Arena

As we walked through the streets of Locus Sacer, I noticed something peculiar. Everyone that looked our way would immediately peel their eyes away as if terrified of something.

I glanced at Leo, but he seemed nonchalant about the situation. He walked beside me, uncaring of the strange looks we were receiving.

Exhausted and embarrassed by the looks, I turned to Leo. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

Taken aback, Leo fumbled with his words. Being addressed by me seemed to have taken a toll on his mental health.

Or maybe the subject I mentioned was what made him falter.

"It's due to the prophetic child's majesty," said Leo, attempting to flatter me at any point. His words were sweet, but I could feel insincerity dripping from his tone as if he was obligated to flatter me.

Narrowing my eyes, I continued walking.

A few minutes passed in silence, and we entered a fairly crowded area. Navigating through the crowd, we continued our journey.

Suddenly, a fairly burly man bumped into me, sending me flying a few meters. I landed on my butt on the concrete.

Immediately, I stood up to either apologize or receive an apology, depending on who caused the accident.

However, what I saw was utterly absurd.

The burly man now knelt before Leo in an act of submission. The former's head was flat on the ground, and I saw a few traces of blood.

His teeth clattered while a crazed expression clouded his face. Fear corroded his mind, and it was obvious.

Spotting me, Leo broke into a casual smile.

"I've taken care of the situation, prophetic child," he said while chuckling innocently. However, a trace of murderous intent was present in his sclera.

A moment of silence descended upon the area before I broke the silence through incomprehensible noises.

"What is wrong, prophetic child?" Leo inquired. His eyes widened as he ran towards me, immediately pressing the back of his palm to my forehead. "Temperature is fine. Do you need a ride to the palace?"

Frustration suddenly arose within my heart, which caused me to deflect his helping hand. I stood up angrily before glaring at the man.

"Are you okay, prophetic child?" Leo asked innocently with upturned eyes, like a wet puppy.

Gazing into those eyes, I couldn't help but relax. Sighing, I rested a palm on Leo's shoulder before weakly asking, "Could I explore the city alone? Or, could you supervise while being hidden?"

A moment of silence descended upon the area before Leo shook his head, displaying his sheer determination to guard me.

"Lord Prometheus entrusted his job to me," said Leo. "I cannot leave. Your orders cannot overrule Lord Prometheus, as of now."

Unsure of what to do, I sighed in defeat. "Then, can we go to a place where I can be entertained? Is there an arena in Locus Sacer?"

"An arena…" Leo muttered before his expression brightened. "There's an area in Locus Sacer! Anyone under Mid-Rank Gods can participate."

A content smile bloomed over my face, fueling Leo's enthusiasm.

He quickly grabbed my hand, which I found discomforting, but I let him guide me regardless. After a few seconds, I released my hand from his grip, but he didn't notice.

Sprinting through town, we approached an enormous dome created using a material I'd never seen on Earth. It seemed… sturdy.

It was dark and rocky, yet smooth simultaneously.

"Orichalcum," commented Leo, breaking Alex's train of thought. "A common yet amazing material in the Divine Realm. I assume it didn't exist on your planet?"

I shook my head in denial. "How strong is this?"

"Very," said Leo, scoffing. "Even if several Mid-Rank Gods team up, it would be difficult to put a dent in Orichalcum. It's common but very powerful. Only a High-Rank God would be able to shatter it."

"I'm not familiar with the power of Gods," I said. Leo shrugged, uncertain how to elaborate further.

He'd gotten a bit more comfortable with me and now conversed regularly without a hitch. He didn't stutter, falter with his words, or flatter me.

'I was getting annoyed,' I said internally, rolling my eyes before sighing in relief.

"I got us a ticket," said Leo, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Already? How?"

"I left while you were invested in your thoughts. Remember, our seats are J1 and J2."

I nodded, etching his words in my mind. We passed through security and entered the arena. I was greeted by the blinding lights that bombarded my vision.

Squinting, I peeked through my eyelids. As I gazed at the arena, my jaw dropped, and my eyes widened to the size of saucers. My head turned violently, absorbing the scene voraciously as if it were the best thing I'd ever seen in my life.

It was truly amazing.

There were at least a million people seated in the stands and hundreds of participants.

Blinding lights and unparalleled architecture, along with the organized staff. Even the fighting area was furnished extensively before the battles.

"Most prominent arena in Othrys," Leo whispered in my ear, allowing a genuine smile to bloom over his face.

As we explored the area, Leo ran into an old friend. It was a bulky man donned in a tank top and battle wear.

With brushed-back, greasy hair, he seemed like a true warrior.

"How're you doing, Leo?" the man bellowed in an excited tone before wrapping Leo in a bear hug. Leo reciprocated by laughing boisterously while returning the greeting.

"It's been a while, Oliver," Leo greeted. "How long has it been? A couple of thousand years? Have you become a Low-Rank God yet?"

"Still a Lowest-Rank God, sadly," Oliver said in a disappointed tone. Leo patted his back in empathy before backing away.

"Are you competing?"

"Yeah!" Oliver admitted. He pointed to the war axe strapped to his upper back. "Ol' Destroyer and I haven't fought in a while."

I cringed at the name of Oliver's axe, and that's when the latter noticed me. Observing me, he instantly deduced that I was a demigod. A sneer appeared on his face.

"Carrying a half-breed with you?" Oliver inquired, pushing me slightly before tapping Leo on the chest. "A slave… nice! Did that old geezer Prometheus allow this?"

Leo's nonchalant expression faded, morphing into that of rage. He unsheathed his sword, but I held him back before shaking my head.

'It isn't worth it.'

Although reluctant, he lowered his blade. Oliver watched in amusement before letting out a chuckle.

"Ah, so you're his slave."

Leo ignored the man, guiding me to our seats. Oliver laughed boisterously before disappearing from view.

Leo and I arrived at our seats, J1 and J2, before plopping down on them. I let myself sink in the cushions, relishing the sensation.

"They're comfortable, aren't they?" Leo inquired, clasping his hands above his head. Although his armor weighed him down severely, Leo didn't seem to be feeling heavy.

I nodded at his question, turning my attention to the participants.

"First battle is Oliver against a Lowest-Rank God named Ian," Leo announced. Following his words, a man dressed in black and white robes entered the arena before explaining the same thing, but in extensive detail.

The two participants entered the arena, possessing haughty and arrogant expressions. Oliver was, of course, burly. However, his opponent was surprisingly lanky.

Wearing an oversized tunic and loose pants, he seemed more of a slob than a warrior.

However, there was determination in Oliver's eyes.

"Oliver would laugh at his opponent unless there's something special about him," commented Leo, scrutinizing the lanky man.

"Can you tell what's special?" I inquired, observing the lanky man myself.

"No," muttered Leo inaudibly. "I'm too far away, and my senses are being obstructed."

I nodded before returning to observing the battle. Strength–as I'd noticed–was the deciding factor of one's position in society. If one possessed ample strength, one would be respected and/or feared.

However, if one were weak, they would be demeaned and/or treated as common folk. Despite not wanting to stand out too much, I wanted to maintain a stagnant position in society that wouldn't diminish.

I wanted to be treated highly but not too high. I… wanted to be respected.

If I could gain ample strength to the point where someone like Leo wouldn't be able to refuse my orders no matter what Prometheus said, it would be nice.

However, I also knew that people trained for thousands if not millions or even billions of years to gain power. I couldn't spare much time. Could demigods even live eternally? No, I wondered, could Gods live eternally?

Shattering my train of thought were sparks in the lanky man's arms and darkness in Oliver's.

"Powerful divinities," commented Leo, praising the two. "Lightning and darkness… their parents should be spectacular."

I watched with interest, paying little mind to Leo's ramblings. However, I still kept an ear open to absorb a few pieces of information that exited the man's lips.

Squinting, I simply observed.

I wanted to become strong, and only through watching could I learn.