Once I was alone, I activated the lock of the coliseum, eager to try out this new challenge. The air around me began to vibrate, a veil of darkness and light overlapping before a deep, solemn voice echoed directly in my mind:
You will be teleported to the Olympus Coliseum. This world is owned by Hades, so the difficulty is capped at Hard mode, and the Heartless will immediately appear at that level.Objective: Win the preliminaries and become the champion of the Phil Cup.Reward: Become the owner of the Phil Cup. Equipment rewards unavailable to the owner.
"Oh, holy shit…" I muttered, a shiver crawling down my spine as I braced myself for the worst.
A brilliant light enveloped me and, in the next instant, I stood in the middle of a vast circular arena. The white marble floor was cracked from centuries of battles, and the stands—though empty—resonated with a ghostly echo, as if the cheers of thousands of long-gone spectators still haunted the place. The air smelled of dust, sweat, and a faint trace of sulfur.
Then, a nasal, mocking voice split the silence:"Well, well, well… what do we have here? A new challenger…"
I spun around sharply, my Keyblade already in hand. And there he was.
Hades.
The God of the Underworld loomed in all his glory. His tall, nearly three-meter frame dominated the space, but it wasn't his size that impressed me—it was the aura that surrounded him. His lanky body was draped in a dark toga with silvery glints, but above all, it was his flaming blue hair, dancing and crackling like an eternal blaze, that commanded respect. His eyes, glowing yellow like molten gold, seemed to pierce straight into my soul.
And despite his terrifying appearance, his face wore a smile… far too wide, far too theatrical to be reassuring.
"I've come to challenge the coliseum," I said coldly, refusing to lower my guard. "You're not going to stop me, are you, Hades?"
He lifted his hands in an exaggerated gesture, almost rolling his eyes before fixing me with a carnivorous grin."Of course not, my little beetle. Even as the proud owner of this fabulous place, I can't do whatever I want. Rules, you understand?" He snapped his fingers, and a burst of blue flame exploded behind him, briefly illuminating the empty stands."I just… control the penalty."
He stepped closer, each heavy footfall echoing across the marble, his flames rippling with the movement. His grin stretched wider, revealing teeth unnervingly white."If you lose here…" His voice drew out, sinister, almost gentle. "You become my slave."
The flames around him roared higher, burning with such a vivid azure glow that the shadows in the arena stretched like claws, ready to swallow me whole. Hades snapped his fingers again and let out a mocking laugh:"But enough chit-chat! Talking's not my style. We've got a tournament to kick off, and I love it when it bleeds—uh, I mean when it shines. Hey, old goat! Bring your hooves over here and explain the rules."
A sharp clopping sound echoed behind him. Hooves scraping against stone. And suddenly, a small, squat figure appeared in the bluish light of the flames.
Philoctetes.
But not the grumpy, lively mentor I had imagined. His body was twisted, corrupted by an aura of darkness spilling from his now sickly violet eyes. His once-brown fur was dull, mottled with dark patches as though burned by shadows. His horns, cracked and chipped, glimmered faintly with a sinister energy. He walked with heavy, mechanical steps, like a puppet held by Hades' invisible strings.
He stopped a few meters away, raising his head with a vacant stare. When he spoke, his hoarse voice rang out like a distorted echo:
"Three battles… for the preliminaries."
He lifted a clawed finger toward me."First battle… a Darkside. A colossus born from the deepest darkness."His words dragged, as if he were delivering a sentence.
Then a second finger rose."Second battle… two Guardian Armors. Empty shells, forged to crush the reckless."
Finally, a third trembling finger lifted, his veiled eyes locking directly onto me."Third battle… a man. A lost warrior. Cloud."
At that name, a shiver tore through me—colder than Hades' blue flames.
Philoctetes let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping before he concluded in a monotone:"If you succeed… only then will you gain access to the Phil Cup. There… you'll see if you truly have the makings of a champion."
He pointed one arm toward a wide archway at the far end of the arena. The fighters' entrance. The light within it was faint, almost devoured by the pulsing darkness beyond.
Behind him, Hades folded his arms, a predatory smile curling across his lips. His flames crackled, blue sparks running along the cracked marble."You heard him, champ. That's the doorway to your glory… or to your eternity in my Underworld."
His macabre laughter echoed across the coliseum, merging with the hollow resonance of the empty stands, as if a thousand unseen specters were laughing with him.
"Do I fight alone, or can I bring companions?" I asked, hesitating at the mention of Cloud. The thought of facing him sent a cold shiver down my spine. After what Aerith had put us through, I knew he wasn't to be taken lightly.
Hades snapped his fingers, his blue flames spitting sparks into the arena's gloom."Ooooh, interesting… I thought you'd puff out your chest, but you're thinking. I like that." His grin widened. "Of course, it'll be so much more fun with more people. Here's the deal: I'll allow you two companions."
He twirled his hand as though pulling invisible strings out of the air."Let's see… I've got four names right here. Just pick two, and poof—I'll make them appear."
My heart skipped a beat."What… How do you even know the names of my friends?" I demanded, fists clenching, my tone betraying my anger.
Hades leaned in, his mocking grin twisting his features."Tsk, tsk, kid. I'm the God of the Underworld. When you stepped into my domain, I saw the threads connecting you to your loved ones. Threads of soul, of attachment, of emotion. Pulling on them is child's play for me."
He clicked his tongue, savoring every word."Let's start with… Lea."
My eyes instantly flared blood-red with rage. A surge of raw magic erupted from my body, crackling like a storm and fracturing the ground around me."YOU… WOULDN'T DARE!"
Hades raised his hands in mock surrender, his dragging laugh like a provocation."Ooooh, easy there, easy! Looks like I struck a nerve. Fine, fine, I'll strike that one off—no need to smash the stadium to bits before we even get started." His flames flickered, amused. "That leaves… Kuina, Zoro… or Hector."
I gritted my teeth. He was doing it on purpose—it was obvious. He wanted to play with my nerves, to test my limits.
"…Fine. I'll take Kuina and Zoro."
A snap of his fingers, and the air split. In a flash of light, Zoro and Kuina appeared at my side, eyes wide, completely disoriented.
"Jordan! What the hell is this place?!" Zoro roared, unsheathing his Wado Ichimonji in a swift motion. His eyes scanned the empty stands and the blazing silhouette of Hades with sharp suspicion.
Kuina instinctively moved behind him, her body tense. Weaponless, she clenched her fists, but her warrior's aura was enough to show she was ready to fight."What… what kind of nightmare is this?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.
"Hold on, Zoro. I'll explain everything later. For now, focus." I turned slowly toward Hades, my voice cold as ice."Do you sell weapons here?"
The god burst out laughing, his flames rising higher as though my anger entertained him more than it intimidated."Sell? Heh… no need for gold in a show like this. Gladiators always get the bare minimum, of course."
He snapped his fingers again and, in a rain of shadowy sparks, a set of weapons appeared on the ground before us: gleaming short swords, battered round shields, sharpened spears, crude bows, and a few sets of dulled, metallic armor. The iron vibrated faintly, as though each weapon had already tasted the blood of hundreds of battles.
Hades crossed his arms, his flames casting a cruel glow across his grin."There you go. Help yourselves. But remember: weapons won't save you if you don't have the will to survive."
Zoro growled, his dark gaze fixed on the weapons laid out before him. Without hesitation, he grabbed two short swords, testing their weight with a sharp flick, the metal whining as he spun them through the air."Not balanced like my katanas… but they'll do." he muttered, jaw tight.
Kuina, on the other hand, stepped forward slowly, her fingers hovering uncertainly above the blades. Her eyes settled on a long sword of dark, polished steel—reminiscent of Masamune's absurd length, though less extravagant. She lifted it with both hands, the blade longer than a standard katana, and took a deep breath."Heavy… but stable. It demands discipline. That suits me just fine." she said with a faint smile, though I caught a flicker of unease in her eyes.
I watched them both, then exhaled deeply."To explain, Zoro… I screwed up. I thought I was testing one of my abilities, but this world is different. I got dragged in. And him—" I pointed at Hades, his blue flames flickering gleefully as he watched our preparations, "—he gave me no choice. It was either struggle alone and die like a selfish idiot… or bring you two. Trust me, the other options were worse: my baby sister, who's still just an infant, or Hector, whose real strength I can't even gauge."
Zoro growled louder but his eyes softened a little."…Fine. That works for me. As long as you're not lying to me."
Kuina nodded without hesitation."You did the right thing. If I can help… then I'm here."
Hades burst out in a sharp laugh at the sight of them standing together. His blazing eyes lingered on Zoro and his three blades."Oh, delicious. A kid with three swords in my Coliseum… it's almost like the gods decided to humor me."
We stepped through the Coliseum's entrance, the ground trembling beneath our feet. The empty stands seemed to writhe with phantom murmurs, as if thousands of unseen spectators were watching. The air was heavy, saturated with divine energy, each breath resonating against the stone.
Before the first fight began, I discreetly summoned my gorilla Heartless, fusing it into Kuina's shadow. She shuddered in surprise, and I rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder."The preliminaries should be simple… until the third fight. But stay sharp." My eyes locked with hers, deadly serious. "And Kuina… the gift I gave you will let you become a Zoan. A gorilla."
Her eyes widened. She said nothing, but her grip on the sword tightened. For someone usually detached from her femininity, I still caught the flush on her cheeks—a brief shiver at the idea of transforming, of wielding that primal strength."…I don't know if I'm ready for that." she whispered.
"Even without transforming, you'll gain physical advantages. That power could mean the difference between life and death."
"Let the preliminaries… begin!" Phil's hollow voice thundered through the arena like a soulless echo. In his obsidian box seat, Hades leaned forward, blue flames illuminating his predatory grin.
A deep roar shook the tiles. Shadows split across the ground, and a Darkside rose, its colossal silhouette looming in pure darkness. Its yellow eyes—two malignant suns—locked onto our trio as if it had already chosen its prey.
I tightened my grip on my Keyblade and took to the air in a spray of sparks."Remember: blue eyes good, yellow eyes bad!" I shouted, unleashing a volley of lightning bolts that crashed against the giant's dark skin, crackling like chained storms.
Below, Zoro and Kuina charged without hesitation, their blades slamming into the monster's titanic legs. Each strike rang out like a hammer striking an anvil. The Darkside slammed its fist into the ground, fissures spiderwebbing through the arena floor, but its movements were sluggish. With a few well-placed assaults, it collapsed in a guttural roar, its black mist dissipating into the air.
"Victory for the challenger!" Phil announced mechanically, void of emotion.
"Oooooh! Look at that the newbie smashes a Darkside like it's a training dummy! Not bad, not bad." Hades chuckled, his flames rising higher.
Barely a moment to breathe two massive silhouettes erupted from bursts of shadowy light. Two Guardian Armors, hulking shells of steel driven by darkness, materialized before us. The ground shook under their heavy steps, their black blades gleaming under the arena's ghostly light.
"Take the one on the left, I'll handle the right!" I barked, my wings of darkness spreading wide.
I launched myself into the air, my body twisting as bones cracked under the strain of my crocodile hybrid form. My Keyblade became an extension of my claws, savage and heavy, as I dove down on the Guardian Armor like a meteor. The impact sent shards of stone flying, and I hammered the Heartless in a brutal barrage, its steel plating warping under the relentless blows.
Hades snapped his fingers, cackling, his blue flames roaring like a bonfire."Oooooh! Transformation! The crocodile breaks out of its cage, and BAM! The armor's taking a beating! Oh, I love this show!"
Meanwhile, Zoro and Kuina were locked with the second Armor. Zoro struck over and over, his twin blades carving arcs of steel, but the monster's resilience absorbed much of his power. Kuina, panting, stepped back, her gaze sharpening."Zoro… cover me!" she shouted, her body suddenly enveloped in a dark aura. Her shadow fused with that of the gorilla, and with a bestial roar, she transformed. Her body swelled with mass, muscles coiled like springs, and her eyes blazed with fierce determination. In gorilla form, Kuina lunged, her strike smashing into the Armor with hurricane force, debris scattering like shrapnel.
Zoro, momentarily stunned by her sudden burst of speed, cracked a feral grin."Heh… not bad. You're starting to outpace me."
"And BOOM! The little swordswoman turns into a gorilla!" Hades cackled, standing from his throne to get a better view. "Tell me I'm not seeing this—the Coliseum just got its first primate pro-wrestler! Look at this duo: he slashes, she smashes… what a show!"
Under their combined assault, the Armor shattered into fragments of shadow, vanishing with one last metallic wail.
I wiped my brow, returning to human form as the dust settled. From the stands, Hades' mocking laughter still echoed, like a cynical commentator reveling in his own theatrics."Well, well… not bad for a warm-up. But the next fight, my darlings… oh, this one's going to be a treat."
Phil raised his trembling arm, his hollow voice booming across the arena:"Third trial: Cloud."
(Author's Note: Have a good weekend. HAHAHAHAHAHA)