The warlord

The elves were astonished by the results of the first trial and stared at Harold in disbelief. He stood motionless before the corpses of the wolves, which were now disintegrating into the air like dandelion seeds.

When the southern gate opened for the second time, no one expected the creature waiting in the darkness to be a giant. The giant's roar shook the arena, and soon after, several elves brought a large cage into the field.

Inside the cage was a one-eyed giant, whose terrifying aura plunged everyone into shock and fear.

Harold glanced at one of the elves. Constantly using the Scythes of Life and Death drained a significant amount of his energy, making it unwise to rely on them continuously. Yet, the scythes were chained to his hands, and he wasn't permitted to set them down.

One of the elven guards, noticing this, tossed a strap toward Harold so he could complete the round without using the scythes. Harold secured the strap diagonally, opposite the previous one, and hung the scythes on the hook at his back. Once he finished, the immense strain lifted from his body, allowing him to breathe more easily.

Harold drew his silver sword from its sheath and awaited the start of the second trial. At the command of the elven master, the cage door opened, and the one-eyed giant was set free.

Harold's performance against the wolves had been so astonishing that no one questioned his decision to use a sword this time. Instead, more elves gathered to watch his fight. This was what people loved: excitement!

This kind of brutal excitement wasn't exclusive to humans. Other species also had their own rituals and ceremonies of a similar nature. Although their names and execution differed, they all ultimately culminated in violence that sated the thirst for combat.

It didn't matter if these people were the desert nomads of the Persian lands or the proud elves of the Whispering Forests; in the end, people relished violence. However, no one wanted to be at the center of an arena where the smallest mistake could cost them their life.

Harold usually relied on a special potion to enhance his physical abilities against a giant, but this time he had none. He couldn't even draw on his magical or sacred powers, as the burden of the Scythes of Life and Death had already exhausted him.

Moments later, the suppressive magic on the giant was lifted, and its roar shook the arena. It wielded an enormous club, heavy enough to destroy a building, yet the giant raised it and roared as if it weighed nothing.

Harold knew this battle wouldn't be easy, a fact that became clear as he dodged the giant's first strike. The one-eyed giant roared after every attack and tried to trap Harold with its bare hands. However, Harold focused on not letting the exhaustion from the scythes bring him down.

The elves watched the fight in silence from behind an invisible barrier. Every strike from the giant sent shockwaves through the arena, leaving everyone frozen in place.

Each time Harold dodged, he attempted a counterattack, but the giant's tough skin withstood serious damage. Even if wounded, the injuries healed rapidly.

Everyone wondered how Harold would defeat this monster, especially since he spent most of the fight evading its attacks.

But then, everything changed!

When the giant raised its club to strike the ground again, Harold acted swiftly. He grabbed one of the scythes and threw it at the club. The scythe's blade lodged into the club, and Harold immediately ran toward the giant's legs.

Unable to dislodge the scythe, the giant hurled its club at Harold. But before it could, Harold slipped between its legs and pulled the chain with all his strength. The club slid from the giant's hand and struck its leg, breaking it.

The giant let out a deafening roar and fell to one knee.

Harold summoned the scythe back and hurled it at the giant again. This time, the scythe's chain wrapped tightly around the giant's neck.

"Haaarghhh!"

Harold roared and activated the chain with the last of his mana. The chain glowed golden, searing through the giant's skin and flesh.

The giant struggled to remove the chain, but the intense heat melted its flesh and caused the chain to dig deep into its body.

The elves rose to their feet in shock.

Taking advantage of the moment, Harold leaped high and plunged his sword into the giant's head with all his might.

A thunderous roar shook the arena. Harold, struggling to transfer his remaining mana through the sword into the giant's brain, coughed up blood, his eyes glowing with a manic intensity.

For a brief moment, a blinding light engulfed the entire arena, followed by a deafening explosion that knocked everyone to the ground.

When the smoke and dust settled, the elves saw the lifeless, headless body of the one-eyed giant frozen in place.

"There! Someone's standing there!"

One of the spectators pointed to the edge of the arena. Through the haze and smoke, a man stood, his eyes gleaming with the intent to kill.