The ball of flaming monkey shit struck Chase's shield, and burst into flames. He yelped, stumbling back, as the monkey charged him, the others moving to surround Errsai and Thorir.

Raising his shield, he took a defensive stance, as the ape leapt at him, its claws raking across the bone shell. With a grunt, Chase shoved his shield forward, slamming the monkey against the wall, its head hitting the stone hard. He drew his pick back and stabbed into its neck, blood spurting as the pick bit deep, but not deep enough.

It let out a shriek, its clawed hands reaching up to grab his arm and push him back, the pick still embedded in its neck. With a yell, Chase shoved his shield into the ape's face, forcing it back and dislodging the pick.

As the demon monkey staggered, the pick came around again, this time piercing its throat. Blood gushed out, and the ape let out a gurgle, collapsing to the ground.

Turning his attention to his teammates, Chase saw Thorir and Errsai back to back, the pair fighting off the remaining three monkeys. Both had discarded their longarms, and were holding the spears that the now dead apes had been using.

With a roar, he rushed one of the monkeys, bringing his pick down, but the ape was faster, leaping aside. Its clawed hand slashed across his shoulder, drawing a pained hiss. As it turned to face him, Chase raised his shield, blocking its next swipe. His pick came around and dug into the ape's belly, the creature letting out a shriek.

With a bellow, Skeld's draug rushed forward, tackling the demon monkey. The ape's claws scrabbled at the draug's ruined form, but were unable to deal damage that it noticed. A crunch sounded, and the draug fell backwards, its mouth now clamped around the ape's neck. The ape's head flopped at an unnatural angle, and the draug spat out the chunk of flesh it had bitten off.

Errsai and Thorir were finishing the last monkey, the scout stabbing her spear through the demon ape's back and into its heart, the warrior following up by slamming the butt of his spear into the back of the creature's head. The monkey went limp, and the dokkalfar let it drop.

Chase turned his attention towards the box where Isushi had watched. Isushi stood from his seat, his arms held high and the crowd's roar deafening.

“Despite the twist of the Oninkawu, the prisoners are victorious once again!” Isushi called out, and it took everything that Chase had not to snarl at the warlord.

Isushi sat down, and the arena gates slammed shut.

“What's going on?” Thorir asked, looking around in confusion.

“Don't know,” Chase said.

“Perhaps this is a chance for us to rest,” Errsai suggested. “We did just fight off two rounds of enemies.”

“No,” Chase said, his voice quiet. “He wouldn't do that. We wouldn't suffer enough that way.”

“So then what…” Thorir began, only trail off as over a dozen chimps in ceremonial robes began leaping from one end of the arena balcony to another, placing paper charms each time.

“Get ready,” Chase said, tightening the grip on his shield and pick. “They use those to set up spells, and if they’re setting up this many, I have no doubt that it’ll be a big one.”

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Sure enough, when the last charm was placed, all hundred plus began to glow, Skeld's draug collapsed, and small bursts of light popped from Thorir and Errsai's longarms.

“There we go,” Chase muttered. He gave a resigned sigh, before more loudly asking, “Can either of you use spells at the moment?”

The two dokkalfar tried, before reluctantly shaking their heads.

“I figured, looks like whatever array they have set up blocks active magic,” he concluded, given how he didn’t feel any different. “Whatever comes next, I’ll do the heavy lifting.”

Thorir and Errsai nodded, all three turning their gazes towards Isushi as he stood in front again.

“For the Third Round, friends, there is something special planned. Three of the Empire’s mightiest have asked to pit themselves against our prisoners, and I have accepted. They are no dokkalfar, no dreki, no humans, but the mighty, the powerful, the glorious, the unstoppable, the undeniable, the indomitable, the ever victorious, the eternal, the never forgotten, the invincible, the unbeatable, the Conquerors! The Kijin of the Empire!

Isushi stepped aside, as three Uchmute, easily over nine feet tall even while knuckle walking, and wearing red samurai armor came up from behind him, and one by one leaped into the arena. The ground shook as they landed, and the crowd grew silent, the air becoming tense.

Chase tightened his grip on his pick, his heart beating like a drum. He glanced at Thorir and Errsai, who were staring wide eyed at their new adversaries.

He swallowed, and then turned back to the giant chimps, raising his shield and gripping his pick.

The kijin stood on their hind legs and let out a collective roar, their fists slamming into their chests with enough force to produce shockwaves. Then, the three kijin pulled out their weapons, the one on the left a metal studded club, the middle one a naginata, and the one on the right a katana, and charged.

Chase dashed to meet them, his blood pounding in his ears, his mind focused solely on the three kijin, and their impending clash.

The kijin with the club swung his weapon, and Chase brought his shield up to block the attack, his arm going numb. As the weapon rebounded, the kijin with the naginata swung, aiming for his torso. He barely managed to bring his pick up, hooking the polearm and dragging it away from him.

Before he could do anything else, the kijin with the katana lunged, the blade aimed at his neck. He tried to duck out of the way, but the club slammed into his side, and his dodge turned into a stagger.

Pain bloomed throughout his body, and Chase bit back a groan, the sound turning into a snarl. The crowd, who had fallen silent, was now roaring in excitement, their volume so great that he could barely think.

The katana arced around, aiming to behead him, but Thorir threw himself at the kijin, tackling it and driving his spear into the beast's side. The kijin roared, the spear snapping, and hurled the dokkalfar into the far wall, where the scout collapsed, unconscious at best.

Errsai let out a yell, and charged at the kijin with the naginata, but the chimp was prepared, and blocked the scout's strike, and then followed up with a kick to the dokkalfar's chest, the sout of ribs snapping like dry twigs filling the air. The scout fell, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The kijin with the club advanced towards the two wounded dokkalfar, the chimp's intent obvious.

With a roar, Chase lunged, his pick stabbing the kijin through its side, the point digging deep. The chimp snarled, its blood pouring out, and its elbow crashing into the human's jaw. His teeth clicked together and blood filled his mouth.

The kijin with the katana charged, its weapon aimed at him. With a roar of frustration, blood coating his teeth, Chase blocked the strike with his shield redirected it into the floor, before jumping at the kijin's head, driving his pick into its eye. The kijin screamed, its massive hands reaching up and yanking him off.

As the kijin flung him away, Chase's mind raced, a plan forming. As he tumbled across the floor, he slammed the pointed tip of his pick into the ground, his momentum causing the tool to drive into the floor and arresting his movement.

The kijin charged, his remaining eye focused on him.

He ripped his pick free, and charged, his shield raised, the kijin's sword coming down, and bouncing off. He stabbed the point of his pick into the beast's leg, blood spilling.

The chimp roared, the sound deafening, and it grabbed his pick, ripping it out and tossing it aside. He slammed his shield into the chimp's face, before running, grabbing his pick and retreating.

He could see that the kijin with the club was advancing towards Thorir, the dokkalfar struggling to push himself up on shaking hands. The kijin with the naginata had driven it into Errsai's chest and was presenting her impaled body to the roaring crowd.

“No,” Chase growled, moving to intercept the club wielding kijin, only to come to a stop to avoid being bisected by the oversized katana.

The kijin raised his foot and brought it down hard. Chase dove to the side, the impact sending him sprawling, and a dull throb radiating through his limbs.

As he scrambled back to his feet, he saw the club wielding kijin smash Thorir in the face, the dokkalfar's helmet failing to protect him. The dokkalfar crumpled, and the kijin raised its club, ready to finish the warrior off.

He looked back at the kijin with the katana, the chimp advancing with deliberate steps, and the naginata wielder dragging Errsai's lifeless body along the ground as it turned to face him. Chase grit his teeth, bracing himself to have to kill all three on his own.