“He should be back tomorrow,” Bell said to Rex as they took their seats in the stands.

  The arena was located on the outskirts of Castalor and it was gigantic. With multitiered seating, a huge playing field, VIP boxes that were both enclosed and open air, and lacrima screens dotted about for a closer view at the battles, it really was the continent’s largest event.

  “Fingers crossed,” Rex replied. He barely fit into his seat. The stadium was packed with people from all over the world. Over one hundred thousand people had crammed in to watch the opening battle royale. “I just hope he knows what he’s doing. Allying himself with him…”

  Bell patted him on the back softly. She hadn’t been there when Lucas had admitted that this plan was Diako’s but she had heard the commotion and seen the aftermath of Rex’s reaction. He’d thrown the king off the penthouse balcony. Thankfully Lucas could fly, but Gonzo was pretty upset about it.

  “You know as well as I do that if he’s working with him then it’s for good reason. He hates gods more than any of us. You know, I heard that the first time he met Chrysus he told him he was an atheist. Right to his face.”

  Rex let out a half chuckle which sounded somewhere between a growl and a whimper. “I know, and I trust him. I just hope that he hasn’t gone and gotten himself into unnecessary trouble for the sake of others again. As much as I appreciated his help with my uncle, it was not his place to go risking his life to help those people. It’s not his place to now either.”

  “I think that if he was here he’d argue that it’s every adventurer’s place to put themselves in danger to help people and I can’t say I disagree.”

  “I know it’s just…”

  Before Rex could finish his sentence the arena erupted into screams of joy and excitement as a glowing, goldy figure floated onto the pitch and then lifted up high above the crowd. Floating before them was a man in a billowing green cloak. He had a muscular form with an exposed chest that housed a large scar. His stomach was covered in wrappings and scales covered the cheeks on his handsome face as his piercing yellow eyes surveyed the crowd.

  He waited a moment before speaking, basking in the adoration and cheers of the crowd.

  “So this is Chrysus,” Rex growled.

  “He’s hotter than I expected,” Bell replied and Rex gave her a deadpan look.

  To the side of her, she overheard a snippet of conversation from two dwarves.

  “Ye know, I heard that scar on his chest was given to him by Athena herself.”

  “Poppycock, it’s well known that no one alive – not even the gods – have met Athena. Ye should come to meh church sometime, it’s the closest you’ll ever get to feeling her presence.”

  “Ha! Hogwash. Why would I degrade myself worshipping the one that abandoned us when Chrysus grants me wealth. Ye see, this is why my smithery is better than yours. Divine intervention.” The dwarf tapped the side of his head knowingly and the other one looked like he was about to hit him but was stopped by the abrupt halting of chatter amongst the crowd.

  Chrysus raised his hands and the crowd fell deathly silent, hanging on his every movement, his every word.

  “Hello everyone, and welcome to the High Priest Tournament’s preliminary round. As I’m sure you are all aware, over the next week you will see battles galore as the pantheon’s chosen champions fight to reveal who is the mightiest. However, before we get to that, I need to pick my own champion, they who, from among my followers, can prove their strength and cunning. They who can best all the others in my service to become my next High Priest.”

  He paused a moment to allow the crowd to whoop joyfully and excitedly. As they did, Bell looked around the crowd for signs of the other gods but there were none. She had hoped to get a glimpse of the competition for Kaleb’s return but it didn’t seem like the others were attending the prelims. If nothing else, at least I can get a read on Chrysus’ champion. Lucas says they’re really something.

  “Without further ado then,” Chrysus continued as the crowd began to calm. “Let me introduce the contenders from my service to the playing field.”

  Fireworks exploded above the arena as a slew of dozens of powerful figures walked out onto the grass. They all had varying uniqueness about them, almost exclusively human as they were. Most wore armour, many had blood red robes underneath.

  However, the one Bell and Rex were there to watch stood out immediately from the rest. This person wore samurai armour and carried a katana openly instead of keeping it in their inventory. They were completely masked as a black oni covered their face. It was hard to get a real tell of their shape from the armour that obscured it. Bell assumed they were some kind of muscular fighter but even she was aware that it was likely her bias from her own knowledge of Japanese samurais that was causing her to think that way.

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  “The prelims are simple,” Chrysus continued. “It’s an all-out, free for all to the death. The last man standing gets the honour of becoming my new High Priest and fighting as my champion in this clash of titans.”

  The crowd screamed and stamped their feet, it reverberated across the arena like stampeding elephants. The noise was all-encompassing. It was pure, unadulterated blood lust, the likes of which Bell had never experienced before.

  “Without further ado, let’s begin!” Chrysus, flew regally over the crowd towards a golden throne which floated in the air, overseeing the playing field. It seemed to move at his will as he both watched and refereed the ongoings.

  Without delay the battle started.

  It was immediate carnage. One man blasted a fireball at another who blocked it with his shield only to be decapitated by a third man from behind. That man swung a huge axe diagonally across the shield bearer, cutting into his neck and exiting at his pelvis. The body halved, slumping to the ground as blood gushed out like a river.

  The mage fired off a second fireball at the axe wielder who blocked it with the flat of his axe and then produced a smaller axe which he threw with devastating speed at the flame thrower.

  At the same time, two swordsmen fought on the opposite side of the arena. It seemed a pretty even clash as the sound of their blades clanging together rang out around the arena. Bell struggled to watch their movements they were so fast, and that was with her enhanced perception. It seemed that every one of Chrysus’ warriors was a seasoned veteran. That only served to further worry the fireball mage who understood perfectly the stakes of these fights. Whoever won this bout was sure to be as skilled as they come, at least for the required level.

  “The samurai is arrogant,” Rex growled, his arms were crossed and his eyes were trained directly on them.

  Bell followed his gaze to see the samurai unmoving. They stood in the same position they had been in at the start, arms crossed, seemingly unbothered by the death and violence that was ensuing all around them.

  “Doesn’t look like they’ll have much more time to stand there looking bored,” Bell remarked. “That guy behind them is coming in hot.”

  The man behind the Desert Samurai stalked his prey like a wild puma. Keeping low to the ground, he held two daggers and his form was slightly obscured by an odd mist that trailed around him creating the illusion that he was vibrating and moving from side to side. It had to be a skill.

  As he approached he suddenly stopped stock still and then fell to the floor as his body broke into hundreds of tiny, bloody pieces. Bell didn’t even see the samurai move. She had no idea what happened.

  “What the hell,” she said. “What happened?”

  “Kaleb is going to have a hard time with that samurai,” Rex remarked. “Even I could barely keep up with their movement. That level of speed, I’ve never seen it from one below the level cap.” He sounded awestruck, frightened even. Bell gulped as they continued to watch.

  Pretty soon the field was stained with blood and the samurai had not been attacked again. Only six contenders remained and they had all slain multiple foes, apart from the samurai who still stood, arms folded, in the middle of the battlefield.

  “Let’s end this,” they announced in a distinctly female voice which caught Bell by surprise. Thus far they’d had no inclination as to the gender of the samurai.

  The other five contenders all stopped their various bouts of fighting to turn and look at her.

  “Your arrogance will be your undoing,” the large man with an even larger axe announced. Grinning a bloody smile as he moved towards her.

  “We shall see,” she said, turning to face him, arms still crossed. “I will fight all of you at once.”

  Many of the crowd gasped at this, a few of the remaining contenders laughed over zealously. Yet she did not falter.

  “You may attack me whenever you are ready. Make peace with our god,” she said, nodding up at Chrysus who grinned evilly down at her.

  “Fuck this you cocky cunt!” The axe man said as he charged towards her, spittle flying from his mouth.

  A wave of strong aura flew out of the samurai, it put pressure on Bell’s chest and she felt faint all of a sudden. It didn’t seem to effect Rex but she saw a few members of the crowd faint at the blast. In the time it took her to blink, suddenly the samurai was halfway across the battlefield. She decidedly flicked the blood off the edge of her blade, returning it to the sheath.

  As it clicked into place, the axe wielding man fell in two halves. Just like the shield bearer he had split before. However, this had been executed with a smaller blade, by a much smaller person and with speed that Bell couldn’t accurately track.

  “Pathetic,” the samurai spat and before the remaining four contestants could turn to look at her, she was upon them. She seemed to step through space itself. One moment she was on one side of the arena decapitating a water mage, the next she was thrusting her blade into the sternum of a dual wielding swordsman. After that she had sliced a bowman in two and then, she was upon the final mage who cowered and cried as she took his head as well.

  In seconds, less than seconds, she was the only one remaining on the pitch. The crowd was silent, Bell felt an oppressive force in her chest which stayed there until the samurai sheaved her blade.

  “Kaleb is going to struggle against her,” Bell said.

  “Let’s hope that his mysterious training has paid off,” Rex replied. “As it stands, I think even Lucas or Sally would struggle against her. Her speed is absolute.”

  “Well, I guess that settles it then,” Chrysus said in a jovial tone as he dropped down to the ground grasping the samurai’s hand and throwing it into the air. “The Desert Samurai is my new High Priest and will therefore serve as my champion for the rest of this tournament.”

  The crowd was still stunned into silence until Chrysus shot a murderous look at them which seemed to contain a fraction of his aura and will. Bell felt it hard in her chest. It was saying clap or suffer the consequences.

  Vigorous clapping rang out across the arena and after a few awkward moments, cheering and foot banging ensued.

  “We need to tell the others about this,” Bell said, her face pale. “Do you think Kaleb knows how strong she is?”

  “Either way, he’s about to find out,” Rex replied as the two made to leave.