Arena Contest

The Arena was spacious, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and blood.

The open area was packed with people. There were Space Marines and mortals, and judging by the colors of their armor and equipment, they weren't just Red Corsairs or members of their vassal forces. There were also members of other warbands from the Maelstrom.

Lu Jin looked around and thought the place resembled the Octagon where he'd fought in boxing matches in his previous life, only several times larger.

Tiered seating surrounded the open area above.

When Lu Jin led a hundred mortals into the Arena and stood inside the cage, the gate opposite opened. Three unarmored Space Marines entered, each holding a Chainsword.

The two sides took their places ten meters apart, glaring at one another.

The hundred people who had volunteered to follow Lu Jin weren't soldiers. They were workers, somewhat stronger than ordinary mortals, who usually performed specialized jobs aboard the ship. But after surviving the Greenskins' rampage, they weren't about to faint at the sight of Space Marines.

Lu Jin took a few steps forward and stood at the head of the hundred. He looked up and saw Huron seated in the stands directly opposite.

A Space Marine in dark green armor stood beside Huron.

A Nurgle devotee at a glance.

But he showed none of the usual signs of a Nurgle devotee, such as mutated limbs, boils, or rotting flesh. His dark green armor was spotless and pristine.

Huron was pushing a wheelchair. Star-Claw Veteran, nicknamed Lone Wolf, sat in it.

Lone Wolf's eyes were open, his pupils unfocused, and his arms trembled on the wheelchair's armrests.

When he met Lu Jin's gaze, his pupils suddenly constricted, but he showed no other reaction.

"Huron!"

Lu Jin raised his Power Hammer and pointed it at the stands.

"I saved your warrior, and my Chapter Master is your friend. Is this how you repay me?"

"I can fight here. Let the people behind me go back!"

Huron had his own ways of winning people over.

For instance, he was famous for valuing Star-Claw Veterans, because they had fought for him back when he still served the Imperium. Anyone who saved a Star-Claw Veteran could expect a reward.

Likewise, even Blood Feud enemies who were willing to kneel and surrender would be welcomed by Huron.

And talented people who sought him out could earn his favor and preferential treatment by proving their abilities and pledging their loyalty.

In short, by buying people's loyalty, the Red Corsairs had gradually grown to a size worthy of being called a legion.

If someone saved a Star-Claw Veteran only to end up fighting to the death in the Arena, it would be a blow to Huron's reputation and authority.

"Mortals can only be slaves here."

Huron spoke calmly. He lowered his head to straighten Lone Wolf's collar and answered as if it were of little consequence.

"You brought ten thousand mortals, and I didn't make them slaves. I gave them shelter and food. They eat better than my mortal crew."

"Haven't I treated you well?"

As soon as Huron finished speaking, Lu Jin paced from side to side, weapon in hand, never taking his eyes off him. "I'm not asking for any special treatment. I'm only asking you to let these ordinary people go back. I'll face these Astartes alone!"

"No." Huron finished straightening Lone Wolf's collar and placed both hands on the veteran's shoulders. "You'd die fighting three of them alone. They came together and never leave one another's side. You don't have two other battle-brothers with you, so I've assigned you far more than ten times as many mortals to help. What's there to complain about?"

Just then, the three Space Marines in front of Lu Jin spoke.

"Enough."

"Lone Wolf is just a veteran whose failed augmentation got him sent to the scouts. What do you expect the Maelstrom Lord to do for you?"

"Cut the chatter. Are we fighting or not?"

They each spoke in fragments, as if they shared a single mind.

Lu Jin sized them up.

They weren't wearing armor, so there was no way to tell from its colors which Chaos God they worshipped or which warband they belonged to.

Then one of them lost patience and pressed the button on the hilt of his Chainsword. Over the roar of the chainblade, he muttered, "Blood God, watch over me."

The Blood God was Khorne, one of the four Chaos Gods. His domain was war and strength.

Lu Jin had a plan. Holding his Power Hammer and Chainaxe, he lowered his stance and paced around the three men.

The Apothecary had taught him this trick. Circling wasn't about disorienting an opponent; it was about searching for an opening.

Only one of the three faced Lu Jin. The other two looked toward the hundred mortals.

"The Blood God guides you to face the weak?" Lu Jin said in a low voice.

The two Space Marines facing the mortals showed no reaction. One of them simply replied, "The Blood God doesn't care where the skulls and blood come from."

"But I do." Lu Jin stopped pacing and looked at all three, his eyes fierce. "Only one of you is facing me, while the other two are facing unarmed weaklings. You're all cowards! The only difference between you and those mortals is that you're bigger. You're cowards among cowards!"

Even Lu Jin thought those words sounded arrogant. The two men turned their attention from the mortals to him.

They looked at each other, then at their third companion, wondering how this man could be so arrogant.

Only one of them had been made to face Lu Jin because he looked like someone who hadn't seen much combat. He didn't even have a scar. What gave him the right to demand that all three of them fight him at once?

"I challenge all three of you to a duel." Lu Jin started the Chainaxe, then raised its roaring blade and pointed it at them. "I'll fight all three of you alone!"

Cheers erupted outside the cage.

It was the first time anyone had demanded to fight three opponents at once. The spectators loved a spectacle, so of course they were all for it.

From the stands, Huron watched the two Blood God Cultists step forward, one on either side of their third companion, and face Lu Jin.

Huron had guessed Lu Jin's strategy as soon as he opened his mouth.

The hundred mortals had no weapons, and they could neither fight the enemy nor outrun them. Even a hundred of them probably wouldn't last a minute before being slaughtered. In the end, Lu Jin would still have to fight three on one.

So he was better off drawing all three Space Marines' attention at once. The mortals weren't their primary targets, so they might still be able to harass the three men while they fought Lu Jin and distract them a little.

Lu Jin had made the best decision available to him.

The crucial point, however, was that the three Space Marines had taken the bait because they were Khorne worshippers. They weren't used to refusing a duel or a challenge related to combat.

Anyone else would have ignored him, killed all the mortals in two minutes, then ganged up on Lu Jin.

"Begin!" Huron announced after a moment's thought.

The three Space Marines charged at once, fighting Lu Jin alone, just as he'd requested.

Huron expected Lu Jin to focus on evasion and keeping them occupied. But as soon as the fight began, Lu Jin charged straight at them.

Faced with three incoming Chainswords, Lu Jin dodged as best he could, but still suffered three cuts. As he dodged and took the blows, he swung his Chainaxe and Power Hammer in quick succession. Neither weapon hit an enemy, but he shattered one of the Chainswords.

After the brief exchange, both sides quickly retreated a step to open some distance.

Only then did Huron understand why Lu Jin wasn't trying to keep them occupied and evade them. His reactions were slower than those of his opponents, but he was stronger. He could swing a Chainaxe and a Power Hammer at the same time, both heavy weapons. If he weren't strong enough to swing them quickly, he wouldn't even have managed to break one Chainsword.

And because he had no advantage in reaction speed, even though Lu Jin had dodged when they engaged, he'd still taken three sword strikes, leaving three bloody wounds that exposed bone. At least he hadn't taken the full force of all three blows, which might have cost him an arm or a leg.

"Where did he come from?" the dark green-armored warrior beside Huron asked.

"The Fierce Angels," Huron replied. "You know the Chapter."

"Does the Fierce Angels' Gene-seed give them an advantage in strength? How can he be slower to react, yet stronger than the others?"

"I'm wondering the same thing."

Huron was puzzled too.

The two sides were about to clash again.

The Space Marine who had lost his Chainsword clenched his fist, ready to fight hand-to-hand.

Lu Jin held his Chainaxe across his body, his right hand raised high with the Power Hammer, his eyes shifting between the three men.

They charged at each other again.

Lu Jin was clearly trying to disarm them. He didn't even try to strike enemies who were faster than him; he only swung his hammer and axe at their weapons.

But the others were wary. This time, they would rather miss Lu Jin than give him the chance to disarm them.

The mortals around them weren't fools.

Huron noticed that they were starting to act.

Lu Jin had protected them, keeping them from becoming the enemy's first targets. That had given them the chance to get involved in the fight.

The frailest among them worked up his courage and stepped forward. He picked up a sharp fragment of a Chainsword blade that had flown off earlier, gripped it in his hand, and watched the combatants.

When Lu Jin once again failed to disarm an opponent and took two sword strikes in return, the frail mortal leaped onto a Space Marine's back and stabbed at his eye with the fragment.

The Space Marine noticed the mortal flying at him from behind, but Lu Jin was keeping him occupied, and he couldn't dodge or turn to strike in time. Only after the fragment stabbed his eye did he fling the mortal away.

Lu Jin ignored the need to dodge or defend. After taking a heavy strike to the shoulder, he dashed forward and roared as he swung his Power Hammer.

With a dull thud, the wounded Space Marine was sent flying a meter by the hammer. He died on the spot.

The wounds on Lu Jin's body healed at a visible speed, and his strength, drained by swinging the heavy weapons, rapidly returned.

"What do you think caused that?" Huron asked.

The warrior in dark green armor was silent for a moment. "There's no psychic reaction. Whether it's a god's blessing or some other supernatural phenomenon, it must be based on psychic power. If there's no psychic reaction, it has to be unrelated to the Warp."

With one enemy gone, the pressure on Lu Jin eased considerably.

If he weren't facing Space Marines whose every attack was aimed at killing him in one blow, he could simply charge in and trade blows.

And when facing two opponents, there was a good approach that was only slightly less reckless.

Lu Jin weighed the Chainaxe in his hand. After killing a Space Marine, it felt a little lighter, which meant his strength had increased a little.

Sometimes, even the smallest change could make a world of difference. Now, for example, Lu Jin could throw the axe with enough accuracy.

The Chainaxe flew straight toward an enemy's face. As the man dodged, Lu Jin charged straight at him and smashed his skull with the Power Hammer raised high.

The last warrior had struck moments earlier. His Chainsword roared as it pierced Lu Jin's abdomen, passing all the way through from left to right.

Lu Jin could even feel the high-speed teeth vibrating less than a millimeter from his spine.

After smashing his opponent to death with the hammer, Lu Jin ignored the wound in his abdomen, dropped the hammer, and lunged at the last enemy. His fist struck the man in the face, then he seized his head and slammed it hard against the metal floor.

He got back up and kicked him again. The last enemy was dazed.

Lu Jin staggered to his feet, pulled the Chainsword from his abdomen, and swung it hard at the enemy's neck.

The chainblade roared, and the fight was over.

Huron turned and pushed Lone Wolf away from the stands.

The warrior in dark green armor was Lone Wolf's doctor. He followed his patient as they left.