Chapter 550: The Arena

Yana washed her body off of all the blood before stepping into the large steaming bath. As the heat penetrated her skin and soaked into her muscles, she could help but let out a relaxing sigh. "Good, right?" Gia, who was sitting next to her, asked.

"Yes, very good. This is something I haven't been able to do for a long, long time. Normally I would be stuck bathing in a cold river. In the past hundred years, I think I have only had about six hot baths, and that was only if I was lucky enough to find a natural hot spring. But even then, I had to be wary of perverts. I might not care if my clothes are ripped in battle, but I still would prefer to keep hidden what should be kept hidden." Yana replied as she closed her eyes.

"I am sure any guy who saw your body would be jumping for joy. If I was not a girl, I might be getting slapped right now." Gia teased. This made Yana smile as she let out another relaxed sigh. Gia reached over and poked her side as she said: "You should be careful tomorrow. I know you are strong, but so is my grandfather. He has been living in the realm of blood since before my father was born. He was the founder of this town. And has protected it for thousands of years." 

"Don't worry, I never let my guard down, and I already knew your grandfather was powerful. Just the aura he gives off is enough to make my senses tingle. I will never relax around a powerful foe. But after he took me in, I have lowered my guard, or else I wouldn't be in this bath. I would like to say I am a good judge of character. Like the other old man, although powerful, he is a bastard! Anyway, I will take tomorrow's lesson as a means of training. Even if I am beat half to death, I will learn everything I can from your grandfather." Yana opened her eyes and looked over at Gia. "It seems we are now sisters."

"Hehe, that's right! So I will be squeezing in with you tonight so we can talk more." Gia was happy to have a new sister. She was the only girl in her family and had longed for a sister for a long time. So now, having a sister she had so longed for, she was not going to pass up this chance to do sisterly things with her.

"That's fine. It will be like how it was when I was younger with my two sisters." Yana couldn't help but reminisce about her younger days when her whole family was together.

The next day the sun was high, and the smell of death was thick in the air. Lord Ein brought  Yana to the town's battle arena. He was doing this for two reasons first was because it was the best place to battle her without damaging anything, and second, was because he wanted to announce Yana as his adopted granddaughter so people would not mess with her within the town limits. The battle arena was always filled with people, so it was the perfect place for it. 

As for Yana, she was surprised to see kids running the streets. They were messing around like any other kid. The town that  Lord Ein established was truly an oasis in this world of death. But seeing the huge battle arena was the highlight of the day. She followed Lord Ein to the middle of the Arena, Gia walking at her side with her arm hooked with hers.  "Yana, what do you think?"

"Truly an amazing place," Yana replied. 

"The realm of blood is a place of battle, so I took extra care to make sure there was a place for people to fight it out within the town. Otherwise, the streets would become lawless. While I have people working for me to act as guards to protect the peace, that would not stop people from killing one another. 

"This town was created to allow everyone to have a place they could rest and enjoy a peaceful life in this land of death. As you know, some people unknowingly enter this realm without knowing what it is. It's not like there is a sign that says this gateway leads to murder and bloodshed. This is why I created this town. To give people a place to live." Lord Ein said with a smile. He then looked up at the crowd and stroked his beard. "Today, I will be hosting a special event. But first, I would like you all to meet my adopted granddaughter Yana. If anyone messes with her, they will be messing with me. So think before you act. 

"Now then, as for the special event, my new granddaughter wanted to spar with this old man, so we will be doing a little one on one. As you all know, sitting in the stands is at your own risk. While this arena has a barrier, it is not going to block extremely strong attacks. So make sure you are prepared to protect yourselves." Lord Ein said, causing the crowd to go into an uproar. It seemed they heard nothing but the part that the old man would be fighting.

Many knew Lord Ein was strong, but they did not know just how strong he was. Most never had a chance to see him fight. So this spar was going to be a very interesting experience for them all. The thought of self-preservation went right out the window as they all began cheering. "Grandpa, I do not think they heard you."

"Ahhh! These idiots. Let them die then!" Lord Ein snorted before turning to Gia. "Gia, go into the safe room and watch from there."

"Alright!" Gia really wanted to see just how strong this new sister of hers was. She gave Yana a hug and said: "Good luck!"

"Thanks." Yana smiled as she hugged Gia back. Just the sight of the two girls acting like real sisters already caused Lord Ein to smile warmly at the two. 

"Alright, lass get into position. We will start the fight once Gia is in the safe room."