"Hey, it's time to go now."
Eztein raised his head and saw a guard standing in front of his jail.
The guard opened his jail before saying, "Follow me."
He currently had nothing with him except for a rugged short. Everything he had with him was confiscated. His body was full of wounds as they tortured him in the past week.
Eztein stood up and didn't say anything. He just followed the guard silently while looking at his surrounding. He already knew that they were going to execute him.
Those people knew him yet they insisted that he was the culprit. Just by that action, he already realized that the higher-ups of this dukedom were in cahoots with the real culprit.
That's why he persevered. He could break through the jail if he tried but he just endure it because he didn't know what his boss was planning. He could also break the jail but he knew that the people who were secretly watching him would appear to stop him at all costs.
He didn't even know how many enemies were there in the entire dukedom. He had to be careful when dealing with his enemies since his boss was cautious this time.
But well, he also realized that he had to do it this time.
Soon, Eztein arrived at the center of the colosseum.
'So this is the colosseum that they are talking about... It's bigger than I expected.'
He said inwardly as he looked at his surroundings. He could see thousands of people watching him as they "boo" at the same time. These civilians believed that he was the culprit behind the murder incidents. They were all filled with hostility against him.
Clang!
Eztein turned his head as a metallic sound echoed behind him.
The guards simply locked the door behind him.
He shook his head and decided to focus his attention on what will going to happen. He didn't know his boss' plan but it seems that something big will happen today and he was looking forward to it.
As for now, this show inside the colosseum was his.
Ohm!
Layers of barriers locked down the entire field. It was to protect the audience and to prevent the prisoners from escaping.
Outside the barrier, a man stood up and said, "Today! we are going to witness the struggle of a man that killed hundreds of innocent people of Halbun!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire colosseum.
"We're to give other prisoners a chance! A chance to gain their freedom! Whoever managed to kill this man will be freed!"
'Oh, so that's how they are going to incite the other prisoners to kill me...' Eztein raised his eyebrows.
"Now, for the first challenger! This man was a notorious criminal ten years ago but he was captured by our great captain of royal guards! His name is Frander!"
A tall man entered on the other side of the ring. Compared to Eztein who had nothing, this man was wearing a full set of equipment. He had a murderous aura leaking out of his body as he stared at Eztein as if he was his prey.
Eztein narrowed his eyes. He knew that he was at a disadvantage as he didn't have any equipment with him. He could only trust his power level and combat skills that he trained through fighting the forces of the Council.
'Boss said that my strength should be at the top of S-rank. I already completely solidified my mana pool and I already felt the shackles. Boss said that it was a sign that I can go to the next level.'
Eztein slowly circulated his mana.
'I will use all the battles here to grasp an opportunity to strengthen myself so that I can surely breakthrough into the famed Shackle Realm.'
He raised his hand and taunted his opponent.
"Come, show me everything that you've got."
Frander got angry. He didn't expect that this guy had the guts to taunt him. His opponent didn't have any equipment and was full of injuries so he thought that his opponent would be cautious.
His mana burst out of his body as charged toward Eztein at high speed.
Swoosh!
"So fast..." Eztein smirked as he coated his entire body with mana.
He quickly threw a punch but Frander simply block it with one hand.
Bang!
"Shit! You're so good."
Eztein said with a small smile before he threw a barrage of punches.
"You're underestimating me!!"
Frander gritted his teeth as he took a step forward. He wanted to brawl with Eztein without backing out. He was prepared to use his advantages against his opponent.
No matter what happens, he had to win. He wanted to claim his freedom once again. He didn't want to rot in that prison again.
"Die for me!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two clashed at close range. Shockwaves were sweeping out every time they launched an attack and the ground kept shaking as if there was an earthquake.
'No way! He's overpowering me in that condition!' Frander was shocked when he realized that Eztein was pushing him back in that condition.
"You are strong... but not strong enough to defeat me."
Eztein tightly clenched his fist as a huge amount of mana formed around it. At the same time, he activated several combat arts.
[Triple Muscle Strengthening]!
[Adrenaline Spike]!
[Control Resistance]!
[Earth Wave Fist]!
Frander gritted his teeth as he crossed his arms in front of him. He wanted to dodge but he knew that it was too late. That attack would land on him before he could get away so he had no choice but to take it head-on.
[Tough Body]!
[Flesh Defensive Barrier]!
Boom!
A powerful force landed on his body and it quickly blew him away. He flew too fast and crashed into the walls near the audience.
The impact was powerful that it shook the entire colosseum. Smoke and dust covered the entire field causing the audience to watch silently.
Swoosh!
Eztein was standing in the center of the stage with a plain expression. He glanced at his fist and muttered, "This one is pretty strong."
If it was him before he met Souta, he would have a hard time fighting this opponent. Right now, it was a different matter as he undergoes intense training with Souta several times.
Even with all the disadvantages that he got, fighting someone at this level was nothing to him.
He shook his head and smiled to himself. He simply waved his hand and all the dust was blown away.
Swoosh!
The audience saw that Frander was unconscious while his body was stuck on the wall. Blood was pouring out of his mouth.
Eztein lifted his head and looked straight at the organization of this execution.
The nobles who were watching the show had a frown on their face while some of them were smiling. Well, most of them were betting if Eztein could defeat his opponent or not.
'Show me everything that you've got.'
Eztein said inwardly. He knew that not all nobles knew the truth of the incident. Only a few ones involved with the real culprits know the real culprit behind the cursed murders.
Another person entered the stage. It was a thin man with a dangerous aura lingering on his body.
The battle started once again...
Hiding between thousands of people, Souta and Alice were watching the battle with a plain expression.
'Eztein is good. He could probably break through the Shackle Realm in one month.' Souta said inwardly before he turned his attention to the noble's area.
He was observing the expression of the nobles. He was looking at them with his perceiving eyes to see if he could learn something from these nobles.
'One, this one had a different expression. It seems like he didn't join the bet but he showed a worried face when Eztein won the battle.'
He's a little bit suspicious.
Souta observed them one by one and he didn't even realize that Eztein already defeated eight opponents.
No one could defeat him and his momentum was high leaving the audience in silence. The entire stadium was in shock.
All those eight people were notorious criminals. They were pretty strong but they couldn't even defeat an injured man without any equipment.
"Hoo~ the last one was pretty tough. I'm quite exhausted right now." Eztein said in a low voice as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.
The organizer of the colosseum looked at Eztein before he said, "Bring that thing inside. We don't need those useless prisoners. At this rate, most of the prisoners would die before they could kill this man."
"Yes, sir." His subordinate saluted before he left.
The organizer sighed as he looked straight at Eztein's face. 'A warrior from Athen's Champion is really strong.'
Soon, a giant monster entered the stage. It was a third evolution monster called Grim Rock. A three-meter tall monster that looked like a hedgehog.
Eztein stared at the monster first before he looked at the organizer. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "If you wanted to kill me you should've brought more. Not killing me when you have a chance was your biggest mistake."
