Do you know why I compared this half-destroyed tower to the famous monument in Pisa?

Because it looms. Beware – this one is straight. However, it somehow manages to project its shadow everywhere. All its entrances, in fact, are shaded. Isn’t that freaky as hell? From what I gather, it’s the residual magic. Even if new [Archmages] secured this place as their personal pet Colosseum, no one would mess with magic so great.

And if you think that magic just expires like putrid meat, you are sorely wrong. Once you become powerful enough, your magic is just like a McDonald’s hamburger – it can seemingly last forever. Even if it has a hypothetical expiration date, reality just bends around it.

And so, we get closer and closer to this thing.

“Good luck,” Domitilla says before we part ways. She has to go to the stands like everyone else. And that’s because the door that leads to the entrance I’m heading to is just for me. Even my opponents will enter from another place. Yeah, this time, I gathered a little information from Stan on how these duels work. Also, they can ask to duel me till death, and I can either give up or accept. No middle-ground.

“Watch closely, Domi,” I wink at her with a sincere smile. “But if it gets a bit gory, you are allowed to look away.”

The last part kind of brings my mood low. I know what’s going to happen down there. If they try to kill me or challenge me to death, I can’t back down. And knowing the atmosphere I’m walking into, they will. But if they truly want to end their lives, I’ll oblige. I took new responsibilities upon myself, and I’m not going to renege them.

So, I walk toward this looming place, half-decayed, half-grandeur in stone.

There are two massive doors in front of me. They are twenty times my size. Maybe even more. They are so massive there’s no way any being I’m aware of could pry them open. But they seem to be more of a message than a functional entrance. And this message has probably been lost in time. It’s either because that [Archmage] wanted you to feel small or because he wanted you to understand the weight of your actions. You don’t go through doors this big if you don’t know what you are doing. Or maybe you are just a huge idiot.

Who knows which one I am.

I step through a small opening in the door. The two wings are not blown open. There’s just a tiny crack, a minor fissure in this mighty tower. And as I ponder about that, I find myself in a gladiator-like corridor that brings me to the arena.

As I pass the enormous doors, I can hear the chatter of the people in the stands. Hell, they are packed. I know that I have enemies, but this is unreal. It looks like the Super Bowl. And the actual battleground of the arena is massive. Entering here is like having to tear through a barrier made of sound. The loud shouts that touch me as soon as I’m behind the threshold almost make me fall.

But I have come prepared. I knew that all the [Archmages] came here – Stan told me they would. Again, this is way over the top for simple me. I suspect they came because of my possibly marrying Princess Laura because of the political implications. But I still can’t see it. I’ve never been a fan of politics or too strategic games.

Also, not possibly—certainly marrying, I chuckle.

Well, baby, it’s showtime.

Finally, the people start noticing. Despite their size, the massive doors are actually not visible to most spectators in the stands. So, all they can see is a small section of heads turning toward me.

Oh, my opponent is already in the middle of the arena, looking all heroic and ready to kill me.

Hehe.

Let’s see who looks cooler, pal.

I still believe it was a waste of time we could have employed for research. Recreating sounds is not easy, Joey Luciani. So much time wasted…

Yeah, I had to get Lord Juler to help me enchant these huge blocks of metal that I took from the market in a hurry. It cost me a small fortune, but it’s definitely worth it. Or, at least, I hope so. If it’s not, some merchants just sold off enough to level more than a few times.

As I just methodically drop the hunks of metal on the ground, I look again at the proper entrance to the arena. The massive doors behind me open up to a vast corridor that splits this part of the tower into two different sections.

Oh man, this is going to be loud.

I plug my ears with some wax I got from Stan and sniff with my nose. It’s also getting a bit cold here.

As soon as the metal blocks are in place, I chant a few simple words.

Before I can tell you what happens next, try to understand better the size of this arena, okay? We are talking, at first glance, about sixty thousand people in the stands. That’s a lot. Stereo implants in a stadium this big cost literal millions on Earth. And the metal boxes I’m using as catalysts for the simple scaled-up enchantment are rare. They cost several hundred golds each. As a side note, Stanimal will not be happy about that. Now, it’s not just about the cost. The cost is actually the boring part. It’s more about the engineering part of sound management.

If you want sixty thousand people to hear something in a stadium this big, half-open to the sky, you have to be hella loud.

When the spell finally clicks, I faceplant to the ground from the sound wave.

Yep, very damn loud.

But the most incredible thing is that the arena went quiet.

It’s a few notes that are playing, just a few. And it’s on piano, the magical version of one, to be precise. I stole them from one of the most famous boxing icons in the world – Iron Mike. They are ominous and booming – also loud as fuck. My whole body is vibrating. But when I get up and start walking, I try to gather as much flair as possible before the second threshold; this one opens into the arena proper.

As people see me, they forget about booing for a moment. I’m finally on the threshold, taking in all the stands, from the civilians to the very high podium where the [Archmages] are supposed to be sitting. I see Atticus, my first opponent, looking straight at me in awe.

And for one beautiful moment, I own the place. Everyone’s looking at me, enraptured. The moment is pregnant with nervous energy. Everyone’s blood is boiling, and they can finally glimpse the shadow of what’s about to go down. If most could look disappointed and slightly bored, forced by the [Archmages] and their superiors to attend, now everyone is looking at me with wide eyes, happy to be here.

It’s in the air.

What, you might ask?

History is in the air.

A historical moment is before us. And we know it. A possible turning point for this era...

So, I let the loose boxer’s robe fall to the ground, showing my almost naked form in front of this theatre of blood and death. I’m only wearing shorts and the massive scar on my abdomen. The rest of my body, even my feet, are naked. There are only some bandages wrapped around my lower extremities to avoid hurting them while walking up to this place.

It’s the attire you wear when you box, when you are in the ring with an opponent. When you know a big fight is coming up.

So, the big hat and my shorts are the only two pieces of clothing covering my body. Oh, and the belt. Right. The massive belt with its pure gold plate.

I take the belt from my shoulder and bring it over my head with both hands. And as I do that, the audience finally seems to be waking up from their very Human dream.

But before they can snatch away my moment, I say a few words, enhanced by magic.

“HELLO THERE, ACADEMY; HOW YOU DOIN’?”

Their boos are strong, almost as strong as the music.

But I simply smile and keep the champion’s belt above my head, drinking in everyone’s rage and hate.

God, I have waited my entire life for this moment.