No blade can kill him. No man can defeat him. Every gladiator fears him. He is Theokoles, the Shadow of Death, an unstoppable giant of pain and suffering. Learn the twisted origin of the deadliest opponent Spartacus will ever face!

Young, frail Barca cannot save his mother or his village from Roman marauders, and his father Mago bitterly disowns him. But that vengeful day eventually creates Barca, the Beast of Carthage, a towering man of muscle and hate. In Roman hands, Barca must survive the gladiators' arena long enough to get the bloody satisfaction he craves.

Between Spartacus and his freedom stands the gladiator Crixus, whose legend begins with his battle against the horrifying Gargan Twins. Feral, evil cannibals from birth, Decimus and Tiberius Gargan are finally captured and thrown in the arena, where they devour anything--and anyone--in their path. If Crixus can't stop them, there's no man alive who can!

Arkadios is a once-proud Greek warrior enslaved by the Romans. Now he dreams of only one thing: revenge. He'll cut the head from his captor, even if he has to chop a gory swath through an arena full of gladiators just to get there.