Neptune found himself once again in the arena of the Colosseum of Madness. He wasn't alone this time.
Three other creatures were chained to the iron walls that separated the fighters from the roaring crowd above.
One of them, a grotesque demon, crouched on the far side of the arena. It moved on four legs, its dark gray skin stretched over a body of muscle and scars. Two dragon-like heads snarled in opposite directions, each with fangs glistening in the dim light. Its claws were long and sharp, each one as big as Neptune's arm. The beast stood nearly two meters tall.
It turned its heads toward the right, where another corrupted creature waited.
That one looked like a horse—or something that had once been one. Its skin was pitch-black, and instead of a normal horse's head, it bore a bleached skull, its jaw filled with jagged, bone-like teeth. Two Soul Vessels radiated from its body. A demon.
Neptune turned to his left.
A human.
Or so it seemed.
He was young, with shining blond hair and a confident grin. His brown eyes glowed faintly, and a silver armor gleamed around his body. In his hand, he held something like a fencing foil.
But there was one feature that revealed the truth.
Pointed ears.
An elf.
Neptune stared, wide-eyed. He had never seen one before. The human and elven kingdoms were said to be allies—he'd only ever heard of them in stories. Noble, disciplined, and beautiful.
Maybe… he could team up with him. Take out the demons first.
But before the thought could settle, the iron gates slammed shut. The cheers of the spectators rose into a deafening roar.
Neptune's eyes snapped toward the horse-like demon. The chains around it dissolved into black smoke.
It charged at him instantly.
Neptune summoned Crownbreaker, the silver blade materializing in his grasp, and dropped into a fighting stance.
The second phase of the Colosseum of Madness had begun.
He dashed sideways, activating one of his armor's new abilities.
His body suddenly felt weightless. The demon's skull tore straight through him, its attack passed through as if Neptune were made of shadow.
"...One, two, three," he counted under his breath.
Three seconds of invulnerability. That was the limit. But it had also a cooldown, so he couldn't use it again immediately.
The demon realized it had missed and skidded to a stop, sand spraying beneath its hooves. Neptune didn't hesitate; he sprinted forward, pain tearing through his battered body.
His body was still partially broken, slowing him down.Every breath burned his lungs, every movement screamed agony, but pain didn't matter now.
He swung his sword at its head.
Clang!
The blade deflected harmlessly off the creature's skull.
It was far tougher than he expected.
The demon turned and lunged again, ramming its skull toward him like a battering ram. Neptune activated Dark Walker once more, and the beast's body passed through him like smoke.
By the time it realized what had happened, Neptune had already turned and dashed behind it. The demon's heavy body slid several meters before coming to a stop.
He grinned.
Each time the horse turned, its massive weight made it overshoot.
Just as it was stopping, Neptune lunged forward and slashed its flank open, tearing a deep gash across its rear legs.
The demon shrieked, blood spraying across the sand.
It reared up on its hind legs, hooves glowing red-hot, and slammed them down at him. Neptune deflected the first strike with Crownbreaker, sparks flying. Then the right hoof came crashing down. This time, he didn't block. He sidestepped and turned into shadow once again.
The strike went straight through him. He slashed upward in return, his blade cutting across its neck.
The hit connected, tearing through black flesh. The horse-demon let out a guttural roar, but Crownbreaker hadn't been strong enough to sever the skull completely.
Neptune dove backward as the beast lunged forward, its skeletal jaws snapping.
He struck forward again, but too late.
The demon bit down on his blade mid-swing.
"Oh, crap—"
The beast whipped its skull sideways, hurling Neptune into the air. He hit the sand hard, rolling several times before crashing to a stop. His vision spun and the world tilted.
He spat out a mouthful of sand and tried to push himself up only to feel something press down on the back of his head.
A shoe?
"What the—"
The foot slammed harder, driving his face into the rough sand of the arena. Neptune clawed at the ground, gasping.
"Argh! I—can't—breathe!"
Then, as suddenly as it came, the pressure lifted. Neptune coughed and spat out sand, blinking through the haze.
Before him stood the elf; tall, composed, his back turned to Neptune.
Blond hair shimmered in the faint light. His silver armor gleamed.
He turned slightly, smiling over his shoulder.
"Stay on the ground, rat."
Neptune froze. The tone, arrogance.
The elf turned back toward the charging horse-demon and leapt forward.
His movements were fast, and hard to predict. But he was even more shocked at his swordsmanship.
His blade, it was so fast that it simply blurred.
The foil flickered through the air like silver lightning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
His strikes were too fast to follow, each blow leaving a thin line of blood across the demon's hide.
"No way," Neptune muttered. "That has to be a charm. No one can move a sword that fast."
But the cuts kept multiplying—dozens, hundreds.
The demon howled in agony as the elf's blade danced around it, precise and merciless.
It didn't stand a chance against the blond warrior.