Neven returned, and everyone gathered around him. He began detailing the situation of the other legions, speaking quickly and with determination. "Venom's serpent men are weak during the day, but don't let their Executive Commander get close; his melee combat is deadly. Tailsting and Lunarshade will team up to eliminate the weakest, Mercury, before turning on Venom. Damian is a novice, inexperienced. Stormblade is a typical left-hander, weaker on the right side; be wary of his left-side attacks. Our goal is to protect ourselves, delay as much as possible, and deal with the remaining members of Lunarshade and Tailsting. Aria, you stick with me; Sander, stay with Lyra;Oak, you're in charge of protecting Aria and Sander while we're away.If any of us make it to the top ten, beware of Tailsting's betrayal when the Hellbear appears. Alpha will incite their Executive Commander to do so."
Amid cheers, a chariot pulled by two horses approached. It stopped in the center of the spiral gate, and Quinn helped Elde Gu down. Elde Gu, dressed in a dark robe, held a black jar. After surveying everyone, he beckoned Neven. Neven led his team forward.
“What are we doing?” Aria whispered.
“Sealing part of the Essence in our Soul Stones to prevent accidental injuries,” Neven explained. He stepped forward first, drawing his Soul Stone longsword from his waist, presenting the dark, golden Soul Stone.
Aria expected Elde Gu to be furious about her sneaking food in the library. However, the elder merely glared at Neven before shakily opening the jar. A translucent spider emerged, leaping onto Neven’s sword. It circled the Soul Stone, its eight legs extending and wrapping around the entire Soul Stone. When the spider disappeared, the Soul Stone's color had faded. Next were Lyra’s sword, Oak’s mace, and Sander’s sword; everyone’s Soul Stones were dulled.
Elde Gu impatiently gestured for Aria. “Come here, don’t dawdle.”
Aria hesitated before presenting her rapier. Elde Gu glanced at it and frowned. “Turn it over.”
Aria turned the sword, and Elde Gu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Where is your Soul Stone?” he asked, astonished.
“I don’t have a Soul Stone,” Aria admitted, embarrassed.
“Don’t have one?” Elde Gu's face darkened, and he shouted, “You young people, what do you take this competition for? Entering without a Soul Stone is a death wish!” His anger was palpable.
Quinn whispered a few words to Elde Gu, whose purplish face softened slightly. “This is the first time a mortal has competed. I will suggest to the Lunar King to amend the rules to prevent this from happening again.”
Everyone's Soul Stones, except those of Venom's serpent men, were sealed with some of their Essence Power. Elde Gu and Quinn left in their chariot, and Aria rejoined the others outside the spiral gate.
“I used to hate sealing Essence,” Neven said. “But today, it might save me some effort.” He pulled Aria’s arm, leading her back a few steps. “Watch your step; it’s starting.”
A deafening horn blast sounded, and the ground began to tremble.
Neven gave a reassuring look as the ground slowly moved. Numerous spiral-shaped platforms rose from the soil. The earth split apart, and as the platforms rotated, they formed many spiral iron mountains.
The previously gathered team members were now separated. Sander nearly fell off the edge but was saved by Lyra, while Oak stood on another, larger iron mountain.
“I don’t want the war god title; I just want us to leave safely,” Neven shouted.
“What should we do now?” Aria called out.
“Delay as much as possible.”
Suddenly, a horn sounded in the arena. The audience roared, and a coral-colored flag fell from the iron net.
“What’s happening?” Aria asked.
“Someone from Mercury has been eliminated,” Neven pointed up. “Those flags represent each legion. When someone is eliminated, the corresponding flag drops. Starguard’s flags are blue.”
Aria counted the flags; each color had five, except for Mercury, which had four remaining.
The iron mountains moved slowly, and a young warrior from Tailsting leaped onto their platform. He glanced briefly before jumping to another iron mountain.
“They’re targeting Mercury first,” Neven said.
In a short time, the horn sounded repeatedly, signaling Mercury's complete elimination. Aria thought of the sweet, dimpled female commander of Mercury, feeling the injustice of strong men ganging up on a few women.
Oak was battling two Lunarshade fighters nearby.
Neven and Aria jumped onto their platform. At the same time, the serpent commander landed there too. His slit pupils fixed on Neven, eyes like obsidian embedded in platinum, the pupils contracting slightly with the changing light.
His movements were serpentine, swift. In an instant, he drew a sword from behind him. The sword, like its wielder, radiated danger. The blade was slender and gleaming, seemingly able to slice through the air effortlessly. His long fingers, with sharp nails, gripped the hilt in a manner both elegant and deadly. As the horn sounded again, a purple flag slowly descended from above.
“Thorne, your people are being surrounded. Starguard has never been your enemy,” Neven said.
Thorne’s lips curled into a cold smile as he sheathed his weapon. “My friend, welcome back.” His voice was raspy, like a hiss from the depths.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
After Thorne left, two more horn blasts echoed, and a blue and purple flag fell simultaneously.
“Sander is out,” Oak shouted.
“Is he okay?” Aria asked.
“He’s unconscious. Someone will carry him out,” Oak pointed below, where two people were carrying an unconscious Sander off the field.
The iron mountains undulated like waves, and they encountered Lunarshade’s Stormblade and his two warriors. Stormblade gripped his steel greatsword with his left hand, his muscular arm gleaming in the sunlight. The heavy sword seemed weightless in his grasp.
Stormblade's eyes gleamed with arrogance, a sly glint suggesting he had already foreseen his victory. Every cheer from the crowd widened his grin. He arrogantly pointed his sword at Neven, his voice low and mocking. “Neven, do you really think you can win this fight? Today, let me teach you a lesson. Three-on-three or one-on-one?”
“One-on-one,” Neven replied firmly.
Stormblade signaled his teammates, who stepped back. Neven turned to Aria, “Stay with Oak. If I lose, forfeit immediately. We have little chance of winning this battle; don’t sacrifice yourselves needlessly.”
“Worried about your girlfriend?” Stormblade taunted.
“Go, Aria,” Neven urged.
“Be careful,” Aria said, running towards Oak.
With a metallic scrape, Neven drew his sword, ready to face Stormblade. The stands erupted, all eyes fixed on Neven and Stormblade. The cheers were overwhelmingly one-sided. “Stormblade, Stormblade, Stormblade…”
Stormblade raised his greatsword, his Soul Stone suddenly emitting a blinding white light. The Lunarshade legion roared, the loudest cheer since the start, their enthusiasm surging as the competition reached its first climax.
“Neven, where’s your Soul Stone? You used to love flaunting your Essence,” Stormblade bellowed, excited.
“I don’t need Essence to deal with you,” Neven retorted.
Stormblade suddenly lunged, his greatsword crashing down. Neven stepped back, raising his sword to meet Stormblade’s heavy blow.
“Oak, Aria, help me!” Lyra's shout cut through the battlefield's chaos as she struggled against two Tailsting warriors.
Oak and Aria rushed over, with Oak's war hammer striking like thunder at one of the Tailsting warriors. The clash of metal sounded like a drumbeat as the warrior's sword was knocked from his grasp.
“Hit his face!” Oak instructed urgently.
Aria's sword flashed out, narrowly missing the warrior.
“Stomp his foot,” Oak continued.
Aria stomped down hard, causing the warrior to stagger back in pain, his face contorted. “You’re fighting dirty… ah… my foot…”
“And two against one isn’t dirty?” Aria laughed, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of battle.
The arena’s horn suddenly blared. Aria quickly glanced at Neven, who was struggling against Stormblade. Even with his Essence sealed, Stormblade's Soul Stone still shone brightly, while Neven’s sword was dull.
As the horn sounded, a purple flag fell, and Damian Blackwood proudly pointed his sword at a fallen Serpent warrior from Venom. The spectators’ attention was drawn to this, and in that moment of distraction, Neven was struck hard by Stormblade, sent sprawling with his sword flying from his hand.
“Neven, has your Soul Stone broken?” Stormblade taunted, eyes full of disdain.
Onlookers' murmurs grew louder. Neven stood up under their gaze, awkwardly picking up his sword with his left hand, clearly at a disadvantage against the left-handed Stormblade.
“He needs help, Stormblade will kill him,” Aria said anxiously, ready to rush over.
“This is his chance to reclaim his honor,” Oak said firmly, stopping her. “Neven has waited too long for this moment. He needs this opportunity to prove himself.”
The horn kept sounding as the Venom team was down to their Executive Commander. Lyra, after eliminating a Tailsting warrior, was soon taken out by Damian Blackwood's assault.
Aria and Oak were battling two Lunarshade warriors. Oak swung his war hammer while Aria took quick stabs at their opponents, forcing them to retreat onto a rising spiral platform.
“How many are left?” Aria asked Oak.
“Check the flags,” Oak shouted back.
Above them hung three red Tailsting flags, four grey Lunarshade flags, one purple Venom flag, and three blue Starguard flags.
“Eleven left,” Aria said, her voice tense with exertion.
“The good news is, we’re in the top ten. If we eliminate one more, we’ll make it to the final showdown,” Oak said excitedly.
The iron platform clanged as Damian, with two Tailsting warriors, leapt up, a malicious grin on his face. They were ready to team up and take out Aria and Oak.
“Look who we’re up against,” Damian drawled, loud enough for Neven to hear. “What if I accidentally kill Aria?”
“Damian…” Neven shouted from a distance, his voice filled with anger.
Damian’s lips curled into a sneer as he turned to Aria. “If we target you, Neven won’t be able to focus. We’ll take out all three of you at once.”
“You’re despicable,” Aria said angrily.
With Tailsting focusing on her and Oak, Neven grew more anxious, frequently glancing their way and almost being knocked off the iron mountain by Stormblade.
On Damian’s signal, they attacked together. Aria and Oak were beset on all sides. With Oak struggling to hold his own, Damian seized the chance to strike at Aria. She blocked his blow, her arm numbing from the force. Another Tailsting warrior flanked her, and soon she was separated from Oak.
Two warriors ganging up on a girl drew boos from the Starguard spectators.
Damian raised his sword, his face alight with glee, eyes gleaming with excitement. He stared at Aria as if already seeing her fall.
Aria gripped her light sword tightly, her heartbeat pounding. Her breath quickened, chest heaving, and sweat trickled down her face. As Damian approached, she felt her legs tremble, but forced herself to stay calm, her eyes locked on his every move. She knew Damian was a ruthless opponent; any mistake would be fatal.
“I can’t lose, I just can’t,” Aria told herself. Her mind raced through every move and technique she had learned. She knew only by staying calm could she find a way to survive this deadly encounter.
As Damian’s sword descended, time seemed to slow. The blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle. Aria saw countless possibilities flash before her eyes, her body reacting instinctively as her sword rose to meet his, attempting to block the lethal strike.
Just as the blade was about to strike Aria, a deafening horn blast echoed through the arena. Damian's sword halted mid-air, the entire coliseum falling silent as everyone turned to the high platform.
Aria stood frozen, her hand trembling on her sword. She glanced from Damian's face to the source of the horn, filled with confusion but relieved to have escaped death.
In the stands, people stood, eyes wide with surprise.
The arena was engulfed in silence, all eyes fixed on the slowly descending flag.
Cheers erupted as the blue contingent went wild. With the Lunarshade flag falling, the Starguard chanted in unison: “Neven, Neven, Neven.”
They rose, applauding fervently.
Neven clutched his injured arm, struggling to stand atop the iron mountain. Stormblade lay unconscious at the edge, his chest barely moving.
Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the brief silence. The thick iron plate beneath Stormblade broke apart, scattering shards and debris. The spectators gasped, all eyes drawn to the dramatic scene. On the high platform, the Grand Mentors stood, faces tense and serious.
Lunarshade warriors saw this and leaped from the iron mountain, rushing frantically towards their Executive Commander.
Neven took a deep breath, his heart still pounding painfully.
The iron mountain stopped shaking, and all the warriors paused. In this moment, time seemed to slow, all sound muted.
Aria leapt onto the platform, running to Neven’s side. Below, Lunarshade shouted as they cleared the debris, pulling out the unconscious Stormblade. Amid the chaos, she faintly heard Stormblade mutter, “Black eyes.”
Aria looked at Neven in alarm, his gaze meeting hers. In that instant, she saw a pair of eyes black as night, even the whites. But when he blinked slowly, they returned to normal.
“Your eyes…” Aria stammered.