Chapter 11: The Terrifying EMP – Section 2

The scorching sea of magma surged endlessly, spewing out giant bubbles. Under the tidal forces caused by the planet’s gravity, arc-shaped waves of crimson rose high into the air, forming beautiful crescents. Countless giant firefish leaped joyfully, as if celebrating this grand festival as well.

The arena in the heart of Hell City was now packed to capacity. Roaring cheers grew louder and louder. Bright colored flags fluttered under the dark sky. The most grand festival of the Thirty Star Domain Pirates’ Alliance was about to begin—the Death Duel.

This arena covered an area of five square kilometers and had an oval shape, with walls reaching a height of a hundred meters. The southern section, where the podium stood, was especially towering, resembling a skyscraper that seemed to reach the heavens. It was the tallest building in all of Hell City. At this moment, all the pirate leaders of the Thirty Star Domain and the members of the pirate alliance’s council were gathered there. Their eyes, already filled with desire, sparkled with excitement.

The Thirty Star Domain represented all the territories humans had conquered in the universe to date, containing unimaginable wealth. Ships of all sizes shuttled back and forth, forming a vast and tempting network. For these pirates, it was their hunting ground.

The upcoming Death Duel determined, according to the ancient traditions of interstellar pirates, which share each group could claim from this hunting ground.

Everyone wanted meat, but even in such a vast hunting ground, the distribution of resources was extremely uneven. Those who got the best shares took home astronomical amounts of wealth, while those who didn’t… well, they had no choice but to suffer.

So, this Death Duel was less about continuing an ancient tradition and more like a loot-sharing ceremony. Each group sent their strongest elites, the best mechs, and the most skilled teams, determined to secure the greatest benefits from this duel involving just a few hundred participants.

Bloodshed, killing, desire, and possession—these were the true faces of the Death Duel. No one could escape them.

As time passed, a bright red fireball gradually rose high in the sky above Hell Planet. Through the thick clouds, it cast a faintly sacred glow over the arena. As a burly old man stood up, silence fell over the podium. Countless eyes were fixed on him.

He was the supreme leader of the Thirty-Star Domain Pirates’ Alliance, who had ruled the galaxy for twenty-seven years and escaped fifteen army sieges. Known as the Pirate Star who would never fall—Captain Black Jack. With a smile, he nodded frequently, responding to everyone’s gazes as he walked to the viewing platform in front of the podium. There, a complete set of speakers had already been prepared. Standing firmly there, he didn’t even need to adjust anything before a loud voice resounded across the arena. “Gentlemen, ladies, my beloved children. It’s great to be gathered here once again on this gloomy Hell Planet to hold our greatest celebration. On behalf of all members of the Pirates’ Alliance Council, I thank you and welcome you. Following our ancient traditions as interstellar pirates, this Death Duel will still be a one-on-one fight. Unfair tactics are not allowed unless both parties agree. Also, as a characteristic of Death Duels, there will be no referees—winners will be determined directly by the outcome. The Council will announce the results on the main crystal for everyone to see.” His loud voice was filled with passion, yet hidden within it was undetectable murderous intent. All pirates knew what it meant to have no referees and results determining victory and defeat—once inside this arena, there were only two outcomes: alive or dead. That simple. With the president’s opening remarks, the Death Duel finally began. Unlike official interstellar competitions, no matter how important, a Death Duel was ultimately just a pirate festival—with no complicated rituals. As soon as the president finished speaking, two huge openings appeared on either side of the arena. Two figures armed with swords stepped out—tall, muscular men nearly two meters tall. One was a standard human, while the other was a rare orc variant, a lizardman. Both wore shiny heavy armor, and their weapons were identical: massive two-handed axes. “Hehe, boss, we’re really lucky. It seems we’re getting to see the main event right away,” Blood-Pupil laughed, taking a sip of red wine from beside him. As specially selected contestants, they wouldn’t crowd outside like ordinary spectators. The Alliance Council had arranged a great viewing area for them—with excellent visibility, good ventilation, and even beautiful girls to serve them and meet all their needs.

Although these fighters knew they might die at any moment, the sense of honor rooted in the pirates’ ancient traditions still filled each of them with excitement and a fierce gaze.
“How do you know?” The black-haired man asked casually, his expression calm as he stared at the two giant figures below.
“It’s simple. Those two are both wielding heavy weapons with both hands. They clearly specialize in offense. The fight will be bloody and fierce, with no regard for consequences. Especially that lizardman—part of the orc race, with incredibly tough scales and immense strength. He has a huge advantage in a close-quarters melee. It’s amazing those pirates even thought of this.”
Bloodshot Eyes spoke with certainty, as if he could already see the bloody scene to come. His hand holding the wine cup trembled with excitement.
In fact, he was right. In just a moment, the two figures below rushed at each other. Two massive two-handed axes swung like whirlwinds, splashing blood everywhere in vivid bursts. The atmosphere in the arena soared as well, with all the pirates shouting loudly.
Yet in the black-haired man’s eyes, the fight below seemed dangerous, but in reality, it wasn’t at all.
Firstly, that human giant was clearly an expert in close combat. The large axe in his hands seemed weightless as he moved with swift slashes and strikes, his body as agile as that of a raccoon—far from the clumsiness one might expect from such a large man. Though he appeared ferocious, he mostly avoided attacks by shifting his stance, suffering no real harm.
On the other hand, the lizardman, perhaps confident in his scales and heavy armor, fought recklessly, his eyes blazing. Faced with the human giant’s attacks, he would simply dodge by shifting his body slightly, his arms bulging as he fought back. This resulted in mutual damage. The contrast was clear—most of the bloodshed came from him.
“Bloodshot Eyes, who did you bet on?” The black-haired man suddenly asked amid the cheers.
“Huh!? How do you know I placed a bet?” Bloodshot Eyes, still excited, froze at the sudden question.
“You’re a killer. Battles of this level shouldn’t affect your emotions. Since you’re so excited, it must be because you placed a bet.” The black-haired man smiled slightly, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a ring of smoke.
“Tell me, who did you bet on?”

“Hehe, I let you see it. Of course, I chose the lizardman. In close combat with blunt weapons, it’s all about sheer determination. Orks are definitely stronger than humans, right?” Blood-Pupil said with a grin, as if he had already won his bet.
Unfortunately, reality poured cold water on his hopes.
Before Black-Hair could say anything, the battle below had already decided its outcome.
The lizardman, despite his efforts, was covered in wounds inflicted by the human giant. Losing his temper, he let out a hissing sound like a snake, lunging forward. His axe traced a huge arc in the air, slashing down at the giant with terrifying force. At the same time, he used his legs to rush forward, wrapping his long tail around to block any escape routes for the giant.
The giant seemed to realize the critical moment as well. He suddenly shifted his feet, spinning around in place and ending up facing away from his enemy. The handle of his axe pierced through his ribs like a venomous snake. In the blink of an eye, it slammed into the lizardman’s chest.
“Bang!!”
The immense force concentrated at the tip of the axe was too much even for the heavily armored lizardman to withstand. Bright red blood sprayed high into the air, creating a hole the size of a bowl in his chest. Yet he seemed unharmed, allowing the sharp axe to remain embedded. Instead of retreating, he kept moving forward, swinging his axe at his enemy with full force.
“Spurt!!”
A gush of blood shot up three meters high like a fountain. The giant’s head rolled and fell to the ground. Under everyone’s gaze, the headless body of the two-meter-tall man swayed before collapsing lifelessly. The arena fell dead silent.
That body was actually that of a lizardman!!
“How is that possible!?” Blood-Pupil exclaimed in shock, standing up abruptly.
Next to him, Black-Hair calmly took a sip of red wine before closing his eyes.
In terms of vision, he was far superior to Blood-Pupil. Though the moment earlier wasn’t clear enough, nothing could escape his gaze.

The lizardman’s attacks didn’t stop. But that human giant clearly also had a plan. In the blink of an eye, instead of panicking as everyone expected, he twisted his waist and used the force of his spin to violently pull out the axe handle. Using some clever technique, the axe handle was pulled out with a terrifying spiral force, like a water pump. In just one motion, it ripped out the lizardman’s internal organs. Such intense pain was naturally unbearable, forcing the lizardman to pause for a moment.

That brief pause was enough for the giant to counterattack. As he continued spinning, his massive double axe traced a perfect arc, moving from bottom to top and slashing upward from beneath the lizardman’s hips. The terrifying force gave the axe unparalleled lethality—just one strike split the two-meter-tall lizardman in two, and with a twist of the axe, his head was severed.

Beautiful. Truly beautiful. Such skillful use of force even made Blackhair admit it—that human giant was a master.

The pirates’ cheers rose loudly; almost everyone stood up, waving their clothes frantically, with some even throwing precious items like crystals into the arena as offerings to their hero. Those who won their bets were overjoyed, while even those who lost didn’t look disheartened—they joined in the celebration. Only the pirate group of the lizardman remained quiet, their leader’s face pale as steel.

The lizardman’s defeat meant they had lost half in this death duel. If they failed to perform well in the mech duel soon, they would truly have nothing left at the loot distribution.

Amid the cheers, the giant in the arena grinned and slung his double axe over his shoulder. Without any ceremony, he turned and headed back toward the entrance. As he approached the fence, countless crystals fell on him like rain, clinking loudly, but he didn’t even glance at them.

He didn’t need to do anything. As a victor under the ancient tradition, he only needed to return to his contestant area and wait for the next challenge. The offerings would be collected by staff and brought to him later.

A commotion arose behind him. Blackhair knew that guy had returned.

Sure enough, at the entrance to the contestants’ area, the figure of that human giant appeared clearly. Like a proud fighting rooster, he held his chin high, refusing to show any deference to others. Instead, other contestants and some pirate fans gathered around him—some to flatter him, some to probe him, their voices rising like a tide.
“Tch. Gets all arrogant after winning. What a jerk.” Bloodshot Eyes snorted and sat down next to the black-haired man, his face filled with displeasure.
Bloodshot Eyes’ voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly. The giant’s smug expression froze instantly, and his fierce gaze turned toward them.
Unfortunately, no matter how fierce he was in the arena, in front of the black-haired man and Bloodshot Eyes, he was nothing but an insignificant figure. The two didn’t even bother to look back; they simply clinked their glasses together, producing a clear sound.
“Hmph!” The giant snorted harshly through his nose. His pride vanished in an instant. Ignoring the flattery and probing around him, he parted the crowd and returned to his seat, his fierce gaze never leaving Bloodshot Eyes.
“It seems you’ve angered him. Be careful—he might resort to dirty tricks.” The black-haired man smiled faintly, his voice tinged with mockery.
“Then he’d better have the luck to meet me first.” Bloodshot Eyes carelessly raised his glass and drank it in one gulp.