Chapter 63 ‒ A Roar Against the World
Chapter 63 ‒ A Roar Against the World
The announcer’s voice boomed across the Arena, echoing through the blood-soaked stands. “Will Kragg the Fallen complete his legendary 100-win streak, or will we finally see a new champion rise today?!” He raised his hand high and gave the final countdown. “3… 2… 1… FINAL MATCH, BEGIN!!”
Tyler did not waste even a breath. He vanished with [Dash], slicing through the dusty air like a blade of wind, his twinswords flashing in a blur of silver arcs. His strikes came in rapid succession, raining down like a thunderstorm on Kragg’s massive frame. Sparks flew as metal bit into flesh, cutting deep grooves and spraying blood across the arena floor.
Yet Kragg did not move. He neither swung his massive axe nor even lifted a finger to defend himself. His head hung low, eyes shadowed, veins bulging with unnatural red energy.
Tyler’s mind raced. What is wrong with him? Why isn’t he fighting back? But he knew he couldn’t waste this chance. He poured all his strength into every slash, his blades whistling furiously against Kragg’s thick hide.
Above them, the announcer exclaimed, “Woah! At this rate, it looks like we might be crowning a new champion! But don’t count your gold before the fight is over!”
The audience roared, betting slips clutched in trembling hands. Cheers for Tyler thundered from every corner. The ring floor turned slick with blood, yet Kragg remained rooted, as if carved from stone.
In Kragg’s world, everything was silent. It felt as though his ears had been stuffed with wool, his muscles locked in iron chains. He watched the crowd’s frenzied waves, the flashing swords striking at his flesh, and felt only a distant dullness. His heavy body refused to obey his mind, each limb weighed down as if submerged in tar. He saw his blood dripping, the ground painted in his defeat — the same ground on which he had crushed nearly a hundred souls.
But before Kragg became this living statue, before he became the so-called champion, he had been a child. A fragile, timid child whose dreams were no larger than his tiny hands.
---
Kragg woke in a cold cell, his forehead split and crusted with blood. His young eyes darted wildly as he scrambled to the iron bars. Outside, torchlight flickered, illuminating a figure approaching slowly. Drellic Wane — the Arena’s cunning manager.
“Where is my sister?!” young Kragg shrieked, voice cracking into a sob. His small fingers clawed at the bars till they turned raw. Drellic smirked as he strolled closer, leaning forward mockingly.
“Oh, you mean that other child?” Drellic clicked his tongue. “What a shame. This is no place for the weak and the frail. I’ve already sent her away.”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Kragg’s eyes went wide. He slammed his head against the bars. “No! Take me to her! She’s small, she can’t survive alone! Please… I beg you!”
Drellic laughed — cold, sharp, inhuman. “Do you want to see her so badly? Prove your worth. I don’t waste my time or my money on worthless trash. Entertain these people. They’ve waited years for a real champion, someone they can worship in this filthy pit. Become that champion, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll tell you where your sister is.”
Kragg, tears flooding down his dirt-streaked cheeks, whispered shakily, “You… you promise?”
Drellic’s grin widened. He extended his clawed hand, hooking his pinky with Kragg’s trembling hoofed finger. “Pinky promise,” he said, voice dripping like poison.
---
On his first day, Kragg entered the battleground trembling, a small rusty knife shaking in his grip. The metallic stench of blood choked him, the jeers from the stands piercing his ears. His opponent was Morik — a towering tiger hybrid wielding a massive claymore. Morik’s eyes softened at the sight of the terrified boy.
“Manager! Please, this is a child. I do not wish to fight him!” Morik cried out, voice breaking with guilt. Drellic’s voice sliced back coldly. “Morik, do you think you get to choose who you kill? Fight, or I’ll have your head displayed on a pike.”
Morik turned to Kragg, sorrow washing over him. “Child, forgive me for what I must do. I have no choice.” He swung the flat of his blade, sending Kragg crashing to the ground. Kragg tried to rise, tried to thrust his tiny blade, but Morik easily disarmed him and threw him out of the ring.
“Manager! He’s lost! Let it end!” Morik pleaded.
Drellic’s laughter echoed like a drum of doom. “Fufu… looks like you’ll never get to meet your sister again.”
---
In the present, Kragg’s mind snapped back. The roar of the crowd exploded into his skull. He felt every cut, every drop of blood seeping from his wounds. His muscles ached and burned, yet deep inside, something primal and unstoppable surged.
---
Young Kragg’s face twisted into a mask of rage and despair. “I… WILL NOT LOSE!!” he screamed. He lunged forward, snatching up his discarded knife, and plunged it deep into Morik’s side. Blood erupted like a fountain. Morik staggered, eyes wide with shock and pain.
“I… forfeit…” Morik rasped, falling to his knees.
Kragg hurled the blood-soaked knife at Drellic’s feet, trembling but defiant. “I will not lose! I will become your champion! I will defeat everyone who stands between me and my sister! So keep your promise!”
Drellic clapped slowly, amusement twisting his grin. “Fufu… splendid! You are no longer a child. You are my monster. The Dune bandits really outdid themselves this time. Morik, your days of glory are over — we have a new star in the pit.”
---
Kragg’s eyes snapped open. His crimson irises glowed like molten coals. His enormous fists clenched, veins bulging and skin splitting. His massive arm swung upward, gathering unstoppable momentum.
“I… WILL NOT LOSE!!” Kragg roared.
Tyler barely had time to react. Even with [Dash] ignited, he was too slow. Kragg’s fist collided with his midsection like a meteor. The air cracked. Tyler’s body folded over the blow, and he shot backward, smashing into the stone arena wall. The impact shattered rock, dust exploding like a cannon blast. Tyler crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
The stunned audience fell silent for a heartbeat. Then the announcer’s shrill voice sliced through. “Our undefeated champion has finally made his move — a devastating one-hit knockout!!”
Kragg, chest heaving, eyes wild and untamed, threw his head back and roared to the heavens. “I WILL NOT LOSE! I WILL NOT LOSE EVER AGAIN!!”
The stands trembled in terrified awe. For the first time, they weren’t looking at a gladiator. They saw a force of nature, a beast shaped by cruelty and betrayal, roaring not just against his opponent but against the entire world.