Chapter 15- The Final Bloodbath
Before the final round began, the arena master, an ancient warrior with a scarred face and golden armor, stepped forward, silencing the crowd. His booming voice echoed through the coliseum.
"Before the last round begins, a tradition must be upheld!" he declared. "The reigning Arena Champion, a warrior undefeated for the last decade, will descend upon this battlefield! Any among you who can defeat him will be granted the honor of facing each other in the true final round!"
From the grand balcony above, a massive figure leaped into the pit. The ground cracked beneath his weight as he stood tall, towering over the remaining ten fighters. His armor was blackened steel, dented and scarred from countless battles, and his eyes burned with a savage, bloodthirsty fire. This was Atlas the Unbreakable, a legend of the arena, known for never falling in combat.
"You weaklings think you can challenge me?" Atlas sneered, cracking his knuckles. "Fine. Come at me. But know this—none of you are leaving here unbroken."
The air grew heavy with tension. The surviving fighters exchanged wary glances. They had just endured hell, and now they had to face a monster.
Helios stepped forward, his body still aching from his previous battles, but his golden eyes burned with renewed determination. "I'll take you on."
Atlas grinned. "Good. I'll enjoy breaking you."
The arena was silent as the announcer stepped forward, his voice booming across the coliseum.
"THE FINAL STAGE BEGINS! THE CHAMPION'S BATTLE WILL COMMENCE MOMENTARILY! BUT FIRST!" He paused, letting the tension build. "THE REMAINING WARRIORS WILL ENGAGE IN A FREE-FOR-ALL BATTLE TO DETERMINE SECOND AND THIRD PLACE! LAST TWO STANDING TAKE THE PRIZES!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the nine remaining fighters stood on the bloodstained battlefield. The ground beneath them was slick with the remains of those who had fallen before them. There was no time for hesitation—only survival.
Bow cracked his knuckles, standing side by side with Prometheus, while Ariadne adjusted her robes, calculating her best course of action. Their opponents included monstrous warriors, assassins, and veterans who had survived the carnage up to this point.
"We take this seriously, right?" Bow muttered, eyeing the brute of a man wielding a massive battle-ax across from him.
"Obviously," Prometheus replied, already gripping his twin swords. "Let's just hope Helios doesn't kill the Champion before we finish."
Ariadne sighed, drawing sigils in the air. "You two just focus on not getting killed."
The announcer raised his hand, then slashed it down. "BEGIN!"
The Chaos Unleashed
The battlefield exploded into pure carnage. Warriors lunged at each other, desperate for victory. The hulking ax-wielding brute charged Bow, swinging his weapon with enough force to shatter bone. Bow ducked under the blow and delivered a counterpunch to the man's ribs. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, making the crowd gasp. The brute's body twisted unnaturally before collapsing, blood gushing from his mouth.
Prometheus danced between his opponents, his swords flashing like lightning. He severed limbs, pierced throats, and carved through flesh with precise, merciless efficiency. One enemy lunged at him with a spear—Prometheus sidestepped, grabbed the man's arm, and plunged his own sword through his gut. He twisted the blade and pulled it out, letting his opponent collapse in agony.
Ariadne stayed back, weaving her hands in complex motions. Her Math Magic wasn't brute force like the others, but something far more terrifying. She calculated angles, trajectories, and weaknesses. When a savage beast-like warrior lunged at her, she snapped her fingers. The air bent around him—his own weight multiplied instantly. With a sickening crunch, his body collapsed under its own gravity, bones shattering like twigs.
"Predictable," she whispered.
More fighters fell. Blood painted the sand as warriors were torn apart. One of the last standing was a towering woman wielding a curved blade, her eyes locked onto Prometheus.
"You die next," she snarled.
Prometheus smirked, flicking blood off his sword. "Try me."
Their clash was a blur. Sparks flew as their blades met, their movements too fast for the untrained eye. Prometheus felt a burning slash across his arm but ignored it. He countered with a downward strike, but she parried, slashing toward his throat. He barely ducked in time.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he baited her into overcommitting. The moment she lunged forward, he sidestepped and drove both swords into her chest. Her eyes widened as she gasped for air, blood gurgling in her throat. He twisted the blades, then ripped them free, letting her lifeless body crumple.
Ariadne, meanwhile, found herself facing a masked assassin wielding twin daggers coated in venom. He moved unnaturally fast, darting around her, aiming for her blind spots. But she was already calculating.
He struck.
Ariadne whispered an equation.
Time seemed to slow for everyone except her.
She stepped aside with unnatural precision, reaching out and lightly tapping his forehead. A single pulse of energy traveled through his skull, disrupting his nervous system. His body seized, his muscles failing. He collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
"Too slow," she muttered.
Only three fighters remained. Bow, Prometheus, and a monstrous warrior standing eight feet tall, his body covered in jagged scars.
The Last Stand
The crowd was in a frenzy. Bow and Prometheus stood side by side, panting, weapons coated in fresh blood. The towering warrior grinned, revealing sharpened teeth.
"Only two of you walk away from this," the announcer reminded them. "One of you must fall!"
Bow and Prometheus exchanged glances. There was no other choice. They had to fight.
The massive warrior let out a guttural roar and charged. Bow met him head-on, fists clenched. The two clashed with a thunderous impact that sent shockwaves through the air. Bow's punches shattered bones, but the brute didn't go down. He swung a massive fist, catching Bow in the ribs and sending him flying across the arena.
Prometheus didn't hesitate. He darted forward, slashing with blinding speed. His swords cut deep, but the warrior barely flinched, grabbing Prometheus by the throat. He squeezed, lifting him into the air.
Prometheus struggled, choking, vision blurring. But then—
A flash of movement.
Bow returned, fist glowing with raw power. "YOU'RE DEAD!"
His punch landed squarely on the warrior's skull.
A sickening CRACK.
The warrior's head exploded like a melon. Blood and brain matter sprayed across the battlefield. The monstrous fighter collapsed, twitching once before going still.
The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then, an earth-shaking roar of applause erupted.
"AND THERE IT IS! OUR SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WINNERS! BOW AND PROMETHEUS!"
The Aftermath
Ariadne, standing on the sidelines, let out a slow breath. She had survived. That was enough.
Bow wiped blood from his face, panting. "That... was disgusting."
Prometheus coughed, still recovering from being nearly strangled. "You literally punched a man's head off."
Bow shrugged. "He shouldn't have been in my way."
As the arena crew rushed in to clean up the battlefield, the announcer's voice boomed again.
"AND NOW! OUR FINAL EVENT! HELIOS VERSUS THE ARENA CHAMPION! WILL HE STAND AS THE STRONGEST? OR WILL HE FALL LIKE ALL BEFORE HIM?"
The gate on the far side of the arena creaked open. A massive figure stepped out, his entire body gleaming with golden armor. His weapon of choice? A colossal halberd that radiated power.
Helios stepped forward from the waiting area, his new weapon in hand. His eyes burned with determination.
The battle for first place was about to begin.
The arena buzzed with anticipation as Atlas the Unbreakable loomed over Helios, his hulking frame radiating unshakable dominance. The sand beneath them was stained with centuries of blood, and the crowd—though cheering—held an undeniable tension. They had seen Atlas crush legends, shatter the hopes of warriors, and stand unchallenged for a decade. Yet now, before him, stood a boy—barely a man—with the audacity to meet his gaze without fear.
Helios rolled his shoulders, his muscles still aching from the previous battles. The new weapon in his hand, a blade forged from the remnants of his shattered sword, gleamed with a wicked edge. His golden eyes burned with unwavering focus.
Atlas scoffed. "A child? Is this a joke? I expected a true challenger, not some half-baked cub with a death wish."
Helios didn't flinch. "You talk too much. Let's see if your strength matches your arrogance."
The announcer raised his hand. "BEGIN!"
Atlas moved first. He swung his colossal halberd with terrifying speed for a man his size, the sheer force of it splitting the air. Helios ducked just in time, the weapon missing his head by inches but carving a deep trench into the arena floor. Without missing a beat, Atlas reversed the swing, bringing the haft of the weapon towards Helios's ribs.
Helios countered, pivoting on his heel and launching a precise palm strike to the haft, redirecting its force away from him. The impact rattled Atlas's grip, but the champion merely grinned, impressed rather than deterred.
"Fast," Atlas admitted. "But speed alone won't save you."
Helios dashed forward, unleashing a blinding flurry of attacks. His blade danced, cutting through the air in lethal arcs. Atlas blocked with the shaft of his halberd, sparks flying with each clash. The difference in size and raw strength was vast, but Helios fought with the precision of a predator, slipping past defenses and striking at the smallest openings.
Then, Atlas struck back. A single kick, faster than anyone expected from such a behemoth, connected with Helios's midsection. The force sent him hurtling across the arena, crashing through a stone pillar.
The crowd erupted as dust settled. Helios groaned, blood trickling from his lips. His ribs burned, at least two cracked from the impact.
Atlas smirked. "You should have stayed down, cub."
Helios wiped the blood from his mouth and stood. "You hit like an old man."
Atlas's grin vanished.
With a deafening roar, the champion charged, swinging his halberd with a force that could split mountains. But Helios didn't dodge. Instead, he rushed forward, meeting the attack head-on. Just before impact, he twisted his body, letting the weapon graze past him by a hair's breadth. In that split second, he surged up Atlas's massive frame, using his shoulder as a foothold.
Then, in one swift motion, Helios drove his blade downward—straight into Atlas's collarbone.
The crowd gasped.
Atlas roared in pain, staggering back as blood poured from the wound. But he didn't fall. Instead, he grabbed Helios by the throat with his free hand, lifting him high into the air.
"You little—!" Atlas began, but before he could finish, Helios acted.
He grabbed Atlas's wrist, focused the power of the Apex Gems within him, and sent a surge of concentrated heat into his opponent's flesh. The sound of sizzling skin filled the air as Atlas howled, dropping Helios instinctively.
Helios landed gracefully and immediately lunged forward, spinning in a vicious arc. His blade cut deep across Atlas's stomach, sending a spray of crimson into the air. The champion staggered, his strength wavering.
For the first time in a decade, Atlas the Unbreakable fell to one knee.
The arena was silent.
Helios stood over him, blade poised for a final strike.
Atlas chuckled weakly, blood dripping from his mouth. "You're not just strong... you're terrifying."
Helios didn't smile. "Yield."
Atlas exhaled slowly, then dropped his halberd. "I yield."
The silence shattered into a deafening roar from the crowd. The announcer, still in shock, finally found his voice.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN YEARS, THE CHAMPION HAS BEEN DEFEATED! HELIOS IS ALSO OUR FIRST PLACE WINNER!"
As Atlas was helped away by the arena medics, he glanced back at Helios. "Don't die. The world needs monsters like you."
Helios said nothing, simply watching