Chapter 414 The Endless Glaze

While retreating, one soldier turned with a spear, aiming toward a younger gladiator who had followed too closely. Kael reached for another javelin and threw before the man could release his weapon. It pierced his shoulder and drove into the wooden barrier behind him, pinning him in place.

The soldier screamed and dropped the spear. He was alive, which was good enough for Kael, and the young gladiator hurried out of his reach. Farther along the retreat, another man began raising a bow.

Kael threw again, driving a javelin into the ground between the archer’s feet. The man froze, looked down at the shaft, then slowly lowered his hands. His bow fell into the dirt.

"SURRENDER OR DIE!""

Kael steered toward the remaining cluster of soldiers. The approaching chariot persuaded them to move far more effectively than another shouted order could have, and whatever remained of their formation scattered. Nobody wanted to stand in front of the horses with Kael holding the reins.

One man attempted to hold his ground behind a shield. Kael’s next javelin punched through it beside his head and buried itself in the wall behind him. The soldier stared at the hole before lowering the shield, his earlier resolve apparently exhausted.

Kael pointed toward the gate. The man followed the gesture, looking from the open passage to the weapons remaining aboard the chariot. He seemed willing to accept almost any alternative to another throw.

"Go."

The soldier ran, and several others followed him. Once the retreat became unmistakable, the young gladiators stopped chasing and began shouting instead. One raised a stolen sword overhead, drawing an answering roar from his companions and the audience.

Kael completed another circuit before carefully pulling on the reins. The horses slowed, though it took several attempts to convince them that he wanted to stop entirely. He eventually brought the chariot to a halt near the center of the arena and jumped down.

Both animals remained standing and unharmed. Kael approached the nearer horse and patted its neck, feeling it shift beneath the armor and harness. At least that part had worked out as intended.

"Good job. Wish I could take you with me, but it’s fare more dangerous outside."

The horse snorted, apparently unimpressed by his gratitude. Kael looked toward its companion and reached over to give it the same treatment. He supposed neither had any reason to appreciate the difference between him and the previous driver.

"You too. Good job buddy."

A young gladiator approached, staring from the chariot to Kael and then toward the horses. Kael recognized him as the one he had chased away with a broken spear shaft during the previous round. The young man shouted something excitedly, none of which Kael understood.

"..."

Kael gave him a thumbs-up, which apparently communicated enough. The gladiator grinned and copied the gesture before several others joined him. Kael returned their enthusiasm with a small nod, then looked across the arena.

The soldiers capable of retreating had fled through the gate. Wounded men remained scattered among the abandoned weapons, some unconscious and others still struggling with their injuries. A few would not be getting up again.

All twelve young gladiators were still standing. Kael counted them once, then checked again to make certain he had not included someone twice. Every person assigned to him at the start of the round had survived.

The system chimed before he could decide how surprising that was. A notification appeared across his vision, confirming the result.

[FOURTH ROUND COMPLETE]

[TRIAL OF COMMAND CLEARED]

Enemy Formation Defeated.

Supporting Units Remaining: 12 / 12

More text appeared beneath the first message. Kael read it while the young gladiators continued celebrating around him.

[Command Evaluation: Exceptional]

[Formation Integrity: Successful]

[Supporting Unit Survival Rate: 100%]

[Enemy Rout Achieved]

[Additional Reward Progress Earned]

Kael smiled at the final line. Keeping everyone alive had earned more than their enthusiastic shouting, which was useful to know. The evaluation faded as another familiar notification took its place.

[ROUND RESTORATION]

Health restored.

Stamina restored.

Internal Energy restored.

All personal resources replenished according to Gladiatorium Trial conditions.

The energy he had spent using Darkness and Heft returned almost immediately. Kael flexed his hands, feeling the small strain of the fight disappear along with it. The commentator chose that moment to make himself impossible to ignore.

"WHAT A DISPLAY!"

Kael closed his eyes. He had already heard enough of that voice to recognize the beginning of a performance. Unfortunately, leaving before it finished was not an option yet.

"Here we go again..."

"OUR BANDIT CHIEF STOOD AGAINST THE MIGHT OF THE EMPIRE!"

The crowd screamed its approval. Several young gladiators lifted their weapons again, apparently pleased with how their assigned roles had turned out. The commentator continued before the noise had begun to settle.

"HE BROKE THEIR LEGIONS!"

"They had about twenty people..."

"SHATTERED THEIR WAR MACHINES!"

"I’m pretty sure that chariots are not considered war machines but sure..."

"AND LED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS FOLLOWERS THROUGH THE BATTLE ALIVE! THE SAVIOR! THE GREAT GLADIATOR! THE STEADFEAST GIANT! THE MAN WITH FISTS OF STEEL!"

That earned the loudest response yet. The young gladiators shouted along with the spectators, though several kept looking toward Kael between celebrations. Their expressions had changed considerably since their first meeting.

Initially, they had been frightened of him. Obedience had followed once they understood that he could break them apart whenever he wanted. Now their attention carried something closer to genuine respect, and Kael was unsure what to do with it.

He had known them for perhaps twenty minutes, a considerable portion of which involved them trying to kill him. One still had dirt stains across his trousers from being kicked through the arena. Apparently, surviving a battle together did a great deal for first impressions.

"FOUR TRIALS! FOUR VICTORIES!"

That caught Kael’s attention. He looked up as the spectators began chanting, the words spreading through the stands until thousands of voices were repeating them together.

"ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

Kael smiled, remembering the original objective. Five victories were required to earn his freedom and leave the Floor. Whatever the Gladiatorium had prepared next would be the last fight he needed to win.

The young gladiators began looking toward the gates. Their celebration quieted as they recognized that the arena was preparing another trial. Kael stepped away from the chariot and watched the ground around them.

Bodies vanished first, followed by broken weapons and abandoned shields. The shattered chariots dissolved into particles of light, taking their scattered wheels and splintered frames with them. Even the deep marks carved into the dirt repaired themselves until the battlefield looked ready to receive another group of victims.

"So what now?"

The commentator laughed. Kael had yet to hear that sound lead to anything reassuring, and the renewed excitement in the stands suggested the spectators expected something unpleasant. The young gladiators shifted closer together as the voice rolled over them.

"OUR CHAMPION HAS SURVIVED!"

The crowd cheered, answering before the last word had finished echoing. Kael kept his eyes on the gates, waiting for some indication of what would enter. Nothing moved beyond them.

"HE HAS FOUGHT! HE HAS RULED!"

Several gladiators looked at one another at that last declaration. Kael glanced toward them, then back at the empty arena. He doubted that his brief experience directing twelve frightened men justified the description, but correcting the commentator had achieved very little so far.

"And now..."

The entire arena went dark. The noise from the spectators died with the light, leaving Kael standing where he had stopped. His smile faded as a single system notification appeared before him.

[FIFTH ROUND PREPARING]

[FINAL REQUIRED VICTORY]

Kael read the message and straightened. Whatever amusement remained in his expression disappeared as the commentator spoke again. This time, the voice was quiet enough to sound almost reverent.

"Now he must prove whether he deserves freedom."