Chapter Twenty-Four: First Round. The Last Set. My Prince. “What Do ‘You’ Think?”
Summary
- The chapter takes place in a gladiatorial-style arena where Jaya, Hamey and other prisoners are forced to fight in pairs for the entertainment of their captors.
- It's implied that the prisoners are murdered if they refuse to fight, lose, or if they fail to show proper aggression during contests.
- Jaya and Hamey are chosen to fight each other. Jaya later recounts how she killed Hamey to end his suffering, provoking a lot of guilt and trauma.
- Other imprisoned characters duel, and those who survive the fight are marked for the following round.
- One of the characters, Charlie, deduces that another prisoner, Cla, has a weakness - he has very limited peripheral vision. This realization comes after some reflections on previous altercations and interactions.
- Having been chosen to fight, Charlie and Cla are presented to the crowd, and then a puppet king, Flight Killer. They run towards the weapons left in the middle of the arena, in preparation for their fight.
- Charlie is terrified, but feels a dark determination and readiness for the fight.
- In this chapter, the protagonist, Charlie, embarks in a deadly fight against Cla for the entertainment of Elden and his retinue.
- The fight is brutal and Charlie ultimately wins by leveraging his agility and familiarity with the fighting sticks.
- The audiences, including Elden and his consort, Petra, react with fascination to the match, encouraging Charlie to finish Cla off.
- Charlie ultimately goes for the killing blow, revealing a darker side of his personality due to the dire circumstances in which he finds himself.
- After the fight, Charlie is made to kneel before Elden, who praises him for the fight, before being escorted back to the other fighters by Kellin.
- Upon his return, Charlie is greeted with awe by his fellow fighters, who regard him as a prince due to his successful fight, even if he doesn’t feel like one.
- Charlie is uneasy under their gazes, but leads them back to their cells where several are severely injured, including Doc Freed and Gully.
- Charlie then discusses the idea of an escape plan with Iota, gauging his interest and asking him about the willingness of the other fighters.