Chapitre 23: DAV VS GAIUS: AN UNEXPECTED OPPONENT

"Gaius! Gaius!! Gaius!!!"

The crowd chanted in unison as the soft rattling of heavy chains echoed through the arena. A shadowy figure began to emerge from the basement.

As the dust settled, revealing the legendary Gaius the Man-Eater, Dan stood there, jaw dropped. It was nothing like he had imagined.

A small boy, shorter than Dan, appeared, carrying another boy on his shoulders. At first glance, it was clear they were twins. Both had short brown hair, dark eyes, and bodies marked with battle scars. They wore similar traditional gladiator armor, wielded old rusty swords, and each had a shackle on one arm.

The boy on top leaped down, beating his chest like a gorilla. "Yeah, the mighty Gaius is here!" he proclaimed. Turning to the boy behind him, he asked, "What do you think, little brother?"

Grinning and showing off his decayed teeth, the younger boy replied, "This is splendid, big brother. I love the cheers... and the meal." His eyes hungrily fixed on Dan.

Dan, still unable to process the sight before him, struggled to believe that the revered Gaius was just two boys, no older than twelve. Despite their youth, something about them felt ominously special, He could feel it.

"Now then, as usual, we pray for the fallen and celebrate the victorious. Let the combat begin!" Cornelius's voice echoed around the arena as he took his seat beside the chief. 'I've done everything I can, Dan,' he thought to himself, 'now it's up to you.'

From the high chambers, Lucien observed. 'Whether you survive or not is irrelevant. What matters is what happens after today. The true battle begins now,' he mused, glancing at the other chiefs seated nearby.

***

Back in the ring, the two Gaiuses—or rather, the two boys—gazed at Dan with salivating anticipation. "He is special," the older one remarked.

"He is like us. Eating him will definitely give us more power," the younger one added before disappearing from Dan's sight.

Panicking, Dan scanned the arena for the younger boy but couldn't find him. He focused instead on the older boy, who stood motionless ahead. Suddenly, the younger boy appeared in front of him, swinging his sword in an attempt to decapitate Dan. Dan's reflexes kicked in, allowing him to dodge the attack by bending backward.

The younger Gaius leaped back to his brother's side. "He can see me, brother. That's reason enough to eat him," he stated.

"Way ahead of you, little brother," the older Gaius responded and kicked forward launching a series of swings at Dan. Though Dan managed to counter some blows with his knife, several strikes landed, bruising him. Meanwhile, the younger Gaius disappeared again.

"Where did he go?" Dan cursed, looking around.

"Teehee... behind you," the younger Gaius taunted, slashing at Dan. Dan twisted his body to block the attack, but the older Gaius drove his sword into Dan's leg, causing him to cry out in pain. The younger Gaius seized the moment to bite into Dan's arm, tearing off flesh and swallowing it.

Licking the blood from his lips, the younger boy said, "Just as you said, older brother, he's something special. Just one bite and I feel reborn. Here, share this power with me." He placed his hand on the older Gaius's shoulder.

"This power... we need to eat him," the older Gaius declared.

Dan felt a surge of weakness, as if his energy was being drained. His body sent urgent warnings; these two boys were dangerous.

Without giving Dan a chance to recover, they attacked again. Weakened and in pain, Dan struggled to fend off their assaults. With each bite, they grew stronger while Dan weakened.

As time passed, Dan was covered in cuts and bites, barely able to stand and gasping for breath.

"I can't win if I keep fighting like this," Dan muttered, throwing his sword aside and clenching his fists, assuming a fighting stance.

Mocking murmurs spread through the arena as they all stared at Dan's pitiful situation and the actions he took.

"He's fighting barehanded. The lad's got guts."

"Does he want to die that badly?"

"He had finally lost it"

Dan felt more comfortable fighting with his bare hands, a result of his training with Valerie. She had once said, 'Even the greatest swordsmen see the sword as an extension of their body, so why not use the body itself?'

"Sorry, kids, but playtime is over," Dan said, focusing on his breath. His rough panting calmed as he breathed evenly. His muscles bulged slightly. "This will be enough," he declared.

"Did you hear that, big brother?" the younger one asked, annoyed.

"I heard enough. He just called us kids—" Distracted, they didn't notice Dan had moved between them.

Dan grabbed their faces, lifted them, and smashed them into the ground, creating a crater and sending up a cloud of dust. No one saw what happened.

The arena fell silent, the anticipation palpable. As the dust settled, they saw Dan standing over the two brothers, who lay helpless in the crater. For the first time, the Legendary Gaius had been brought to the ground.

[NEXT: GAIUS SECRET REVEALED]

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