Blood Rain Over the Colosseum
The people gathered at the colosseum where the martial tournament was being held had both a misfortune and a fortune. The misfortune was that the colosseum and its surrounding area currently held the highest concentration of people in the entire duchy. The arena itself, which had been steadily expanded over time, easily seated over ten thousand spectators, and with the additional magical screens and outdoor seating erected for this tournament—plus its prime location in the heart of the bustling city—the total number swelled even further. It would not be an exaggeration to say that thirty to forty percent of the entire duchy's population was gathered here.
The arena's ceiling was open to the sky, and the spell-casting devices installed to handle rain had failed to activate in time due to the earthquake and the ensuing chaos. Crimson raindrops poured down upon the heads of the packed spectators. Soaked to the bone, the people could not even scream properly; they stood frozen like living corpses, barely able to breathe.
The blood-red raindrops greedily drained the spectators of their stamina and vitality, then converged at the center of the arena, coalescing into a single mass. Soon, three giant figures took shape and let out a silent roar. Their size exceeded two meters, and their presence was far more intense than the other "blood clots" rampaging through the city—a testament to how much energy they had successfully stolen.
Just as the three giants turned to harvest the lives of the spectators in the stands, the "fortune" left to the colosseum's people sprang into action.
"I don't know if you're demonic beasts, monsters, or something else entirely……"
A voice rang out—outwardly calm and composed, yet seething with terrifying fury beneath the surface. In the next instant, accompanied by a flash of brilliant steel, the head of one of the three giants was sent flying into the sky.
Daniel Richter. The representative knight of Mars Duchy had stepped forward.
His sword strikes, far more violent and sharp than the elegant, refined swordsmanship he had displayed during the tournament, left the remaining two giants reeling. Before they could react, several shadows blocked their path. A massive greatsword cleaved through the air, while twin blades struck like a raging storm. Akasha and Crow.
The attacks from two of the academy's top-ranked fighters made the giants hesitate, but unlike with Daniel, the blood giants did not fall easily. They swung their enormous limbs in retaliation. The two fighters wore serious expressions—the giants possessed speed that rivaled Akasha's rapid strikes and toughness and strength that matched Crow's own.
But that only lasted a moment.
Flash!
When Daniel swung his sword again, the heads of the two remaining giants flew into the air just like the first. Crow frowned.
"Hey, stealing someone else's prey like that feels a bit off, doesn't it?"
Akasha spoke in disbelief.
"Are you seriously worrying about that right now, in this situation?"
Daniel replied.
"My apologies for robbing you young ones of your achievements. However, as the paladin lady said, the situation is urgent. I hope you'll understand."
He moved closer, as if to examine the fallen blood giants, but before he could reach them, the giants melted like water and were absorbed into the ground. Daniel's brow furrowed.
"Since they were giants formed from liquid, I expected them to regenerate multiple times, but that was disappointingly easy. …No, did they simply retreat? There's no way to collect spilled water, so this is quite the headache."
Slashing apart "blood clots" that had taken on living forms was no problem, but if they moved elsewhere and reformed like this, even he would have no way to deal with them. No matter how skilled Daniel was, covering the entire city was impossible.
He turned to the two and asked.
"Did you avoid the rain?"
"We were stuck right in the middle of the stands. There was no space to dodge, so we just endured it with reinforcement."
"If you'd been next to me, I would've protected you with a shield. And here you are, acting like a wounded wolf over a loss when you were planning to come watch the next match anyway."
"God, you're so damn noisy! Are you my sister or something?!"
"If you were my little brother, your head would've already been cracked open by a flick from me."
Daniel stepped in to stop the two.
"It's good that you young ones are close, but this is an urgent situation. Save it for later."
Crow and Akasha were well aware of the gravity of the situation, so their exchange had been little more than a way to release tension. But the circumstances allowed no such breathing room. Just as Daniel was about to speak again, the distinctive ringing of a magical loudspeaker echoed throughout the entire colosseum.
At first, the two thought the announcer was moving to respond to the emergency, but the voice that rang out belonged to someone else.
"Everyone, hear me! I am Gerd von Mars! The current Duke of Mars and the host of this tournament! A magical barrier has been deployed above the arena, so no more of that accursed rain will fall! Furthermore, the valiant knight of Mars, Daniel, has already repelled the internal threat, so this place is safe! Therefore, remain where you are and rest! Do not attempt to move recklessly!"
It was a charismatic voice filled with strong conviction—the kind only someone who had borne great responsibility from a high position could produce. The fact that the duke himself had personally guaranteed their safety allowed the terrified spectators, immobilized by fear, to gradually regain their composure.
"Additionally, among those who avoided the rain or can still move despite being drenched, anyone confident in their abilities should immediately head outside the colosseum to repel the external invaders and rescue the people! I, Mars, swear upon my name that the reward for risking your lives in battle will be paid without fail!"
At the duke's words, the eyes of those who had been helping the fallen or hesitantly wondering what to do changed. Most of them were either finalists in the martial tournament or skilled contestants who had been eliminated in the preliminaries. That was precisely why they had been able to skillfully handle the mysterious rain or endure it enough to still move afterward.
And this was the fortune of the colosseum's people. The high population density had created favorable conditions for the birth of powerful "blood clots," but a significant portion of the forces capable of opposing those blood clots had also gathered here.
"Daniel! In case of emergency, I will leave knights and soldiers inside as well! You go outside and take command now! Blood clots similar to the ones you just defeated are reportedly converging here from all over the territory, so hurry!"
"Understood, my lord!"
Even as he answered loudly, Daniel Richter could not help but feel conflicted inside. The Duke of Mars's orders were not wrong. Prioritizing the defense of this place, where many lives needed protection and forces were concentrated, to rescue the citizens and guests was a perfectly reasonable strategy. Moreover, it was obvious to anyone that the blood clots' target was to destroy this very arena. Considering the catastrophe that would unfold if the defenses here collapsed, entrusting the defense and command of this location to Daniel, the duchy's strongest fighter, was the correct decision.
However—
—Report from the rear guard! We received a warning about terrorism and a message suggesting the need to investigate the Red Tower from tournament finalist Chrome Midas and his two companions!
It was the report from a soldier he had heard when he moved to the special seats to receive orders from the duke. The Duke of Mars had shown no particular reaction to it. Perhaps he had deemed it unreliable, or perhaps, with so many knights and soldiers already incapacitated by the blood rain, there simply weren't enough forces to spare on an uncertain possibility.
Even while understanding that the duke, who bore responsibility for so many lives in this critical situation, could not easily take a gamble, Daniel felt an ominous premonition as he watched the blood giant he had defeated melt away and flow somewhere.
Dealing with the immediate threat was important, but focusing solely on it might cause them to miss something even more dangerous. He could not disobey the duke's orders. Yet persuading the duke was difficult when even Daniel himself was not certain which choice to make.
After much deliberation, he decided to exercise a bit of "overreach."
"You two. Do you happen to know anything about the people who left the arena first earlier?"
At Daniel's question, Crow and Akasha wore extremely peculiar expressions.
"How could we not know the academy's greatest swindler who spread devilish sales tactics that no human with a conscience would ever think of, along with his gang?"
"Wait, aren't we part of that 'gang' too? More like side characters than main ones, though."
"I-Is that so? Well, as long as you know. Then, would you two be willing to go support those friends of yours? According to the soldiers, they ran toward the Red Tower suspecting it even before the blood rain started falling."
The two paused for a moment, then nodded as they realized something.
'This martial tournament really was a high-stakes gamble.'
'There's no way that damn one-eyed glasses didn't place a bet. And he just abandoned all that to run off?'
There was something going on. In a way, it was an incredibly solid trust—the kind that came from knowing Chrome would never do something that would cause him to lose money without reason.