The cheers of excitement from the space creatures echoed throughout the Grand Coliseum of Aria. Nova stepped into the arena, fully aware of the kind of things he was about to face.

  ‘It’s the same as before, right?’

  With the exception of the platforms—which were nowhere to be seen—the Arena remained unchanged: the same strange energy shields protecting the audience, the same immense ceiling, cameras, lights, and screens. The sheer scale of the place was always impressive.

  ‘Will they do something different this time? If this place is so famous in the Phareon Galaxy, then it has to be for a reason, right?’

  He shook his head, pushing the heavy thoughts aside.

  ‘I hope it stays just like this.’

  He walked toward the center of the Arena. Looking up at the ceiling, he searched for that membrane-winged figure. It didn’t take long for a shadow to descend and touch the ground. Above it, Mófar flew, basking in the harmonious attention granted by an audience of over one hundred thousand alien creatures.

  Laughing—just as excited—dressed in a shameless red suit, Mófar addressed the crowd.

  “Ladies! Gentlemen! Genderless creatures! Welcome tonight to the Grand Coliseum of Aria!”

  Thousands of voices rose like a dissonant chorus. Irritated, Nova felt the urge to cover his ears, but he resisted. Noticing that his opponent was waiting in the darkness of the long corridor on the opposite side of the Arena, he sharpened his lone eye, hoping to spot something new.

  “You already know it! Everyone on this planet knows it! Maybe you admire him! Maybe you hate him! Maybe you don’t even know him! But he’s here to give us a spectacular show!” the presenter exclaimed, exaggerated like a clown. “Whatever you think of him won’t matter once you see him fight.”

  ‘This guy is an expert at exaggerating. Someone shut him up—his voice annoys me.’

  Kaulai would have agreed. Unfortunately, Mófar had no intention of stopping. Euphoric, wearing a wide grin that revealed his sharp, vampiric fangs, he pointed a hand toward Nova.

  “He’s here to spill the blood of other species! Nova Asmodai!”

  The cheers grew louder, countless eyes locking onto Nova.

  ‘They only saw me fight once and they’re already this excited? Who understands these aliens?’

  Some wanted humans dead, many others admired them with fervent devotion, and a few were deeply skeptical. Whatever the case, humans were well-known across the universe, and having one in this visceral circus was one of the greatest spectacles this planet had seen in recent years.

  “Our beloved human will face a rival worthy of his cunning! Come forth, big guy!”

  Thud… Thud… Scraaaape…

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  From the corridor on the opposite side, the ground shook violently with heavy footsteps. The dragging sound of metal followed, and five yellow eyes glowed menacingly in the distance.

  Nova swallowed. That mysterious being sounded threatening.

  When it emerged from the darkness, the audience immediately began to praise the warrior. Its body was massive—around four meters tall—heavy and round. Its arms were long, like those of an ape, yet its thick, yellowish skin was something no primate should have. Five yellow eyes were scattered across its ominous face, and a mouth filled with terrifying fangs adorned the Aberration that stepped into the light.

  It wore no clothing on its upper body, but its short legs were covered by tight pants made of a rubber-like material. Heavy metal boots encased its feet, and the long, massive sword dragging from its hand was nearly as large as Nova himself.

  “Now that is an Aberration,” Nova whispered.

  Kaulai, Mófar, the girl he had met before, and the red woman were, at the very least, far less monstrous than this being—which didn’t even seem to have ears to hear him.

  “Tonight, to break bones and spill blood—Heavy Metal!”

  The Aberration raised its sword high, grinning with small, sharp teeth. Its small head radiated an aura of inevitable danger.

  Heavy Metal laughed, joining the roar of the crowd.

  From the stands, Mina watched Nova as if expecting something special from him. This time, seated beside her, was the red woman, covered by her black cloak. In her right hand, she held her weapons case.

  “What do you think, Mina? You saw him fight before—do you think he’ll survive that thing?”

  Mina shook her head, uncertain.

  “He’ll probably be killed.”

  “If that happens…”

  “We’ll have to act fast.”

  The red woman smiled.

  “Of course. It’ll be fun.”

  Back in the Arena, Heavy Metal rested the sword on his shoulder and stared at Nova without losing that unpleasant grin. Nova stared back, half-expecting the Aberration to be looking at someone else—unfortunately, aside from Mófar flying overhead, only the two of them stood in the Arena.

  “I saw your fight, Crimson Blood,” the monstrosity said. “Manto lost because he got careless. He was always an arrogant show-off, but I won’t make the same mistake.”

  Uncomfortable with the raspy, heavy voice of his opponent, Nova tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. He also checked his right pocket—inside were seeds.

  ‘I hope they’re useful this time. I managed to gather plenty of seeds from the vegetables and fruits in the fridge. If I use them properly, I could turn the Arena into a forest.’

  An entire forest under his control would be a massive advantage—but it came with a downside. An Empath who used Energy Control had to consider how drastically it would drain their stamina, depending on how the energy was used.

  Nothing could be created without losing something in return—even on this planet, that law would never change.

  “I’ll crush you from the very start. I won’t hold back, so I expect you to do the same. From the beginning—at the peak of our abilities…”

  Frowning, Nova replied:

  “So be it.”

  His eyes glowed with Anticipation and Serenity. A golden and orange aura wrapped around his body, blending together like blazing flames.

  ‘I’ll grow stronger and stronger… and I’ll return home once I’m capable of saving myself.’

  “Let’s not waste any more time!” Mófar shouted. “We all know why we’re here.”

  Both fighters were ready. Then, the presenter gave the signal.

  “Kill each other!”

  Nova drew his pistol and immediately opened fire at point-blank range.