Kai stepped onto the bloodstained sand of the Crimson Sands Arena, deciding that playing small was a complete waste of his time.
Hiding in the shadows would never get him close to the Scarlet Matriarch. He needed to make a statement loud enough to echo through the entire royal palace, so he paid the entry fee and walked right into the largest underground fighting pit in Sunfall Oasis.
Captured men and condemned criminals usually died very quickly here just to entertain the rich noblewomen sitting in the elevated stands. Kai intended to change that script entirely.
Three opponents lay groaning around him in the dusty ring.
He dominated the consecutive fights with brutal, calculating efficiency.
When a scarred gladiator swung a rusted iron halberd at his head, Kai simply caught the wooden shaft with his bare hand.
Freezing mana poured from his palm, turning the weapon into brittle ice in a fraction of a second.
