Chapter 4

"I can hardly believe it's been twenty five years, since the epic final of the last Arges combat tournament. A showdown which has been penned down in the history books, as the greatest contest in the history of the tournament. Every detail of that final is still very fresh in this old man's memory, like I just witnessed it yesterday. How could I forget? The deafening cheer of the audience, as the fight raged on; the blood of the two young men, dyeing the sands of the arena, crimson; the sweat streaming down, like a fountain, from the battered bodies of the young men; the blood and sweat mixing and wafting a thick, pungent smell of hard fought battle; the howls and screams, the grit and determination to carry on, despite the grievous injuries; the clash of weapons; the crackling of lightening; the booming and explosion of fire and divine light: every single detail was etched into this old man's memory.

It was like the match would never end. The fighting spirit of this young men was so supreme, so immense that it could shake the earths and split the seas; their overwhelming will all-encompassing and magnificent, that it blotted out the shine of the sun. It was like they were the only ones left in the world. It was like they would fight till eternity. It was like the final should never end.

Oh, but the cheers! The outrageous cheers that shook the very foundation of this Amphitheatre. The cheers that erupted, when Ajaman Keller, with his very last mana, generated and manipulated a deft combination of his lightening thrust and flaming heart to defeat and knock Rutger Saline unconscious.

What sweet victory! What great taste of victory after a tumultuous, brutal and sensational battle.

Oh, but what a tragedy! What bitter tragedy ensued thereafter! Hot tears streamed down the corner of my old eyes, as l watched Ajaman Keller die from his injuries. What a monumental waste of great talent! Just when I had plans to take him under my wing and mold him into the next Grand Commander; just when I thought I had found a suitable candidate, a suitable gem to take my place; he died.

But, he died a warrior. His right fist raised into the air in bitter victory, his left hand supporting his knees and keeping them from buckling, he died gallantly on his feet. What a guy! What an exceptional guy, even till the end! I was moved. I wouldn't have ever believed that a young kid of just twenty four could move me, an old man of sixty seven then, to such an extent. It would have been inconceivable to think that a kid from a lowly province would emotionally move someone of my status. But truly, I was moved.

But, I was overwhelmed more by the final words he uttered. He unequivocally said, 'My fight is over. My journey ends here. But, I leave the arena in the care of the younger generation to come. I believe in my heart, that they will create a spectacle in this arena that would shake the very core of Arges.'

His final words have resonated in my soul ever since, and so I have waited. I have patiently waited for this day to come. I have been reluctant in giving up my position. I refused to retire, even though I am currently in my nineties. All just to witness this fortieth edition of the Arges combat tournament. I want to see if this current generation of youngsters can realize the vision of Ajaman Keller."

Grand Commander Jozu Hanks paused to catch his breath and took in the concentrated, facial expressions of the members of the audience, whom were attentively listening to his passionate speech. He then continued his speech, though this time in a slightly lower decibel,

"The price money for the third, second and first positions have been increased to more substantial amounts, than in the previous tournament. One hundred and fifty million gold coins will go to the province of the third position, while the individual will receive fifty million. The second position's province will receive two hundred million gold coins, while the individual will receive one hundred million. The winner of the tournament will receive two hundred million gold coins, while the province will receive three hundred million."

The exorbitant amounts caught the fancy of those in the audience. Most of the contestants were drooling greedily and rubbing their palms in anticipation of getting their itchy palms on any of the rewards. Even the third position's prize money was still an insane amount of money.

"In addition to the two hundred million given to the winner of the tournament and the choice of relocating to the capital with his or her family, the king has also promised a special reward. The winner has the right to request from the king, whatever he or she desires! As long as such desire is sensible and can be granted by the king, the king will definitely fulfill it!"

Loud exclamations resounded from the audience and the contestants. The King was basically offering a blank cheque to whoever wins the tournament. This had never been done before. This was totally unprecedented and shocking.

"HA HA HA!!"

Grand Commander Jozu Hank's long, white beard wavered, as he chuckled at the surprise and exclamations from everyone.

"Yes, anything the winner desires, including CORONATION BY COMBAT!!!"

"WWWWHHHHAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!"

This time the entire Amphitheatre was thrown into an utter state of upheaval. The exclamations were five times, no, ten times more deafening and resounding than a few seconds ago. Everyone, even including the top military officials, were shell-shocked. They couldn't believe what they've just heard. Some even vigorously tried to clean their ears, as they felt perhaps maybe their ears were no longer working properly and they were hearing jargons.

"What the hell is his majesty thinking?!" One top military officer asked his colleague a rhetorical question. His colleague didn't reply though, as his mouth was agape, shocked beyond belief.

Coronation by combat simply meant challenging the king into a one on one fight for the throne of Arges. It was a fight to the death. This right was only reserved for the members of the esteemed royal family of Arges and this right had only be used once throughout the history of Arges; a very very long time ago. To think that such a prestigious right would even be offered to the Victor of the tournament.

But, then the loud exclamations ceased.

Every person in the Amphitheatre took deep breaths to calm themselves from the shock they had received and then they got themselves to reason properly. They all had the same thoughts ringing in the back of their minds. Nobody in their right senses would deliberately choose to have a life or death contest with the king. That was no different than courting death.

Who was the king?

Since the dawn of Arges, the kings had been the most powerful individuals in the nation. Not just in terms of status, nor fame, nor wealth, but also in terms of combat prowess. They had to be. A nation such as Arges, which prided itself in its glory and strength, obviously couldn't be handled by a weak king. The Military of Zion would never take orders from a weakling. Strength and supremacy begets followership.

But this present king wasn't like the other kings before him. This one was worshipped in Arges as a Demi God. He was given the title 'The Immortal King.'

Why was he given such title?

Because no one knows exactly how long he has been alive for. Some have speculated that he had lived for five hundred years, some others believed that maybe he had lived for seven hundred years, some others believed perhaps eight hundred. No one knows for certain, except for the fact that the King had lived for more than five generations! Most of his children, as well as his grandchildren, were long dead, but the Immortal King was still alive, and he wasn't just alive, but he hadn't even aged a day! The King had lived for so long, but he still looked like a young man, who hadn't even reached his thirties. He was literally a freak of nature!

Though no one had actually seen him fight before, nor had anyone who was currently alive, had seen him use his power, but still just his longevity alone was enough to scare any sane person into submission.

Though the winner had the right to challenge the King for the throne, the people in the Amphitheatre believed without a doubt, that unless the winner wanted to uselessly waste his life, he had a better chance of scaling the skies to reach the heavens, than acquiring the throne of Arges.

With the assistance of his ivory cane, which made a 'tap tap' sound on the tiled podium, Grand Commander Jozu Hanks turned around to face the contestants behind him, and with a sharp voice, unbefitting of a man of his age, he said,

"The stage has been set, the rewards have been laid out. It's now up to you young pubs to stretch forth your hands and attain the glory of the skies. To lay everything on the line to attain the golden prize. So, fight with pride! Fight with grace! Fight for honor! Fight for power! Fight for glory! Who among you will reign supreme as the ruler of the arena?! Who will stand and tower over his peers with an iron fist?! It's only in the arena of Arges that one gains absolution from mediocrity! I hearby declare the commencement of the fortieth edition of the Arges combat tournament!!!"

Thunderous applause and cheers reverberated through the entirety of the colossal Amphitheatre.