MTLNOVEL Chapter 29: Rampage I
"WELCOME TO THE BLOODSTAINED ARENA!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the massive coliseum, a thunderous declaration that sent waves of electricity coursing through the bloodthirsty crowd.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WARRIORS AND SCOUNDRELS, MONSTERS AND MEN—THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!"
The roar of the spectators was deafening, a cacophony of thousands upon thousands of voices colliding like a storm.
The very air trembled with the raw, unfiltered anticipation of what was to come.
"TONIGHT, WE BEAR WITNESS TO A BATTLE THAT WILL BE SUNG ABOUT FOR GENERATIONS—A CLASH THAT WILL LEAVE THIS ARENA STAINED WITH GLORY… AND BLOOD!"
The coliseum shook from the sheer force of the cheers—fists pounded against metal railings, feet stomped against the stone, voices screamed in rapture.
The announcer grinned, feeding off their insatiable hunger for violence. He lifted his arms wide, demanding more.
"ARE YOU READY TO WITNESS POWER?!"
"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"
"ARE YOU READY TO WITNESS BLOOD?!"
"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"
"ARE YOU READY TO WITNESS DEATH?!"
The coliseum erupted, a storm of pure chaos and bloodlust; the people were no longer mere spectators. They were beasts, ravenous for carnage.
The announcer laughed, his voice brimming with exhilaration.
Then, with a dramatic wave of his arm, he pointed toward the massive iron gates that loomed at one end of the arena.
"THEN LET ME INTRODUCE THE FIRST TEAM! THE VETERANS OF THE CRUCIBLE, THE REIGNING TITANS OF THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE—THE TEAM WHO HAVE STACKED VICTORY UPON VICTORY LIKE SKULLS IN A GRAVEYARD!"
The gate groaned as it began to rise, revealing shadowy figures beyond the threshold.
"THEY HAVE DEVASTATED OPPONENTS TIME AND TIME AGAIN! THEY HAVE LEFT NOTHING BUT ASH AND BONE IN THEIR WAKE! BUT TONIGHT—TONIGHT, THEY FACE A NEW CHALLENGE!"
The crowd's anticipation sharpened, some jeering, others howling in support.
"I GIVE YOU… THE BLACKTHORN VULTURES!"
As the gates fully opened, Damien and his team stepped forward, bathed in the crimson glow of the arena torches.
A wave of mixed cheers and curses greeted them, some chanting their name, others screaming for their downfall.
But the real excitement had only just begun.
The announcer spun on his heel, golden cloak whipping behind him as he pointed toward the opposite gate.
"AND NOW… THE CHALLENGERS!"
A hush fell over the coliseum—only for the silence to shatter a moment later into an explosion of cheers.
"THEY CAME FROM NOWHERE! THEY EXPLODED ONTO THE SCENE WITH VICTORY AFTER VICTORY, BREAKING EXPECTATIONS, SHATTERING LIMITS, AND CRUSHING ALL WHO STOOD IN THEIR PATH!"
The ground itself seemed to tremble under the weight of the crowd's anticipation.
"THEY'VE FOUGHT! THEY'VE CONQUERED! THEY'VE BECOME THE NAMES ON EVERYONE'S LIPS!"
The second gate began to rise, shadows forming behind it.
The announcer raised his arms high, his voice turning into a triumphant roar.
"THE CURRENT FAN FAVORITES, THE ONES WHO HAVE SET THIS ARENA ABLAZE—THE DIVINE VANGUARD!"
The coliseum went insane.
"DIVINE VANGUARD! DIVINE VANGUARD! DIVINE VANGUARD!"
The chant shook the very foundations of the arena, the torches flickering in response.
There was no need to single out Dante. By now, everyone knew who the strongest was.
The gates groaned open, and out stepped Oliver and his teammates, their expressions calm, their auras unwavering.
The torches bathed them in an ethereal glow, illuminating the confidence that radiated from each of them.
They didn't need to speak. Their very presence silenced doubts and commanded respect.
Opposite them, their opponents emerged.
Five men, their bodies scarred by past battles, each carrying the weight of victories and defeats.
The man in the center towered over the rest, his sheer presence exuding authority.
The two teams locked eyes, the tension crackling like lightning before a storm.
They weren't just staring. They were measuring. Calculating. Searching for weaknesses.
The announcer raised his hand, letting the moment linger—before his voice thundered through the arena.
"FIGHT!"
The moment the word left his mouth, the arena exploded into chaos.
Oliver surged forward, his dagger flashing as he went straight for the kill.
His target barely had time to react—the blade was mere inches from slicing his throat—
CLANG!
A massive greatsword intercepted, sending a shockwave through the air.
Damien.
He had stepped in without hesitation, his blade locked against Oliver's, and his muscles coiled like tempered steel.
His eyes never wavered.
Damien had been watching Oliver since the moment they walked in. He had fought countless battles, faced hundreds of warriors—and he knew.
Oliver was the strongest one here.
And that meant he had to use the artifact.
But not yet.
Damien stole a glance at his team—and his stomach clenched.
They were being slaughtered.
One of his men crumpled under a relentless barrage of punches, each blow sounding like a war drum, his body convulsing with every strike.
A second teammate, positioned at a distance, frantically unloaded round after round from his firearm—
But it was futile.
The bullets never reached their targets. A counter-storm of projectiles rained down in return, shredding his defenses.
Meanwhile, the remaining two teammates were locked in a vicious struggle.
They fought against two women—both relentless, both lethal.
One wielded twin daggers, weaving between attacks like a phantom, her blades carving precise, brutal wounds into her opponent.
The other stood further back, hands raised, summoning barriers of shimmering energy.
Every time an attack threatened her ally, a barrier flickered to life, deflecting the blow.
Damien gritted his teeth.
Where was the support?!
At this rate, they would be overwhelmed in no time.
He barely had a moment to react—
BANG!
A devastating kick smashed into his chest, sending him skidding backward, boots scraping against the ground as he barely maintained his footing.
Oliver lowered his leg, smirking.
"You know, it's disrespectful to think of other things in the middle of a fight."
Damien coughed, but his grip on his sword tightened.
And then—
It happened.
A dark energy erupted from his body, ominous and all-consuming, ripping through the air like a black storm.
The change was instant.
His flesh turned purple, veins bulging, muscles pulsing with unholy power. His eyes burned with destruction, a gaze that spoke of carnage and nothing else.
Oliver's expression darkened.
This wasn't a skill.
This was something else.
Before he could think further—
BOOM!
The enhanced Damien charged, moving faster than he ever should have been able to.
The battle had just begun.