I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 401: Champion vs. Soul Warden

Jack tore his attention from the fight, realizing that Rhys was right. Dozens of demons in nearby seats had turned their focus away from the arena, their eyes fixed on Jack’s group with expressions ranging from curiosity to open hostility.

”They can sense something,” Pho explained quietly. ”Humans have a distinct scent, a presence that demons recognize instinctively. Your robes hide your faces, but they can’t completely mask what you are.”

”So they know we’re human?” Rhys asked, as his voice sounded high-pitched.

”They suspect,” Pho corrected. ”But suspicion isn’t certainty. Stay calm, don’t make sudden movements, and let them wonder.”

”Besides,” Loryn added with dark amusement, ”most of them are probably waiting to see if the young master will make his move. The smart ones can feel his power even through the armor. They know something significant is about to happen.”

Jack ignored the stares, his attention fixed on the arena floor where the fight was reaching its climax. Krix was breathing hard, his speed starting to flag from sustained exertion.

The Champion moved with mechanical precision despite the poison coursing through his system, each attack calculated to gradually corner his opponent.

Then something changed.

A small black shape descended from the Colosseum’s upper tiers, moving toward the arena floor.

”AN INTERRUPTION!” Valdoren announced, his voice carrying theatrical surprise. ”IT SEEMS WE HAVE AN UNINVITED GUEST!”

The raven circled once above the fighters, then dove straight at Krix. The demon tried to dodge, his sickles coming up defensively, but he never had a chance.

Red lightning erupted from above, a web of crackling energy that surrounded Krix in a cage of electricity.

The demon screamed, his body convulsing as voltage surged through him. His sickles fell from nerveless fingers, and he collapsed to his knees, muscles locked by the lightning.

The great raven grew as he flew, his form expanding from standard size to something massive. His wingspan reached three meters, violet aura blazing around him like captured starlight.

And from his wings came the spectral ravens.

Dozens of them, perhaps hundreds, each one a fragment of Corvin’s power. They swarmed over Krix in a living nightmare of beaks and talons, their forms slightly translucent but no less deadly.

The demon’s screams reached new heights as the ravens tore into him, their spectral forms passing through armor and flesh like ripe fruit.

Blood fountained across the arena sand, and the crowd’s roar became deafening.

[Carrion Swarm Activated]

[Target: Krix the Venomous]

[Estimated time to kill: 14 seconds]

Jack stood, his movement drawing every eye in his section of the Colosseum. He reached into his system storage and pulled out Oscar.

The Champion, who had been watching Krix’s death with detached interest, suddenly focused entirely on Jack.

Those dark eyes tracked the spear as Jack hefted it, calculating the trajectory and considering the threat.

Oscar flew like a bolt of lightning itself, red electricity crackling along its length as it crossed the distance between the stands and the arena floor in perhaps a second.

The spear moved so fast it was almost impossible to track.

The Champion reacted on pure instinct, his massive sword coming up in a defensive position. Oscar struck the blade with a sound like thunder; the impact was so powerful that it forced the Champion back three steps.

The spear deflected but only barely, its momentum carrying it past the Champion to slam into the arena floor twenty feet behind him.

The Lightning Spear embedded itself in stone up to half its length, electricity still crackling along the shaft. Jack left it there, untouched.

The message was clear enough.

The Champion stared at the embedded spear for a long moment, then slowly turned his gaze back to Jack.

Those dark eyes carried new understanding, respect, and perhaps the faintest hint of anticipation.

Krix’s screaming stopped. The spectral ravens dispersed, revealing what little remained of the demon. Corvin settled on the corpse, normal-sized again, his violet eyes fixed on his master with approval.

[Enemy Defeated: Krix the Venomous]

[Death Tokens Acquired: 2500]

[Experience Gained: 500]

The Colosseum had gone silent. Thousands of demons, spirits, and indescribable horrors sat frozen, their attention laser-focused on the figure standing in the spectator section wearing crimson-black demon bone armor.

Jack raised one gauntleted hand and teleported.

Space folded around him like paper, reality bending to his will. One moment, he stood in the seats, the next, he materialized in the center of the arena floor, sand crunching beneath his boots.

Corvin flew to his master’s shoulder, settling onto his master’s shoulder. The great raven’s violet eyes gleamed as he returned to standard size, his presence a reminder of the power Jack commanded.

Valdoren’s skeletal jaw had dropped open, genuine shock visible even on a face made of bone.

Then, slowly, that shock transformed into something else.

And perhaps the faintest hint of fear.

”WHO,” Valdoren’s amplified voice boomed across the Colosseum, ”WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT MY ARENA?”

Jack looked up at the announcer’s booth, at the lich who had tried to murder him years ago. He raised one hand in a casual wave, like he was greeting an old friend.

Valdoren stared at him for a moment. Before he finally realized the irony staring back at him.

”LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND HORRORS BEYOND DESCRIPTION!” The lich’s voice climbed to new heights, excitement and terror warring in his tone. ”WE HAVE A SPECIAL CHALLENGER TODAY! AN ENTITY OF LEGEND! THE SOUL WARDEN HAS ENTERED THE ARENA!”

The crowd’s response was overwhelming. Some demons screamed in genuine terror, their forms actually beginning to flee.

Others sat frozen in shock, unable to process what they were witnessing. But most erupted in cheers so loud that Jack felt the sound as physical pressure against his body.

”SOUL WARDEN! SOUL WARDEN! SOUL WARDEN!”

The chant built like a storm, thousands of voices raised in bloodthirsty anticipation. This was entertainment that exceeded their expectations. A Soul Warden, in their arena, facing their Champion.

This was the kind of spectacle that would be remembered for centuries to come.

Jack reached toward where Oscar was still embedded in the arena floor.

Jack disappeared and grabbed the spear behind the Champion before disappearing and reappearing back where he just was moments ago.

He spun the weapon once, a casual flourish that showed perfect control, then brought it around his back in a full rotation that ended with the spear crossing his chest.

The movement was theatrical, designed to entice the denons watching from above. Oscar gleamed in the Colosseum’s strange light, electricity crackling along its length.

Jack finished the display by settling into an attack stance. Feet apart, weight balanced, spear held at the ready.

The Infernal Set pulsed with anticipation, the skull in his chest piece gleaming with red light.

The Champion watched this display and cracked a smile. He was amused. Then, slowly, he raised his massive sword and settled into his own stance.

The crowd’s roar reached new heights.

Valdoren’s laughter echoed across the Colosseum, carried by magical amplification. ”THEN LET THE MATCH BEGIN! SOUL WARDEN VERSUS CHAMPION! PLACE YOUR BETS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING!”

Jack met the Champion’s dark eyes across thirty feet of blood-soaked sand.

His red eyes blazed brighter as he vanished.