On the following day, in a huge colosseum, stood a commentator with his horn.
"Are you all ready!" The commentator shouted into the horn, showing his excitement matched that of the audience.
"We gather here today for the becoming of age ceremony of the young grim reaper named Thanatos Gravestone!" The commentator's voice echoed throughout the colosseum, stirring up anticipation among the audience who were eager to witness the fight.
"Let me explain the rules: Young Thanatos Grimstone the second must fight a dreadharvester that we captured earlier. The dreadharvester was selected by his own family, which means the difficulty of this fight depends on the family's choice for this young reaper. The battle only concludes when Thanatos either defeats the dreadharvester or surrenders." The commentator maintained a professional tone, but everyone had one question on their minds.
"How powerful is the dreadharvester this youngling has to face?" The audience knew Thanatos' grandfather was strict about such matters, so the fight had to be significant.
"And here he comes, Thanatos Gravestone!" The commentator announced Thanatos' name, and he appeared in the colosseum donning medieval black armor, accompanied by a dreadharvester thrown into the arena. The dreadharvester stood at least 4 meters tall, with black fur covering its body, a single red eye, and a gaping mouth like that of a snake.
"This creature seems too strong for a youngling like him," a woman remarked, displaying shock.
"Is this old man out of his mind? Why would he want his grandson to face such a terrible death?" a young man questioned.
The dreadharvester was set free from its chains and charged towards Thanatos, swinging its giant hand at him.
"Boring." Thanatos caught the dreadharvester's strike and unleashed a surge of black energy.
He enveloped his arm in the energy and delivered a powerful punch, severing the monster's arm, which landed among the audience.
"What the heck, that's its arm!" a young man exclaimed, astonished by Thanatos' strength.
Thanatos gathered the black energy in his hands, clapping them together and then slowly pulling them apart.
"Grimmourne, appear!" Thanatos uttered these words, summoning a huge, fearsome sword. The sword's hilt was adorned with gray leather, offering a comfortable yet firm grip. Its crossguard featured macabre motifs reminiscent of intertwined skeletal hands. The double-edged blade, forged from pitch-black steel, bore intricate menacing runes along the fuller, with green-and-black energy emanating from it.
"Is that his Soulcycle? It looks terrifying," a young reaper commented.
"Yes, indeed. I wish my son had such an incredible Soulcycle," a young-looking mother remarked.
Thanatos assumed a martial art stance and charged towards the dreadharvester. As he reached the monster, he swung his sword, slashing the dreadharvester from hip to sternum.
Roar!
A loud roar resounded throughout the colosseum. The dreadharvester retaliated with another punch, and its huge hand burst into flames. The punch could be fatal, carrying a 100 percent chance of hitting its target.
"Death art: Bloody crystal!" Thanatos extended his open hand towards the dreadharvester, and a massive blood-red crystal shot out of his palm.
The crystal dislodged the dreadharvester's second arm, and Thanatos slowly approached the fallen monster. He kicked it in the torso, and the sound of breaking bones filled the air. The dreadharvester now lay on its stomach.
"Fear not; I will only kill you slowly so that you can experience the pain of the souls you hunted," Thanatos declared, lifting the dreadharvester's head and gazing into its eyes with a sadistic grin.
Stab, stab, stab!
"Roooaar!" Thanatos repeatedly stabbed the monster's eye, twisting the blade to inflict maximum pain upon the dreadharvester.
Finally, he raised his sword high above his head and swung it towards the ground. The monster's head fell to the ground, and Thanatos tossed it towards someone in the audience.
"Grandfather, is this all you've got? You know me best, and I was sure you would provide me with a worthy opponent. But this, this is just an insult," Thanatos said, his pitch-black eyes locked onto his grandfather. The younger grim reapers were terrified by these eyes, certain never to provoke this man.
"You're right; that was just a little joke from me. Your real fight begins now." The man leaped into the middle of the colosseum, revealing a huge 195-tall figure. His long black hair waved in the wind, and his pitch-black eyes stared intently at Thanatos. The man appeared to be in his early sixties, and a scar adorned his left eye.
"Your true opponent is me," the older Thanatos chuckled, spreading his arms wide.
"Oh, how lucky! I can finally kick my grandpa's old Spartan ass," Thanatos grinned, preparing for the fight.
"I never thought he was a battle maniac when I first met him, but this is interesting," Morgana commented from the audience.
"Yes, indeed. You must know he only shows his full strength in a good fight. Oh, I love that side of him. That expression on his face is just the best," Camilla said while strange liquids flow out of her private part.
Thanatos assumed a fierce kendo stance, his determination burning as he lunged towards his grandfather. Striking from the top right, he relentlessly attacked, his movements becoming a blur as he hit from all angles, increasing in speed with each blow. The friction from his relentless assault set his sword ablaze, flames flickering around it.
"Death art: Dance of the flaming god!" Thanatos exclaimed, spiraling around his grandpa in a whirlwind of motion, searching for an opening in his defense, but it remained elusive.
Frustration gnawed at him, and he knew he had to try something different, something he wasn't eager to unleash.
"Ishi sasteso!" Thanatos called out, channeling green-black energy from his broadsword that erupted in the blink of an eye, enveloping the entire arena.
"I knew you were skilled with the Soulsycle, but using its ability against me? Impressive," his grandfather acknowledged, genuinely surprised.
"He's using the Soulsycle's ability? That's impossible!" exclaimed a young woman from the audience.
Indeed, each Soulsycle possessed unique abilities exclusive to its wielder. No two persons could wield the same ability. The crowd was bewildered by this display of the green-black energy's unknown power.
"Explain its power," demanded the older Thanatos, unaware that his grandson had already attained this remarkable feat, something that typically took someone 190 or 200 years to achieve.
"Discover it during our fight, old bastard!"