It started when one side of the colosseum suddenly exploded. It was like something had struck the wall with such speed that it detonated and caused that part of the structure to collapse. A shockwave spread out from the point of impact, knocking people down. Large chunks of debris soon followed, raining down on the crowd, crushing people like they were ants caught in an avalanche.

Several of the sorceresses, including Sylvia de Floresca, began to chant, but before they could even get past the first verse, a giant golden sphere sprang up around the viewing box. Strange lettering formed along the sphere's surface, moving along it as if they were alive. Runes. It was a basic type of magic that most people neglected. They were used in archaic rituals, such as the bonding ceremony between a knight and a sorceress, but very little was actually known about this brand of magic. Caspian had once heard that it was a type of elven magic.

"What is that?" he asked out loud. He didn't expect an answer, but he still received one.

"I suspect it is some kind of barrier," Darin said. He chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. "Although, without being able to see what is causing such a powerful fluctuation in my senses, I cannot determine what, precisely, it is."

Caspian turned to Darin and nearly gasped. The fedora was gone, having probably been thrown off by the shockwave, revealing Darin's face. While his face looked normal enough, albiet, he seemed a bit prettier than most boys, there was one thing about him that struck Caspian like a bolt of lightning. The blindfold covering his eyes.

"You... you're..."

"Blind," Darin answered, chuckling weakly. "I was born without eyesight. In return, all of my other senses were boosted far beyond those of a normal person's."

"That's how you were able to predict my movements," Caspian realized belatedly.

A human's knowledge of the outside world was dependant on their modes of perception. Each of the five senses consisted of organs with specialized cellular structures that have receptors for specific stimuli. Sight was the most developed sense in humans, followed closely by hearing.

However, what would happen if a person was blind. Naturally, the other senses gained increased perception in order to balance out this deficiency in sight. Darin's sense of touch was probably so strong that he could feel when Caspian shifted based on minute atmospheric changes. This would allow him to react to someone's movements so quickly it seemed as if he was predicting them.

"Now's not really the time to be marveling at my ability," Darin said, pointing up at the sky. "Look."

Caspian did look. High above them, descending rapidly, were several figures that he knew almost intimately. Clad in segmented armor, some bearing swords and others holding guns, they fell. Armored warriors of steel. Magical machines built for the sole purpose of causing harm.

"Shit," Caspian swore.

"Shit is a good estimate of our current circumstances," Darin added. "You might want to get ready. They're coming."

***

While Christo was disappointed that he'd lost to Gustav, he was pleased to have seen Caspian defeat the one who defeated him.

Standing in the viewing box opposite the sorceresses, which was reserved for the candidates who'd fought in the tournament, Christo had been given a front row seat to the exciting bouts that his friend was in.

As expected of Caspian, he'd done quite well, though Christo felt his best friend could have done better. Sure, Darin was ranked number one, but Caspian wasn't number two for no reason. That fight should have been more even, he thought.

With him were the other friends he'd made during this tournament, the stylish Adesh and the silent Naagendra. It was interesting talking to the two, especially since one of them didn't talk but used a board to write on. All of the other competitors save Julius were present. Thus, they had also been present when the colosseum was rocked by something slamming into it like a meteorite.

Christo had been knocked to the ground. Rubbing his sore rump and dusting off the rock fragments from his clothing, he stood to his feet—or, he tried to. The ceiling had collapsed in some places, meaning he had to wiggle around several large chunks of rubble first.

"Oi! Everyone okay?" he called out. "If you're dead, please raise your right hand."

No one raised their right hand, but he did receive several groans in response. Over to his left, a large rock shattered, and a clawed hand burst from the dust cloud that had formed. Seconds later, Adesh and Naagendra stepped out from behind the newly formed pile of rubble. Covering Naagendra's hands were massive bronze-colored claws.

"I do not know what just happened, but that was a most unstylish event. Ooh, I think I hit my head," Adesh said, reaching up and rubbing his head.

"Well, you are bleeding," Christo pointed out.

Adesh pulled his hand away and looked at it. The hand was slick with blood. "It seems I am. How unstylish."

"Tch, this is annoying," another voice said. "Who the hell dumps rocks on people? Damn ingrates. If I find out who did this, I'm kicking their ass."

"Please do not use such vulgar language," another voice said as two people stepped into view, a man dressed in red armor and someone in a black unitard. "That kind of foul tongue is unbecoming of a—ah! It seems we're not the only ones who've survived."

"You are... Daisuke and Natsuo, right?" Christo said.

"Yes, that is correct," the one called Daisuke responded. "We were never formally introduced. Please allow me to apologize for that."

"You can apologize if you want," Natsuo started, "but while you do that, I'm gonna find the asshat who dropped a ceiling on us and strangle him with his own entrails."

"Don't act so hastily," Daisuke said. "We don't even know what's going on."

"Yeah," Christo added. "We don't even know if the person responsible for this is a man or a woman."

"Stylish," Adesh agreed. At least, Christo thought he was agreeing.

"You guys might want to rearrange your priorities. We've got bigger problems to deal with right now," Perseus, walking up to them, said. Heracles stood stonily beside him. He'd been grumpy ever since Caspian defeated him. Christo noticed that his leg had been re-attached.

Christo looked curious. "Such as?"

"Such as that." Perseus pointed outside of the viewing box.

Christo followed the pointed finger to see the chaos happening outside. Several machines had descended into the colosseum, gleaming silver, carrying weapons, eyes glowing a bloody crimson. They swooped in and attacked the citizens without mercy, killing indiscriminately. Christo summed up everyone's thoughts nicely.

"Holy flying fuck monkeys! Robots are invading the colosseum!"

***

The first thing that needed to be done was rescue the civilians. To that end, Caspian and Darin split up and traveled into the stands at opposite sides.

With his sharp eyes, Caspian picked out ten different machines attacking the people. The stands were higher than a human could jump. Indeed, not even an elf could jump that high, but just as the thought occurred to him, he felt a branding iron on his soul, burning the word into him that would help him accomplish his task.

"Springen."

As if there was a powerful wind underneath his feet, Caspian flew into the air, high above the attacking machines. With his blade glinting in the sun as he raised it above his head, he descended upon his target and spoke the word that would allow him to dispose of this monster.

"Halkaista."

He could feel his mana being drained. Being a half-elf, he had more reserves than a human. Sylvia had actually told him long ago that he was gifted with powerful reserves. The drain was minimal.

Bringing his blade down, Caspian sliced straight through the machine as if it was made of paper. Mana erupted from within the automaton, like rays of light bursting through the seems of a doorway. The two halves fell away from each other, revealing the scared family that it had been about to kill.

"Are you all okay?" The father nodded. "Good. Then get up and get moving! Get out of this place as fast as you can. If you see anyone in trouble, help them escape, too!"

The father nodded frantically before taking his family and running off. Caspian didn't bother waiting around. He found the next machine close to him and charged.

Caspian lost himself to the flow of combat. The scent of sweet and the ringing of steel became his only companions. Red eyes flashed past his vision. Metal bodies were split in half. His world became a blurry haze. He moved and fought, swinging his sword to slice through machine's like a machete through leaves. Figures moved past him, falling in and out of his sight. Using his sharp eyes, he picked out the civilians from the machines, and then he cut down the machines using his magically imbued sword.

His body burned.

Two of the machines must have categorized him as a threat and moved in to attack. They came in a pincer maneuver, one on the left and one on the right. Caspian took a single step back, then one forward, and then he leapt into the air.

"Springen."

Leaping far higher than anyone should have been capable of, Caspian avoided the two machines, which stopped before they could crash into each other and looked up. At that exact moment, Caspian descended, his body spinning like a torque.

"Halkaista."

With his sword extended, Caspian sliced into both machines, cutting through their shoulders and then beheading them. As the light from destroyed spirit crystals died down, the two metal bodies fell to pieces, clattering to the ground like so much refuse.

Caspian fell down onto a knee and pressed a hand against the floor, fingers splayed. He raised the other hand to rub his chest. Because he'd barely ever used his magic since gaining the ability, he wasn't used to the stress it put on his body. Using it was beginning to physically hurt.

I can't stop, though.

Clenching his teeth, Caspian pushed the pain aside and rose to his feet.

I have to protect the people here.

It was a knight's job to protect others. In lieu of the sorceresses and their knights being absent, trapped as they were within that sphere, he needed to do what he could to defend these people.

"Ca..."

Caspian blinked. What was that strange noise?

"spi..."

It sounded like... yelling?

"IIIIIIAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!"

Turning around, Caspian saw Christo, Adesh, and the other candidates running toward him. Christo and Adesh were in the lead, but Naagendra, Natsuo, and Daisuke were not far behind. Following them, a surly Heracles and a calmly amused Perseus trotted along, while Gustav and Egil, the other blond from Helheim, acted as rear guards.

"Christo..." Caspian sighed, unsure whether he felt relieved or despaired to see his friend.

Stepping forward, Christo threw him a sloppy salute. "We're here and ready to help you kick ass! What art thou orders, mon capitan!"

I'm way too tired to deal with this...

"Help rescue the civilians. Get them safely out of this arena. That is our top priority right now."

"You heard the man!" Christo cheered. "Let's go!"

"I don't see why I have to follow this dickweed's orders," Heracles growled, only to grunt in pain when Perseus elbowed him.

"Now's not the time to argue. As knights, we should be doing what he suggested anyway. Our duty is to the people."

"Tch. Like I care about these annoying pests."

Despite Heracles's words, he and Perseus went off and began helping the civilians. Everyone else also split up into pairs; Adesh and Nageendra, Natsuo and Daisuke, and Gustav and Egil darted for separate directions.

"Heh," Christo smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Caspian eyed him as one might a piece of rotting meat.

"Nothing." Christo chuckled, twirling his two dirks around his fingers. "It's just, this is the first time you and I have fought side-by-side together."

"Right, right. You're excited. I get it," Caspian sighed. He really was tired. "But don't lose focus. There are more of those things coming."

As if to emphasis his point, several dozen more automatons fell from the sky. They immediately went on the attack once they touched the ground. The other knight candidates responded quickly, throwing themselves into the fray. Caspian and Christo needed to join them.

"Don't worry. I'm more than ready for this." Christo licked one of his blades. "I'm going to make those robots rue the day they came into my territory."

Caspian gave his friend a disgusted look. "Don't lick your blades, Christo. It's creepy."

"What? That's not a nice thing to say, Caspian, you meanie!" Christo cried out seconds before they both launched themselves at the nearest machine.

Caspian and Christo became lost within a whirlwind of steel.