Chapter One-Hundred-and-Twenty-Eight

Adam landed on his feet in a field of tall red spiky grass. It was immediately clear to him what Alivida’s cryptic words had meant, because ahead of him, past where the grass ended, was an area that seemed touched by Nwetrou’s power, since it was a discoloured swamp with two large black ponds.

It was no doubt the same arena that Adam had been sent to when Hiroshi Sakurai challenged him, but it was clear that who a Player worshipped had a role in how the arena ended up looking. Even the stands around the arena mirrored the influences of their patrons, with Adam’s side being made of crimson glass and seating figures that looked like they’d been freshly skinned, with their flayed remains hanging about their waists, while their exposed red flesh dripped blood onto where they sat.

On Adnan’s half, the seating area was a mix of driftwood, rotten carcasses, barnacles, and bleached bones. Upon them weren’t figures that were united in appearance, but rather creatures of the ocean. Octopuses like the Envoy in the cave on the island, whale-shark-like things, large fish, sea slugs, half monstrosities like mermen, multi-headed serpents, and a handful of creatures that were like blobs of dark shadows with nothing but round glowing eyes staring at him.

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