Free Read Bite The System! #8: A Dark Academy LitRPG Adventure eBook

Chapter 78

6:28 PM.

One hour and thirty-two minutes until Kael had to kill his best friend on live television.

The cell was getting smaller. Or maybe that was just his brain playing tricks. Probably the latter. 

Concrete walls didn't move. Physics still worked that way even in a world where vampires ruled and the System turned people into video game characters.

Focus. Stop spiraling. Think.

But thinking wasn't helping. Every thought led back to the same impossible problem. 

Derek was brainwashed. The tournament rules were absolute. One of them had to die.

No exceptions. No loopholes. The System didn't do loopholes.

Kael's restraints hummed with power suppression. He'd been testing them for the last three hours. Pulling. Twisting. Trying to access even a fraction of his bridge consciousness.

Nothing. The restraints were too good. 

Whatever technology the Eternal Council had developed, it shut down System abilities completely. 

He was weaker than a normal human right now. Probably couldn't even win an arm-wrestling match against a teenager.

Great survival strategy. Very helpful.

The screens in his cell never stopped. Constant coverage of the tournament. Interviews with officials. 

Behind-the-scenes footage of the arena preparation. Promotional materials that made his stomach turn.

Right now they were showing highlights from previous tournaments. Fights from the test runs they'd done before going public.

A vampire woman fighting three humans at once. She moved like liquid death. The humans didn't stand a chance. Lasted maybe forty-five seconds combined. The crowd in the stands screamed with bloodlust.

Two hybrid creatures tearing each other apart. Both of them classified as "corrupted specimens" according to their System interfaces. Both of them fought like they had nothing left to lose. The match went for twelve minutes. Left the arena floor covered in blood and viscera. One hybrid finally collapsed. The crowd cheered as the winner consumed what was left.

They're literally eating the losers. In front of billions of people. And this is legal now.

Another fight. This one between former allies. The announcer provided backstory like it was a sports match. 

"These two served in the same resistance cell for three years! But when Registration Day came, one chose cooperation while the other chose defiance! Now they meet in the arena to settle their differences!"

The fight was brutal. Personal. They knew each other's moves. Each other's weaknesses. 

Made it worse somehow. More intimate. The registered fighter won. 

Stood over his former friend's body. Looked into the camera. 

"I chose the winning side. Everyone else should too."

Propaganda. All of it. Designed to make people accept the new order.

And it's working. The view counts keep going up.

Kael turned away from the screen. Focused on his cell instead. Looking for anything useful.

Nothing. 

They'd designed these cells specifically for System users. 

Reinforced concrete that blocked dimensional travel. Power dampeners built into the walls. 

The door was solid metal. No windows except the small reinforced ones looking out into the corridor.

Other cells lined the hallway. Kael could hear the prisoners inside. 

Some had given up. Accepted death. 

Others were still fighting mentally, trying to find solutions that didn't exist.

Cell 003 held a vampire who kept muttering calculations. Probability equations. Win scenarios. 

His voice had gone hoarse hours ago but he kept going. "If I dodge left and counter with a 2.3-second delay, survival odds increase to 31%. But if the opponent adapts, then I need to—"

Cell 007 had a hybrid female who just cried. Soft sobs that never stopped. Sometimes she called out for someone named Demian. No one answered.

Cell 012 held a human. No System access. Arrested for harboring unregistered vampires. He'd been silent for hours. Then suddenly started laughing. Manic. Broken. "They said it was safe. They said the resistance would protect us. Liars. All liars."

Kael wanted to say something. Offer comfort. Hope.

Didn't have any to give.

His own survival odds were 23%. And that was before fighting Derek.

Derek. God. Derek.

The video of Derek's brainwashing kept playing in Kael's head. 

On loop. 

Like his brain wanted to torture him. Derek screaming. Fighting the restraints. 

The technicians pumping corrupted data into his System interface. Rewriting his memories one neural pathway at a time.

They'd turned Derek's entire worldview into a weapon. Made him believe Kael was the villain. The betrayer. The one responsible for all his suffering.

And the worst part? 

Kael could see the logic. If you changed just a few key memories, altered some timestamps, edited the security footage—it would look exactly like Derek believed. 

Like Kael had escaped alone and left Derek behind to rot.

Complete fabrication. But Derek doesn't know that. To him, it's real. It's truth.

The screens switched to a new segment. "Tournament Spotlight: Featured Fighters!"

Kael's stomach dropped.

His face appeared on screen. Not a flattering angle. 

They'd pulled it from his arrest footage. He looked disheveled. 

Angry. Dangerous.

Free Read Book 6 Noir A Dark Colleague Romance

Free read Vol 1

Free Read Vol 2

Free Read Vol 5

Chapter 50

Alwin gripped the neckline of Ben's housecoat and said it again. “The ugliest look I've ever seen in my life. No amount of fancy designer clothes and money can change your dress sense for the better. All this stuff looks cheap when you wear it.” 

“P-please... p-pleaseee...,” Ben pleaded, water pouring from his eyes, nose and mouth. “Take it off... g-go please. P-please...,”

“Please what?”

Ben squeezed Alwin's thighs and buried his face in Alwin's legs that were still grinding his cock. He didn't know what he wanted.

“Please what?” Alwin repeated.

Ben was getting confused. Suddenly he felt he deserved to be treated like this. He was both tormented and enjoying it. The long-fingered hand on his neck felt like an angel's touch, so gentle. His sprawling cock under Alwin's foot still briefly twitched erect and even started to cum.

But the pleasure was only momentary. Because after that Alwin pressed his throat with the tip of his thumb and squeezed until he was out of breath. 

Ben gasped for air. His hands flailed against Alwin's trying to break free. Did he choose the wrong host? Had he actually hired a serial killer? His eyes rolled back almost unconscious.

“What is it? Fainted already? Huh?” Alwin slapped Ben with his other hand. “Hm, so weak. I guess this is the only way you can survive?”

Perhaps he had actually lost consciousness for some time. Because suddenly he was on his back on the sofa and something big and hard had filled his back hole. She felt so full that there was no room left. 

His body jerked back and forth as Alwin pounded him back and forth from behind. Ben began to sigh and moan in pleasure. 

“Aargh... arrghh... ahhh...,”

“Already awake, hm?” Alwin mocked. “If you are weak you should just order the cuddling package, you are piece of shit. You waste my time for I have to fucking an unconsious weak man like you!” Alwin grabbed the front of Ben's neck and pulled him back roughly. 

“You like to dominate poor young men because you think they're weak, right? They're easy targets for you, right? Hm?”

“Kkk... kkk...,” a pathetic strangled moan escaped Ben's gaping mouth. 

Alwin continued to pound Ben's rectum mercilessly. Faster and deeper. He penetrated haphazardly and blindly because Ben deserved it. Alwin was sure he was doing the same thing to his victims. Maybe even worse.

And Ben himself knew, deep down, he deserved less than this.

“Aarghh... ahhh... kkkk... kkkk...,” Ben came again. His body was shaking and limp. His sperm spurted all over the expensive sofa. He fell to his knees. He was breathing heavily. He almost lost consciousness again.

“Hm, you came twice.” Alwin said coldly. “I haven't even come out yet.” He laughed mockingly. “Do you want some more? You said you could only come once or twice. I'll give you a bonus if you want. I'm not satisfied with torturing a bastard like you yet.”

“A-a-aa... mercy.” he stammered. His hands shot up, trembling. “L-let's stop here! Oh my...!”

                                          *

BAMMM!!!

The entire class jolted in shock at the sudden sound, their heads whipping toward its source. Even Arya, who had been fast asleep, shot up in surprise, her body jerking from the force of the sound.  

Alwin had just slammed his forehead into the edge of the desk, creating a deafening thud. Dazed, he slowly lifted his head, one hand bracing on the edge of the desk while the other pressed against his throbbing forehead.  

The entire class stared at him in a mix of concern and amusement, wondering what had happened to make him lose his balance so suddenly. Alwin rubbed his temples, trying to steady his disoriented mind.  

Usually, he would step out of class for a quick break before the afternoon's medication hit its peak effect, leaving him weak and wobbly. But this time, he’d been too slow. He was already dizzy before he could find a place to lie down.  

"Alwin, are you okay?" the instructor called out, her voice laced with concern. "You don’t look well. Maybe you should head to the infirmary."  

"Argh, shit..." Alwin muttered under his breath, wincing as the pain in his head intensified.  

He struggled to focus on the instructor’s words, but his body swayed, and his vision blurred. His hands gripped the edge of the desk for stability, his breathing growing shallow and erratic as another wave of dizziness hit.  

His pulse hammered in his ears as he fought to stay conscious, the world spinning around him. Alwin squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his racing heart and regulate his erratic breathing.  

Arya, witnessing the whole situation unfold, had to resist the urge to laugh or offer sympathy. However, a chuckle eventually escaped her lips, loud enough to catch the attention of the entire class.  

Seeing Arya laugh, the rest of the class followed suit, their chuckles filling the room.  

"Imagine waking up from a nap, then just laughing at your friend who’s about to pass out," someone teased. "If your friend’s sick, maybe try taking them to the infirmary instead of laughing!"  

"Huh?" Arya blinked, realizing the joke was about her. She was still in the middle of waking up, her brain foggy from the nap. "Oh, right, right," she mumbled, her voice still groggy. She stood up, walking over to Alwin's desk.  

"Hurry up, get up!" she barked, grabbing his arm and yanking him upright. "Let’s go!" she added, now more commanding than before.  

Alwin, half-conscious, barely managed to stand. His legs wobbled beneath him as he swayed dangerously from side to side. Arya immediately wrapped an arm around him, steadying him.  

"Come on, get up! Hey! Hey! Wake up!" She slapped his cheek several times, trying to snap him out of his daze. But all Alwin could manage was rolling his eyes, his gaze vacant as the whites of his eyes were the only visible part.  

"Whoa, what’s this?" someone from the class called out, laughing at the sight of Arya slapping Alwin. "Maybe it’d be better we carry him instead!"  

"Oh, relax, he’s fine," Arya responded nonchalantly, her grin wide. "I’ve got him under control."  

Her arm looped around Alwin’s waist, pulling him tightly against her side, pressing his body against hers as she began to drag him out of the classroom.  

"Ugh, heavy!" she muttered under her breath, her tone sharp as she struggled to support his limp weight. "A little effort to lighten up your body wouldn’t hurt, Alwin."  

With one last sarcastic comment, she gave a mock salute. "Excuse us, ma’am."  

As they made their way down the corridor, they became the center of attention, every other class in the hallway pausing to watch the spectacle of Arya pulling an almost-unconscious Alwin behind her.  

The grip she had on his arm was firm, but it felt as though he could drop to the floor at any moment. Students quickly stepped aside to avoid blocking their path as Arya moved quickly toward the elevator.  

The doors slid shut just as she stepped back, eyes flicking nervously to Alwin’s body, now slumping further, his breath shallow and erratic as he struggled to maintain his balance. Suddenly, the lift jerked into motion, causing both of them to stumble and crash against one side of the elevator.