The next day, Cassandra continued to display her unmatched fighting prowess in the arena. Her opponents, though, were no longer human, but monsters that looked anything but natural.
"This isn't good. This world clearly has some supernatural power. Cassandra's fighting ability alone might not be enough to get us through it," Jason said worriedly.
"Do you hear yourself?" Roland rolled his eyes. "You expect Cassie to fight her way through the Roman legions? Why don't you split yourself thirty-seven ways and attack all thirty-seven provinces at once?"
Inside the arena, Cassandra heard an iron gate open. A foul stench rushed toward her.
"Oh?"
With a roar, a Manticore slowly emerged. It had a red lion's body, a human face and ears, and blue eyes. Three rows of sharp teeth lined each jaw, and a deadly scorpion-like stinger tipped its tail. Bloodlust gleamed in its eyes, and venomous saliva dripped from its gaping maw.
Starved for days, the Manticore went wild at the sight of Cassandra. It roared and charged straight at her.
"This thing... doesn't seem as scary as Astra's pets." Cassandra casually picked up a shield and a one-handed sword. As the Manticore came roaring in, she calmly braced the shield against its snapping jaws, slipped to the side, and drove her short sword into its belly. Warm blood splashed across the yellow sand, raising a faint mist.
After a brief silence, the stands erupted in cheers. The spectators screamed Cassandra's name at the top of their lungs. Some even signed up to fight.
"The crowd here really is bloodthirsty," Jason remarked. "I can feel the fury coming straight from their souls."
"Wait, I thought you couldn't use the Soul-Soul Fruit's power?" Roland asked.
"I've been working on it these past two days and found a way to control