From the gloomy iron gate, a towering figure slowly emerged.
His entire body was clad in armor, with only his arms and left leg exposed. Those exposed parts were an eerie purple soul-form, like an undead revenant from medieval Europe, exuding a faint, chilling aura.
Beneath the silver helmet, a pair of golden eyes gleamed. There was no joy or sorrow in them, no hint of emotion at all. They felt like eyes that could see through everything in the universe, detached from the mortal world.
"This is the Shadow Death Guard…" Lucian murmured.
Although the Shadow Death Guard's presence wasn't particularly overwhelming, Lucian knew all too well that enemies like this were often the most dangerous.
True experts rarely let their aura spill outward. They stayed restrained, steady, and composed.
A tiger in the heart, yet gentle enough to smell the roses.
They stayed silent until they struck, and when they did, it was shocking.
When someone revealed their full momentum, it was either because they had met a powerful enemy, or because the timing was perfect for a single, fatal blow.
The Shadow Death Guard's gaze remained calm as he walked over and stopped beside the Blood Shadow Tiger, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"This is the champion of the previous two Arenas, the Shadow Death Guard!" the Bunny-Eared Beauty announced loudly, her voice filled with passion. "Since winning the championship, this powerful contender has not fought for two and a half years!"
"And today, under the orders of Slix Vigma, he will defeat three challengers from Earth in the Golden Colosseum!"
"I believe many of you have never seen the Shadow Death Guard fight. That includes me as well. After all, I've only been here for less than two years…" The bunny-eared beauty flashed a crafty smile, revealing her white teeth. "Alright, no more chatter. Whether the Shadow Death Guard can defeat his opponents, let's wait and see!"
Crash!
The entire audience aboard the Megacruiser, including other competitors, had gathered here. Cheers and screams erupted wildly, their excitement surging and blood boiling.
Three former champions joining forces at the same time was something that had never happened before. Such powerful figures working together, all to deal with challengers from Earth?
Some spectators began to speculate that these Earthlings, who looked rather ordinary, must have real skill. Otherwise, Slix Vigma wouldn't have arranged things this way.
The Shadow Death Guard swept his gaze across the three opponents and spoke slowly in a hoarse voice. "Just these few weak creatures. Is there really a need for such a spectacle?"
Two frail Earthlings and one ugly freak. Wouldn't Technorg be enough to handle them? Why did Slix Vigma insist on sending him as well?
The Shadow Death Guard couldn't understand it.
The Blood Shadow Tiger glanced at the Shadow Death Guard and quietly shifted his footing, edging a little closer to Technorg, as if instinctively repelled by the aura surrounding him.
Technorg scratched his head and leaned slightly to the left, forcibly squeezing the Blood Shadow Tiger back.
"You—" The Blood Shadow Tiger was about to flare up when he suddenly noticed the Shadow Death Guard watching him. He immediately took a deep breath and said,
"Alright. I trust you've both received that guy's orders too. He wants us to defeat those three Earthlings, so we'll do exactly that."
"Once the job's done, we eat and drink to our hearts' content. What do you say?" He shook his head as he spoke, glancing at both sides.
"I'm fine with it," Technorg said, shaking his head.
The Blood Shadow Tiger turned to the Shadow Death Guard, waiting for his answer.
The silver helmet concealed the Shadow Death Guard's face completely. Only those golden eyes were visible, flickering faintly.
"So? What's your take?" the Blood Shadow Tiger leaned in and asked quietly.
The Shadow Death Guard's eyes flashed. He pushed the Blood Shadow Tiger aside and spoke a single word. "Fine."
"Good. Then let's join forces and take down those three enemies." The Blood Shadow Tiger finally relaxed, flames igniting in his eyes.
On the hovering platform, the tall and elegant Rabbit-Eared Alien held a microphone and announced solemnly, "I now declare the battle officially begun!"
Boom!
Two flashes of green light burst forth, and Ben and Lucian vanished.
In their place stood Four Arms and Big Chill.
Four Arms towered over three meters tall, with four arms and four eyes. His blood-red skin was covered in bulging muscle, and he wore a white top and black boxing gloves. A wild, brutal aura radiated from him.
Big Chill was entirely ice-blue, with wings spread from his back. His build was slender, and his golden eyes gleamed. With every breath, freezing air spilled out around him.
Kevin snorted, clearly disdainful of their transformations. He didn't need that kind of power.
"The next champion will still be me!"
Technorg roared and charged first, lifting his massive flail and smashing it down toward Kevin.
"Freak! Let me teach you how to show some respect!"
Kevin 11 transformed one hand into a blade while flames ignited in the other, charging straight at Technorg.
The two collided like moving heavy tanks. Every blow landed solidly, releasing terrifying force.
Meanwhile, the Blood Shadow Tiger locked onto Ben, now in the form of Four Arms.
With a long roar, the Blood Shadow Tiger flexed every muscle in his body until they crackled. In an instant, he became a crimson blur, slamming toward Four Arms at extreme speed.
The "King" mark on his forehead, combined with his violent aura, made him look utterly domineering, like a ferocious ancient beast that inspired fear.
"Come on! This hero isn't scared of you!" Four Arms shouted.
Refusing to back down, he clenched his hardened fists and met the Blood Shadow Tiger head-on.
Bang! Bang!
The moment they clashed, Four Arms grabbed hold of the Blood Shadow Tiger's fist and braced himself, stopping the attack cold.
"Roar!"
The Blood Shadow Tiger was savage to the core. His explosive muscles bulged as he poured all his strength forward, pushing relentlessly.
In an instant, a tremendous force surged through his fist, forcing Four Arms to slide backward.
"Tetramand, is that all you've got? Go home and drink some milk!" the Blood Shadow Tiger mocked, contempt blazing in his eyes.
Four Arms gritted his teeth. Then, as if something clicked, a grin spread across his face.
"Here you go!"
As the words fell, he thrust out his other two arms, fists clenched, and smashed them brutally into the Blood Shadow Tiger's abdomen...
...
On the other side of the arena, Big Chill was engaged with the Shadow Death Guard.
Unlike the other two battles, the Shadow Death Guard hadn't moved an inch since the fight began, as though he had no intention of attacking.
Or rather, he simply didn't think it was worth it. In his eyes, Blood Shadow Tiger and Technorg were more than enough to deal with these three weaklings.
But Big Chill took the initiative and came straight for him.
Facing the mysterious Shadow Death Guard, Big Chill showed no fear. He exhaled a surge of freezing breath that swept toward his opponent.
The Shadow Death Guard sidestepped effortlessly, then shot upward, stepping on violently churning purple energy as he charged toward Big Chill in midair.
"He can fly?" Big Chill's eyes narrowed.
Seeing the Shadow Death Guard closing in, Big Chill didn't hesitate. He immediately released another blast of icy breath, condensing it into a massive ice rhino in front of him...