I Awakened My Game System! Now Three Great Houses Want Me Dead!-Chapter 116: The

***

Now that Xenos was taking his well-earned nap, the Colosseum’s attention shifted elsewhere.

The massive projections in the sky flickered, zooming out from the sleeping "Stranger" to three other corners of the Corrupted land.

Each projection showed a different cohort, each up against something specifically tailored to their weakness, almost as if it was done on purpose... Fated.

Teamwork. Endurance. Leading.

Three trials but one goal.

And the commentators, naturally, knew exactly where the crowd wanted to look next.

"Well then, let’s see Lord Arcadia!"

Cheers rose immediately in response.

The crowd liked the young noble, always pretending he didn’t care when he obviously did.

"This one should be interesting too."

Even John leaned in, curious.

"He has that guard with him; they complement each other well."

The projections stabilized on one part of the land.

An open plain of gray ice cracked with dark rivers of blood.

***

In the center of that wasteland stood a creature that barely looked alive.

A Daemon, but a revolting one, bloated beyond recognition.

Its skin looked like it was melting, drooping off bones in long, gray ribbons.

Its mouth stretched open and shut without rhythm, black smoke leaking from between broken teeth. Each time Arc or Aspen cut it, the wounds stitched back together, sealing instantly with disgustingly wet sounds.

Aspen clicked his tongue.

"It’s regenerating again."

"Obviously."

Arc replied from behind him, raising a hand and conjuring three shards of ice that floated in a slow orbit.

"We’ll just have to make sure there’s nothing left to regenerate."

"Noted, my Lord."

Aspen nodded.

And with that, the fight truly began.

Aspen surged forward, his boots scraping against the frost.

The giant Daemon swung its swollen arm down, and the ground exploded.

But Aspen wasn’t there anymore.

His greatsword gleamed bright as he slid across the ice, skating past the Daemon’s blow.

Beneath his feet, thin sheets of conjured ice continued to expand in the direction he moved.

Meanwhile, three Ice Lances hovered behind him, darting forward like arrows as he passed.

"Go."

They pierced into the Daemon’s chest, stomach, and shoulder in rapid sequence.

"AAWAAWAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The beast roared as chunks of its rotting fat splattered the snow.

Only for it to heal just as fast as it fell, making Aspen grit his teeth.

"Tch, persistent bastard."

Far behind him, Arc raised his staff.

"Aspen—move!"

The moment the guard jumped back, a massive ice spike erupted from the ground, skewering the Daemon through the leg.

It didn’t even flinch.

"Of course... that would’ve been too easy."

Not to be deterred, he fired again, five Ice Arrows this time, one after another.

The shots hammered against the Daemon’s chest, freezing the fat solid for a brief second before it cracked apart again.

Still no good.

Aspen circled back, sliding to Arc’s side.

"It’s healing way faster than we’re damaging; we won’t get anywhere like this."

Arc exhaled slowly, frost misting around his mask.

"Then we don’t stop, not even for a second."

"Understood."

They shared a glance and rushed in again.

The next few minutes were filled with frost and rotting flesh.

Aspen weaved through the Daemon’s blows, his armor constantly forming and reforming in a sheen of blue light. Every slash of his greatsword sent shockwaves through the creature, while his floating lances shredded it from every side.

Arc, meanwhile, stayed back, using precise timing to strike whenever Aspen forced the Daemon to expose its weak points. Each Ice Arrow landed exactly where it needed to, while each Ice Wall appeared just in time to block a sweeping limb or redirect a blast of black bile.

And when things started to look up, Arc revealed something new:

Something that made it obvious that both of them had become Priests for a while now, having obtained their Third Rune:

Stretching his hands out to his sides, two blades of ice formed, hovering in the air behind him.

"Finally showing that off, huh?"

Aspen grinned when he saw them.

"Don’t make me regret it."

Arc shot back and sent the blades flying.

They slashed through the Daemon’s arms as Aspen struck its chest simultaneously.

Much of its body was frozen and split, falling off in chunks.

For a split second, it looked like victory...

"AWAWHAHWAHAHWHAHA!"

Until the creature laughed.

A weird gurgling noise that irritated the Tartaros out of Arc.

Its entire body burst outward, flinging both of them back as slime and black mist poured out.

When the mist cleared, it had already regrown, much larger than before.

Arc coughed while pulling himself up.

"Disgusting... thing."

Aspen knelt, steadying him.

"Are you all right?"

"I’m fine, it’s just—"

Grimacing, Arc flicked slime off his mask.

"Don’t let that thing touch me again."

The Daemon stomped forward, and the ground shook.

They didn’t have time to complain.

"As you command!"

Aspen roared and rushed again, ice forming thick armor across his arms and shoulders.

He blocked a blow that would’ve flattened a building, sliding backward several meters but holding firm.

"Now!"

Arc waved his staff.

The floating swords moved and crossed paths.

Ice arrows materialized behind them, as did an ice wall.

The very moment all three made contact, frost exploded outward.

A blast that dropped the temperature so low that even the monster’s healing slowed.

Aspen used that brief second—his chance—to rush in, his greatsword blazing blue.

He swung, cleaving off the Daemon’s arm in one massive arc.

Without wasting a moment, his Lord immediately followed, launching another volley of ice arrows straight into the open wound.

"AAAAAAWHWHAWHAHWHAW!"

The Daemon howled, and the wounds started knitting back.

"...it’s slower."

Indeed, it was slower, much slower now.

"We’re doing it!"

Aspen yelled.

"Its regeneration is falling!"

"Keep it that way!"

Arc snapped.

"Don’t let it breathe!"

They fought like that nonstop, with no pause or hesitation.

Each attack was building on the last, each block perfectly timed.

***

Their fight had ironically set the Colosseum audience on fire.

"This synchronization!"

Lothar yelled over the cheering crowd.

"Lord Arcadia and his Aspen have finally achieved perfect flow!"

But perfection had its price.

***

Minutes later, both were breathing heavily, steam rising from their bodies.

Their Divinity reserves were reaching an all-time low.

Arc’s floating blades started to stutter.

Aspen’s ice armor began cracking.

The Daemon still stood.

Yes, barely, but it was still regenerating.

Aspen looked over, panting.

"My Lord..."

Arc gritted his teeth. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I know. We’ll have to risk it all."

He raised his hand and called upon his remaining Divinity to gather into a single attack.

At the same time, Aspen lifted his sword, channeling the last of his Divinity through it.

Blue light surged between them, connecting in a circle of frost.

The Daemon charged, bellowing—

"TOGETHER!"

Only for Arc to shout over it.

Aspen slammed his sword into the ground, freezing the Daemon’s legs in place.

Arc pointed forward, his hand trembling from the sheer output—

"ICE CATACLYSM!"

One massive ice arrow went forth before suddenly breaking before the Daemon.

A wave of freezing mist erupted from the arrow, engulfing the monster completely.

Aspen, who’d followed the arrow, swung down his great sword with all his might.

The strike shattered the frozen Daemon in one glorious explosion.

Shards of black ice and frozen flesh rained down on them.

The Daemon couldn’t even scream before death claimed it.

What remained of its body crumbled apart, disintegrating into white motes of light.

Completely exhausted, Arc stumbled forward, about to collapse.

But before he could hit the ground, Aspen quickly caught him.

He fell to one knee, his sword digging into the ground for balance.

The frost slowly melted around them.

"We did it, my Lord."

Arc managed a tired smirk.

"Hmph... of course we did."

The second Daemon had fallen.

***

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

And the crowd loved it!