Due to their lack of decisive power, Zafar instructs Cestvs and his companions to train all day every day by digging with pickaxes. Though his companions complain, Cestvs regards Zafar's word as his only ray of hope and continues digging. Meanwhile, a pair of messengers arrive to announce a fighting tournament held by the emperor. Emperor Nero himself has ordered that Cestvs participate. He seems to be unable to escape him... With indescribable uncertainty in his heart, Cestvs participates in the qualifier in order to win his freedom. However, the arena is a wooden structure resembling a run-down cage.
The emperor's territory included all the 
land encircling the Mediterranean Sea.
يتضمّن حكم الإمبراطور كلّ الأراضي المحيطة
بالبحر الأبيض المتوسط
Denn das beherrschte Gebiet des Kaisers
umfasste alles Land um das Mittelmeer herum.
Su territorio incluía toda la tierra
que rodeaba el mar Mediterráneo.
Su territorio incluía toda la tierra
que rodeaba el mar Mediterráneo.
La domination impériale s’étendait
tout autour de la Méditerranée.
I territori dell'imperatore comprendevano
tutte le terre bagnate dal Mar Mediterraneo.
O território do imperador incluía todas
as terras em volta do Mar Mediterrâneo.
Все земли вокруг Средиземного моря
 принадлежали ему.