Leeward strode lightly, without looking back. Deep down, he knew he was being followed, but he hadn't been harmed the entire way he'd traveled.
He released his spiritual field with a delicate lightness over his skin, spreading it like a transparent layer around him, to sense any spiritual attack or plot. There are powers invisible to the naked eye, perceived only by the spirit, sensing their danger before it materializes.
He did this without showing anything, feigning indifference. He didn't wipe away the blood clinging to his fingernails; cleaning it now might raise more suspicion than dispel it.
So he left it as it was.
After all, who would have thought that blood between his toes could be evidence that he'd stolen a huge fortune from the heart of the carnage?
And even if questioned, his answer was ready: an accidental cut, the blood of an animal during its slaughter, or just sores between his toes
After thinking it through deeply, he realized that he was probably exaggerating the matter... although, in reality, it was bigger
From his energy as a first-ranked Ascender, body and soul, a transitional plane.
"I've finally reached the Danic Arena. I think the person following me might find some clue. I'm also certain it's the same person who was in the Spirits' Water-Seller's... that one from the royal Charmin family..."
He whispered to himself as he looked up.
He stood in the middle of a paved street, surrounded by white concrete buildings. Behind him was a nearly empty street, and in front of him rose the outer structure of the Danic Arena.
A huge circular building that extended nearly seven meters into the sky, a cool brown color. Its walls were engraved with symbols of Ascenderes mounted on their horses in fierce battles, surrounded by delicate decorations that increased its prestige and majesty.
He climbed three wide stone steps, then walked along a white pavement until he reached a massive gate with dark wooden doors, in front of which stood two guards.
He continued steadily until he reached them.
Entrance fee, please... 11
The guard on the right stopped him, demanding the small fee for entry
Leeward was broke at the time, not even enough for this simple drawing, so he simply said:
"I'm an ascendant. I'll be fighting inside an arena, not watching..."
His gaze was cold. The rules that applied to spectators did not apply to ascendants.
Upon entering the arena, ascendants signed a contract acknowledging that their death, should it occur, was their sole responsibility. This procedure protected Hyge Revel Monoth, the owner of the Danic arena, from any accusations that might be brought by the victims' families.
The two guards opened the door, and one of them went in with him to make sure he was registering as a fighter, not a spectator trying to evade responsibility.
Hmm, I don't think he's really an ascendant. He doesn't look like one.
The guard thought to himself, wary of the possibility of deception.
The inner hall was spacious, with several doors branching off from it.
The guard led Leeward to a side iron gate and stood there as Leeward entered.
Inside the room, the place looked like an armory.
Lined up, long wooden benches, and a desk for signing autographs
"It seems that today there aren't many aspirants..."
Leeward muttered, noticing that only two fighters were preparing in silence.
Of course, no one would risk their life against the monster that would be thrown into the ring today...
The guard laughed loudly, then added sarcastically:
Have you decided to withdraw or not...?
Leeward showed no concern and walked straight to the register, where a pale maid stood behind him. She carefully placed a white sheet of paper in front of him.
"Your name, sir, sign here, and your rank must not exceed that of a second-string warrior. Also, sign the guarantee contract."
The guarantee contract was clear: if he died in the ring, the administration would bear no responsibility.
Leeward took the paper, his eyes scanning the hall with apparent indifference. He noticed an unguarded back door and bags of silver placed behind the register.
He wrote a pseudonym: "Tok Name."
He wrote his rank, then signed with an unremarkable, plain signature.
The maid made a monotonous sound as she explained:
The payout is 30 silver pieces if you win and help kill the monster, 40 silver pieces if you kill the monster, 15 silver pieces if you come out alive and undamaged, and 10 silver pieces if you come out alive but damaged... You may go and equip yourself, Mr. Talk Name.
At that moment, the guard at the entrance came out, giving Leeward a cold stare, and then closed the iron door behind him.
A loud crash echoed through the room.
Leeward sat down on one of the wooden benches, then looked up at the outer door made of iron bars, through which he looked out onto a wide courtyard. Beyond him, the crowd echoed like breaking waves, roaring with excitement and anticipation.
"I'll try to concentrate on a fight for now... If I get 40 silver pieces, that would be great... But I'm not planning on doing that... I must find a way to mislead the person who's following me; he's bound to watch this fight..."
He thought to himself, then bent down to put on sturdy black boots with tight laces.
He then stood up, removed his black cloak, picked up a light silver shield that wouldn't hinder his movement, chose a well-balanced sword, carried a medium-sized shield, and put on a helmet to cover his head.
Tightly.
In his attire, he looked like an ancient Roman warrior, stepped out of the pages of history into this bloody arena.
He sheathed his sword, then advanced towards the exit where the other two Ascenders stood, eyeing him with hard, eager stares.
The three lined up before the gate.
"By the way, my name is Knight..." one of the Ascenders whispered softly.
"Who cares? All we need to focus on right now is killing that monster waiting for us outside..." Leeward replied coolly.
The other Ascender, whose name was Ellen, laughed.
"He's right. Names don't matter. A huge crowd has come to see this fight because it's against a powerful and rare monster, and there are very few Ascenders today—only the three of us. We need to focus on getting the survivors out today..."
Silence followed.
Their eyes were fixed on the two guards standing before the metal-barred gate
Then, with a sharp scraping and a faint metallic squeak, the gate opened.
"Are you ready...?"
The announcer's voice came from outside the ring, mixed with the roar of a crowd that had come to witness a massive showdown against a rare monster.
"Good luck..."
The two guards spoke in unison.
Leeward moved first, with steady steps toward the gate.
"Look with excitement... the battle even the judges have been waiting for, between three rising stars, against an amphibious monster, the sea monster Calvin..."
The announcer's voice filled the entire arena, amplified by a piece of ether acting as a spiritual amplifier, carrying the outgoing waves of his voice and amplifying them until they became chaotically high.
"Damn, this is stressing me out."
Knight muttered with obvious concern.
As Leeward passed the guards, they stopped him for a moment, then painted his fighter number black on the back of his armor
Number one, and his name was "Tuck Name."
And he did the same to Nate and Ellen.
Then the three of them went out into the arena.
Its ground was wide and dusty, circular in shape, surrounded by stands packed with screaming crowds. Flags waved, voices overlapped, and bets were placed on every corner.
And on the opposite side...
stood the Beast.
He was bound by huge chains driven deep into the ground.
His feet were like those of a kangaroo, but without skin—protruding bones covered in rough bony scales. His upper body bore six arms like those of an octopus, writhing with terrifying slowness. On his chest, a huge vertical mouth split open, filled with sharp white fangs, from which dripped thick saliva.
And his head...
Four protruding eyes, radiating silent terror, were set in his skull. There was no mouth on his face; the emptiness in its place was even more frightening.
This was Calvin's Beast
An amphibious monster that inhabits the seas, occasionally emerging to hunt humans.
A battle, against a monster that has killed many humans, a Level 2 Calvin monster... Prepare yourselves, your minds will explode... with three ascendants, number one... Tok Name, number two... Night, number three... Ellen'
The commentator shouted with hysterical excitement, standing on a separate platform, the amplified ether in front of him.
And up in the stands, between the back rows...
Kanti Charmin sat with his red hair, watching the arena with sharp eyes.
"So his name is Tok Name. I don't have enough evidence against him to even suspect him of stealing the fortune, but I'll follow him for a while until I can confirm this myself..."
he whispered to himself.
Seeing dried bloodstains on his feet isn't enough evidence to convict him.
Suddenly
The Calvin monster roared, and the arena shook
The heavy chains broke free and crashed to the ground.
The beast charged cruelly, running its swift, bony feet toward the three.
"His arms will be a problem, not his arms that pose a great danger, but the poison he possesses... This is a monster I never expected to be unlucky enough to be in the same arena as."
Leeward smiled slightly.
Then he added to himself:
And at the same time, lucky me that much, hahahaha.....