These people were true warriors at their core, truly desperate to get stronger. Zion didn't scoff at them, he felt a thread of respect. It certainly wasn't easy to do this, knowing your life might end on the same day.
Time passed, and the atmosphere grew more intense as the final hour approached. Everybody was conditioning themselves for their peak performance. Some were meditating, while others were hyping themselves up by slapping their own faces.
Amilios, who had been sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, finally opened them. At that moment, the manager returned. He led the group to a large gate and stopped. "Beyond this gate lies your battlefield. I wish you all the best of luck," he said, before opening the gate.
The light pouring from the gateway was bright enough to make their eyes uncomfortable. It was followed by a wave of sound,the roaring cheers of a crowd as they walked inside. They found themselves in a vast, gladiator style arena. The smell of sand mixed with the iron tang of blood from the previous night's battles hung heavily in the air.
"From this smell alone, you can tell too many have died here. If they hold this every day, don't the people who come just have a few loose screws?"
"Ain't no doubt, brother. We all got a few loose screws in here," another replied, making a circular motion with his finger around his temple.
It was the fat man, Biyo, who had been accompanying Zion.
Zion replied, "The crazy people don't realize they're crazy. Whatever is wrong with you, you aren't completely gone, at least not yet."
"I don't think I've introduced myself. I am called Biyo. See you at the top if you survive, that is." Biyo walked past Zion.
The arena, being as huge as it was, easily held all five thousand participants. An announcer emerged from a gate, holding a strange staff.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight is the last day of the weekend, and we bring you five thousand strong warriors!" The announcer's voice rang out for every watcher to hear a crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The strongest prisoners were finally getting their chains removed.
Biyo was the first to be freed from his chains. It felt amazing. He was strong even with them on, but once they were taken off, he became a completely different beast.
The other participants felt the heavy pressure emanating from the strong prisoners. Only a few felt they were truly strong enough to contend with them.
The announcer continued, "Today, we have a special guest!" He paused, letting the audience's curiosity grow before continuing.
"The beast that sneaked onto the last shore and lived to tell the tale!" A round, light emitting sphere slid to a stop above Skele.
"Ooh!"
The crowd was surprised that a human had been confident enough to pull off such a feat. Unless he was truly powerful, he wouldn't have even considered it.
But when the crowd's eyes landed on Skele, their excitement turned to disappointment. They were expecting a giant, menacing creature, but Skele looked like an ordinary man.
"Did the announcer make a mistake?"
"How did he even survive?"
"Maybe he just got lucky!"
"What a lucky bastard! Even if he dies now, the honor of breaking into the shore will make him a legend!"
The announcer listened to the crowd's murmuring and loved their reaction. He smiled as he continued.
"That's not the only thing, ladies and gentlemen! This human has done something once considered impossible… he has tamed nature's beast!" The announcer pointed at Amilios.
Another light slid to a stop above Amilios. Amilios's humanoid body was truly shocking to them. His muscles were perfectly toned, his wings looked sturdy and strong, and his yellow feet and body covered in dense hair like it was its own clothes. It gave him the appearance of a living suit of armor.
The crowd went wild, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.
What in the world is that?"
"Imagine being next to that animal," a woman whispered in fear.
"Is it related to bees? If yes, I wonder what its honey would taste like."
The crowd was stunned into silence for a moment after that last comment, then turned to look at the young man who had spoken. Now innocently smiling. To even dare imagine stealing its honey… truly, the young lived without fear.
As they stared back at the beast, the longer they looked, the more they felt this was a true predator. The announcer, not missing a beat, approached Amilios.
Even he felt a little nervous being so close. His sole reason for taking the risk was the rumor from the manager , the beast could speak. As an announcer, he simply couldn't pass up such an opportunity.
"H-hello there. May I ask you a few questions?"
Amilios looked at the skinny man and, instead of answering, turned away indifferently. He had no business with this human.
The announcer laughed awkwardly but didn't give up. He headed straight for Skele and asked excitedly,
"It is an honor to meet a living legend! If I may ask, how were you able to tame such a beast?"
Instead of answering, Skele looked at the man. "Let me ask you a question."
The announcer, seeing a response, beamed with a smile. "Please do!"
Skele looked at the announcer first, then swept his gaze over the crowd. He gave them a grin and said, "What made you think I tamed it? I never once said I had tamed a beast."
The announcer chuckled nervously. "You, sir, sure like to joke around. If he wasn't tamed, how could he just come along so peacefully?"
"That's right!"
"I almost got scared!"
"What a prankster! I guess you'd need such guts to invade the shore."
"What a funny guy!"
The crowd laughed joyfully amongst themselves. Skele looked at them once more, then smiled. A sharp, knowing expression. "You nobles truly look down on everybody. The commoners are filthy. Anybody that isn't human is brainless. I wonder how your little brains are going to process what happens after tonight."
The announcer, seeing the conversation was ruining the mood, quickly changed the topic. "Then, how were you able to invade the shore without anyone knowing?"
"You're asking the wrong guy. The one who did that was him." Skele pointed at Amilios. "If you ask him nicely, he may be willing to answer."
The announcer was in a truly difficult situation. How was he supposed to ask a beast "nicely"? Should he bring a damn honey offering?… No, no. He would get butchered on the spot.
His feet carried him back in front of Amilios. This time, he said, "Your Excellency, I wish to ask a few questions. May I?"
The crowd, seeing the announcer's humble approach, roared with laughter. This had never happened in the history of the event.
"Dude, you're getting pranked by that guy again!"
"I'm telling you, I like this prankster!"
"He really said 'Your Excellency'! Hahaha!"
"The announcer really knows how to liven things up! As if a beast can speak!"
The nobles laughed joyfully until Amilios turned his gaze back to the announcer. Some feared the man was about to lose his head at least he had kept them entertained until his final moment.
"How did I enter the island? It wasn't difficult. I simply flew through," Amilios's clear voice rang out, heard by everyone present.
The announcer had expected a hoarse, guttural voice, one that struggled with speech. Such a clear and calm tone was startling. Regaining his composure, the announcer pressed on while the crowd was still stunned.
"Is it true, what the man said about you being… free?" The announcer was careful not to call Amilios a beast.
"Me? Not free?" Amilios said, a smile playing on his lips. "That was amusing while it lasted. I wonder who came up with such nonsense. You humans truly use your imaginations in the most fascinating ways."
That smile was a little bit terrifying.The beast was truly free and he was the closest to it. This immediately put the announcer in almost shock. Thankfully he was still a professional and made a swift decision.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the introduction! Now, it is time for the warriors to fight!" The announcer was hoisted by a machine to a higher stage next to the audience.
The moment the announcer gave the signal, everyone leaped at the closest person, trying to eliminate them swiftly. The man next to Amilios glared at him. "It doesn't matter how strong he is if I crush his skull open!"
The man leaped with all his might and swung his axe directly at Amilios's head. The axe wasn't impeded and struck its target. The man laughed with vigor. "I did it!"
Not even a second later, his axe shattered into pieces. Amilios looked at the man and asked casually, "What did you do, exactly?"
The man didn't try to fight anymore. He just ran. Amilios flew, almost teleporting next to him, and threw a single punch. The man's head was sent flying into the wall,leaving his body standing before collapsing . Truly gruesome way to die.
This made the other participants hesitant about attacking Amilios. Skele, not waiting for some random person to attack him, moved to stand near Amilios. The safest place was also the most dangerous for everyone else.
Among the participants here, he was truly one of the weakest. It was better to stick with Amilios from here on out.