The Arena

Jay trod through an alien city in an unknown corner of the cosmos, feeling a twinge of unease. His recent life had been a whirlwind of unprecedented experiences – battling mutated beasts, saving a burning plane, and now searching for his lost father on an extraterrestrial world. He'd barely traveled abroad—let alone to another planet. The leap was staggering.

Casting a glance at a mushroom-shaped structure across the street, he noticed a green-skinned creature, resembling a seahorse with arms, smiling and waving—if one could call those appendages arms. This made the seventh alien species they'd encountered, and Jay couldn't help but wonder about the diversity of this city's inhabitants. "Is that guy waving at me? What does that mean?" he asked.

"Maybe she likes you," Kara teased with a laugh. "You could try dating her."

"With a creature that looks like a seahorse?" Jay shuddered at the thought. "I'll pass. But how do you know that's a 'she'?"

"That's a Xandarasm, their gender is easy to recognize once you know the characteristics," Kara explained.

"You recognize them?" Jay was surprised. "You can tell all these aliens apart?"

"Most of them, yes. Some are new to me as well."

It dawned on Jay that the girl beside him was a bona fide extraterrestrial, unlike him—a 'terra-sapien' born and bred on Earth twice over. Krypton's civilization was advanced; its people wouldn't be as ignorant of the wider cosmos as Earthlings often were.

"So what kind of city is this?" Jay finally asked as they passed the eighth distinct alien species. "Aren't alien cities usually populated by natives? You know, like Krypton for Kryptonians, Earth for humans?"

"That's typical, but this is a composite city. There are many such cities across the universe where beings from all corners, from various star systems, can settle. There are no racial boundaries; all species are equal here," Kara explained, then added, "You would've learned this in school on Krypton. It's in the curriculum."

"Right, I really don't remember."

Kara smiled, "Honestly, I wasn't paying attention either. But I did visit a composite city once with my dad during a holiday, and it looked a lot like this place."

No wonder she seemed so calm, walking through an alien metropolis as if it was no big deal—because to her, it wasn't.

They arrived in front of the building the black man had pointed to with his dying breath—indeed, the largest in the city. Its oval, pale shell stretched over four hundred meters, the apex rising more than seventy meters above ground. The structure was like an enormous egg laid horizontally in the city center, its eight entrances each clogged with long lines of diverse inhabitants.

The scene reminded Jay of sports fans flocking to a stadium back in Metropolis, only these alien spectators were exponentially more fervent, their assembly dwarfing any earthly event. Even the Olympics paled in comparison to the scale of this extraterrestrial venue.

Mingling with the bustling crowd, they pushed toward one of the entrances. Jay leaned in, whispering to Kara, "What's going on now? Do other alien cities have such events often?"

Not that he needed to whisper—no voice could pierce the cacophony enveloping them.

"No," Kara shook her head. "I don't remember anything like this. I have no idea what this is all about."

"Hey, what's the hold-up? Move it! I don't want to miss the start!" an impatient shout came from behind.

They turned to see a blue-skinned, muscular alien, towering over two meters tall. His brawny arms strained against the fabric of his coarse robe.

Upon seeing Kara's attractive appearance, his irritation evaporated into a drawn-out whistle, "Hey there, girl. You must be a visitor from afar?"

Jay eyed the brute dismissively, noting some things seemed universal regardless of galaxy. Meanwhile, Kara smiled, "Yes, my friend and I are from Kuntar, here for a vacation."

"Kuntar? That's quite a distance from the Warworld," the hulking figure mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But you've picked the right place for an exciting holiday. There's no place better suited for thrills than Warworld."

"Warworld?"

Kara seemed genuinely puzzled by the term, while Jay inwardly gasped.

Could they really be on 'Warworld'? Surely the universe didn't have two planets with the same name by coincidence?

In the comics, Warworld was less of a planet and more of a mobile fortress the size of a world, bristling with top-tier weaponry capable of obliterating entire planets. Yet it was also a bustling city brimming with slaves and citizens, where people lived for one thing alone: watching beings from across the cosmos fight to the death in gladiatorial combat.

This revelation cleared up at least one mystery for Jay—he now understood the purpose of this massive structure; it was the interstellar coliseum.

"This is the grandest arena in the cosmos, the most thrilling battles! A place for real men to spill sweat and blood!" The excited alien pumped his massive fist. "Here, glory reigns supreme, and thus far, Drago stands at its pinnacle. If he wins again today, he'll have ten straight victories! They say today's challenger is a Smerltap, a real killer. But what of it? I believe Drago will triumph as always."

"And the losers," Jay inquired, "where do they go?"

The alien gave him an odd look. "Losers? Who cares where they end up? Most die in the arena, that's their glory. As for the few who don't, they're tossed into the scrapheap. But first, they must face Tralock, and no one survives an encounter with Tralock."

"Tralock?"

"Are you truly from out of town?" The alien chuckled. "Everyone on Warworld knows Tralock. Massive as a building, with ten strong tentacles. They use it to clean the scrapheap, throwing in the losers as feed. No creature has ever lived after meeting Tralock."

A glance passed between Jay and Kara; Tralock was clearly the octopus-jellyfish hybrid they'd encountered—and defeated—in the scrapyard.

"Alright, we really need to get moving now," the blue-skinned giant urged, edging forward. "Any more delays and we'll miss the start of the battle."