The Against All Odds

CH 43 - LUCAS

All the lights in the Colosseum lit up one by one, revealing an incredible scene. Leo let his gaze surround this room. The sandy field spread wide in the middle of the arena, its surface glistening in the light of the lamp. All around him, the stands with rows of seats gathered together, creating an arena so large, it seemed to be able to accommodate up to thousands of spectators. Large doors with ancient ornaments and statues of half-human, half-monster creatures, kneeling in a glorifying manner, adorn every corner of this colosseum.

"Welcome, Leo Demhian! Welcome to the Hellanders!" greet Lucas while raising both hands to the side. The boisterous cheers of the spectators filled this basement.

Leo stared intently up, his puffy, pouchy eyes showing no signs of fear, even being confronted by this mysterious crowd.

The line of people in all black and masked clothes looked at Leo as if they were looking at a bin*t*ng in a bin*t*ng garden.

"Do you know what I'm trying to bring you here, Leo Demhian?" Lucas spoke in a voice filled with arrogance and arrogance.

Leo still remained silent, his eyes staring intently at Lucas.

"Have you heard of the Hellanders organization?" Lucas asked again.

However, Leo still did not give an answer. The audience in the surrounding stands started to become restless. They wondered what would happen next, and some of them also trembled after seeing Leo so boldly ignore Lucas' words.

The Hellanders is a mysterious organization operating under the land of Thellidia Kingdom. Although their number of followers is not yet known for certain, there are at least five members known to be very strong members. One of them is Lucas, who plays a leader in this organization. They operate in the shadows and have goals and agendas unknown to the general public.

Lucas took out the cigarette box he had stored inside his black suit. He opened the box and pulled out a cigarette steadily. His head slightly leaned forward as he turned the small wheel of matches in his hand, and sparks were immediately visible as the wheel rotated rapidly.

The light from the blazing flames illuminated Lucas' face clearly. Once the match had lit up perfectly, Lucas immediately carried the tip of his cigarette to the fire. He smoked cigarette smoke into his lungs and then exhaled his smoke into the air.

Lucas tilted his face, pressed his neck with his hands until it rang. Cigarette smoke billowed in front of his face, hiding his sharp gaze towards Leo.

Leo scrunched his forehead, barely believing what he was hearing. In fact, he almost laughed as he felt Lucas' speech sound like a joke. However, when he saw the serious expressions of those around him, he realized that the situation was indeed serious.

"No," replied Leo, without the slightest hesitation. However, the moment those words came out of his mouth, everything changed.

Instantly, the scenery around him turned extremely dark. Dark and empty, only dim lighting around his body, and it was out of nowhere. Leo was in confusion.

From the right side, there was the sound of footsteps approaching quickly. Reflex, Leo turned his body towards the origin of the sound. And there Lucas, who was running fast, had a katana drawn in his hand.

In an instant, those sword eyes pierced through Leo's stomach. The katana was plucked and then swung again, carrying more fresh blood that was crushed from Leo's body, soaking his entire body. Leo's eyes widened, his mouth wide open, like he was about to scream, but the sound that came out was only a red liquid that poured out. In an instant, he fell to the ground, resting on both knees before Lucas.

Leo's gaze finally returned to normal, the darkness that surrounded him had disappeared, and he was now looking towards Lucas who was standing before him. However, even though his gaze returned clear, Leo was still fixated in a kneeling position, his body was drenched in sweat, and his facial expression remained unchanged. He looked towards Lucas' now-cleaned sword with no sign of blood, making him feel and examine his previously torn body. However, all the injuries that existed seemed to just disappear. Like nothing ever happened.

Leo was confused and surprised. What he had just experienced was completely real to him. He felt a piercing pain, blood flowing, and loss of consciousness as the sword pierced through his body. However, before him, his body looked unharmed in the slightest. It felt like he was in an unreasonable world.

In a confused state, Leo tried to speak, but his voice did not come out. He felt a stiffness in his throat, as if something was blocking his words from coming out. He tried to move, but his body still felt stiff.

Leo looked towards Lucas, trying to find an answer from his face that remained serious. However, Lucas only looked at him with a difficult-to-understand gaze.

"Actually, who is this guy? Was it just an illusion?"

Lucas stepped forward with steady steps and crouched down in front of Leo. He stuffed the nearly exhausted cigarette into the ground, allowing the smoke to veer into the sky. His gaze felt cold, piercing into the soul of Leo who was still shocked by what had just happened.

"You understand now" Lucas said in a stern tone. His voice sounded like a cold wind caressing Leo's ears. "From now on, there's no need to refute my orders, and bark for me. That way, I can take better care of you. Got it, Leo Demhian?"