Chapter 13- Trial of Blood
Once they have returned to the coliseum they announced that the next round will be a free for all until there are only 20 people left standing. Once the three of them stepped into the arena. The arena was no longer a battleground—it was a slaughterhouse. The moment the signal was given, chaos erupted. Blades clashed, bodies were torn apart, and the sand beneath their feet turned a deep shade of crimson. Warriors lunged at each other with the desperation of caged animals, knowing only twenty of them would walk away from this massacre.
Helios stood still for a moment, surveying the carnage. Screams echoed through the air as a man was impaled on a jagged spear, his intestines spilling onto the ground. Another warrior, a beastly humanoid with tusks, swung a massive club, caving in the skull of a swordsman who had barely raised his blade in defense.
Bow cracked his knuckles. "Damn, this is a real bloodbath."
Prometheus, gripping his twin swords, narrowed his eyes. "We need to stay together, or we'll get picked off."
Helios, however, had no interest in alliances beyond the two of them. He walked forward, his eyes cold, detached. A warrior clad in steel lunged at him, swinging an axe with brutal force. Helios sidestepped effortlessly and, with a single motion, buried his fist into the warrior's chest, his hand piercing through armor and flesh alike. Blood splattered across his face as he yanked his hand back, the man's heart still twitching in his grip.
"One down," he muttered, letting the lifeless body crumple to the ground.
Bow and Prometheus fought their own battles amidst the carnage. Bow's fists shattered bones like brittle wood, sending warriors flying with every devastating strike. He grabbed a man by the throat, lifted him into the air, and slammed him down so hard his spine snapped like a twig. Prometheus, dancing through the battlefield with surgical precision, carved through his enemies, leaving behind severed limbs and gushing wounds.
Screams filled the air as the weaker fighters were butchered, their corpses left in mangled heaps. Blood soaked the sand, creating a thick, metallic stench that hung in the air. The once-proud warriors who had entered this arena were now reduced to desperate animals, clawing for survival.
A monstrous, eight-foot-tall brute with reptilian scales charged at Helios, wielding a warhammer the size of a human torso. He swung downward with the force to shatter boulders. Helios sidestepped at the last moment, grabbed the brute's arm, and twisted. A sickening snap echoed through the battlefield as the warrior's arm was torn from its socket. The brute howled in agony before Helios silenced him with a swift decapitation, his head rolling across the ground like a discarded stone.
Bow let out a whistle. "Damn, Helios. You're really embracing the murder, huh?"
Helios wiped the blood off his cheek, his expression unreadable. "Survival of the fittest."
Suddenly, the ground trembled. From the far end of the battlefield, a new horror emerged—a massive beast of a warrior, clad in bone armor, his face hidden behind a demonic mask. He carried a bloodied greatsword that had cleaved through at least five warriors already. His presence sent a ripple of fear through the remaining fighters.
"That's Gorath," Prometheus muttered. "Last year, he was disqualified because he kept killing after the fight was over."
Gorath's hollow gaze landed on Helios. He licked the blood from his sword and let out a guttural laugh. "You... You will be my greatest kill yet."
Helios smirked, his muscles tensing. "You can try."
The battle between them was nothing short of cataclysmic. Gorath swung his greatsword with monstrous force, each strike powerful enough to split a man in two. Helios weaved through the attacks with inhuman agility, countering with his own devastating blows. The sound of metal meeting flesh filled the air as blood sprayed from both combatants.
Gorath managed to land a brutal strike, his greatsword slashing across Helios' chest. The pain was searing, but Helios didn't falter. Instead, he grinned, his Apex Gems surging with power.
"You're strong," Helios admitted. "But not strong enough."
With that, he unleashed his Sun Gem's power, igniting his entire arm in golden flames. In one swift motion, he drove his burning fist through Gorath's chest. The brute's laughter turned into a gurgled choke as Helios ripped his heart out, setting it ablaze in his palm.
The remaining warriors hesitated, staring at Helios in horror.
Prometheus sighed, wiping his swords clean. "Welp, I guess we know who's making it to the top twenty."
Bow cracked his neck. "Let's wrap this up."
As the battle neared its end, the sand was no longer golden—it was blackened with blood, littered with the remains of those who weren't strong enough to survive. The free-for-all had become a massacre, and when the dust finally settled, only twenty warriors remained.
Helios stood among them, drenched in blood, his breath steady. His path was clear—he would destroy this corrupt system, no matter how much blood he had to spill.