Chapter 43. The Arena of Savages (1)
The Arena of Savages (1)
The landscape of Kurkan was harsh upon arrival. Most of its citizens were soldiers—this was a nation where pillaging and war were daily occurrences. Ironically, internal security seemed lax in comparison.
Lucian, accompanied by Sophia, made his way to the royal palace. Seated upon the throne was the massive, muscle-bound Savage King, Barkan.
"Hoh, Count Lucian. It's been a while."
Barkan's gaze slid past Lucian and fixed onto Sophia beside him.
"And who is this?"
Sophia's beauty was of a kind rarely seen in this scorched, brutal land.
Her platinum blonde hair, as if spun from molten starlight, framed deep, clear grey eyes and flawless, translucent skin. The sacred grace she exuded—so radiant even her lavish dress couldn't obscure it—was more than enough to ignite the primal conquest-lust of beastly men.
"My fiancée. A former priestess," Lucian preempted.
Barkan's brow twitched.
"Fiancée? And a priestess at that? I heard you were engaged to the daughter of Baron Richard from the South. Was I misinformed?"
A military nation's intelligence network was nothing to scoff at. Just as Lucian faltered, Sophia stepped forward.
"Your Majesty. Our king permitted a second engagement as a reward for Count Lucian saving my life. He is my savior."
Sophia recited the fabricated tale with calm precision, her voice carrying the persuasive weight of a priestess.
"Hmm, I see. Well, heroes often have many women. I've got four wives myself."
Barkan laughed boisterously, dismissing his suspicions.
But Lucian didn't miss the way the king swallowed thickly while staring at Sophia—a woman as rare and coveted as a unicorn.
[The Next Day, The Arena]
King Barkan invited Lucian and Sophia to the royal viewing box.
The circular arena reeked of blood and sand. Sophia felt dizzy under the weight of the brutal slaughter below and the frenzied cheers of the bloodthirsty crowd, nausea clawing at her throat.
"Bit dull, isn't it? Lucian, I've heard of your martial prowess. Care to give me a firsthand demonstration?"
Barkan's request was an unrefusable command. Sophia paled.
"Don't worry."
Lucian reassured her before descending into the arena, sword in hand.
He had never lost a one-on-one duel without magic, so facing the arena champion hardly concerned him.
The real problem was the viewing box.
With Lucian gone, only Sophia, King Barkan, and his queen remained in the spacious VIP seats.
Sophia clutched her dress, anxiety coiling in her chest. The stench of blood and sand filled the air, the crowd's maddened roars pounding against her eardrums.
But what truly unsettled her was the ragged breathing beside her.
"Hah... Hahh... Uuunngh...!"
"Good, good... Squeeze harder."
A man's voice, guttural like a beast's growl, mingled with a woman's gasping moans.
Sophia instinctively turned—and froze.
"......!!"
This wasn't an arena box. It was a beast's bedchamber.
King Barkan sat sprawled arrogantly on his throne, legs wide, while the Queen of Kurkan straddled him, facing him directly.
The queen's appearance was as intense as the southern sun.
Her smooth, deeply tanned skin glistened with sweat and oil, her exotic features accentuated by heavy kohl that exuded decadence. The lavish red silk dress she wore had been hiked up past her waist, crumpled and forgotten.
Her bare lower half was fully exposed atop the king's thighs.
Sophia's eyes locked onto the sight—Barkan's thick, crimson shaft buried to the hilt between the queen's plump, bouncing buttocks.
"Ah! Aah! Your Majesty! Too deep! Ah!"
"Good, good, squeeze tighter."
The queen clung to the king's neck, rolling her hips.
With every movement, his engorged cock dragged against her inner walls, sliding out just enough to glisten before plunging back in with a wet slap.
Transparent love juice bubbled and dripped from their joined flesh, leaving glistening trails across their dark skin.
"Forgive me, Priestess."
Barkan grinned when he caught Sophia's gaze—not stopping, but thrusting harder, his smile turning lecherous.
Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!
"When I smell blood and the wild... my cock just won't stay down."
"Nngh! Your Majesty... the guests are watching...! Ah! Nngh! Aaah!"
The queen buried her face in his chest, but her body betrayed her, clenching around him greedily. If anything, the thrill of being watched made her buck her hips even more wildly.
Barkan's rough hands plunged beneath her dress, groping and kneading her heavy breasts before yanking them free.
Her tanned flesh spilled out, dark nipples stiff like ripe dates. He squeezed and twisted them mercilessly.
"I heard Count Lucian of Eldonia is quite the womanizer. Even here in the far south, his reputation precedes him. Surely he fucks women on the battlefield too, no?"
"Ah! Ah! Harder...! It's—nngh—tingling!"
The queen's head snapped back, sweat-drenched black hair flying as Barkan sucked on her nipples while pistoning into her.
Slap! Squelch! Thud! Thud!
The lewd sounds of flesh slapping and wet friction blended grotesquely with the arena's cheers.
Sophia's face burned.
As a priestess—no, as a civilized person—this was beyond comprehension.
Is this... how they behave in front of foreign dignitaries?!
Mortified, she desperately tried to focus on Lucian in the arena below.
But the queen's sticky moans and the obscene squelching still filled her ears.
"Hahk! There! My womb—aaah!"
"Good, good. Show me how the bitch-queen of Kurkan takes my seed!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The raw, animalistic sounds of mating beside her hammered home the truth—this was a land where reason and morality were dead, ruled only by primal desire.
The iron gates creaked open.
Kurkan's champion stepped into the arena.
Lucian blinked in surprise. He had expected a hulking giant, but instead, a slender woman stood before him.
[The Slave Gladiator, Kara]
Her light tan skin, typical of the south, looked healthy, her toned body lean and agile. But she seemed too slight to wield a heavy blade.
Only her eyes betrayed her—sharp and predatory, like a beast's.
This is the champion?
Lucian reached for a longsword from the weapon rack, not out of underestimation, but sheer confidence in his own skill.
"Woooah! Kara, kill him!""That bastard's from the north, right? Show him the south's heat!"
Though the match was ceremonial, the arena was electric with excitement.
Then—
Swish! Swish!
Before the sound of split air even registered, a razor-sharp blade was already at Lucian's throat.
Her weapon was a rapier.
Not strength, but speed.
She moved like a dancer, her footwork elegant yet deadly as she exploited every opening.
"Hoh... Impressive. A waste of talent in a place like this."
Lucian deflected her strikes as he spoke, but Kara snarled back.
"Shut up! This is a sacred duel—no time for chatter!"
She pressed her assault relentlessly.
Thrust. Slash. Thrust again.
A barrage of attacks rained down at a hair's breadth distance, making Sophia flinch in her seat.
Please... don't get hurt...
Lucian dodged with effortless precision, his crimson eyes tracking not just her movements but the contractions of her muscles, the rhythm of her breath.
She's not normal. She's not even pausing to breathe between strikes.
Then—
Kara suddenly halted, raising one hand high in an odd stance.
Lucian frowned, watching her warily.
"Oho! Already pulling out her finisher?!"
Barkan roared from the VIP box, still buried inside his queen. He turned her around, seating her on his lap while leaning forward eagerly.
"Nngh... Your Majesty... I can't... breathe...!"
The queen's dress was in disarray, Barkan's hands mauling her breasts.
The bloodier the match, the more aroused he became, grinding his pelvis against her ass.
Their coupling was just another spice in this savage spectacle.
"Finish him! Kara!"
Kara's raised hand wasn't just for balance—it was a masterful feint to misdirect her opponent.
Her heel tapped the ground rhythmically before she exploded forward like a bullet.
Pat—!
Her rapier flicked toward Lucian's head—then twisted mid-air, plunging straight for his heart.
Too fast to evade.
But Lucian didn't evade.
He gripped his sword with both hands, legs spread, blade lowered—and waited.
"NO!!"
Sophia squeezed her eyes shut.
[Images: Chapter 43 Illustrations]