THE LOST GOD OF CHAOS

Chapter 15 – Slave Pit

JIE voluntarily surrendered himself at night when he couldn’t mine an orb. He toughened himself despite seeing dead bodies around him; some were severely injured from the flogging while the others were being carried in the stretchers coming from the arena and going to the iron lift descending to the depths of Dreqin.

“Ethros, please don’t do it.” Kafle persisted in persuading him, knowing his idea was suicide.

Jie silently swallowed. His decision was firm. He’d rather take his chances to see what the fight was all about. Aside from his curiosity, it was his way of making penance because he couldn’t save Nyssa, no matter how hard he tried.

“If I get killed, please tell my sister what happened here.”

“Ethros…”

“But I'll make sure to stay alive, so I'll be the one to tell her. That sounds better, isn’t it?” He stepped down the stairs and strolled towards the fighting chamber.

Kafle could see that he was determined. The elf carried his daughter and scurried behind the young man.

“Be careful, Ethros!” Kafle’s voice slowly faded, and the cheering of the guards and orb hunters around became louder.

This is it.

As he carefully examined the place, Jie clenched his fist hard. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see a single chance of escaping. The fighting chamber was enclosed with only one entrance and exit. The guards were everywhere, and there were about a hundred spectators.

There was a metal cage surrounding the elevated stage. Jie estimated the small arena was approximately three hundred square meters, ideal for close combat.

I can do this. I'm up for the challenge.

Despite Jie’s uncertainty, he clung to his confidence that his training with Aelec would not betray him. He had polished his hand-to-hand combat, and he had already made use of his two bamboo sticks. It might look harmless, but hitting the right spot can weaken the enemy.

“What a useless weapon!” One of the guards cackled, and the rest laughed as well.

Jie didn’t mind them. He was focused on his possible opponent. Could it be a human or a monster?

Come on. He positioned himself in a fighting stance.

“This will be a thrilling fight! Will this kid be the next champion, or will he end up like the Veris, the loser?” The announcer hyped up the crowd.

The crowd went berserk. “Kil! Kill! Kill!”

A snarl reached Jie’s ear, and he drew a deep breath in anticipation.

“This newcomer will fight our newly acquired beast from the Desert Wasteland—the azugaur!”

People started murmuring. Even Kafle and Izora gazed at each other in shock at a distance.

Jie had no idea what an azugaur was. But he somehow expected it to be kind of a monster. He’d encountered plenty of them before, and Aelec trained him to fight their kind.

I can make it out here alive.

Jie’s heartbeat began to pound. As solace, he reminded himself that the creatures he battled in Ardhi Village might have been even more formidable.

“Unleash it!” The announcer shrieked.

Suddenly, a massive creature came into the cage and lunged at Jie. He almost lost his footing, but thankfully, his reflexes were quick.

As Kafle watched the fight, it was evident that Ethros was meant to be fed to this starving beast. The azugaurs were an infamous predator in the Wasteland. The guards knew that the kid was weak and would not stand a chance against the monster.

But for some reason, Kafle could detect a formation of small yet compact energy at Ethros’ core. If only the impeding shackle didn’t restrain his elf's ‘Sight’, he could easily determine what that thing was. Probably the minor orb he obtained was awakened.

“This is not fair!” Jie complained amidst his quick movement to dodge the monster’s massive fang. Although he was quite familiar with the monsters around the Nirvana Metropolis, he had never seen this kind.

The azugaur looked like a monstrous dog with two heads, long saber teeth, and deadly claws. His bloody eyes glared at him, ready to devour. It had one horn on each head.

Aelec’s voice reverberated inside Jie’s mind.

“Every monster has a weakness; you just have to find it…”

Weakness.

Jie studied the anatomy of the monster; its skin appeared impenetrable because of the fish-like scales covering its flesh.

The monster growled. A slimy purple liquid came through its mouth. It spitted at him, and when the liquid reached the ground, it smoked and created small craters around him.

“Holy fuck!” Jie gritted his teeth. He couldn’t find an opening to attack.

“Ethros, be careful with its saliva. It's poison!” A familiar voice shouted.

It was Kafle who made his way through the other side of the cage. He carried Izora on his shoulder.

“Is he dumb? Why carry a useless weapon?” Izora murmured in irritation. “Two bamboo sticks, my goddess!”

Kafle pretended not to hear her. He was more focused on Ethros, who seemed well-trained in close combat. Even though there was a vast difference in their sizes, the beast could not land a fatal blow. However, after a lot of struggling, Kafle witnessed something that made him bet his freedom on this young man.

Ethros started to launch an attack. He was incredibly fast, despite sustaining an injury for the past few days. He used his two bamboo sticks to hit the heads of the beast, and they appeared useless.

The captain of the guards kept laughing as if observing something funny. He held a wine glass and drank it while amusing himself.

“I like how he fights for his life. Unfortunately, he’s just food for this beast.” Captain Revie chugged his wine.

Jie fought with his life as he began to strike. He was thankful for this body since it possessed extraordinary strength. If it were his original body, his stamina would have already been drained.

“I will kill you!” Jie found another opening, and he hit the monster in between its necks. Then he jumped high, targeting each head’s eye.

The azugaur paused and stepped back. Jie saw it as an opportunity for another assault. But he was caught midair; the monster seemed to panic and hardly pushed him aside.

There was a loud thud when Jie’s back hit the cage. He grimaced in pain.

Damn it!

The crowd cheered in excitement, waiting for him to be devoured.

Jie’s determination to survive and save Nyssa made him do the impossible. He forced his body to its limit. If he couldn’t finish this beast now, he’d run out of strength and die.

After dodging the azugaur’s ambush, he found a chance to cling to one of its necks. Then he somersaulted in the air and landed smoothly on its back.

Jie wasted no time. He just followed his instincts. He swayed his two bamboo sticks until a cold swept through his palm. Then he jumped as high as he could and hit the azugaur’s weakness—the nerve in between its necks.

There was a sudden deafening silence when the monster fell, and its two heads were separated, and a pool of blood flowed into the fighting chamber.

“Izora, did you see that?” Kafle could not believe what his eyes saw.

“The impeding shackle glinted. How can he use magic despite the curse?” Izora stared at Ethros. “And it’s not just any magic."

“There’s no mistake; it’s a water manipulation!” Kafle had never been excited like this before. “Freedom is within our grasp!”

Jie stood up, sweating and drenched with the beast’s blood. It was not long before the crowd started murmuring. Even the announcer was too stunned to speak.

“That was an unexpected turn of events! What is your name, kid?” The announcer inquired when he had regained his composure.

“I am Ethros Aridame, and I will get out of this hell hole!” Jie gazed at everyone to convey that he meant everything he said.

“Ethros! Ethros! Ethros!” The spectators changed sides.

Captain Revie threw his wine glass, and it was shattered into pieces. “I never thought I’d be this entertained.” A smirk appeared on his face.

Kafle and Izora hurriedly ran to Ethros when he went out of the cage.

“I… won!” Jie smiled before he passed out.