LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 20: Tournament (2)
The arena was alive with the crackle of tension, the air thick with the anticipation of what was to come. The bell rang, and instantly the knights surged forward, their weapons raised, ready to take on the man they had all been warned about — Darius, the King's Beast.
At first, Oran was the first to act, charging in with an animalistic snarl. His claws extended, he moved with the ferocity of a wolf, hoping to catch Darius off guard. But Darius was faster. In a blur of motion, he sidestepped, grabbing Oran's wrist mid-swipe, his muscles rippling with power as he threw the knight against the stone wall with such force that the entire arena felt the impact. Oran groaned, barely able to move, his body battered and broken from the force of Darius's strength. He snarled, but before he could attempt another attack, Darius's eyes glowed with fury.
Brandell charged next, his shield held high, the battle cry echoing through the arena. But Darius was a beast of rage. He moved too fast for Brandell to react, dodging the shield and slicing through his foe's defense. Darius's sword sank into Brandell's side, the force of the blow driving the knight to his knees. In an instant, Darius snapped Brandell's neck, the sound of the breaking bones echoing throughout the arena. Brandell's body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, lifeless.
The audience's cheered at the gruesome yet excellent show the King's Beast was giving them . A true performance.
Then, Halvar, a mountain of a man with a massive weapon, charged at Darius, his hammer swinging down with terrifying force. The blow was powerful enough to crush any normal man, but Darius was no ordinary man. He ducked under the hammer, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Halvar's eyes widened in shock as Darius grabbed the massive hammer, using his strength to wrench it from Halvar's hands. With a terrifying roar, Darius threw Halvar's own hammer back at him, the force of the weapon knocking the knight off his feet. Halvar's body flew through the air, landing with a sickening crunch just inches away from Lady Thera. She jumped back in horror as his body lay lifeless at her feet, blood pouring from his broken body.
"Looks like you're next, lady," Leroy quipped causing the crowd to laugh hysterically but all eyes were still on Darius. Thera swallowed, preparing herself, but Darius was already turning to the next knight.
Idris, the chain-wielding knight, lashed out with his deadly chains, his hands moving like lightning. But Darius was faster. With a swift movement, he snatched the chains out of the air, wrapping them around his own arm before yanking Idris toward him. With a strength that defied nature, Darius swung Idris's body around, using the chains to slam the knight into the arena's walls. The impact left a crater in the stone, and Idris crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as his blood pooled beneath him.
The crowd was cheering more than ever now , amazed by the carnage before them. But Darius was relentless, moving with a predator's grace as if though a hungry beast that has been awaiting to unleash .
Lady Sylvaine, who had been watching, leaped onto Darius's back, her blade aimed at his head. But as she tried to strike, something strange happened. Elara's vision blurred, and for a split second, she saw herself standing in a vast forest. Far in the distance, a woman in silvery armor was perched atop a white lycan, the two seeming almost frozen in time. It wasn't a fight, but it wasn't peace either. The vision vanished in an instant, leaving Elara disoriented. She blinked, trying to refocus on the fight happening in the arena but hoping the vision comes back for more clarity .
Back on the field, Darius's strength overcame Sylvaine. He roared, slamming her body down onto the stone ground with brutal force. The crowd winced as her form crumpled, her breath knocked from her body, unconscious or possibly dead — no one knew. Leroy's voice rang out with his usual charm, "Girl you better be awake... your mentor's fuming over there. Let's hope we don't get the wrath, huh?" The crowd let out laughs , but it quickly faded as the fight continued.
Eyrk, the spear-wielding knight, lunged at Darius with incredible speed, but Darius's sword cut through Eyrk's spear with ease, landing a crushing blow to his chest. Eyrk crumpled to the ground, the light leaving his eyes as his body became another lifeless pile in the dirt.
Now, only Devrone and Oran remained . The air between them was thick with tension, and the fight seemed to slow. Devrone's hammer gleamed with menace, but Darius's eyes locked with Oran's, both of their primal selves speaking something to the other that their human forms wouldn't grasp .
Devrone swung his hammer, aiming to crush Darius's skull. But Darius grabbed the hammer mid-swing, pulling it from Devrone's hands and slamming the knight into the stone wall with such force that the ground shook. Devrone groaned, his life fading fast, as Darius lifted him by the throat and crushed the life from his body with a single twist.
As the last knight fell, Darius's gaze shifted to Oran, who had now shifted into his brown wolf form, his body trembling as he stood facing Darius, but his posture was defeated. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, each understanding that the fight had reached its end.
Without a word, Oran lowered his head to the sword sticking from the ground, facing the sky. He took the blade in his mouth, and with a final whimper, he ended his life, plunging the sword into his chest.
The crowd was silent before they erupted into a mix of cheers and stunned silence, but Leroy's voice cut through the air with his usual levity. "Uh-huh, there's still one left. Lady Thera, please show yourself. And please — no hard feelings. I'm just doing my job, I do not need your ghost haunting my love life." Laughs spread through the crowd.
From beneath Halvar's broken body, Thera slowly rose to her feet, the arena stilling as all eyes turned to her. She stood tall, though fear flickered in her eyes, quickly masked by a defiant expression. An arrow was tightly gripped in her hand, her stance one of a warrior, prepared for her final stand.
Thera's voice was steady, though her words were laced with tension. "I am no coward," she declared, her voice carrying across the arena, "I've fought my battles, but I will not die by the hand of another man." Her eyes glinted with a final, fleeting courage as she continued, "You are truly strong, sir, and it has been an honor witnessing your power."
With that, she lifted the arrow, her gaze unflinching as she drove it straight into her heart, the force of the impact final and swift.
"Oh, wow…" Leroy murmured in disbelief, but the crowd drowned him out with their roaring cheers, the sounds echoing throughout the arena. "Well, I guess we have a victor," Leroy announced, but there was no one in the crowd who was still doubting the outcome.
The cheers for Darius were deafening as the announcer declared him the winner. Darius stood motionless, his expression unreadable, indifferent to the praise or the flowers that were thrown in his direction. The chants of his new nickname meant little to him. His gaze lifted slowly, finding the royal box where Theron and Elara sat. Then, with no further acknowledgment of the crowd, he turned and walked away, his focus seemingly elsewhere.
Though it wasn't clear as to who his gaze was focused on , Theron on the other hand eyes never left Elara and she was the only one staring at the arena and him . There was a strange nostalgic moment she felt as she stared in to those brilliantly blue eyes of the killer - that she knew she will forever be haunted by him in her nightmares .