They will fight, here and now, in this sanctuary. The winner's master will be crowned the Supreme Commander of our new, unified forces."
It was a madman's plea. A fool's gambit.
But it was the only move I had left on the board.
The room was silent for a long, agonizing moment.
Then, Setanta, who had been quietly observing the whole thing, let out a whoop of pure, unadulterated joy.
"Now that's a proper party!" he roared. "I'm in!"
The ice was broken.
A slow, brutal, and deeply unsettling grin spread across the Golem-Master's stony face.
"I accept your challenge, little Tyrant," he boomed.
One by one, they agreed.
The tournament was on.
The fate of the world was about to be decided.
In a glorious, beautiful, and profoundly stupid cage match.
And I had a terrible, wonderful feeling that I was about to have a very, very good day.
But as I looked at the faces of my rivals, at the cold, calculating fire in their eyes, a new, unsettling thought pricked at my mind.
