Arena of Hades

Somewhere in an unknown territory, a blue-haired young man about 25 walked unconcernedly into an arena. He had a pitch-black faceless face mask which hid his handsome face underneath. Beneath the mask was a pair of blue eyes that sparkled like stars; a fang tattoo adorned his left cheek. He wore a dark brown turtleneck with black trousers and shoes. In his hand was a dark green scythe whose blade was about a meter long. He stood in a hallway in front of a door which led to the arena stage. A small platform descended onto the stage with a beautiful woman standing on it.

A cheer arose from the crowd in the arena when she was sighted. She turned and winked at the crowd, which threw them into a frenzy. Their cheer rose higher after she did that. Their cheer was loud enough to destroy an entire ordinary building however, the arena was no ordinary place. It couldn't be broken down even by the strongest Ace. The levels in the land of territories were divided into seven.

There were Quints, Hectors, Aces, Jacks, Kings, Pharaohs and Alphas. Each level was sectioned into ranks of 20 from, Quints to Kings and rank E to A for Pharaohs except for Alphas.

The presenter walked off the platform and raised her hands in a bid for all to be quiet. "The final battle of this month's series in the Arena of Hades is about to begin. Who is your pick? You can place your bets now." she said as she walked and sat cross-legged on the platform she descended from. The arena became chaotic again as people debated the battle and placed their bets.

After a few minutes passed, she announced, "The betting portal is now closed". Those who couldn't place their bets quickly were disappointed while those who did roared even more loudly. "Now to the main event. Who did you bet on to win this competition? Is it the newbie Shadow Knight? Who steadily rose the ladder to get here?"

"Boo" the entire arena booed at the mention of the name Shadow Knight. They thought it was ridiculous for a newbie to win the Arena of Hades series. She smiled at the crowd and continued, "Or is it the CHAMPION of Hades, Redrik?" There was a thunderous cheer throughout the arena; people began to chant Redrik. Redrick was a rock element user who reined as the champion of the Arena of Hades for a long time. Due to the fame and wealth, he got as a champion, he refused to raise his level to that of a Hector.

Many who visit the arena frequently referred to him as the strongest Quint. There was no way he was going to lose to a lowly newbie who just entered the arena. After all, many people climbed the ladder the same way he did and ended up being crushed by Redrik.

The platform on the stage rose as the presenter began to announce the entrance of the two. "Coming from the right corner, the newbie who rose steadily up the ladder in just a few days SHADOW KNIGHT!" The way she introduced him proved no one put him in their eyes. Once again, there was a boo as a door opened, and a young man in a turtle neck stepped out. He held his scythe over his shoulder and silently walked to the stage. He looked at the booing crowd, planted the scythe firmly in the ground and proceeded to jump atop it.

Without wasting any time, she introduced the next competitor. "Presenting the champion of Hades, the strongest Quint Reeedrrriiikkkk!" there was a loud cheer as a heavily built man walked up the stage with a club. He dressed like a gladiator from ancient times. He had a proud and arrogant look as he climbed up the platform. He looked towards his opponent arrogantly like he would an ant. He didn't think him to be a threat at all. After all, he had crushed many like him throughout his time there.

He lifted his club and the crowd cheered even more which made his already bloated head bloat even more. The presenter's platform slowly rose away. After she was a good distance away from the stage, she raised both hands "Let the battle commence" she said and pressed a button in her palm. A huge glass-like shield was erected to separate the stage from the crowd.

"It's been years since someone has been this bold to attempt fighting me" Redrik arrogantly said. His opponent looked down towards him from the top of his scythe and asked, "Do you mean to say none of the finalists fought against you?"

"It is as you say. They all gave up right after qualifying and remained in the second position. No one dared to fight me until you came here ignorantly. It's time I put you in your place and have people realise that challenging me is useless. In this ring, I am the one true CHAMPION!" he declared arrogantly and stomped the ground. A large portion was thorn out to form a giant club above his head.

He swung the club in his hands and the large rock club above his head moved in the same pattern as his swing. His opponent, however, was unfazed. He stood silently atop his scythe and without any movement. He crossed his hands as he looked at the club coming towards him. "Hey, big guy" he called and a black curtain appeared and wrapped around the advancing club, shattering it to pieces.

The entire arena suddenly fell silent. It was so quiet you could hear a needle hitting the floor. "There are shadows everywhere and once you cannot differentiate which is real and which isn't, you have lost before the battle even began" shadow knight coldly said.

"There is no need to determine which is real and which isn't because, in the presence of light, every shadow disappears" Redrik said and his club glowed so brightly that all the shadows around him disappeared. "Knowing you had a shadow element, I came prepared. I had a light element wielder store some light power inside this club. Do not once think me to be your average quint". The entire arena roared again when they realised Redrik had the advantage. What would a puny little shadow element wielder do in the presence of the champion of Hades?

"I admit, you have indeed come prepared however, I think you are getting the wrong idea here. I am not the one underestimating you. You are seriously underestimating me." shadow knight boldly commented. Redrik seemed a little confused. He looked at Shadow Knight like he was a madman. The stage was brightened by light which meant any shadows created would be warded by the light. It was an easy victory for him or so he thought.

"I'm sorry, did the light affect your shadow brain? Because you don't seem to be thinking straight." he ridiculed him. A roar of laughter spread through the entire arena. Everyone around joined in the fun. Shadow Knight wasn't bothered by the provocation at all. He was smiling at Redrik. Seeing the smile, Redrik felt a sharp chill wash over him. He could immediately tell that something was not right.

"Lots of people seem to have forgotten that Light and darkness (shadow) are two sides of the same coin. Light comes out of darkness and darkness from light. If light can cause darkness to disappear, then darkness sure can cause light to disappear as well" As soon as his voice sounded, the light in the arena began to dim. It dimmed so quickly that everyone's mouth was left agape.

"Damn it! This is bad. Where did this monster come from?" Redrik now knew he had gravely underestimated his opponent but it was too late. Countless shadows quickly wrapped him and his club. His club was decimated by the shadows. The arena fell silent. "You think yourself a champion and remained couped up in this place for many years. I'm afraid you have lost track of what the outside world has become. There are lots of Quints out there far stronger than you think and I'm not even the strongest amongst them. That title 'strongest quint', you do not deserve such a title."

"You better let go of that pride and arrogance of yours and go see the world for yourself because I can assure you, there are way more talented people out there than you think. People who can fight above their ranks. Even some rank 0s are very talented when it comes purely to skills so much that some high rankers pale in comparison."

Redrik lowered his head and gritted his teeth. Shadow Knight, however, continued, "In a few months, 'that' is going to begin. You should go out and see just how talented the people of this world have become when you were couped in here deluding yourself of being the strongest."

The shadows disappeared and Redrik dropped to the floor. Shadow Knight forfeited the match and left the arena. "I thought I would get to fight tough opponents here to increase my battle experience in preparation for 'that'. I can't believe I just wasted my time" he thought as he walked out the arena. "I wonder if he has been able to level up after all these years. I can't wait to see that little monster, Lin"