Reincarnated With Harem System

"Ice, grant me strength!"

A sharp, silvery light erupted from Alden's palm as he chanted. He then ran his hand along the blade, its surface quickly frosting over with a layer of glimmering ice.

In less than a heartbeat, he followed through with a swift horizontal slash aimed at the Red Troll's left leg.

Slash!

The frost-covered blade cut effortlessly through the troll's thick, scarlet skin. But as the blade struck the meat and skin within, it was as if they were frozen, and no blood spurted forth.

The Red Troll quickly realized that the human it had been searching for had been hiding beneath it all along. Enraged by the attack on its left leg, it let out a thunderous roar.

Realizing he had been detected and that his sword lacked the sharpness to swiftly cut through the troll's bone, Alden quickly withdrew the blade and leaped back in retreat.

Less than a second later, he watched the ground where he had stood moments ago obliterated by the troll's massive fist, leaving a pit nearly a meter deep.

Roar!

The troll glared at Alden with seething fury, its eyes burning with a desire to crush or devour him whole. As it prepared to lunge forward, it abruptly faltered, realizing that only its right leg could move. Its left leg remained frozen solid, immobilized as though it had been submerged in an icy lake.

Without giving the troll a chance to recover from being frozen, Alden swiftly rushed toward it.

The troll, spotting Alden's rapid approach, sneered mockingly. It seemed amused at the human's audacity to charge directly at it. It viewed Alden's move as nothing more than courting death.

The creature's glee grew when it realized Alden showed no signs of slowing down. With a guttural chuckle, the troll raised both of its massive fists, ready to smash the gladiator into the ground the moment he stepped within striking range.

Throughout it all, Alden's face stayed impassive and inscrutable. But just as Alden neared the troll, he raised his hand sharply.

"Ice, bless me with your power!"

"Ice Floor!"

A flash of silvery-white light shot from his hand as he slammed it into the ground. In an instant, the area within a few meters around him was covered in a layer of glistening ice, its reflective surface mirroring the dazzling sunlight.

Taking full advantage of the slippery ice floor, Alden dropped into a sliding position, allowing his momentum to propel him forward as he aimed to glide through the space between the troll's massive legs.

The troll looked momentarily stunned, but its instincts kicked in, and its massive fists quickly came crashing down in an attempt to crush him.

Bang!

Bang!

The ice shattered under the impact of its failed blows. The troll, still unaccustomed to Alden's sudden acceleration, failed to land a hit.

Nevertheless, failing to land a punch didn't mean it was without alternatives. As Alden neared the gap between its legs, the troll's predatory cunning took over. It swiftly swiped its right leg toward its frozen left.

While the troll did admit it lacked the intelligence of humans and other races, the troll possessed something it took immense pride in. It was its natural battle instinct, adaptation, and experience!

These characteristics were precisely why it managed to avoid capture for a whole week, even while being persistently pursued by numerous Awakened.

Its instincts, adaptation, and experience were its greatest weapon!

As a troll, its life can essentially be described as kill or be killed!

If it fails to develop its battle instincts, it will be defeated! If it does not adapt promptly, it will perish! If it fails due to inexperience, it will be destroyed! From the moment of its birth, the troll's existence had been perpetually intertwined with battles of life and death!

Faced with just a single human, what's there to be fear?!

As the troll's massive right leg swung toward its immobilized left, it managed to hit Alden with devastating force, clipping his figure mid-slide.

Crack!

Pfft!

Alden's chest collapsed from the force, causing blood to spill from his mouth. His previously stoic demeanor crumbled, giving way to a contorted expression of sheer pain. Sharp, unyielding pain coursed through his body, as if a massive hammer had struck his ribcage with force. He knew instinctively that several ribs had fractured from the blow.

However, the attack did not stop at that point. The troll's leg not only struck but also dragged him forcefully over the frozen terrain. The immense force slammed him sideways, leaving his bruised body trapped between the troll's massive legs.

Thud!

His back slammed into the unyielding mass of the troll's frozen left leg, its thickness and density comparable to a solid brick wall. The collision sent a fresh wave of agony ripping through his body. His vision blurred, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse.

Pfft!

Another gush of blood escaped his lips as his battered frame trembled under the unrelenting pressure. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt, with the echoes of the crowd diminishing into a faint murmur as Alden's body desperately pleaded for respite from the relentless assault.

"Gehahaha!" The troll unleashed a deep, scornful laugh that echoed through the arena. It reveled in its triumph, aware the small human now wedged between its colossal legs was utterly defeated.

Lowering its massive hand, the troll plucked Alden's limp body from where it had been trapped. It lifted the thrashed man as though inspecting a prize, its enormous, unblinking eyes narrowing as they took in the extent of the damage. Alden's chest was grotesquely caved in, his armor cracked and smeared with blood. His body hung lifeless, like a puppet with its strings cut.

The creature's lips curled into a twisted grin, savoring the moment. Slowly, it raised Alden higher, turning toward the crowd with a triumphant roar, as if to declare: This is what happens when a mortal challenges me.

The troll turned its massive body clockwise, ensuring that every spectator in the arena got a clear view of Alden's pathetic state.

As the crowd took in the horrifying sight, a collective gasp rippled through the stands.

The sight is just too horrifying!

The man who looked so strong when he first appeared was now terribly beaten. His face, previously calm and steady, was now twisted with pain and agony, showing just how much he had suffered.

The crowd was gripped by fear. Faces turned pale, and a heavy silence fell over the arena. Some people held their chests, shaking, while others looked away, unable to watch. A few couldn't handle it at all, throwing up or passing out from the sheer horror of what they'd seen.

Lumien's family handled the terrifying scene slightly better than most. His father and mother, though visibly shaken, managed to avoid complete panic, their faces pale as they averted their gazes from the arena.

His sister, Azalea, however, kept her eyes fixed on the troll, her brows furrowed in thought. It was clear she wasn't just watching. She was analyzing, probably calculating what she might have done differently if she were the one facing the troll.

And Lumien? His mind was elsewhere, consumed by a different line of thought entirely.

Where would Earth's modern firearms rank in a place like this? Could the troll withstand the impact of a grenade at point-blank range?

...

"Ahh!" Alden let out a weak cry as the troll, despite having already won, continued to torment him like a cruel predator playing with its prey. It gripped his limbs, stretching them mercilessly, and Alden was certain they were moments from being ripped apart.

But just as the pain became unbearable, a suffocating, tyrannical aura swept over the arena.

The troll instantly froze, its gleeful sneer dissolving into a mask of terror. It dropped Aiden's body with a loud thud. The massive creature staggered and then collapsed face-first, pinned to the ground by a force no one could see but everyone could feel.

Its eyes, filled with terror, turned a dreadful crimson as blood vessels ruptured from the pressure. The troll's limbs spasmed fiercely, twisted into unnatural angles as if manipulated by invisible forces.

To Lumien, the scene felt disturbingly familiar. It reminded him of the ghost movies he watched, where the possessed would twist and contort, their limbs bending in ways that defied all logic and anatomy.

Deep cracks split open along its leathery skin, bright red lines seeping blood before bursting into sprays. The air filled with the wet, sickening sounds of tearing flesh as the creature writhed, its powerful structure crumbling under the severe, invisible assault.

In just a few breaths, what seemed like an invincible, demon-king-like existence had been reduced to nothing more than a grotesque mass of crushed flesh and liquid.

Alden's body lay motionless beside the mangled creature, his state unknown.

The spectators, overwhelmed by the horrifying turn of events, were struck silent once more.

Their minds seemed to struggle to comprehend how the seemingly invincible troll, a force of unstoppable terror, had been killed so easily. It was as if it had been nothing more than an ant crushed underfoot.

"I-It's dead?" Lumien heard his mother ask, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"Most likely," his father simply replied.

Who could survive after having their limbs twisted and body crushed like that? Probably only a slime or some other creature that was already formless to begin with!

"W-Who killed it?" his mother pressed.

At her question, his father gave a shaky laugh before letting out a weary sigh. "Who else could wield such overwhelming power but the Duke?"

Lumien's gaze instinctively shifted to the Duke seated in the place of honor. The man wore a smile as if the commotion below had nothing to do with him.