Chapter 267: v3 - 28: the challengers II

Chapter 267: v3 Chapter 28: the challengers II

The first names were called.

"Two hundred and seventy-eight!"

Alex stepped forward.

The crowd answered with a roar.

Behind him, the other four Arena fighters remained at their end of the field.

Across the Arena, five challengers stood together.

Then the announcer turned toward them.

"And his challenger!"

One of the five men stepped forward.

The others remained where they were.

Cassian watched.

The challenger wore no recognizable colors.

His face was concealed, and his clothing revealed little.

But the moment he stepped onto the sand, Cassian noticed his stance.

The way his feet settled.

The position of his shoulders.

The angle of his sword.

The complete absence of wasted movement.

Military training.

Perhaps a knight.

Perhaps a professional guard.

Cassian couldn’t tell.

But the man had been trained.

And he had been trained well.

The two men took their positions.

The crowd continued to roar around them.

The challenger appeared completely unaffected.

Alex looked toward him.

Then tightened his grip on his sword.

The signal sounded.

Alex moved.

So did the challenger.

Their swords met with a sharp crack.

The challenger immediately took control of the exchange.

His technique was clean.

Every movement was economical.

He stepped around Alex’s strikes rather than meeting them head-on, turning each attack aside with barely any effort.

Alex retreated.

The challenger followed.

A quick cut toward the shoulder.

Alex blocked.

A thrust.

Alex twisted away.

Another strike.

Alex caught it against his blade.

The challenger stepped back.

Not because he needed to.

Because he wanted to.

Cassian noticed it.

The man was testing him.

He wasn’t fighting seriously yet.

The challenger circled Alex, studying him.

Across the Arena, the other four challengers watched.

They didn’t call out.

They didn’t move.

But their attention remained fixed on the fight.

They had come expecting to see what the Arena fighters could do.

The first man appeared to be treating Alex as an examination rather than a serious threat.

The challenger advanced again.

Alex attacked.

The man parried.

Alex attacked a second time.

The challenger turned the blade aside and struck lightly against Alex’s shoulder.

The crowd reacted.

The challenger stepped away.

Almost casually.

Alex stared at him.

The man raised his sword again.

There was no urgency in him.

No fear.

He was measuring Alex.

Seeing what he could do.

Cassian’s expression tightened.

That was a mistake.

Alex had been in the Arena for more than two years.

He had fought men stronger than himself.

Faster than himself.

Men with weapons he had never seen before.

He had learned not how to win cleanly.

But how to survive.

The challenger came forward again.

This time, he increased the pressure.

Alex blocked.

The impact drove him backward.

Another strike.

Alex stepped aside.

The blade passed his ribs.

Alex countered.

The challenger blocked easily.

Then struck Alex across the arm.

Blood appeared.

The crowd roared.

The challenger lowered his sword slightly.

Still confident.

Still testing.

Cassian glanced across the Arena.

The other challengers remained composed.

One watched with his arms folded.

Another stood perfectly still.

None appeared concerned.

Alex suddenly charged.

The challenger stepped aside.

Alex turned with him.

Their swords collided.

The challenger pushed him away.

Alex stumbled.

The challenger advanced.

A precise strike.

Alex blocked.

Another.

He blocked again.

Then a third.

Alex’s arms shook.

The challenger saw it.

He stepped forward to finish the exchange.

Alex suddenly changed direction.

Instead of retreating, he stepped into the attack.

Their shoulders collided.

The challenger lost his balance.

Only for a moment.

But Alex seized it.

His sword struck the man’s wrist.

The challenger released his weapon.

It fell into the sand.

The crowd erupted.

Across the Arena, the remaining challengers straightened.

The change was subtle.

But Cassian noticed.

The challenger looked at his fallen sword.

Then at Alex.

Alex stood several steps away, breathing heavily.

The challenger moved.

Not toward Alex.

Toward his sword.

Alex moved with him.

The challenger reached for the weapon.

Alex kicked it farther away.

The crowd roared.

The challenger spun and struck with his empty hand.

Alex blocked.

Another strike.

Alex took it across the shoulder.

The challenger tried to seize him.

Alex twisted free.

They collided.

The challenger drove an elbow into Alex’s ribs.

Alex staggered.

The challenger immediately turned toward the sword again.

Alex caught him from behind.

They crashed into the sand.

The challenger fought violently now.

All pretence was gone.

He was no longer testing.

He was trying to win.

Alex held him down.

The challenger twisted.

Elbowed.

Struck.

Tried to break free.

Alex refused to release him.

His own breathing was ragged.

Blood ran down his arm.

His ribs burned.

But he held on.

The challenger finally managed to roll halfway free.

Alex caught his wrist.

The challenger reached for the sword again.

Alex pulled him back.

For several seconds, they struggled in the sand.

Then Alex forced him onto his back.

His sword came down.

The blade stopped against the man’s throat.

The Arena went silent.

Alex’s arm trembled.

His breathing was heavy.

The challenger stared up at him.

For the first time, there was no arrogance in his eyes.

Only the realization that the fight had gone somewhere he had never expected.

Alex could end it.

Instead, he waited.

The challenger slowly raised his hand.

"I yield."

The Arena exploded.

Alex lowered his sword.

The attendants rushed into the fighting ground.

Across the Arena, the four remaining challengers stood together.

None spoke.

But the atmosphere around them had changed.

The first man had entered believing he was testing an inferior fighter.

He had learned otherwise.

Cassian watched as the defeated challenger retrieved his sword.

The man had been better trained.

His technique had been superior.

His movements had been cleaner.

But he had made one mistake.

He had underestimated the man in front of him.

Alex had not.

He had known from the beginning that he could not afford to underestimate anyone.

That was what the Arena had taught them.

Every fight could be their last.

Every opponent could kill them.

Every opening could be the one that ended everything.

The challengers had training.

The Arena fighters had something harder to teach.

The will to survive.

Cassian looked toward the four remaining challengers.

Their posture had changed.

Only slightly.

But he noticed.

They were taking the Arena fighters more seriously now.

The first match had taught them something.

The next challenger would not make the same mistake.

--

Tbc