When Lucas opened his eyes, he found himself lying inside a brightly lit room.
He shook his still-dizzy head and began recalling what had happened before he lost consciousness.
"I was too reckless."
He clearly remembered unleashing an extreme burst of energy to quickly finish off that worm-like monster.
Because it was his first time using that technique, he failed to control it properly, causing the energy to erupt beyond its limit—knocking him out cold.
"Still, now that I've learned from it, this won't happen again."
Losing consciousness meant entrusting his life to others, something Lucas absolutely refused to accept.
"Hela… where is she?"
Lucas sat up and looked around—only to realize he was inside a circular corridor unlike anything ordinary.
…Damn it.
The moment he recognized the scene, a headache came on.
Across all of Marvel and DC, there was only one place like this.
The Grandmaster's arena.
"So I ended up on Sakaar?" Lucas muttered, exasperated.
People might think the Grandmaster looked harmless in the films, but that was nonsense.
Anyone capable of ruling an entire planet—and capturing countless cosmic beings for entertainment—was no weakling.
Even if he wasn't as exaggerated as his comic counterpart, possessing even a fraction of that power made him one of the universe's elites.
With that in mind, Lucas stood up and checked the energy within his body.
As expected, it had mostly recovered.
Ever since being altered by the Space Stone, his energy recovery rate had become absurdly fast.
"Grandmaster!"
Lucas suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the corridor.
"Come out. I need to speak with you."
The fighters sprawled around the corridor stared at him with strange expressions.
Lucas ignored their looks and waited calmly.
After a long while with no response, his brows furrowed.
"So you won't come out?"
He snorted coldly and raised his hand, beginning to gather energy.
As the energy intensified, the nearby fighters scrambled away in terror, none daring to stay close.
When the power reached a certain threshold, ripples appeared in the surrounding space, like a calm lake being disturbed.
"As expected… this is an artificial spatial corridor."
Just as his energy was about to peak, a holographic figure suddenly appeared before him.
"Hehehe, easy there, my friend."
It was the Grandmaster, unmistakable in all his eccentric glory.
Lucas didn't dispel the energy sphere—he simply flicked it aside, letting it hover nearby.
"With a single thought," Lucas said coldly, "I could blow this place apart."
"Relax, relax," the Grandmaster said, raising both hands placatingly.
"Where is my friend?" Lucas asked calmly.
"The woman with the horns?" the Grandmaster pondered.
"I was told she tried to stop my people from capturing you, which led to a rather intense battle."
Lucas's expression darkened instantly as his aura surged violently.
"She's alive," the Grandmaster added quickly.
"Just exhausted her energy."
"Give her to me," Lucas said. "And let me leave."
"Oh?" The Grandmaster tilted his head.
"I rescued you from a hell planet, and instead of gratitude, you start making demands?"
"Is that how morality works on your world?"
Lucas chuckled.
"You've lived for who knows how many ages. You actually believe in morality?"
The Grandmaster laughed rather than getting angry.
"Fair enough. But you still owe me something."
"Say it," Lucas replied flatly.
"I run an arena here on Sakaar," the Grandmaster said.
"If you defeat all the champions in my title match, I'll grant your request."
"And how do I know you won't pull some tricks during the fight?"
Lucas hadn't forgotten the Grandmaster's love for theatrics and dirty games.
The Grandmaster spread his hands.
"You're a true warrior—confident to the core. Would someone like you really refuse a fight just because I might cheat?"
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'll agree—but only after I see my friend is safe."
The Grandmaster nodded.
"Deal. I'll have her brought to me immediately."
"But first, you must win the first three matches and show me your worth."
Lucas's expression remained calm, devoid of visible battle intent—
yet his next words were filled with absolute dominance.
"No need."
"Don't waste our time."
"Send all three of them up together. I'll deal with them at once."
The Grandmaster burst into laughter.
"Excellent! I love warriors like you. As you wish!"
"The match will begin in three hours. Someone will escort you to the arena."
"Oh, by the way—what should I call you?"
Lucas knew exactly what the Grandmaster was probing for and answered plainly:
"Call me the Terminator."
With that, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and entered meditation.
Three hours passed in silence.
When the mechanical doors of the corridor opened, two guards clad in strange patterned armor entered and stood before him.
Lucas did not resist. He rose and followed them into the preparation area.
Several attendants approached, ready to style and equip him.
"Get lost."
Lucas's low growl unleashed a shockwave of energy, sending them flying and knocking down more than a dozen fighters several meters away.
The entire area fell silent.
No one dared to comment.
Minutes later—
"Welcome, everyone, to tonight's arena!"
The Grandmaster's massive hologram appeared at the center of the colossal stadium.
"I've missed you all, and I thank you for your continued enthusiasm!"
"Tonight, we welcome a new challenger—one with terrifying strength and unmatched confidence!"
"On his very first appearance, he demanded to face three champions alone—without fear!"
"Let us welcome him!"
"His name is—THE TERMINATOR!"
Lucas stepped into the arena.
In response, over a hundred thousand spectators erupted into deafening boos.
He didn't even blink.
_____
T/N:
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