The Duke's Passion

Chapter 776  Rookie

[ Welcome to Volume 11 ]

PROLOGUE

SPADE KINGDOM

Two months later…

It had been quite some time since Lilou, Samael, Tilly, Law, Claude, and Rufus stepped foot in the land governed by the genius king and the last pureblooded Moriarty, Quentin Zero Moriarty. Their journey took over a week as they rarely made a stop, sprinting day in and out like shadows, just to reach the Kingdom of Spade. They entered the Spade Kingdom as silently as possible, and in it, they learned the land's customs, way of living, and current state of affairs. The said kingdom was just like the Land of Karo with less sand. It was a rich kingdom just like Karo, but the difference was that Karo was a place where everything was organized. It was a far more solemn place while the Spade Kingdom had all sorts of entertainment and games they could enjoy.

The loud cheers and shouts inside the colosseum reverberated across the surrounding. Some men stood from their seats, raising their fists in excitement. Women kept their modest but were clearly enjoying the spectacle unfolding. "End him!"

"End him!"

"Come on! Give him the finishing blow!"

No one found the vicious shouts and cheers echoing as the tension consistently rose. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the arena.

There, two people stood that appeared to be as tiny as ants from the farthest seats. The two people were facing each other, holding swords and shields on the other. Both had towering stature and a well-built physique, parading their sweaty and blood-stained bare top, and then a special kind of undergarment for the lower part of their body. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

They were called warriors. Warriors were official participants of a contest that would happen weekly. The rules were simple, and that was to stand victorious until their opponent was incapable of fighting or dead. And right now, it was clear to everyone who was winning. Between the two warriors, one was already bleeding heavily and could barely stand. The other one, although blood could be seen on his muscular body and on the blades of his sword, could tell the blood wasn't his.   "End him, Rookie!" yelled the crowd excitedly. The one who was obviously winning the duel was a rookie and a new warrior who appeared around two months ago. Ever since this man participated in these types of contests, the excitement had soured. This rookie was bloodthirsty, and each time he fight, he would torture his opponents by striking them whilst avoiding any vital points. As a result, his opponents would bleed profusely, riling up the audience. The most exciting part for the audience was how his opponents bleed without dying, making their fight even bloodier until they were barely lifting their swords. Once the rookie's opponents had dulled, the audience would start cheering him to end his opponent. They would cheer and cheer until their voices would reach a certain volume, and only then would this rookie warrior would grant their requests. And how would this rookie end the fight?

By beheading his opponent. On the spot. No mercy. "End him! End him! End him!" The cheers and shouts continued in unison, growing louder and louder. "Will he end him?" A petite among the cheerful crowd, wearing a huge hat to cover her head, wondered. "This will be the eighth time if he did."

"I feel sorry for them." Next to the woman with long silver hair that was braided over her shoulder was a child. Law turned his head at Tilly and sighed. "Does he have to go this far?"

"He chooses his opponents, he must've had a reason…" Tilly kept her eyes on the arena, not blinking as the warrior swung his sword up, and his one swift down, the shouts from the crowd exploded. "Now that's the eighth head in two months."

Law let out another shallow breath, shifting his focus to the arena. As soon as he did, he saw this warrior pierce the severed head with the tip of his sword and then raised it for everyone to see. The warrior had never done this before, so when he did, the crowd went wild.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was Mister Fabian," murmured Law, whilst shaking his head sideways. "Did Mister Fabian's spirit possess his brother?"

"We are in this cruel land," said Tilly, snapping her eyes at Law calmly. "If we do not go with the flow, it'll be our problem."

She then set her eyes back at the arena, seeing some facilitators approach the area while the rookie, Rufus, walked away. He flung his sword and rested it on his shoulder. Hence, as he walked away, everyone could see the head that was still on the tip of his weapon. "He knew that. Hence, even if it was out of his character, he had to," she added in the same tone.

"Where is he getting all these ideas, anyway?" Law mumbled as they remained seated to watch the rest of the duels.

Meanwhile, Rufus halted at the path upon seeing a figure leaning against the wall. A shallow breath escaped his mouth. His face had paint on it so no one could recognize him. His mysterious appearance was also one of the reasons his popularity soared in just two months. "You did my suggestions?" Rufus stopped when he walked past the other warrior. He turned his head to look at the latter. The other warrior was unlike any other warriors who had the same huge physique just like him. He was also wearing a helm.

"Wow… what a poor guy." The other warrior raised the visor of his helm, revealing a pair of crimson eyes. His eyes were squinting. "I heard Uncle Hell had become one of your fans. I wonder if he was among the crowd."

"I'd appreciate it if you refrain from talking to me inside the colosseum," said Rufus monotonously at the mischievous Claude, who had been feeding him ideas to gain popularity. "Hehe. I didn't want to, but my duel is just right next to yours. I wonder what sort of show should I give those wicked people to make them forget about your battle," Claude wondered as he walked in the direction where Rufus came from. He lowered the visor as he stepped out of the light, looking up at the lively crowd.

'These people are really scary,' he thought as they were rather in a good mood after watching Rufus behead another person today. Despite his thoughts, Claude spread his arms, basking in the crowd welcoming cheers as one of their favorite warriors, as he was even crueler than the other rookie.