about me? I’ll reward you with gold coins and roasted meat cooked by my own hands," Aaron teased, watching Eva’s eyes sparkle like coins. She bounced toward him with a flattering smile.
Really, you’re my good brother, (~￣³￣)~ where is the moolah (money), and when we get back, please don’t forget to roast that meat. Eva shamelessly sold her cuteness.
"Okay, okay... when we get back." Aaron chuckled softly, basking in Eva’s full attention.
The others quickly followed suit, covering her money, but unfortunately, they couldn’t roast such flavorful meat like Aaron, which was why Eva stayed with him.
Julian sighed for the umpteenth time, wondering if he had to kidnap Eva to get some alone time with her.
These days, it was hard to be alone with her for five minutes, except at night when everyone was asleep, and Ethan would tag along.
The crowd watched her playful, innocent smile, but when they saw the unconscious Selina, they shook their heads, coming to a silent realization. "Looks can be very deceiving."
The competition continued; some fights were memorable, while others were dull.
Ethan and Julian’s fight was quick, ending without suspense because of how weak their opponents were.
As time went on, the familiar names reappeared, and familiar faces once again took the stage.
Caiden walked calmly toward the basket, bent down, and picked up an animal hide. As he opened it, a flash of surprise crossed his face, and he broke into a smile.
"Ethan!" They called out, staring fervently at Ethan like he was his long-lost lover. Eva and Julian broke out in goosebumps.
Ethan’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot, and his eyes showed disgust as he made his way through the crowd to reach the stage.
"I thought you had died in a monster’s claws." Ethan’s tone was filled with longing for Caiden to suffer such a fate.
While Caiden chuckled in response, he was not angered in the slightest by Ethan’s words.
"Why would I die when I haven’t added your hands to my collection? My soul wouldn’t rest in peace." Caiden responded sincerely, his eyes fixed on Ethan’s well-defined fingers, and his heart itched like a claw, scratching his insides.
"Take your filthy gaze away." Ethan didn’t finish his words; the icy dagger aimed at Caiden’s eyes revealed his intentions.
The crowd watched their exchange with strange expressions, sensing a weird tension in the air, almost like a lovers’ spat.
Eva poked Julian on the shoulder and asked with a mix of curiosity and anger she wasn’t aware of.
"Is that Ethan’s ex? He’s talking more than usual."
Julian coughed, choking on his saliva at Eva’s incredulous word. "Can’t you see they are longheads? Ethan is almost suppressing himself from killing this sicko," Julian said under his breath, fearing Eva’s overactive imagination might lead her to ask something more shocking.
"Oh, why hasn’t he killed him yet? Should we do it after the competition is over?" Eva muttered, her gaze deadly serious. For some reason, she didn’t like Caiden’s gaze on her husband.
Julian stared at her expression, feeling helpless. Despite everything he said, she only focused on this area, and then he felt an epiphany.
"You’re jealous," Julian said confidently, and upon seeing the realization flashing through her widened eyes, he broke out in a gleeful smile.
"I am... yes, I’m jealous. Why is he staring at Ethan’s hand with such a loving look? (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻"
"Because he wants Ethan’s hands... Literally," Julian added, noticing her confusion.
"For real! Like Ethan’s hand," Eva asked, even showing her hand for reference, her eyes wide with disbelief. When he nodded, Eva shivered, a chill running down her spine. "He’s sick in the head."