Chapter 371 (1/2)

Chapter 371

SETH MILVIEW

Standing at the botto up into the stadiuave up I was so tired…but then, having your bones and ic wasn’t exactly what I’d call restful

I’d stayed in bed for the entire second day of the Victoriad, which sucked While everyone else was cheering on the warga their allowance at theand sweating as my body worked overtime to heal

Still, the doctor had been optimistic as she explained that a fractured pelvis was relatively easy to fuse, and how I’d have been looking at a er, more painful recovery if my hip had been broken and not just dislocated And roups to see hout the day to check in and drop off cakes and candies to ht of that fluttery moment where she’d asked me to stay with her every tih the pain-induced haze, I realized so

I liked her Like, like liked her I’d never had a crush before I’d never been close enough to a girl to have a crush before…

“Seth?”

I flinched, feeling row hot as I peeked at her out of the corner ofme walk, and I’d just frozen for about thirty seconds “Sorry, I, uh…”

“We could sit lower if—”

“No, it’s okay,” I assured her, starting up the stairs “I’ll be fine”

A hot poker jammed into my side with each step as we ascended about halfway up the stadium to where Brion, Pascal, Yanick, Linden, and Deacon were seated Most of our other class boxes with their bloods as everyone prepared for the es

“Hail, Seth the Undefeated, Slayer of Giants!” Linden cheered as we shuffled in to sit next to the others

“We are both honored and huenuine shed, then winced

Yanick leaned back and stuck his heavily wrapped leg in the air “I feel your pain, ht”

With an appreciative smile at my friends, I scooted past a few other people—the stands were almost entirely full now—and slid onto the bench next to Linden “So, have they announced the challenges yet?”

“No,” Yanick said, pouting down at the empty co platforhtened “But, the ru to replace Bilal as Scythe Viessa Vritra’s retainer”

Pascal grunted “Ssanyu endary ascender, but everyone knows Scythe Viessa Vritra prefers a certain type of retainer”

“That’s true,” I said, nodding along hat they were saying “Have you read The Forging of Scythes by Tenebrous?”

“Oh, I have!” Deacon said brightly, getting a laugh out of everyone else He looked affronted, pressing his hand to his chest as he said, “Well excusewell read, you barbarians”

“In the newest version, Tenebrous mentions that Scythe Viessa Vritra prefers to train up her retainers personally,” I continued, adjusting et comfortable “Her last retainer, Bilal, was a wartime appointment, but he’d been her ward since he was a kid”

“Right!” Deacon said “Hiht? The Dead Three?”

“Dead Three?” Mayla echoed, looking confused

I winced as I turned toward her The sun gleamed off her auburn hair, which fraht roundness of her cheeks She was…

Clearing ht or nine years old, ere found alone in their ho had been completely destroyed by some kind of explosion, and everyone else inside was killed But somehow the triplets survived”

“Whoa,” Brion said “I’ve never heard that story”

Linden leaned forward, chi in for the first time “I wonder if—”

But he was i noises echoing throughout the stadium It was like someone had created a sound barrier as the audience suddenly went completely silent

Into that silence marched a Vritra-bornbehind hi purposefully toward the center of the combat field Horns jutted out of his short-cropped black hair He had a serious face, and wherever his red eyes focused, the crowd seemed to tremble

There was no announcement to tell us his name or list his accomplishments Everyone already kneho he was: Cylrit, retainer of Sehz-Clar

When he reached the h box, his posture straight as a sword, and then bowed deeply I could just make out Scythe Seris Vritra lad I was already sitting down The sight of her—her hair glowing like liquid pearl in the sunlight, her battlerobes shi+ning like black diamonds—made my knees treh box just before a second figure appeared, h completely focused on the woman, I found it really hard, al to slip off, like turnshoes on an icy path Her figure was indistinct, sort of ethereal…shadowfrom her thin fra back into nothing around her ankles, like they stopped being robes and just becaround, carried on a wind of black mist No horns sprouted frolowed in contrast with her ht, sharp spikes

Mawar, the Black Rose of Etril…

Stopping beside Cylrit, Mawar also bowed to the high box

Another wo her hand toward her retainer She was a lot like Scythe Seris Vritra, and, at the saray skin wasn’t painted, and she wore no ornaht white hair Unlike Seris’s delicate horns, this woman had two pairs of thick black horns that curved away fro a dress or battlerobes, but was clad in arhtly darker plates at her shoulders, neck, and hips had an organic look to them, alether over the rest of her body

Scythe Melzri Vritra…

She stepped back, and retainer Mawar straightened

The ringing of gongs made the entire audience jump Yanick cursed as Linden slipped out of his seat I let out a groan of pain, having flinched so hard it felt like I’d cracked a rib again

A deep voice spoke, coers have stepped forward to face Cylrit of Sehz-Clar Would any prospects now offer challenge?”

As one, the entire audience, several tens of thousands of people, all focused on the co breathlessly But no one stepped forward

“Cylrit goes unchallenged,” the voice booh box, retainer Cylrit ers have stepped forward to face Mawar of Etril Would any prospects now offer challenge?”

Again, the call for challengers went unanswered

“Mawar goes unchallenged,” the voice boo Cylrit’s lead, Mawar bent into a fluid bow, then floated froone, the voice spoke again “Scythe Cadell Vritra of Central Doers to retainer Lyra of Highblood Dreide, who re to settle our new sister continent and bring peace to its citizens”

There was so from the crowd at this, but it quieted immediately when the voice continued to speak

“In ti the will of the High Sovereign The world is vast, and its perils are n to watch over us, protect us, andWe honor the dead for their sacrifice Retainers Uto of Vechor, Jaegrette of Truacia, and Bilal of Truacia Their nale Alacryan heart still beats

“But where one falls, another rises Four of Alacrya’s chae for the position of retainer of Truacia under Scythe Viessa Vritra Sovereign Kiros Vritra welcomes and invites to the field: Ssanyu the Stone Eater—”

“Hah, told you!” Yanick whispered, grinning ear to ear

“—Aadaan of Nahblood Gwethe, and Bivrae of the Dead Three”

As their naers appeared from one of the many entrances and marched toward the center of the field to the spot that Cylrit and Mawar had only just vacated They stood side by side in a line—Bivrae standing well away froly h box

“Would any other prospects offer challenge?” the voice said

A ain, deeper and n Kiros of Vechor, and let the challenges co presence washed over the coliseuh so under the weight of the entire continent, waiting for it to fall and crushappeared at the edge of the high box balcony All aroundat their feet or their laps

Clasping ers, not daring to look anywhere else Froers, each facedown in the dirt, prostrate before the Sovereign

When he spoke, the Sovereign’s voice boo ers Show the depth of yourpride to your bloods and your Sovereigns Let no weakness creep in upon you, but claith froone I waited, afraid to look up and accidentally an to shuffle, and I could hear a fehispered conversations, and finally Mayla’s hand was resting on lanced up,her eyes “That was…” But I trailed off, unsure how to describe what I’d just felt

“I know”

The projected voice of the unseen announcer ca it feel like so into iso and Aadaan, please re area”

Ssanyu and Bivrae left in opposite directions, the for in a way that reminded me of the creatures in horror stories myon the field bowed again to the high box, then to each other

Aadaan was tall and lean, with ars that looked like they’d been stretched on a rack He was clad in rune-inscribed leather armor, the dark brown nearly the sarin, and his eyes never left Kagiso

Kagisoaround his shoulders with each h his hair, and he had one blazing red eye and one jet black one His armor was a mesh of leather and chain in a deep red thatfrom the pauldrons, chest, and down either side of his exposed back

“Dang, that’s a lot of runes,” Lindenabout the armor The man’s spine was alia “Does anyone know anything about hihblood Gwethe and he’s a solo ascender,” Deacon answered “He fell out of the public eye when he runted and scratched at his scarred cheek “I heard they do all kinds of crazy experiments on any of the Vritra-blooded that manifest That’s why there are so few of thelare from Pascal “There are so few of them because it’s super rare for even someone with even a lot of Vritra blood to be able to use their asuran n takes theht the other asuras”

Linden laughed “Man, even total badasses can’t fight asuras Scythes thened with elixirs and stuff I bet the High Sovereign has soainst the other asura That’s why he’s never been afraid of them I mean, think about it They decided to blow up half the other continent instead of attacking us here Why would they do that if they weren’t afraid of Alacrya?”

Pascal rolled his eyes “Linden, bud, you’ve been watching too many broadcasts…”

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of gongs, announcing the start of the fight