Parrying a one handed thrust of an arming sword, Kaius twisted his wrists — breaking their bind to slide into a lancing strike of his own.
It was knocked away by a heavy chop from the greatsword toting challenger — their strength matching their size. He spun to the left, rolling under a sideway hack of a greataxe and slipping around a lancing spearthrust.
His blade blurred. An arm fell to the sand, still clutching an arming sword. Still moving, he lunged towards one of the other sword-wielding challengers, cracking his pomel into their skull before raising his blade to block a racing axe.
Force jolted through his arms — he held strong. Wrenching the weapon to the side, he leapt forward. Heat and stinging pain brushed his ribs as the greatsword user cut his flesh.
A minor injury of no consequence.
His rising slash caught the axeman under its chin. Paper thin crystal cut flesh and bone with equal ease. Their head fell open, splattering brain on the arena floor.
**Ding! You have defeated Human - Challenger: Level 200 - Experience Denied due to Tier Limit!**
Dancing back from the clustered melee, Kaius smiled as his opponents tore into him twice more — blood dripping from his bicep and thigh. Flesh wounds, well worth the cost to lower their numbers.
The spearman charged.
Kaius kicked the sand, it sprayed up — right into their shadowed face. Shoving their spear to the side, he charged in.
The greatswordsman tried to cut off his advance. Kaius was faster. He struck like a viper, punching his blade deep into the spearman's face before he ripped it out and sideways.
**Ding! You have defeated Human - Challenger: Level 200 - Experience Denied due to Tier Limit!**
Blood splattered his chest as he knocked away the greatswordsman's cleaving strike at his chest.
Doom screamed in his mind before he could capitalise on the opening. Kaius threw himself to the left — away from the danger that almost pincered him from behind.
He spun. Another challenger had a pair of daggers, while another with an arming sword was about to exit an open door across the arena.
Frowning, he kept his distance from the charging mob — rotating to stop himself from getting flanked. There had been no warning, no notification of additional challenges. And two? So soon after his first victories?
An idea took shape in his mind — a suspicion on the nature of his trial. He had to confirm it — even a severe wound would be worth it. If he was right, it would utterly define how he had to approach this trial.
Setting his teeth, Kaius charged.
He raced into a storm of weapons — sliding and adjusting to slip around cutting blades. With so many opponents, it was all he could do to minimise wounds. Light cuts opened on his chest and arms — stinging lightly as the itch of his health sealed them quickly.
The cost was worth it — stepping out of range of a swordsman's thrust, he cut sideways, and grinned as his blade ripped through the top of their head.
Gods, he loved how sharp his blade was — even limiting his strength, he still cleaved through flesh and bone like it was paper.
Regardless of how much he wanted to press his assault, Kaius pulled back — keeping his eyes on the open doors that surrounded his arena.
His earlier suspicion was confirmed — another challenger was exiting, only moments after he had slain another of the five.
An endless slog, then. No rest, and no chance to recover. As fresh and strong as he was, that advantage wouldn't last forever. Eventually he would falter, it was inevitable.
Kaius grinned. The realisation should have worried him — should have cowed the confidence he felt. The madness he embodied refused. A fight unending? He would burn through their numbers long before he fell to exhaustion.
The trial had made it clear — they had limits to their numbers. He would be champion, no matter what it took. No matter how much slaughter.
It didn't matter he was fighting men — they weren't real. Constructs, nothing more — faceless and impermanent obstacles to his goal.
Kaius raced back in, ready for a slog he knew was coming.