Arena of the Gods

"Clank... clank..."

The sound of iron gates opening echoed through the arena.

Several men in suits emerged from the iron gates lining both sides of the arena.

The entire arena was structured much like the ancient Roman Colosseum. It was said to have been built on the advice of several old gods from Roman mythology.

Long ago, the Romans had constantly held bloody gladiatorial battles primarily to offer sacrifices to the gods they worshipped, praying for divine protection in war.

And the old gods of every mythology had once demanded that their people offer them the bloodiest sacrifices, drinking deeply of their victims' blood and savoring humanity's fear and worship.

Now, they were experiencing that long-lost pleasure once more.

In the surrounding stands, thousands of mythological creatures from various pantheons sat or lounged about, unleashing frenzied howls at the human gladiators in the arena.

The anomalous psychic radiation they released intertwined throughout the arena, making the minds of the humans participating in the sacrificial combat tremble and descend into madness.

Looking at the arena around him, which had been transformed by layers of divine power from reinforced concrete into an ancient brick-and-stone structure, Chate could not help but smile bitterly.

As a construction businessman, he had been the contractor responsible for building this arena.

Or rather, it had been a gift he offered the old gods when he had first pledged allegiance to them.

When he had seen so many old gods and mythological creatures awaken, what he had felt at the time was fear and despair from the depths of his heart.

Then, he had made the swiftest choice human nature could make: surrendering to the old gods and becoming their most devout believer.

Of course, devotion in one's heart had to be demonstrated through concrete actions.

From an