Nero blinked behind the telescope.
He adjusted the focus and raised it again, shifting his gaze from the strange tattoos on Asaga’s body to his face for the first time.
Because he was to be released from the cage tonight, Asaga wore a muzzle with metal locks on his mouth and nose. The muzzle was rusty, clearly having been used for a long time.
“Get in the mecha. What are you waiting for?”
The collar around his neck issued another command from his owner.
Asaga’s legs automatically began to move toward the mecha with the Red Python insignia.
Donovan seemed to have been rattled by his previous losses. After some thought, he gave another order through the communicator connected to the collar: “Give him a strong dose.”
The stimulant indicator on the collar lit up, and a small vial of dark green liquid was slowly injected subcutaneously.
Asaga’s eyes gradually turned crimson, his breathing became rapid, and his muscles bulged. The dark golden tattoos covering his body seemed to swell and pulse with a blood-red hue.
An overpowering Alpha pheromone burst from him, sweeping through the entire arena, driving the already frenzied audience to near madness.
“Asaga! Asaga! Asaga!”
If there had been any Omegas present, they would undoubtedly be forced to scream and wet their pants.
While Alphas do not go into heat from other Alphas’ pheromones, those of similar rank can easily incite a more intense desire to fight.
Nero was surrounded by Wolf Knights releasing their pheromones. The scent of Asaga’s burning incense-like pheromone assaulted his senses, causing his nostrils and brain to throb, deepening the crimson hue in his eyes.
“Who will face the demon Asaga? Who dares to challenge the ‘Golden-Eyed Asura’?”
Amidst the impassioned commentary, Asaga entered the mecha cockpit.
The massive mecha with the Red Python insignia slowly stood up, flexed its fingers, and twisted its neck. Then, like a silent lion, it began to prowl around the arena.
To the untrained eye, it was a spectacle, but experts like Nero and the Wolf Knights immediately recognized that under Asaga’s control, the mecha’s mobility and synchronization rate were exponentially higher, as if it had evolved to a new dimension.
“Who will be the 30,000th body torn apart by the demon Asaga? Who will be the lucky one to kill Asaga and make a name for themselves?”
“Shit, Donovan’s putting Asaga in so soon?”
The high-ranking Star Pirates in the box were murmuring among themselves.
“He’s desperate.”
“How many matches has it been? So insincere.”
“If you’re afraid of losing, don’t open the betting. Let’s go.”
Some high-ranking Star Pirates began to leave with their gladiators, making Donovan a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and spoke into the communication screen, saying a few words to the announcer.
“Breaking news! Donovan of Red Python declares that Asaga will defend the arena for 100 matches tonight!”
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
Nero frowned and asked a popcorn-selling robot, “What does ‘defend the arena’ mean?”
The robot put the popcorn away and a small screen popped up on its head, explaining the concept.
In short, defending the arena is a high-stakes gamble with lives. Various groups can send gladiators to challenge the arena’s champion.
The stakes increase with each round. If the defender wins, all the money goes to the defender’s owner. If the defender loses, the winnings are distributed among the challengers, and the defender’s owner suffers heavy losses.
Previously, Donovan had made a fortune by having Asaga defend the arena.
Most owners only dare to have their gladiators defend for five or ten rounds because the mental strain increases with each match, making it more likely for the gladiator to be killed or suffer serious, debilitating injuries.
But Donovan discovered that Asaga’s exceptional recovery ability made this a non-issue.
Even if Asaga fought all night, needing to be carried off at the end, a month of low-quality nutrient injections would have him back to fighting form.
“One hundred matches!! Did you hear that? One hundred matches!!”
The announcer screamed, driving the audience into a frenzy, “Kill Asaga within a hundred matches, and take all the winnings tonight!!”
The high-ranking Star Pirates who had been about to leave returned.
After brief discussions, more flying vehicles carrying cages entered the arena through the protective shield’s fixed opening.
The betting amounts on the screen kept rising, and Donovan roared, “Not enough! Not enough!” grabbing the communication screen again.
“Donovan just said, three at once! Otherwise, it’s not enough to warm up Asaga!”
The announcer echoed Donovan’s demand.
“Wow!!” The audience erupted in excitement, and the betting amounts on the screen skyrocketed.
“Goddammit, Donovan, you’ve got guts!”
The leaders of other gangs laughed and cursed.
Two more mechas were brought into the shield, along with two more cages dropped into the arena.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The latches opened, and three gladiators entered their mecha cockpits under their owners’ commands.
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The mecha tilted its head slightly, its eye lamps turning a deep crimson as it focused on the three opponents.
…A true demon Asura, emerging from the fires of hell.
“—Kill them all!!!” Donovan screamed.
Asaga’s mecha moved at the command.
The audience saw only a massive black shadow flash across the field, with the blue glow of a photon blade flickering briefly within it.
A massive metal head spun through the air, striking the electrified shield and exploding instantly.
With the piercing sound of metal being torn apart, the second mecha’s chest was punctured, spraying blue conductive fluid in a fan shape on the ground.
The third mecha’s pilot had just reached for his arm guard, not even triggering the photon blade, when his arm was severed. The Red Python mecha’s eye lamps were right in front of him in an instant.
The blue photon blade slashed upward from the enemy mecha’s jaw, piercing through to the top of its head.
Blue conductive fluid dripped onto Asaga’s arm.
Without pausing, Asaga withdrew the blade, sheathing it back in the arm guard.
Then, just like at the beginning, he stood quietly at the other side of the arena, head lowered.
The arena fell into dead silence.
A few minutes later, the announcer was the first to shout: “…8 seconds!!! 8 seconds to end the battle!! Victory belongs to the ‘Golden-Eyed Asura’ Asaga!!!”
The audience roared, screaming his name:
“Asaga!! Asaga!! Asaga!! Asaga!!”
The Star Pirate Leaders looked grim.
Although in Tian Ji's horse racing, the first match featured low-level gladiators, the mecha performances were all the same.
Having been taken down in eight seconds, the three were utterly humiliated and could only curse in their hearts, lamenting how Donovan got so lucky to buy something like Asaga.
“Anyone else?!” Donovan boasted, “Anyone else?!”
The second and third matches quickly commenced. Similarly, three fighters entered the ring, only to be instantly defeated again.
Damaged mechas piled up like a small mountain, being hauled away to the Star Pirate base for repairs.
The defeated gladiators faced much worse fates: either dying inside their mechas or being ordered to be killed by their masters.
Their bodies were carelessly discarded at the edge of the arena, buried under scorching hot sand.
Asaga seemed completely tireless.
During breaks, he either waited quietly at the edge of the arena for instructions or circled the arena in silent loops.
The matches were completely one-sided, and the betting stakes began to show fatigue.
Donovan’s eyes darted around as he whispered new instructions to Asaga: “In the next match, show a little weakness.”
Sure enough, starting from the thirtieth match, Asaga began making more and more mistakes, even almost getting his cockpit pierced due to a blocking error.
The Star Pirate Leaders seized the opportunity to send in higher-level gladiators.
After all, the rules of the defense matches stated that the gladiator who killed the defending champion would get the largest share of the winnings.
“Donovan himself said to send them in groups of three. If I send three SS-level gladiators, can’t they take down one Asaga?”
Despite saying this, the Star Pirate Leaders were still cautious, only daring to send one A-level with two B-level gladiators into the arena.
Raising an SS-level gladiator was incredibly expensive; no one dared to send out three at once.
By the fifty-eighth match, discarded mechas were dragged back, and bodies piled up at the edge of the arena.
Asaga, covered in blue conductive fluid, his eye lights quietly lowered, watched as three iron cages dropped down in front of him again.
When one of the cages opened and the person inside stood up, the knowledgeable audience erupted in exclamations.
From the concentration of pheromones and the gladiator’s towering stature, it was clear they finally sent an SS-level fighter!
But upon closer inspection, many people began to boo.
The SS-level fighter, despite his high pheromone level, was clearly over fifty, with graying hair.
His muscles were still strong and solid, but his body was covered in scars, a stark contrast to Asaga, who was in his prime.
Amid the boos, the commentator tried to save face for the gladiator’s master: “Oh, don’t be fooled by his age. He has quite a history! Look at his chest and shoulders!”
Nero picked up binoculars.
Initially, he could only see the crisscrossing scars on the gladiator’s body, but soon, beneath the chaotic scars, he slowly recognized a familiar shape.
Over the gladiator’s heart was a silver leaf rose almost obscured by scars.
Throughout the galaxy, only one group of people had the right to bear the crest of the House of Kaises on their hearts.
…the Imperial Wolf Knights!
Nero sprang to his feet!
The White Wolf Knight beside him, always vigilant, saw the sudden fierce expression on Nero’s face and reached to pull him back: “Your Ma… Master!”
Nero evaded his grasp.
His eyes cold and angry, he strode toward the edge of the arena.
A careless Star Pirate, seeing Nero’s slender waist, leered and tried to block his path, only to be kicked in the chest and sent tumbling down the steps!
“Who the hell is this?!”
A swath of Star Pirates on either side of the steps stood up in a clamor.
The White Wolf Knights flanking Nero drew their guns without fear, aiming at the crowd of Star Pirates.
The commentator continued to hype up the crowd: “Did you see the rose on his chest? This gladiator has a grand history! He was an Imperial Wolf Knight, the Emperor’s hound! His master bought him for a high price during the Rupert period, and he has been fighting for years now. Though his strength may have waned, his experience is invaluable. Will he be the one to finally take down the champion tonight?”
“No! No! No!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill the Emperor’s dog!”
Amid the frenzied chants, Nero reached the edge of the spectator area, vaulted over the railing, and landed in the commentator’s booth below.
Commentator: “Enjoying this? Having fun? Why not place another bet… Whoa! Who are you?!”
Nearly ten thousand Star Pirates were gathered in the arena, all fully armed.
Seeing the sudden disturbance, a vast swath of spectators stood up, the sound of safety catches being released echoing like a mechanical tide, all guns aimed at Nero below.
Nero’s fiery red eyes blazed under the arena lights.
He felt a mix of pain and rage, his temples throbbing, and his vision flashing as if in a nightmarish trance.
He saw the rose shredded by scars one moment, and the gladiators huddled and cowering in cages the next.
The old Wolf Knight still stood there, his lifeless eyes fixed on Nero, who had leapt down from the stands.
Judging by his age, he could well have been one of his father’s Wolf Knights.
Perhaps one who had followed his father back from bloody battles, who had once kindly watched him and his siblings play under the cloaks, whose large hands had once held him, placing him on his shoulder armor—
All those memories turned to dust in an instant, becoming mud trampled under Star Pirates’ boots.
The blood-stained Asimov Collar around the old Wolf Knight’s neck lashed out at him every second, accusing him—
Him, Nero Augustus Kaises, the most inept ruler on the Rose Throne!
“Our master urgently calls us back, we cannot stay any longer.”
With the greatest effort of his life, Nero suppressed his rage, his voice steady.
“I want to place a temporary bet with Mr. Donovan, with all of you as witnesses.”
In the commentator’s booth, several Red Python Star Pirates who had shown Nero the goods before recognized the Scorpion Tail’s young priest, hurriedly speaking to calm the others:
“He’s here to place a bet during the break. No need for such a fuss, you could have just said it over the comms…”
Nero looked up at the standing Star Pirates.
He spoke calmly: “Tonight, regardless of the amount wagered or the outcome, I will cover all the bets. Just be witnesses as I place a high-stakes bet with Mr. Donovan before I leave.”
As he finished speaking, he signaled to the Wolf Knights behind him.
Two Wolf Knights carried a metal box almost as tall as a person to the edge of the spectator area.
The box was thrown into the arena, and when it hit the ground, the lid flew open, spilling out a heap of golden rare metals.
A murmur of gasps rose from the lower stands.
The rare metals had been brought with the transport ship.
Nero’s initial plan was to discuss Asaga’s acquisition with Donovan in private after the match, using the rare metals as a deposit.
This morning, he received a report that the Northern Fleet had entered the barren star sector and could be detected by Star Pirate scouts by tomorrow.
At the same time, the Heidrich army, which was supposed to continue sweeping the western territories, had formed a light fleet three days ago, heading towards the barren star sector at full speed.
Once Asaga was in his possession, Nero planned to kill Donovan immediately.
Then, he would join forces with the Northern Fleet to thoroughly cleanse the Star Pirates from the barren star and transfer the confirmed locations of the population bases and Omega slave cabins to his transport ship.
As for the rare metals, they wouldn’t be wasted.
There was a designated Anchor Point Star in the defense system in this barren star belt. After the battle, the transport ship, loaded with mechas and rare metals, would head directly to the Anchor Point.
But now, the plan had changed.
The commentator stared in disbelief, internally marveling at how the members of Scorpion Tail truly viewed money as dirt. He stammered: “What do you want to bet on?”
“Mr. Donovan, I have sent my master record of Asaga’s fifty-eight matches, and he is very impressed.” Nero picked up the commentator’s megaphone and looked up at Donovan, “I propose a single match to decide the outcome of the fifty-ninth match—
“If I lose, I will double the current night’s winnings. Along with 150 crates of rare metals, eight star-destroying ships, and a hundred XI-generation Imperial mechas. If I win, you won’t get the doubled winnings and mechas, but you’ll still get the 150 crates of rare metals and eight star-destroying ships.”
“And if I win, I only want one thing.”
Donovan had a premonition, but faced with such a huge bet, he still swallowed hard and asked over the comms, “What do you want?”
Nero pointed to the blue-blooded mecha, Asaga, standing still in the arena.
“I want him.”
The arena was abuzz with discussions.
Many questioned whether the Scorpion Tail’s young priest was too bold, possibly planning a double-cross; but in death matches, they were gambling with their lives;
Asaga’s prowess was clear to all, unless the collar’s control was in their hands, it was hard to imagine anyone could survive against Asaga.
Donovan was puzzled: “Is Asaga that important to you?”
Nero calmly concocted, “We have wholly devoted ourselves to the Delphic Oracle. The Oracle prophesied that Asaga would be the hope for the Temple’s revival. Even if it costs my life, I must bring Asaga back to the Holy Land.”
The benefit of posing as a fanatic was that no matter what absurdity he spouted, listeners might find it insane but not out of the realm of possibility—fanatics, after all, didn’t act rationally.
Donovan calculated the gains and losses of raising the stakes, finally nodding in agreement amid the increasingly fervent encouragement from the audience: “Agreed.”
With his nod, all bets for the night were covered by Nero.
The Star Pirates stomped their boots, creating a deafening cheer: “Good! Good!!”
“Wait! I have a condition.”
Donovan was cautious. Although Asaga had never lost in the arena, what if there was an even stronger top-tier fighter among the Scorpion Tails?
Seeing how determined they were to recruit a gladiator at all costs, it wasn’t impossible that the Scorpion Tail’s members were full of top-tier warriors.
After some thought, he said, “We can increase the stakes, but you can only send one person, and I get to choose who.”
The audience erupted in boos, making Donovan’s face flush with embarrassment.
Nero remained calm and looked up, asking, “Who do you want to choose?”
Donovan glanced at the hooded youth.
Previously far away, now the arena’s camera drones had zoomed in on Nero’s face, projecting it onto the large screen.
The youth’s features were ordinary, but his small face with a sharp chin and snow-white skin stood out. Compared to the tall and strong Scorpion Tail’s guards around him, his waist seemed particularly slender.
After scanning for a moment, Donovan’s face slowly broke into a cruel smile as he pointed at the youth on the communication screen and said, “How about you?”
The audience’s boos grew even louder.
All the noise ceased abruptly when the youth calmly replied.
Nero: “Alright.”
The White Wolf Knight suddenly turned his head: “…Master!!”
Nero walked towards the entrance tunnel.
The White Wolf Knight vaulted over the railing and rushed to Nero’s side.
Donovan immediately shouted in alarm, “Hey, hey, hey! We agreed on a one-on-one fight. Cheating won’t count!”
The White Wolf Knight followed closely behind but didn’t dare forcibly drag Nero away. He pleaded urgently and quietly, “Your Highness, please don’t—I’m begging you, please don’t. Let me go instead. I can beat him. Please—”
Nero didn’t look back: “Tell the Wolf Knights we’ll break through tonight. While I’m fighting in the mecha, you’ll take full command of the Wolf Knights.”
He climbed onto the mecha’s support structure, heading for the cockpit.
Feeling the structure tremble slightly, he turned to see the White Wolf Knight also climbing up, trying to get into the cockpit first.
“Alexei!”
Nero shouted angrily, quickly slipping into the cockpit and closing the hatch.
As the hatch was almost shut, he pointed at the distant, battle-scarred, elderly Wolf Knight.
His dark red eyes momentarily showed a deep sense of sorrow.
The Emperor looked at him, mouthing silently:
—Take him away.
…
😭😭😭😭 This chapter is too sadddd!! Thank you for translating so many chapters and your hard work~ 💗💗
ty!!! ❤️❤️🥰🌸🌸🌸
I smell a new source of hatred points
this was a tough chapter to read TT these star pirates need to be gone asap !!!