With Yona's absence, the entire first floor felt hollow. What Yasu and Marina didn't realize is that Yona kept the ruthless men and women in check with her fierce strength. With her gone, the other prisoners started a riot. Yasu hid Marina in their cell, trying to wait out the violence.

  A few of the other prisoners caught sight of them as they were entering all of the cells. Within moments, their cell was full of the other prisoners. Yasu surrendered immediately, hoping to diffuse the situation. He tried to hand himself over to protect Marina. His plea fell on deaf ears however as they drug the couple out in the common area.

  Yasu: Please leave her out of this, she's pregnant!

  The prisoners didn't care in the slightest and moved in to attack. Out of nowhere, a bright flash of red rushed in the middle of the commotion. The young girl that Yona welcomed had returned, and she was dismantling the aggressors with expert level martial arts. Her talent was enough to make the group lose their nerve.

  ??: Can you all act like adults and not dummyheads for two minutes? I was trying to sleep!

  The prisoners scattered like roaches.

  Yasu: Thank you so much, little miss.

  ??: You're welcome. I couldn't stand by after seeing you trying to protect her.

  Marina: I appreciate you more than you know. What's your name dear?

  ??: I'm sorry, my poppa told me not to introduce myself to strangers.

  Marina: Aww that's so cute! How about we call you Red, because I love your hair!

  Red: Sure! Nice to meet'cha!

  As Yasu, Marina and 'Red' stayed together to keep order, Yona was fighting through a week of hell. She had finished 6 fights and was losing her resolve. She was suffering from the lack of food. She tried to think about life on the outside with Raioten when her seventh opponent entered the Pit.

  Yona: (I'm not losing this, I've come to far!)

  The soldier brought in the largest prisoner he could find to test Yona. The behemoth of a man walked into the Pit carrying two large axes. His proficiency with his weapons were able to push Yona back. She was able to evade lethal cuts, but she was cut repeatedly.

  Realizing that she was going to lose, Yona decided to cut loose. She aimed her next kick for the man's weapon, separating the blade from the handle. Yona picked up her newly made staff and initiated round two.

  Her ability with the staff completely turned to fight in her favor. Yona's precision allowed her to expertly disabled her opponent. She targeted his joints first, smashing all four of them. As he opponent was left writhing in the ground, Yona loomed over him.

  Yona: I'm sorry.

  She used her staff to smash his skull. She fell back, exhausted and covered in wounds. She was filled with a newfound hope that drove her. She was prepared more than ever to finish her last opponent. The Warden himself brought in the final challenger. The Warden smiled devilishly as he stood over his injured fighter.

  Yona stood frozen at the sight of Raioten. She expected the Warden to go back on his deal, to snatched freedom away from her at the last moment, but she didn't think he'd force her to kill Raioten. The Warden closed the door, leaving them in silence. Yona dropped her staff, walking up to Raioten. She engulfed him in a loving hug.

  Yona: Blue! I missed you so much. Listen to me, we can't be friends right now. I need you to fight me with everything you've got ok?

  Raioten simply stared in with a disapproving look. Yona understood that nothing she said would make him fight seriously, so she stopped trying. She walked back, grabbed her staff, and rushed him. Raioten put up a half-assed guard with a smile, his eyes radiating nothing but peace. It pained Yona even more when she swung her staff full force, cracking right through his guard and sending him flying.

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  The Warden watched on with a huge smile as he finally found how to break Yona's will. Putting up anyone against her freedom would result in their death, and the Warden finally exploited that. As Raioten struggled to stand, he looked to Yona with tears in his eyes. She fought through the heartbreak, smashing his body with a flurry of kicks and staff strikes. She began to scream at him.

  Yona: You're a warrior get up and fight!

  Raioten's eyes showed only sadness.

  Yona: Did you really think we were friends? You're nothing compared to my freedom! I'll kill anyone in order to get out of this hellhole!

  Her harsh words stung Raioten even more than her brutal striking. He didn't even have time to cry as she kept up an unbelievable battle pace. Feeling that his life as truly on the line, he lashed out and struck Yona with a powerful high kick. She was sent flying back and had dropped her staff.

  Yona: So you were actually paying attention to me all that time.

  Yona left her improvised staff on the ground. She reached out her hand and, out of nowhere, a golden staff materialized in her hand. As Raioten's eyes sharpened with his rage, the Warden looked down with utter pride.

  Warden: Now its time for the main event!

  ?: Sir, you've fought them both, who do you think will win?

  Warden: With that staff in hand, Yona will. If she truly wanted, she could escape this place at any moment. The only reason she can't is because I swore to her that we would kill everyone else inside.

  ?: That's insane. He doesn't stand a chance!

  Warden: Not at all. This is a test for them both. If she wins, it means she has truly become the ultimate killing machine. I'll call in the other Wardens for backup so we can keep her under control. If the young boy wins, it means that she was a failure to begin with and that I'll have finally broken through that innocent shell of his. I'll fine tune him into the perfect warrior.

  The men watched as the two warriors fought it out. Yona's precision was put to the test against Raioten's raw speed. As she cracked him over and over, her hands began to hurt. His small but tempered frame made it feel like she was striking her staff against iron, and no matter how hard she hit him, he wouldn't give her an inch of space.

  Yona continued controlling the match until her body began to ache. Her shins were swollen from the kicks he checked and her hands were vibrating from the strikes but Raioten remained upright. As her attacks slowed up, she left a wide opening for him to counter. When she noticed he didn't take the shot, she struck him again.

  Yona: Time to die!

  Yona rushed once more, leaving another wide opening. This time Raioten lashed out. He was overwhelmed by the primal desire to simply survive. Raioten threw a flying kick and his foot went right through her torso. Yona coughed up blood and fell over, her body finally succumbing to the past week of abuse. Raioten fell back, exhausted. He looked over to Yona and still saw life in her eyes. Raioten roared out and lifted his heel high in the air, mimicking the kick he had seen her perform.

  Yona: You can get out of here sweetheart, I know it.

  All of a sudden, Raioten's rage subsided. He lowered his foot and tried to help Yona.

  Yona: It's alright, come here baby. I love you Blue. Take these for me please, and keep them safe.

  Yona handed Raioten the wedding bands she held dear and pulled him into her embrace as she laid on the cold floor.

  Yona: I still. . . better be sitting. . .in the front row.

  He fell asleep in her arms, not knowing that she passed in the night. When Raioten woke up, he tried to move but was stuck. When he finally broke free of her grip, he noticed that he was covered in her blood. He ran around her body, trying to get her to wake up.

  After a few minutes, the memory of what he did came back to him and he realized that she was gone. He backed away in fear of what he had done. He crawled backwards until he bumped into the leg of the Warden.

  Warden: You really killed her, you little monster.

  Raioten shook his head, crying. He was trying to deny everything he did.

  Warden: Everyone loved Yona here young man. Everyone upstairs is going to be after you now. I won't be able to protect you.

  Raioten looked mortified at what he did. He looked down at his hands and only saw the hands of a murderer.

  Warden: You should stay down here. It might take them some time to find you.

  The Warden left Raioten in the Pit alone with Yona's corpse. Raioten avoided her body like the plague. He tried sleeping in peace that night, but the Warden had other plans. Each and every time Raioten tried to sleep, the Warden sent another fighter.

  The young boy wasn't able to sleep in peace for weeks. His sleeping was interrupted multiple times each day. Being in constant danger and sleep deprived slowly chipped away at his sanity. Wanting to speed up the process, the Warden made a call.

  Warden: Code: November, Alpha, India, Mike, Alpha, Delta.

  ~~~

  ?: Hello?

  Warden: Evening, I was wondering if you were still having that little overpopulation issue.

  ?: Yeah its like a mad house here.

  Warden: How many undesirables do you have?

  ?: Too many to count, easily a few thousand.

  Warden: Want me to take them off your hands?

  ?: That would be great, but what's the catch?

  Warden: No catch, I'll even send over my own transport ships to load the cargo.

  ?: Uh huh, you're up to something.

  Warden: I may be on the verge of something big.

  ?: If you say so, I'll get them all ready.

  Warden: Good, my men are already on their way. Also, whatever spare weaponry the prisoners have, they are free to bring along.

  ?: Are you serious? What the hell are you planning?

  Warden: Like I said, something big.