The hot sunlight beat down on everyone’s equally without mercy. People of higher class had at least the privilege to stay in refrigerated rooms, avoiding much of the heat. Commoners or even those that were just slightly better, however, had to content themselves in staying on the bleachers. No one was complaining though, actually, with few exceptions almost no one seemed to mind the hot day.
That whole place had thousands of people, all of them very different from each other. Some had blue skin and four eyes, other were three to four meters tall, ones had multiple limbs, and so on and so on. While the vast majority being humanoid, there were still lots that didn’t resemble a human figure.
In the sky, two yellow suns could be seen, one however so far away that if it wasn’t for its strong light, it could be confused with an average star.
All of those people of different races joined together for one major event that was about to happen. Today was the first day of the month, so the first battle on the coliseum for this month, and it was also the fourth month of that planet year. With each period of three months, the first month of the cycle would be when new fighters would “join” the coliseum. Most of them would soon be wiped out, but those that remained would have chances of becoming major stars, bringing change and more blood to the current status quo. All of the audience waited with expectation for the next hours, when the new fighters would raise.
On the arena countless people were standing, those were the soon to be gladiators that would fight to death. Just like those watching there were all types of species there, some looked weird in the eyes of other while some were intimidating. And in the middle of those that could be easily be more than hundreds, there was only one boy that resembled a human.
He seemed to be on his sixteens, his dark hair was long and went until his waist, part of it covered some of his face. His height on that place could only be considered average, but for human standards and for his age, he would be considered tall, with one meter and eighty-nine centimeters. His muscles weren’t extravagant, well developed for his age but not remarkable. At least that’s how someone would see it. His strength however, only his enemies would know.
The most remarkable thing about him were his eyes, both silver bright. It didn’t look like human eyes, and were the main reason those around him were not seeing him as human.
He was only using simple pants, not even shoes to cover his feet. At least the hot ground didn’t seem to bother him. In his waist there was only a simple sword, a well-made one. Its scabbard was preserved and treated, it seemed new, but it also didn’t look like anything special. It was clearly just a normal sword that anyone would be used with.
Few paid attention to him, only the weaklings that thought he would be easy prey.
‘How many will I be fighting with, Es?’
Ignoring the stares, the silvered eyed thought, talking to someone else.
‘I can sense mechanisms on the ground. As soon as they announce the battle, walls will raise and this arena will be divided in groups. There are nine hundred and ninety-seven here. I believe they will split each group in hundred each, however… I am under the impression one group will have near two hundred.’
A gentle feminine voice sounded in his mind. If anyone else knew about this they would first think that this young man had some mental problem, maybe split personalities. The reality was way weirder. In his mental space there was a girl with long white hair, even her eyebrows and eyelashes were white. She had a white dress with a long sleeve, and which the details of the bottom were in a light cyan.
‘I see… hope to not be the unlucky one, but I won’t count with my luck.’
He thought sneering to himself.
‘Hihihi. Don’t worry Mars, I am sure you can beat everyone here.’
Her voice was gentle, full of confidence and admiration. If someone was to hear it, they would automatically be able to tell that, however the voice belonged to, the woman deeply trusted Mares with her life.
‘Thank Es.’
Their small conversation ended and Mares focused on getting prepared to the upcoming battle.
Each second that passed made the air tenser and tenser. The reality is that all of those on the arena, most of them knew that they probably wouldn’t survive. So of course, they were unwillingly. None of them wanted to be here, each one had different circumstances, and all they had to kill each other to have a chance to survive, just so that later on they have to fall on this bloodshed again.
Time didn’t care for their worries. The people that were there to watch the show were starting to get impatient. The ones that controlled the coliseum finally started to move. In the main control room, the staff prepared to separate the arena. It only took seconds and a tremor started.
‘Mars, it’s coming… and we are on the bigger group…’
Esen warned, not surprising Mares.
‘Like I said, don’t trust our luck.’
The arena was thousands of meters wide, it was colossal, that’s how they so easily manage to put so many people on it. On the floor, some red lines formed showing where the walls would rise, to avoid accidents. In case someone tried to stay on top of it to avoid the fighting they would be electrocuted to death. At least dying in battle would be more honorable than dying as dog on the walls, so everyone kept a safe distance from it. In the blink of an eye the walls were raised and a bell rung. The bloodshed began.
Mares automatically felt three killing intents locking on him. His sword was already out of its scabbard when the first strike fell. He spun his body and raised the sword blocking a diagonal strike that came from an alien with yellow skin and small horns on the forehead. The attacker couldn’t hide his surprise, he didn’t think the humanoid would be able to react so fast and defend himself so cleanly. What surprised him the most was that his own weapon seemed stuck against that sword, he couldn’t move it.
Unfortunately for him he would never see Mares next moves. The long haired felt other two attacks coming so he didn’t stand still, taking one step back, unbalancing the yellow alien. Then Mares moved to the side and took a fast step forward as he made a slash with his sword. The yellow horned alien felt like his whole body went numb, the world started rotating and he felt like his head had hit something. His vision was distorted, for him the world seemed upside down. His last vision was a body that he was familiar with spurting blood from the neck.
The other two attacks came from another humanoid aliens, but Mares avoided them with ease, making them attack each other. They also had similar fates to the previous attacker with their heads soon being split from their bodies.
Not even ten seconds had passed and more than a hundred deaths in the whole arena happened. When spread through the whole place it wasn’t much, especially in Mares’ part that had almost two hundred. Each time newcomers arrived there would always be one part of the arena that had more people than the others. It was unlucky, but those that could survive from that would usually get more fame than the others, and usually would survive longer on the coliseum, be it because they had more luck, or strength or sense of survival.
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Mares could feel everything around him in a few meters. After those three no one aimed particularly for him, the battle had got to a point where everyone was aimless attacking each other. If they noticed an opening they would attack, doesn’t matter what. As long as they could strike someone down and survive their own injures, their chances of living would enhance. It was not the most logical thinking, but it was expected since most of those fighting already were on the brink of insanity.
Mares didn’t stop, his feet moving with impressive coordination and speed. One move with his feet was equivalent of one slash of his sword. His attack was enough to make the air move slightly. Out of every five times he attacked, three would manage to cut someone’s had. Blood was already everywhere on the arena; the blade of his sword was painted on the diverse colors of the blood of different species and different smells invaded his nose. It did not bother him though, even some of the blood that had low levels of acid didn’t actually manage to burn or hurt his skin.
Sometimes when someone tried to attack him, he would either avoid or defend, and always in the second move he would kill the foe that threatened his life.
In his mind Esen watched everything, not even the slight trace of worry could be found on her. She divided more than half of her attention on watching Mares while the rest was focused on possible more formidable foes he would have to face in few moments. Even if they were not a threat for him, she wouldn’t mind being more prepared. And some of them could be useful for him, they would just have to wait and see.
[…]
“What do you think?”
In a VIP room an unpleasant voice asked. The voice belonged to a man and it had an overbearing confidence. He obviously just asked the question to have his ego massaged.
“Impressive. Is true that you think of him was your biggest work?”
Another man’s voice answered and then followed with his own question. He knew the other’s intention, still he didn’t mind and indeed sound amazed.
“Yes, I am not ashamed to say that it had luck involved. I believe that if I tried to make him ten times, I would fail nine.” A big despicable smile formed in his face. “Thankfully I could try this experiment in a rather… unique sample and had the right materials. It only took one time, and the heights I manage to achieve…” A despicable and overconfident smile formed in his face. “This old man got to the level of those legends.”
The younger man on his side raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“You will see soon enough. Hehe, life truly is good.”
Even his laugh was unpleasant to hear. The man at his side had a chill go down his spine as he saw the despicable man eyes’ and laugh. The amount of malice in him was simply unstoppable. He was grateful he was not an enemy, otherwise even if he didn’t suffer, those around him for sure would.
[…]
Five minutes had barely passed. In most areas of the arena the numbers had already went down to thirty or twenty, while on Mares side they still had around fifty to forty.
They now entered a face where the battles wouldn’t end so fast, the remaining warriors were bathed on blood and their intentions to survive were higher than ever. They wouldn’t allow themselves to fall so easily.
The viewers were screaming of emotion and excitement. For lots of them this was the high point of the month, even the high point of the next three months, after they spent a lot of money to be able to watch such show, and it take time to accumulate everything again.
Mares had no more resemblance to that human looking that he had minutes ago. His body and hair were covered in blood, all types of colors, making him look extremely threatening. His silver eyes shining between the space of the hair and the blood covering his face made him look even worst, like a ghost that couldn’t be put down. His body exhaled a killing intent and bloodlust that made many of the opponents he faced tremble and paralyze, making it much easier for him to kill them. At least in this way he could vent some of the rage, sadness and unwillingness in his heart that had accumulated for a long time now.
‘Mars, pay attention to that one.’
Esen gentle voice sounded in his head, allowing Mares to control some of the bloodlust that filled him. He took a deep breath and looked at those that Esen pointed out to him.
BOOM
Five dead bodies went flying, hitting the wall. The one responsible for that was an alien with three meters and thick body, with arms and leg that seemed to have one meter each and no neck at all, with the head connecting direct to the shoulders.
“FALL FOR ME!”
The alien screamed attacking a sixth person, punching down to hit. Around the arm rings of wind formed moving at extremely fast speed, one ring formed in front of the hand, making the punch even worst.
The opponent couldn’t avoid, the strong rotation of the ring made it so that he was actually pulled to the fist, and when the ring connected to his head it exploded in meat and blood. The bones and organs of the head were shredded. That actually was the same destiny of those five from before.
‘A technique user.’