General Secutor stood at the head of his legion under a red sky. A mild drizzle began to fall from the sky as he watched the carnage of the city center in the aftermath of Nero’s desolation of the Sage Empire legion.

Secutor rubbed his hand down his face to clear the rain from his vision and was surprised to see a smear of red blood on his hand. As he stared at his hand, he thought to himself, “So this is the blood rain that precedes the BloodStar eminence.”

He took a deep breath as the rainfall increased from a slight drizzle to a steady rain and remarked to himself, “Scary names and battle cries don’t measure up to a blood rain of your own kin and countrymen falling down upon you before battle. What incredible intimidation.”

Secutor looked back over his shoulder to his second-in-command, “How are the men?”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Secutor merely nodded, and his officer continued, “The men are prepared to die. But they are fearful.”

“Thank you.” Secutor shook his head to himself, “A fearful death is no way to die.”

Standing strong, steeling himself for the battle to come, Secutor surveyed the Sage Palace grounds until he saw a hulking, muscular, and shirtless figure come into view. He grunted, “Nero.”

Nero’s hair dripped with blood from the rain above which followed his path, and his entire body ran with hundreds of small tributaries of fresh blood flowing over his chest and back down onto the ground.

Secutor could feel the tension in the air from his men, so he held up his right hand in a fist to signal for them to stay calm.

Nero came to within ten yards of Secutor and dropped his massive war hammer to the ground sending a small tremor through the immediate vicinity.

“Welcome to the Sage Palace, Nero! No enemy has made it this far since The Great War! You make your empress proud; I am sure of it.”

Nero grimaced with a furrowed brow and merely grunted in response as he cracked his knuckles.

Secutor waited a moment until calling out again, “Did he die with honor? Kublai?”

Nero looked up with a serious expression, “No. He died a coward. He died hidden away behind Sage Empire shields while Sage Empire soldiers died by the thousands.”

Nero and Secutor exchanged locked gazes in the rain for a moment until Nero said, “He was not like you General Secutor.”

“Not like me?” Secutor smirked, “No, I guess not. Few men are like us.”

Nero grunted, “If that is all…”

He then gripped his war hammer, Blood Cry, and raised it across his chest holding it with two hands.

“That is not all…” Secutor raised his hands to Nero, “I would like to propose a challenge. Fight me one-on-one.”

He then raised his hand in the air with his pointer finger up and made a circular motion with his hand. The 10,000 men standing behind Secutor in highly organized columns began to march encircling both Secutor and Nero in a circle of soldiers with a diameter of 50 yards.

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Secutor then called out again, “Fight me! Fight me like the gladiators of old! No ki beams, no fancy attacks. Just you and me. Hand to hand with the strength of our ki funneled into physical combat.”

Secutor dropped his shield to the ground and removed his armor to match Nero’s equipment or lack thereof, “I only ask that win or lose, you spare the lives of my soldiers.”

Nero continued to grip his war hammer, “I would; however, this is not the coliseum, this is war. And I have my orders. Call your men back into formation! That is the only mercy I will show you!”

The encirclement of 10,000 men began to howl like dogs in the blood rain in support of their general, and Secutor smiled at Nero, “I don’t think they will listen to me, Nero. I’ve always yearned to fight you one-on-one to test my strength. We missed our chance all those years ago. Don’t tell me you’re scared now?”

Nero smirked, “My pride comes second to the orders of my empress. So, for the last time. If that is all…”

Nero began to infuse a sinister red ki into his war hammer as he prepared a massive strike to start his slaughter; however, before he could attack, a black portal sparking with electricity opened up between the two men.

The Heraklinos Empire men weren’t sure what to make of it; however, Nero immediately bowed to a knee the instant the portal appeared.

Moments later, to the surprise of the entire legion, Xenia BloodStar herself stepped out with an elegant presence and beautiful smile as if she were on the red carpet rather than the battlefield.

As Nero bowed and Xenia smiled, Secutor grit his teeth and tensed his entire body as he thought, “She could wipe this field clean in an instant if she so willed it. What scary power!”

Xenia looked down at Nero, “You may rise, Nero.” She then flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to face Secutor, “Granted.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion, “What?”

“Your challenge to Nero. Granted. Nero accepts.” She then turned and walked over to Nero and ran her hand across his muscular chest, “I just had to take a break to watch you this time. Make it a good show for me please.”

She then called out loudly for everyone to hear, “My BloodStar Immortal Nero versus your highly decorated General Secutor! The two right hand men of their respective lieges! They will fight in gladiator combat!”

Secutor nodded, “So my men? You will spare them win or lose?”

Xenia smiled, “I won’t kill them. Nero won’t kill them. But I will not be their guardian angel. Death will still find you all.”

Secutor bowed his head in respect, “Thank you, Empress BloodStar.”

She walked over to him and raised his chin with her finger to look him in the eye, “Yes, quaint and curious war is. You shoot a fellow down you’d treat, if met where any bar is...”

Secutor then completed her sentence, “…or help to half a crown.”

Xenia tilted her head in surprise and smiled at him, “An educated warrior. I had no idea you liked classic poetry, general.”

“Only as it pertains to the harsh reality of battle and war.”

Xenia lowered her face to his, holding his chin firmly in her grip and whispered, “Then let’s just say if this wasn’t war, you’d be buying me a drink, and I’d be fucking you all night long.”

Caught off guard, Secutor was left speechless at the casual but very forward flirtation from an empress towards him.

Xenia then kissed him on the cheek, “I used to watch Nero fight in the coliseum growing up. And when he wasn’t fighting, I was watching and reading about his contemporary in the Heraklinos Empire. You. And now after all these years I get to watch my two teenage crushes fight in person against one another, to the death.”

She then released his chin and took a step back, “War or not. I’ll be fucking the winner.” She began to back away with a flirtatious smile, “Don’t worry. Your men can watch regardless of the outcome. Though I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable if you win.”

Xenia winked at Secutor before turning around fully and walking back over to Nero, “Two honorable warriors fighting over me.”

Nero turned his gaze from Secutor to Xenia at her words, and Xenia nodded her head, “Yes, over me.”

Nero grunted and punched his own palm without saying a word further confident in his own strength.

Xenia began to walk away and stopped to look over her shoulder, “I love watching you fight for me, Nero. Please make it good. Please draw it out. For me.”

She then walked to the center of the encirclement and shouted, “No weapons! Only ki-enhanced physical attacks with no beams or projectiles of any kind.” She then turned to Nero and winked, “And no using my BloodStar!”

She pointed to Nero, and he nodded in confirmation. She then turned and pointed to Secutor who also nodded in confirmation.

Xenia backed up to the edge of the encirclement standing in front of the border of Heraklinos soldiers forming the perimeter of the arena.

“FIGHT!”