Competition

The arena was vast, the air thick with the mingled stench of sweat and blood.

The open ground around it was packed with people—Space Marines and mortals alike. Judging by the colors of their armor and gear, the crowd wasn't limited to Red Corsairs or their vassal forces; members of other warbands from the Maelstrom were present as well.

Lu Jin scanned his surroundings, feeling a strange familiarity. The space reminded him of the deathmatch octagon from his past life's fighting rings, only scaled up several times over.

Above the open ground, seating galleries rose tier upon tier.

When Lu Jin led a hundred mortals into the cage and stood within it, the gate opposite them opened. Three unarmored Space Marines stepped into the iron enclosure, Chainswords in hand.

Both sides halted, ten meters apart, glaring at each other with predatory intent.

The hundred who had stepped forward to follow Lu Jin weren't soldiers—they were workers, stronger than the average mortal but still just laborers. They handled specialized tasks aboard the ships, and after surviving the Greenskin rampage, they weren't about to collapse in fear at the sight of a Space Marine.

Lu Jin strode forward a few paces, planting himself before the hundred. He looked up and spotted Huron on the gallery directly opposite.

Beside Huron stood a Space Marine in dark green armor.

A Nurgle worshipper, at a glance.

But there were none of the usual signs—no swollen limbs, no pus-filled cysts, no rotting flesh. The dark green armor was clean and immaculate.

Huron pushed a wheelchair. In it sat the Star-Claw Veteran known as Lone Wolf.

His eyes were open but unfocused, his arms trembling against the armrests.

When his gaze met Lu Jin's, his pupils snapped into focus—but there was no further reaction.

"Huron!"

Lu Jin raised his Power Hammer, pointing it at the gallery.

"I saved your warrior. My Chapter Master is still your friend. And this is how you treat me?"

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

Huron had his ways of winning hearts.

For instance, he was famously devoted to the Star-Claw Veterans, because they had fought for him even before he fought for the Empire. Anyone who saved a Star-Claw Veteran could expect a reward.

Another example: even a blood feud enemy, if willing to kneel and surrender, would be accepted by Huron.

And talented individuals who sought him out, proved their worth, and pledged loyalty would receive his generous treatment.

In short, through these methods of buying loyalty, the Red Corsairs had gradually grown to what could be called legion strength.

If someone who saved a Star-Claw Veteran ended up fighting for their life in the arena, it would be a blow to Huron's prestige and authority.

"Mortals are only slaves to me."

Huron's tone was calm. He kept his head down, straightening Lone Wolf's collar as he replied dismissively.

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

"Have I not treated you well?"

At that, Lu Jin paced left and right across the arena floor, weapon in hand, eyes locked on Huron. "I'm not asking for more. I'm just asking you to let these ordinary people go. I'll face these Astartes alone!"

"No." Huron finished adjusting Lone Wolf's collar, then placed both hands on the veteran's shoulders. "You take on three, you'll die. They came together, never apart. You don't have two battle-brothers of your own. I gave you more than ten times your number in mortals to help. Why aren't you satisfied?"

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

"Enough."

"Lone Wolf's just a failed experiment who got sent to the scouts. What did you expect from the Master of the Maelstrom?"

"Less talk. You fighting or not?"

The three spoke in fragments, as if sharing a single mind.

Lu Jin studied them.

They wore no armor, so he couldn't deduce their patron Chaos God or warband from color schemes.

Until one of them lost patience, pressed the button on his Chainsword's hilt, and muttered amid the roar of the chain-teeth: "The Blood God watches me."

The Blood God—Khorne. One of the four Chaos Gods, his domain war and strength.

A plan formed in Lu Jin's mind. Hefting his Power Hammer and Chainaxe, he crouched low and began circling the three.

This was a trick the Apothecary had taught him—circling wasn't to dizzy the opponent, but to find their openings.

Of the three, only one faced Lu Jin directly. The other two looked toward the hundred mortals.

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

The two Space Marines facing the mortals showed no reaction, only replying: "The Blood God asks not where the skulls and blood come from."

"But I do." Lu Jin stopped pacing, fixing all three with a fierce glare. "Only one of you three faces me. The other two face unarmed weaklings. All cowards! The only difference between you and those mortals is your size. Cowards among cowards!"

Even Lu Jin found his own words arrogant, but they worked. The two turned their gaze from the mortals to him.

They exchanged a glance, then looked at the third, puzzled by the man's audacity.

Only one faced him because he looked like someone who'd barely seen combat—not a single scar on him. Why should all three of them have to deal with him at once?

"I challenge all three of you to a duel." Lu Jin revved his Chainaxe, the roar filling the air as he pointed the blade at them. "I'll duel all three of you alone!"

Cheers erupted from outside the iron cage.

This was the first time anyone had demanded to take on three opponents at once, and the onlookers, never ones to shy away from a spectacle, were more than happy to oblige.

From the viewing stand, Huron watched as the two Blood God worshippers stepped forward one on each side, flanking their third companion as they faced Lu Jin.

The moment Lu Jin spoke, Huron had already guessed his strategy.

After all, those hundred mortals had no weapons; they couldn't fight or flee. Even with a hundred of them, they'd likely be slaughtered in under a minute, leaving Lu Jin to still face three alone.

So instead, he chose to draw the attention of all three Space Marines at once. The other mortals weren't their primary target, and at least they could seize the chance to harass the trio while they fought together, providing a sliver of distraction.

Lu Jin had made the best decision possible under the circumstances.

But the key point was that these three Space Marines went along with it because they were Khorne worshippers, unaccustomed to refusing a duel or a challenge tied to combat.

Anyone else wouldn't have cared—they'd have killed all the mortals in two minutes, then ganged up on Lu Jin.

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

The three Space Marines surged forward together, ganging up on Lu Jin alone as he'd requested.

Huron predicted Lu Jin would likely adopt a hit-and-run, evasive strategy, but the moment the fight started, he charged straight at them.

Facing three Chainswords coming at him, Lu Jin dodged as best he could but still took three wounds. As he evaded and got hit, he swung his Chainaxe and Power Hammer in succession, failing to land a blow on his enemies but shattering one Chainsword.

After the brief clash, both sides quickly stepped back to create distance.

Only then did Huron realize why Lu Jin hadn't opted for evasion and delay: his reaction speed was slower than his opponents', but his strength was greater. Wielding both the Chainaxe and Power Hammer—two heavy weapons—if his strength hadn't been superior and his swings slow, he wouldn't even have managed to shatter a single Chainsword.

It was also because his reaction speed was no advantage that, even when he dodged during the engagement, he still took three hits, leaving three bloody, bone-deep wounds. Still, compared to taking three full-force strikes, at least he hadn't lost an arm or leg outright.

"What's his background?"

The warrior in dark green armor beside Huron asked.

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

"Does the Fierce Angels' Gene-seed grant an advantage in strength? How is he slower in reaction but stronger in power?"

"I'm wondering that myself."

Huron was puzzled too.

The next clash was about to begin.

The Space Marine who'd lost his Chainsword simply clenched his fist, ready for hand-to-hand combat.

Lu Jin held his Chainaxe horizontally in front of him, raised his Power Hammer high in his right hand, his eyes darting between the three.

They charged at each other again.

Lu Jin was clearly aiming to disarm them, not bothering to strike at enemies faster than him, instead swinging his hammer and axe at their weapons.

But his opponents were wary this time; in the second engagement, they'd rather miss Lu Jin entirely than give him a chance to disarm them.

The surrounding mortals weren't fools or idiots.

Huron noticed they were starting to move.

These people had been spared by Lu Jin, not becoming the enemy's first targets, and now they had the chance to join the fight.

The scrawniest among them mustered his courage, stepped forward, and picked up a sharp fragment of the shattered Chainsword that had flown off. Gripping it tightly, he fixed his eyes on the combatants.

When Lu Jin once again failed to disarm anyone and took two more hits instead, the scrawny mortal leaped up, landed on the back of one Space Marine, and drove the fragment straight into his eye.

That Space Marine had noticed the mortal lunging from behind, but pinned by Lu Jin's pressure, he couldn't dodge or spin around in time. After taking the stab to the eye, he flung the mortal off.

At that moment, Lu Jin abandoned all defense and evasion. Taking a heavy sword blow to the shoulder, he lunged forward with a roar and swung his Power Hammer.

A dull thud rang out, and the wounded Space Marine was sent flying a meter sideways, dead on the spot.

The wounds on Lu Jin's body healed at a visible rate, and the stamina he'd spent swinging his heavy weapons rapidly replenished.

"What do you make of this?" Huron asked.

The dark green-armored warrior paused. "No psychic reaction. Whether it's a god's blessing or some other supernatural phenomenon, it must be based on the Warp. No psychic reaction means it has nothing to do with the Warp."

With one enemy down, the pressure on Lu Jin plummeted.

If he weren't facing Space Marines—enemies whose every strike aimed to kill in one blow—he could have just gone berserk and fought head-on.

But facing two-on-one, there was still a strategy second only to all-out aggression.

Lu Jin weighed his Chainaxe in his hand. After killing one Space Marine, he felt the axe had grown slightly lighter, meaning his strength had increased a fraction.

Sometimes, even the slightest change could shift many things. For instance, now Lu Jin could hurl the axe with enough accuracy.

The Chainaxe flew straight at an enemy's face. As the latter dodged aside, Lu Jin charged in, raised his Power Hammer, and crushed his skull.

The last remaining warrior had thrust his Chainsword in that moment, the roaring blade piercing Lu Jin's abdomen from left to right, punching straight through.

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

After hammering the enemy to death, Lu Jin ignored his gut wound, dropped the Power Hammer, and lunged at the last foe. He punched him in the face, then grabbed his head and slammed it hard against the metal floor.

He stood and stomped once more, leaving the last enemy dazed and disoriented.

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

With a buzz of the chain, the fight ended.

Huron turned and pushed the Lone Wolf away from the viewing stand.

The warrior in dark green armor was the Lone Wolf's medic, and he followed his patient out as well.