Angron

Beneath the shadows of the vast city of Nuceria stood an enormous, primitive, blood-soaked Gladiatorial Arena.

There was no hum of precision machinery here, only deafening waves of sound and air thick with the stench of blood and frenzy.

The Gladiatorial Arena was staggering in scale. Tier upon tier of circular stands rose toward a dome shrouded in smoke and the glow of artificial lights.

By now, every seat was taken, the stands packed with people of every description. Splendidly dressed, jewel-adorned nobles from the Hive City held gleaming wineglasses as they chatted and laughed.

Dark-skinned alien merchants with shrewd eyes clenched thick cigars between their teeth, calculating the odds.

Travelers from across the galaxy craned their necks toward the arena floor, brimming with curiosity and excitement.

Their backgrounds differed, but at that moment, the same emotion filled every face: feverish anticipation of the bloody slaughter to come.

Suddenly, the lights throughout the Gladiatorial Arena dimmed, and a dazzling spotlight snapped onto the heavy, spike-covered iron gate on its eastern side.

An inflammatory voice, amplified many times over by loudspeakers, thundered above the arena, instantly drowning out all other noise:

"Ladies! Gentlemen! Honored guests! Let us hear your loudest cheers and screams! Welcome our great Gladiatorial Arena's rising star! The legend of Nuceria's underworld! The undefeated butcher!"

The announcer deliberately drew out the final syllables, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Only when the roar from the stands threatened to tear off the dome did he scream the name with all his strength:

"Angron!"

BOOM!

As though a powder keg had been ignited, the entire Gladiatorial Arena erupted! Countless voices merged into one savage wave of sound, chanting the same name over and over:

"Angron! Angron! Angron!"

Amid the nearly crazed cheers, the heavy iron gate slowly rose with a