Athena — the morning sun struck, and in the early hours, with the chirping of birds, Arthur woke up.
When I opened my eyes, Lamia, as always, was clinging to me — it felt so weird. I stood up, and she was still holding on to me. I gently placed her hand aside and quickly strapped on my cloak and katana.
Finally, Lamia opened her eyes, smiled when she saw me, and then, as if she remembered something, immediately started changing.
When she was finally ready, she looked slightly annoyed:
"Why didn't you wake me up, Arthur?"
Hah… this girl doesn't look scary even when she's angry:
"Sorry, I'll wake you up earlier next time."
Hearing that, her anger subsided. Then her eyes widened as she grabbed my hand, and we rushed through the streets of Athena toward the arena.
Today, 8 warriors will fight each other.
In the first battle, there will be 4 groups — in each group, two people will fight. The same applies to the other groups. Battles will continue until 2 people remain for the final duel.
Arthur, without letting go of Lamia's hand, passed through the cobbled streets and reached the massive gate of the arena while the sky still shimmered with morning blue. The sun struck the columns of the Acropolis, making the stone glow like gold, as if the whole city belonged to the gods.
The massive arena dedicated to Athena was semicircular and could seat thousands of spectators. The crowd had already taken their places. Above, between the stone columns, statues of gods looked out across the arena, ruling over it in a kind of silent approval.
Who knows which god is plotting something about me...
Thank the heavens that demigod-level warriors are banned from participating here — their destructive power is too much. Gold-level fighters, however, can be restrained by the mages around the arena.
One of the officials informed me that I was in the 2nd group, so I'm now waiting at the gates for the 1st match to end.
When the fight ended, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Finally, it was my turn. The official's voice echoed throughout the arena:
"Next up: Crimson Lightning Arthur and Executioner Rhexios — enter the arena!"
The gates opened before me, sunlight hit my face — without saying anything, I stepped into the arena. My opponent was already there, licking his lips as he stared at me.
Disgusting.
The moral fabric of this era is trash.
The man in front of me was shirtless, very muscular, and bald. It looked like he was going to use his fists as weapons.
Protagonist material for a hentai. Or maybe an NTR villain. Garbage man.
The official's voice snapped me out of my trance:
"If you're ready: 3... 2... 1... Begin!"
As soon as he signaled the start, he rushed at me. My sixth sense was screaming — I stepped aside, but he continued and tried to kick me.
Damn, he's faster than me.
If he's going to hit me, then I'll cover my body in lightning — as he kicked me, I grabbed his leg. I think he broke one of my ribs.
Whatever — once I fully charged and converted my divine energy into crimson lightning, I hit him like a truck, and he flew out of the arena. The celestial flames within me healed my wounds in the blink of an eye.
This guy definitely didn't skip leg day — his kick was powerful.
Since he flew out of the arena, I won. His skin showed some burns; from a distance, his leg looked like it had third-degree burns. But he'll live — at least he didn't die.
The official came out of his shock — the fight hadn't lasted long, so he was stunned:
"Our winner: Arthur!"
The crowd seemed in disbelief — after all, a child had defeated a 210 cm tall man. A strange sight, anyway you look at it.
"Arthur, I'm your fan now!"
"May the gods bless you!"
"I want to bear your child!"
Wait—who said that!?
I looked around the arena like a madman. These people are crazy. I was just born, damn it — I probably look no older than 12.
So I lined up again for my next match. All the groups were still fighting. I didn't want to know who else was fighting — I wanted to add an element of surprise for myself. After all, I joined this arena to test myself. And because of this damn system—
[host I'm getting emotional]
fuck you, system.
My second fight was also easy. I qualified for the final battle.
Lamia quietly cheered for me while I was in the arena — this woman is incredibly enthusiastic.
Now it's time for the final match. I step into the arena again.
This time, my opponent is a stunning woman, silver-haired, dual blades. I can feel Aphrodite's divine energy in her.
This girl's no joke.
The official roared, visibly excited:
"In this final battle: Crimson Lightning Arthur vs. Ice Beauty Selene!"
Alright… she's of Aphrodite's lineage. My love divinity is reacting to her.
(System: What's her power and age?)
[Gold (low), Age: 17]
Okay, she's quite young, but already at gold level. I'm personally at Silver (peak), and there's a big difference between silver and gold.
I'm cooked.
"Begin in 3... 2... 1... GO!"
She lunged at me — one sword aimed for my heart. I dodged thanks to my sixth sense. I swung my katana to slice the arm she attacked with.
My mind felt calm — must be Athena's previous blessing.
But instead of dodging, she stabbed her second sword into my thigh. My energy reacted to the fight.
I aimed my katana at her neck, but she pulled her head back — I only cut a few strands of her hair. She pulled her sword out of my leg, and my wound healed instantly.
She spat on the ground:
"You heal too fast,"
Then added,
"But playtime's over."
Suddenly, pink energy surrounded us, and the arena transformed into a hellscape.
I realized it was an illusion — her love divinity isn't useless after all.
My sixth sense screamed louder than ever — she was going for an insta-kill. I couldn't see her. I wrapped myself in crimson lightning, dodged to the side, and tore a piece of my clothing to blindfold myself — I couldn't trust my eyes.
Again, my sixth sense screamed. I felt the wind from her strike. When she swung her second sword, I blocked it with my katana, grabbed her wrist with my other hand — my instincts kept improving the longer the fight went on. Once I had a good grip, I cloaked my head in lightning and headbutted her.
I swear I heard a cracking sound.
She struck my leg — I leapt away. But in the air, a sword pierced my gut.
I held her wrist so she couldn't pull the blade out.
When I sensed another blade, I enveloped my katana in crimson lightning and blocked with all my strength. Before she could recover, I let go of my katana and punched her in the face.
Even though I couldn't see her, my sixth sense told me where to hit — and I hit with all I had. My energy kept rising, beyond what I could contain.
I had to end this fight.
With the same hand, I grabbed her neck and kneed her in the face.
I heard her sword hit the ground. She definitely fell.
I pulled the blade from my gut and threw it far away. I could feel everything around me more clearly.
Suddenly, celestial flames surrounded me and healed all my wounds.
The official's voice rose throughout the arena:
"The winner: CRIMSON LIGHTNING!!"
The arena fell silent. Everyone had seen what Arthur went through.
Even if they didn't know why he blindfolded himself…
Suddenly, the cheers returned, flooding the entire arena:
"Now that's a real warrior!"
"Long live Crimson Lightning!"
"I want your seed!"
I took off my blindfold and smiled.
Damn it — who said that last one!?
[Aetherion Sword added to inventory]
I finally won. That girl was strong. I hope she's not another crazy woman from Greek mythology.
Now, Selene lay unconscious on the ground, her face covered in golden-red blood.
Lamia ran down the stairs to the arena. Her eyes were full of tears, but she didn't cry.
She came to me, looked at my face, paused for a moment, then whispered:
"Are you okay?"
Arthur nodded slightly. Then he turned his eyes to Selene, still unconscious on the ground.
She was a warrior of Aphrodite's bloodline — gold level, divine beauty. But now, she lay quietly, her face covered in blood.
The official roared again:
"Now it's time for the reward — the warrior will be taken to the reward chamber."
Two guards came and took me along. Lamia followed.
They put me in a strange room — just two chairs and a table.
Lamia waited outside. Suddenly, a white light appeared in front of me:
"We meet again, Arthur."
I sighed:
"Yeah, Athena. May I claim my reward now?"
Athena giggled lightly:
"I see you're getting straight to the point. Good. What do you want?"
I looked into her eyes:
"I want armor — something I can use with my crimson lightning, something that can regenerate and adapt to my growth."
Athena's eye twitched — she probably expected me to ask for something else.
"Alright then, I'll talk to Hephaestus. Don't worry — you'll have it in two weeks. But I need a sample of your divine energy."
I sighed and gave her 10 drops of my blood — it contained my divine essence.
She took it immediately, and it vanished before my eyes.
Athena turned to me:
"Once it's ready, I'll bring it to you."
And then she disappeared.
This woman is impossible to deal with.
{Do dont forget to comment , I read all comments, so if you have anything on your mind, spit it out.}