Author's note: I had an incredibly hard time deciding a winner for Rajput vs Knight, but I decided to have the knight win since he had the better armor. But it was the closest fight in this season probably. Also, I replaced the Gladiator's sling and traded it for Plumbata. Since both uses slings in the show, it would be weird to have two slings. On with the story!

XXXX

Celt: The ferocious barbarian who sometimes rushes into battle in the nude to prove their fearlessness.

(A naked Celt is seen impaling an enemy with his Lancea.)

vs.

Gladiator: The proud thrilling killer of Rome.

(A gladiator is seen stabbing his downed opponent with his sica.)

WHO IS DEADLIEST?

To find out, we've assembled a team of world class fighters to test history's most lethal weapons. Using 21stcentury science, we'll see what happens when two warriors go toe to toe.

No rules. No safety. No mercy. It's a duel to the death to decide who is…THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!

Here in our elite fight club we have gathered doctors, medical scientists and weapons experts to test out the lethal arsenals wielded by each of our combatants to determine who would win a fight between two warriors who never met in a face to face duel:

Celt

Circa: 400 B.C.

Height: 6'

Weight: 180 lbs.

Armor: Leather Belt, Hexagonal Iron-Rimmed Wooden Shield

Gladiator

Circa: 100 A.D.

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 185 lbs.

Armor: Murmillo Helmet, Leather Belt, Lorica Manica, Galerus, Wooden Shield

"Today's match is interesting. These two warriors fought with brute force, but fought for different purposes. The Celt though of war as a sport, the gladiator fought for his survival in the Colosseum."

"I'm siding with the gladiator". Biomedical engineer Geoff Desmoulin says. " Their weapons are craft specifically to kill. He fought for the sake of his life and I'm sure he won't let the Celt end it."

"I think the Celt will take this match." Dr. Dorian counters. " The gladiator isn't wearing any armor and he isn't trained to fight someone as barbaric and savage as the Celt. I think the Celt is gonna be adding another head to his collection."

Celtic people inhabited a majority of mainland Europe, not under a single empire, but as hundreds of tribes scattered throughout the land, united only by a common language

"They were some of the fiercest warriors to ever grace the European continent," Mack started, "I mean, imagine a tall guy charging at you screaming bloody murder with his body covered by all sorts of weird symbols! They were so fierce it was known they would sometimes wander into battle nude to prove they weren't afraid of dying in battle. Barbarism aside, they were some of the most talented metal workers of their day and are credited with having invented chainmail."

Various tribes scattered across areas stretching from Gaul to Bohemia to parts of Iberia and Britain would be gradually conquered by the Romans over centuries of conflict, largely thanks to disunity caused by Roman bribery. It would be during the time of conquering and occupation when the Arverni chieftain Vercingetorix would lead a rebellion against the ancient superpower, ending with his eventual capture and execution that would end the heaviest Celtic resistance in Gaul, yet their legacy would live on to the modern times when their descendants would populate Scotland and Ireland.

"They had no rules of engagement. They did whatever they needed to do to get the job done. To them, war was a sport," Mack concluded.

The innovative warrior brings an assortment of handcrafted weapons that would influence warfare for centuries to come on mainland Europe:

Short Range: Celtic Long Sword

Mid-Range: Lancea

Long Range: Sling

Special Weapon: Burda

But today, they will be going up against a ruthless adversary that shows no signs of backing down.

Gladiators were most often captured soldiers from rival armies or condemned criminals who were selected for their ferocity, strength and skill. In Ancient Rome they entertained the public with bloody battles to the death.

"Gladiators were scrappy individuals," Mack explained, "They were literally expected to die without asking for mercy or even crying out in pain. Very rarely was a loser allowed to leave alive. They had to fight courageously and win over the crowd's sympathy, most often; they became food for the lions.

To ensure the best spectacle possible, a gladiator was trained in the art of killing, using a wide range of lethal, crowd-pleasing weapons:

Short Range: Sica

Mid-Range: Trident & Net

Long Range: Plumbata

Special Weapon: Scissor

Both warriors used deadly swords of very different designs. Up first is the gladiator.

"The sica was a short sword seen as a weapon associated with criminals, but was later adopted into gladiatorial bouts, used by a class of gladiator known as the 'Thraex.' Early sicas had a sharply-curved, single-sided blade, but later designs would have a straight, double-edged blade, its upper third bent backwards at a 45 degree angle. It was 30 inches long and weighed 2.5 pounds," Dave said before handing the sica to gladiator expert Steve Dietrich who then took a few practice swings with it.

"The angled blade was designed to reach around the shield of the gladiator's opponent. With a tip that pointed up, it would often catch onto the bottom of the opponent's helmet, allowing the user to force the blade upwards through the jaw and into the brain."

"Then show us how it's done," Geoff said motioning towards a ballistic gel torso outfitted in Celtic armor and shield.

"Steve, are you ready?" Geoff called out with the high speed camera ready.

"Yeah!" he screamed.

"On 3…2…1…hack 'em up!" Geoff shouted.

Steve used the angled blade of his sics to pull the shield away from the torso, he then swings at the helmet, leaving a dent. He then stabs the Celt's leather belt, achieving penetration.

Dr. Dorian walks over. " So for your helmet strike, you generated about 35 PSI, he is completely dazed and that leaves him open for your next blow. You stabbed and penetrated enough to actually get an inch into his body, not touching anything vital, but will hurt him."

"That weapon looks great, but our sword is ten times as proficient and with what little armor the gladiator wore. It'll spill your guts out." Celt expert Spencer Dinnean says.

The Celt responds with the Celtic Long Sword.

"The Celtic long sword is Celtic ironworking at its finest. Hell, its iron was so well done some historians thought it could be classified as steel," Dave explained, "It was a straight, double-edged iron blade with a rounded tip that made it good for thrusting and stabbing, along with its hilt having a small guard, single-handed grip and two backward curving quillons near the pommel. Altogether it was 3 feet in length and weighed 5 pounds."

Spencer stood with his long sword drawn and was taking a few practice swings before approaching an area where a ballistic gel torso is wearing a gladiator helmet and holding a shield.

"Okay, for this test Spencer, we want to seen, we want to the kind of damage your sword can do against our stand in gladiator." Geoff says

"Okay on 3...2...1... Cut em up!"

Spencer swings at the wooden shield, cracking some of the wood. He proceeds to stab the gel torso in the gut, the blade managing to protrude out the other side. He finishes with a swing aimed at the torso's neck severing the head.

Dr. Dorian assesses the damage. " So your strike to the shield did crack parts of it, but didn't hit hard enough to break any bones, he will feel that hit though. The stab to the gut went straight through his stomach and your blade protruded out the back, this is a severe injury. And of course we have a decapitation. Nice work Spencer." He says smiling.

Both weapons killed their targets in gruesome fashion, but where do our panelists stand?

"This is a pretty close comparison. On one end you have a blade tailor made to go around shields and go under helmets. The other is a deadly sword made to brutally decapitate your enemy. I'll call it even on this one." Geoff starts.

"I have to go with the Celtic Longsword. Dr. Dorian says. " Even though the sica is designed to go around shields and helmets. The Longsword has the superior reach and with what little armor the gladiator wore. He is screwed. Edge Celtic longsword."

"I agree with doc, the gladiator has minimal armor, his target is basically a huge target. Edge Celtic longsword." Mack says.

In short range weapons, the Celt takes the edge with the Celtic Long Sword.

Coming up. A deadly spear goes uo against a barbed killer from the ocean. And later it will be a battle to the death when two brutes meet in a duel.

XXXXX

The time has come for both warriors to break out their mid-ranged arsenals. Up first will be the Celt with the lancea.

"The lancea was a spear that could be used for both throwing and thrusting," Dave explained, "It was a 9 foot ash pole mounted with a 14 inch spearhead and weighed 4 pounds altogether. The spearhead had a wavy pattern, which reduced friction, allowed deeper penetration, caused more trauma when going in, and would have been capable of piercing most types of light armor a Celtic warrior commonly encountered on the battlefield

Spencer stood at the ready with a lancea in hand.

"Alright Spencer, we've set up two targets for you," Geoff said motioning towards a ballistic gel torso nearby and a suspended pig carcass a few feet away from him, "Your first target we want to see your stabbing capabilities and for the pig we want to see how effective this when used as a projectile."

"Got it," Spencer said taking his position.

"Spencer when you are ready on 3…2…1, cut 'em up!" Geoff shouted.

Spencer stabbed the lancea deep into his target, wriggling it in until the tip pierced through the target's back. He then ran over and grabbed the second lancea, chucking it through the air and striking the lower portion of its body, far enough it was left sticking through this target as well.

Dr. Dorian went over to remove the lancea from the first target, struggling for a few seconds before finally wrenching it free, "That struggle alone would have killed a dying man. You struck this man's lung dead on, shattering the ribs guarding it and possibly sending bone fragments flying into other vital organs, he will bleed out within seconds. Any attempts to remove this weapon is going to result in this man's lung being shredded to pieces."

He then made his way over to the pig carcass, "I'm looking at an instant kill already. You've struck this man's small intestine and in addition," he then gripped the lancea and pulled it out after another struggle, an entire line of intestines following, "I rest my case."

"That's a nice Hollywood invention, throwing away your weapon, you know what? I'm glad you threw that weapon because its worthless you might as well throw it away. It isn't doing you any good." Steve counters.

The gladiator responds with the trident and net combination.

"The trident was originally a fishing tool that was later used in the coliseum by a class of gladiator known as the 'retiarius.' It was six feet long and weighed four pounds, three barbed steel prongs on the end, which inflicted more damage as the weapon was pulled from the body," Dave explained before holding up the net, "The net was circular with lead weights around the edge and was attached to the gladiator's wrist by means of a rope. It was intended to entangle the opponent's limbs or torso, allowing the gladiator to follow up with a strike from the trident."

Geoff leads Steve over to a torso wearing the Celt's leather belt.

"Alright Steve, we want you to do all the damage you can to our Celt right here."

"You got it."

"High speed is ready, on 3...2...1... Go!"

Steve throws the net at the torso's head, and with a roar he stabs into the leather belt, penetrating and withdraws his trident, blood on the barbed ends.

"So your attack penetrated and managed to get deep enough to get his intestine with the middle barb. He will die of infection if this isn't treated." Dr. Dorian says.

Both weapons are definitely lethal, but where do our experts stand?

"I'm giving my edge to the trident & net combo, the Celt's lances seems very unwieldy as a close quarters weapon. If he is up close with the gladiator, he's screwed if he gets caught with the net, edge trident." Geoff starts off.

"Sorry bro, the edge goes to the lancea. Dorian counters. " While at long range, the lances has the advantage, the Celt can still kill the gladiator with a well placed shot to his chest and the lances will definitely get through the shield, for also functioning as a missile weapon, the edge goes to the lancea".

"I'm with doc in this one, edge lancea." Mack concludes.

In mid-range weapons, the edge goes to the Celt with the lancea.

Coming up, a simple yet lethal sling goes up against throwing darts, and later we will have a battle of brutes!

XXXX

Now the time comes to break out the long range arsenal. The Gladiator will start things out with the plumbata.

"The plumbata was a lead-weighted dart primarily carried by infantrymen during the Antiquity and well into the Middle Ages," Dave explained, "They were roughly 18 inches in length and had a wooden shaft for its handle and was fletched below with two flights 180 degrees apart. It was then attached to an iron shank and in the middle of the dart was the lead weight and on the pointed end was a barbed head. It could be thrown both over and underhanded."

We will now test out the plumbatas. Steve will attack a torso wearing the Celt's belt.

"Okay Steve, our high speed is ready, 3...2...1.. Attack!" Geoff announces

Steve picks his first Plumbata and chucks it at the torso's belt, the dart penetrates ever so slightly and falls out after, he chucks the second one at the torso's chest and it lodges in. He chucks the last Plumbata and the torso's eye.

"The first shot to the belt did not penetrate his skin, it only left a minor hole. The second one did nick the lung, incapacitating injury there. The last one, no brainer, penetrated and kills quickly. Good work Steve."

Due to the sling being tested so many times in fanfics and twice on the show, our experts will skip it and move on.

"We've seen the sling countless times in fanfics and twice when we did the show, the Plumbata performed better than any sling would. Edge Plumbata." Geoff starts off.

"I never liked slings in the first place, Plumbata is new to me, it did better than all the slings we saw. Edge Plumbata." Dorian says

"Agreed, edge plumbata." Mack finishes.

In a unanimous vote, the Plumbata gains the edge in long range weapons.

Up next, our warriors bring their special weapons. And we will finally have our battle when Celt meets gladiator on the battlefield.

XXX

The time has now come for both warriors o show off their special weapons. Up first will be the Celt with his burda.

"The burda was a wedge-shaped, fire hardened wooden club with a widened tip to increase damage and outfitted with iron bands around the tip to increase its lethality," Dave explained, "It was two feet long and commonly weighed around six pounds."

Spencer stood with the burda in hand and approached a gel torso outfitted with pressure sensors. And wearing a gladiator helmet.

"Alright Spencer, we want to see what that can do against the human body. We've outfitted your target with pressure sensors to determine the PSI inflicted by each blow. We want you to deliver one blow to the skull and one to the chest," Geoff explained.

"Very well," Spencer nodded as he got into position.

"On 3…2…1, smash 'em up!"

Spencer slammed the club onto the crown of the target's skull, smashing it inward and opening up a fist-sized hole. He then swung the club sideways and struck it with a sickening crack that sent a vibration throughout the whole chest cavity. He does a final move by smashing the helmet, leaving an impressive dent.

"Damn, that's a small wrecking ball you've got yourself there," Geoff commented.

Dr. Dorian made his way over to assess the damage and check the sensor readings, "Your first shot measured in at over 270 PSI. You completely destroyed the upper portion of this man's skull and left an extra hole for emphasis, unquestionably an instant kill. Your strike to the chest resulted in over 300 PSI, so most of the ribs are broken, tons of internal bleeding and the heartbeat is disrupted, a near instant kill." Your smash to the helmet dented it, and he suffer a massive headache."

In spite if the burda's power, the gladiator answers with the scissor.

"The Roman Scissor was a distinctive bladed weapon wielded by a class of gladiator known simply as 'the scissor,'" Dave said presenting the weapon, "Eighteen inches, five pounds of hardened steel. It's a crescent-shaped blade on the end of a metal tube worn over the forearm. There was a handle inside that allowed the user to maintain his grip during the heat of battle. It's a very versatile weapon, it can slash you, stab you, plus the tube itself could also double as a means of blocking your foe's attacks."

Steve proudly showed off the scissor for all to see, earning a scoff from Spencer.

"Okay Steve, to demonstrate what the scissor can do, we have set up a four-hundred pound beef carcass," Geoff said motioning to the aforementioned carcass suspended from the ceiling nearby, "When I give the signal, I want you to show us what it can do."

"You got it," the weapons expert said taking his position in front of the carcass.

"Alright, high speed cameras have been set up. Steve, are you ready?" Geoff called out.

"Born ready," shouted back.

"Alright, then on 3…2…1! Cut 'em up!"

With a mighty roar, Steve shot his covered arm out and punched his way through the slab, getting his arm stuck. Yanking his arm hard, he managed to pull it out and then kept punching away until he had cut the meat in half.

"Fresh meat anyone?" Steve asked proud of his work.

Judging by what I see here, you likely wouldn't kill this man with the initial strike," Dr. Dorian said inspecting the cuts, "What would kill him though is the brutal ending you have. That blade is going to get lodged and is going to likely pull out the man's intestines along with it, especially with how you struggled to pull it out, that only contribute to the suffering right there. You keep that up; you would eventually dismember the man's upper torso."

Both weapons have displayed their destructive capabilities, what do our experts think?

"Even though the Burda has the ability to cause tremendous damage, the scissor has larger area in which to cause an instant kill, plus he can also block with the tube part of it. Edge scissor." Geoff started off.

"Agreed, stabbing beats bludgeoning, edge scissor." Dr. Dorian says.

"With you on that, edge scissor." Mack concludes.

In special weapons. The scissor gains the edge.

Coming up, our panelists gauge the X-factors of each warrior and then after that, we finally have our battle to determine who is THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!

XXXXX

And now Mack will gauge the X-factors of each warrior.

"Ferocity is a key x factor here. We gave it to the Celt for his love of decapitation, he gets a 94 to the gkadiator's 90."

"For physicality, the Celt is a huge man covered in weird symbols, but the gladiator has to fight through pain. He gets a 94 to the Celt's 91."

"For training, we gave it to the Celt. Even though he wasn't what you classify as an elite warrior. He was still better trained than the gladiator, who were usually slaves and criminals. The Celt gets an 82 to the gladiator's 71."

"Endurance is another x factor. We gave it to the gladiator with a 93 because he had to fight through pain and injuries. The Celt is slightly lower with an 89.

"Lastly we have killer instinct. We rated the Celt with a 92 to the gladiator's 90 because even though the gladiator fought for his life everyday. The Celt viewed war and killing as a sport."

Our scientists and weapons experts are done testing the results and the time has come to decide who will be the victor. To ensure the battle won't be decided by a single lucky blow, the battle will be simulated one thousand times in a duel to the death.

Who will prevail in a battle between two brutes?

"In the end there can be only one. Let's find out," Mack said.

XXXXX

The battle begins and we are taken to a lush forested area in central Germany. A lone gladiator had recently managed to escape his captors and has wondered all the way into Germany from Rome.

He continues walking through the forest path and eventually comes to a small clearing.

Making sure the coast is clear, he walks out into the clearing before he notices a figure emerging from the small hill. He stops in his tracks and draws his sica. The figure finally comes into full view and the gladiator can see who it is. A larger man covered in weird symbols, he had come to face a Celt.

The Celt looks around and spots the gladiator. Noticing his gear, he knows the gladiator is a Roman and assumes he is an invader, draws his longsword and points it at the gladiator with a mighty war cry. The Celtic warrior then charges down the hill with sword in hand.

The gladiator takes his shield out and charges at the Celt as well. Both warriors bash into each other in the center of the clearing and the force knocks both warriors back. They both regain their bearings and circle each other cautiously. The Celt would strike first with a vertical swing aimed at the gladiator's helmet but his blow is intercepted by the gladiator's shield and the Roman goes for a thrust at the Celt's chest with his sica.

The Celt jumps back and quickly swings his longsword downwards at the sica and manages to knock the blade out of the gladiator's hand. The gladiator backs up and takes out his trident and holds it protectively in front of him.

Seeing his foe backing up, the Celt moves forward slowly and springs at the gladiator wildly swinging his longsword at the gladiator hoping to land a hit. The gladiator manages to block most of the blows before the long sword eventually cuts his upper arm.

It's nothing compared to other wounds he has ever had and shrugs off the cut's pain. He draws his net secretly and as the Celt swings again, he uses his trident's prongs to catch the longsword and twists his weapon making the Celt lose grip on it and it falls to the ground. Seeing the opening he just created, he quickly tosses his net at the Celt and ensnared him.

The Celt yells out and struggles to break free the gladiator takes the opportunity to toss his trident at the Celt and it hits the Celt in his stomach through his leather belt. The prongs only penetrated slightly but enough to cut the Celt and he grunts in pain and with his free arm, runs over to the gladiator and punches him. He managed to take his lancea strapped to his back and proceeds to use the wavy blade to cut the net off.

The Celt is relieved to have the net off and pulls the trident out of his belt and turns to the gladiator only to see a plumbata flying at him, he ducks quickly and sees that the gladiator had retreated into a nearby treeline and is about to chuck another plumbata at him. The Celt takes out his sling and winds it up, he takes aim and let's the rock fly at the gladiator and managed to hit the gladiator in his helmet. The Roman grunts at the hit and the force knocks his head to the side.

The Celt then proceeds to charge at his foe with his lancea. The gladiator holds his ground and takes out his remaining weapon, his scissor. The Celt then comes close to the gladiator and he thrusts his lancea hard only to have it blocked by the gladiator's shield. He moves his shield up making the Celt's lancea to up and exposes his stomach. The gladiator quickly thrusts the scissor at the Celt only to get kicked in the stomach himself and he stumbles backwards.

He drops his shield in the process and the Celt yanks his spear out of it and sees the gladiator get up. He quickly tosses his spear at the gladiator and it hits him in his side. The gladiator yells in pain and goes to take it out of him. As he does that, the Celt had drawn his burda club and is already bringing it down onto his head.

The burda hits the club with such a blow it dented the murmillo helmet and the gladiator screams in pain. The Celt proceeds to shove him back into a tree and brings the burda down onto the gladiator's shoulder smashing it completely.

With his opponent nearly dead, he takes off the gladiator's helmet and with his burda, brings it down onto the gladiator's skull smashing it like an egg. The Celt raises his bloodied club in the air and roars in victory.

XXXX

Winner: Celt

Celt: 578

Longsword: 286

Lancea: 165

Sling: 1

Burda: 126

Gladiator: 422

Sica: 132

Trident: 157

Plumbata: 23

Scissor: 110

In a brutal battle, the Celt emerged victorious in a fairly one sided encounter with his longsword and lancea being his most deadliest weapons. While the gladiator's most damaging weapons was his trident & net combination.

"The Celt won because even though the gladiator fought for his life everyday, he wore little to no armor leaving him open to plenty of fatal attacks. When the distance was closed, the Celt took it easily. Also the Celt's size and girth helped him win in the end." Geoff explains.

(The Celt is seen at his hut, he is hanging the defeated gladiator's weapons on his wall, he will hang these with pride. Outside is the gladiator's head, staring vacantly into space on a pike.)

XXXX

Next time on Deadliest Warrior, its a battle of two deadly European warriors.

Viking: The battle crazed berserker who terrorized and pillaged Europe.

vs.

Roman Centurion: The killer commander who led Rome to conquer the world.

WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?