Gaius Secret Revealed

The crowd stared at Gaius in stunned silence, their mouths agape, including the chiefs who had never expected such a sight. It was a historic moment—the first time anyone had managed to lay Gaius on his back.

In a nearby basement, four remaining Champions, including Naya, watched the scene unfold. They were just as astonished as the crowd outside, except for Mr. Handsome.

"Oh, that's some insane speed," remarked Scary. Scary the man who made the last kill in the battle royale. Scary had this large eyes, creepy wide mouth, and small nose.

Handsome shook his head at Scary's comment. "No, compared to that time, he is still holding back," he said, placing his hand under his chin. 'Even back then, it was a miracle I managed to catch up to him,likely because he hesitated to kill the Chief. If he ever decides to go against the council, no one will be able to stop him,' Handsome thought. He then turned to Naya, calling out, "Hey… you're Naya, right?"

"Yes, is there something you want?" she asked, looking at him with disdain, after all he was the one that stopped Dan from saving her

"Calm down, I'm not here to make enemies, we all have a role to play and I did mine"

"So what do you want?" Naya asked

"I just wanted to ask if you know anything about the young boy. From the way you both behave, it seems like you're kind of close?" Handsome asked

"Anything I know about Dan…?" Naya stroked her chin. "Now that you ask, there's really nothing I know about Dan—and by the way, why are you curious about him?" Naya asked.

"Nothing much, just wanted to know more about him more. And besides there seems to be something odd about this fight… almost as if he is fighting someone else besides Gaius. Well, let us pray he survives this," Handsome said, focusing back on the fight.

Naya was speechless, deciding to ignore him and continue watching the battle.

In the ring, both Gaiuses took their time before standing back up. "I didn't expect that, big brother," the younger one said.

"Yeah, he really caught us off guard," the older one replied, holding his head.

"You!" Dan pointed at the younger Gaius. "I've been thinking about this for a while now. At first, it was never said that Gaius was two people, but that's the least of the problem now," Dan said, squatting. "I've noticed how you managed to vanish from plain sight and then appear right in front of me. The only person I've met capable of such a feat was my master. At first, I wondered if you were just fast, but then I realised something…" Dan drew three lines on the ground, separating two from one.

"I've been blind for two months now. I know when somebody or something is looking at me; I can feel their gaze and emotions. When I came here, I could tell when someone looked at another and the type of emotion directed towards that person, I don't know if it was a bonus skill or what. But since this fight began, only he and I have been the centre of attention," Dan pointed at the bigger brother.

"This could be anything, obviously, but then I remembered how you kept disappearing from my vision. That could only mean one thing in particular." With speed, Dan picked up a stone and threw it at the younger Gaius. The stone passed through him, creating a small hole in his chest. "You don't exist, am I right or wrong?" Dan asked with a smile on his face

"Took you long enough, but now that you've figured that out, how will it help you win against us?" the older Gaius asked.

"Oh, I never relied on that information to win; I only rely on my fists," Dan replied, clenching his hand.

"Fufuhaha… then be prepared to die." The younger Gaius vanished while the older one rushed at Dan, engaging him in hand-to-sword combat. Dan dodged their attacks, focusing his own attacks on the older Gaius.

'If my conclusions are right, then he should be either an emitter or a conjurer. But to create such a detailed human with his energy, just how strong is he?' Dan thought.

The battle continued with the older Gaius taking all the hits, his face swollen from Dan's continuous punches. Dan aimed to weaken the user of the ability, believing that weakening the user would also weaken the energy. However, the younger Gaius showed no signs of disappearing or weakness, puzzling Dan.

"You are strong and knowledgeable; I acknowledge that," the older Gaius said, his tone changed, rather his personality changed since Dan found out about his powers. "But there's a lot you don't know. Firstly, there is no main body; what you are looking at is all fake."

"What do you mean?" Dan asked.

"It all started two years after my crave for human meat started. There was once a seven who treated me like a human, she was the only person to ever treat me like a human. One day, I came across a jar containing her blood. Curious, I drank from it. The power it contained entered me and was too much for me to handle; I felt I would explode, but then I found a way to separate the power from my body, creating another me. In other words, your plan to weaken my other self by first beating me will not help you," the older Gaius chuckled.

"Come here, younger brother. I need to get serious now," the older Gaius said. He absorbed the younger Gaius by eating him, though there was no blood. After eating him, Gaius grabbed his stomach, screaming in pain and rolling on the ground.

"What's happening?"

"Is he dying?"

The crowd questioned, not knowing what was going on.

After his screams and grunts, Gaius laughed maniacally and looked at Dan. "Rejoice, for you are the first to see me in this form." Gaius' body grew to that of a man in his early twenties, his muscles refined, and his hair grew to shoulder length.

"Can you feel it, the power?" Gaius' voice echoed. "Now let's continue our brawl."

He appeared in front of Dan and landed a heavy punch on his gut, sending him flying and crashing into the arena wall.

"Dan!" Naya screamed from the basement. No normal human would survive the punch, let alone the impact against the wall.

"What is going on now? Is that really Gaius?" Handsome asked.

"I don't know, but this fight is amazing," Scary commented.

In the High Chamber, all the chiefs stared in amazement at what had just happened, from Dan knocking Gaius out to Gaius' transformation. This was no ordinary battle.

"Should I stop this, my lord?" Cornelius asked, concerned about the arena and the civilians' safety.

"Wait, don't stop it. This is an interesting battle. Look at their faces," Lucien said.

"But…"

"Relax and enjoy this, Cornelius. Battles like this don't come twice," Lucien chuckled, sipping from a glass of wine.

"I understand, my lord," Cornelius finally submitted, resuming his seat.

As the dust settled, Dan emerged, perfectly fine. "Nice punch," he said with a smile. 'If I hadn't strengthened my hands, I would have been dead by now. Scary!'

"You blocked my punch. You pass. Now, time to get serious." Gaius rushed at Dan, aiming for his face. Dan dodged, but the force bruised his skin and tore it open. He leaped backward to avoid more contact, but Gaius didn not let him rest. He chased after Dan, punching his face and finally his guts, sending him into the air and crashing to the ground. Dan rolled

"Is that all you've got?" Gaius asked, walking closer to Dan, who was still on the ground holding his stomach.

Dan managed to drag himself to his feet, clutching his stomach. 'That's definitely Ryo, but how he uses it goes against what I learnt from Master Valerie. A few minutes ago, I thought he was an emitter; now he fights more like a catalyst. If this continues, I'll be dead. I can't let it end here. I have no other choice.'

"You fought well. You're the only person in the nine realms to make me enter this form. It's something to be proud of—"

"Shut up, will you? You've been praising yourself for quite some time now. Just shut up," Dan said.

"Hmmm… you still have strength to continue this fight."

"You're not the only one with another form," Dan grinned.

"What do you mean?" Gaius asked.

"Rejoice, for you are the first to see me in this form," Dan said mockingly. 'This is my first time trying this. I hope it works.'

Dan steadied his breath, directing all his energy into his heart, strengthening its muscles. His heart bulged, growing in size and drumming loudly even to his hearing. "Here goes nothing."

[NEXT: GAIUS DEMISE]