Chapter 13 – Horus Gladiator Troupe (6
Chapter 13 – Horus Gladiator Troupe (6)
There was a commotion in the gladiator waiting room.
“What’s that guy doing now?”
“Charcoal powder?”
The gladiators talked amongst themselves while watching Urich.
“Quiet, you bastards. I have to focus, so shut your mouths.”
Urich put the charcoal powder into a bowl. Then, he cut his palm and squeezed blood out of the wound.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped into the bowl. He then used his finger to mix the charcoal powder and blood together.
‘Is this enough?’
The dark red liquid made from mixing the two ingredients was sticky. Urich rubbed it between his fingers to test its color and viscosity.
“Is that… war paint? It’s been a while since I last saw it.”
Sven spoke from a distance. A few, like Sven, started to realize what Urich was doing.
“Hah, it’s like he’s trying to show off that he’s a barbarian bastard. Look at what he’s smothering on his face. Fucking war paint.”
Donovan spoke and spat on the floor. It looked like Donovan didn’t lie about participating in the barbarian subjugation.
“Fuuu.”
Urich went on his knees while raising the bowl. He closed his eyes and put the dark red liquid on his face.
He used the part that had more charcoal in it to darken the areas around his eyes. He drew a dark red line across his neck, all the way around his nape.
“Oh, you look quite scary.”
The surrounding gladiators commented while looking at Urich. Urich didn’t talk back to them, choosing to focus on his war paint instead.
He drew on his face with his skillful hands, adding another dark red line and splitting his face horizontally in half. He looked like an evil spirit.
The only thing that was different about him was that he was wearing war paint, but he felt his senses become razor-sharp. His body was excited from remembering his motherland, screaming at him to raise his weapon and charge at the enemy.
‘I might die from this.’
Urich understood this as well. He knows what it means to take on a 1v5 fight from experience.
‘But I don’t plan on dying here. It’s not time yet.’
He wouldn’t have brought it up if he had no chance of winning. Urich came to the conclusion that, while it is difficult, he could still do it.
“Urich, it’s your turn,” someone called.
Urich opened his eyes from his meditation. His eyes and teeth stood out from his paint-covered face.
Bright light shone in when he finally opened his eyes. It stung his eyes, but Urich gazed into the afterimages of the spreading light.
“Damn it, Garold died.”
“I knew he was going to die. That guy had diarrhea all morning.”
The blood-covered gladiators spoke. All of the other gladiator matches were finished. Urich was the last one.
“Win and come back, Urich.”
Bakman patted Urich on his back.
Creaaaaaaak.
The arena’s door opened, and Urich stepped out into the sand field while spinning his sword.
“Oh, ahhh, the weather is nice.”
Urich spread his arms and looked at the sky. The audience screamed after seeing his war paint.
“What is that? What did he put on his face? Blood?”
“He looks like a monster. A real monster.”
The audience became rowdy.
Creaaaaak.
The door on the opposite side opened, and five prisoners stepped out.
“Kuku, if the five of us kill him, our sentences will be reduced.”
The prisoners were not death row convicts. They were prisoners who had been sentenced for a long time and came to the arena to reduce it if they won. Some of them were prisoners who had done physical labor, such as mining and logging, for a long time.
Shhhk.
The prisoners drew their weapons. Because they were convicts who volunteered to be there, they were all used to handling weapons.
“Damn it, it became a pain. These guys know how to fight. How did Troupe Leader Horus set this up?!” Bakman, who was watching from the outside, yelled in frustration. If it were five ordinary death row convicts, Bakman might have been able to do it as well. Not all death row convicts are good at fighting.
“The way they hold their weapons shows that they have some experience. They’re prisoners that volunteered to reduce their sentences. Most of them are fighters.”
Sven spoke while putting his chain shackles back on his own.
“Serves him right. I guess they just didn’t have enough death row convicts.”
Donovan and his clique cackled and laughed. Bakman narrowed his eyes.
‘If Urich dies here, Donovan will be able to influence the match list as much as he wants to again.’
If a gladiator wanted to survive and make money, he also needed to be lucky on the match list. The more easy matches Donovan’s goons took, the more difficult matches Bakman would have to take.
“All of their stances are pretty good.”
Urich raised his sword and took a stance. The five prisoners looked at each other and closed the distance with Urich.
‘These guys didn’t practice any pincer movements. They only have an advantage in numbers. None of them plan on attacking first, since no one wants to take on the dangerous role.’
Urich looked at his opponents. Even though they should be attacking first while taking advantage of their numbers, they just kept exchanging looks.
“Then I’ll go.”
Urich moved to the side and aimed at a prisoner. With the force from his first step, his stab went deep.
“Heeut!”
The prisoner raised his shield. Even after seeing the shield, Urich didn’t stop his attack.
‘If it’s this sword, I can do it.’
Urich tightened his grip on the sword.
CRUSH!
He leaped in and stabbed the prisoner, shattering the wooden grain of the shield and piercing through the prisoner’s heart.
“Haha, this is amazing. Iron really is tough!”
Obviously, a sword made from iron would have bent. However, Urich’s imperial steel sword succeeded in penetrating the shield.
He quickly pulled out his sword and kicked the prisoner away.
“Attack him!”
The startled prisoners yelled. They finally started attacking.
Swords and spears were aimed at Urich. He rolled on the floor multiple times and dodged the spear tips.
His vision spun around. But even in the middle of him losing his sense of direction, his eyes didn’t let go of his opponents. He pulled out one of the axes on his thigh.
“Heup!”
With all his strength, Urich threw an axe towards the ground. Its handle hit the floor, causing it to bounce back up. The prisoner couldn’t react to the axe coming from an unexpected angle.
“U-Uwaaaargh!”
The axe was embedded into the prisoner’s groin. He let go of his weapon to scream and grab his crotch.
The prisoners’ gazes looked away only for a second.
“Where are you looking?”
Urich grabbed his sword with both hands and slashed with all his might. He swung it as if it were a club and aimed for a convict’s head.
CRUSH!
The prisoner who was standing in the front was wearing a helmet, but it was unable to withstand the force from the blow. His neck was snapped.
‘It’s a damn good sword.’
If it were a different sword, the blade would have been dulled or bent by now. However, his sword was still sharp because it was made of imperial steel.
“It really was… an imperial steel sword…”
Donovan suddenly stood up and spoke. Because he was a former soldier, he had seen an imperial steel weapon before. The weapons were made from the best iron and had an excellent balance between strength and flexibility. Imperial steel was one of the reasons that the Empire was able to reign supreme in the continent.
“That’s really imperial steel? That barbarian really has an imperial steel weapon?”
“If we do something like that with our weapons, it’d bend or break. Do you want to try it? Huh?”
Donovan gave a sidelong scowl, and the gladiator that asked lowered his head.
‘How is a fucking barbarian able to get a hold of a weapon like that?’
It was hard for commoners to get their hands on an imperial steel weapon. It would be different if they were a noble, but it wasn’t a weapon that a normal gladiator would have.
“He already took down two of them! Go, Urich!” Bakman excitedly screamed. There was a chance for victory.
“It would be different if the five of them were all trained, but they’re just a ragtag group. They’re already overwhelmed by fear. The war paint had quite the effect.”
Sven crossed his arms and watched the match.
It was just as Sven said. As Urich roared with his dark-red painted face, the prisoners awkwardly stood around and gave Urich time.
“He’s pushing them back with just his fighting spirit. That youngin already knows how to fight against multiple enemies. He didn’t suggest this match because he was reckless; it’s because he was confident.”
Sven opened his mouth and gave a hearty laugh.
Urich stamped out his enemies’ numbers advantage and had the initiative.
“UWAAAAAH!”
Urich screamed at the top of his lungs and swung his sword.
The prisoner raised his blade in an effort to block it.
CLANG!
The skin on the prisoner’s palm tore from receiving the blow. The sword soon flew towards the sky, unable to withstand Urich’s strength.
“Hieek!”
Urich used his other hand to swing his axe. He hacked at the prisoner’s neck and blood flowed out. Urich, drenched in blood, glared and searched for his prey.
‘Two.’
There were only two left.
The prisoners were frightened, and their hands were trembling. Even though they knew how to wield weapons, in the end, they were city thugs at most.
Urich was a warrior who lived by hunting and killing in war. Thugs are not a match for him.
“Come at me. You guys don’t have a choice anyway, right?”
Urich wagged his finger at them. The prisoners were not allowed to forfeit. They either died or won.
“U-UWAAAAAAH!”
A fear-stricken prisoner charged at Urich. However, his actions were clumsy.
“Fuuu.”
Urich quietly breathed out.
‘This wasn’t worth resolving myself. It’s boring.’
He sliced the belly of the prisoner that came at him, causing intestines to spill out onto the floor.
SWOOSH!
Urich softly threw his axe. The blade hit the other prisoner’s head and split it.
FFSHCK.
Urich bent down to pull his axe out of the prisoner’s body. It shone red with blood.
“WHOAAAAAA!”
The audience erupted into cheers. Urich raised his sword above his head to answer the audience.
He killed five men with only aggressive attacks. It was obvious that the audience would be excited. Even the nobles that sat in the VIP areas applauded.
“Yeah! That’s it!”
Bakman, who was in the waiting room, clenched his fists and yelled. A few other gladiators were joyous as well.
Creak.
Urich returned to the waiting room. His blood-covered face didn’t look human. It was already terrifying without the fresh blood due to the war paint. Now, however, he was no different from an evil spirit.
“You bastards, what are you looking at?”
Urich cackled and started off with wiping the blood off his weapons.
Step, step.
Donovan came up to him. Urich rolled his eyes before looking at his visitor.
“Am I the main attraction now, Donovan?”
Urich spoke with a pretentious air of indifference. Donovan twisted his lips and spat on the floor.
“Hah? Let’s see about that. But I will congratulate you for now. You’ve become the rising star of the Horus Gladiator Troupe.”
Donovan put his hand out first. Urich grabbed it and stood up.
‘Is it a ceasefire for now?’
Donovan chose not to clash with Urich. He chose to somewhat recognize his status.
If he chose to clash, one of them would have to die.
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