Amongst the ongoing duels in the eight arena, Thrax’s battle against the Goat half-blood was one that attracted and caught the attention of most of the audience. After all, it wasn’t often for these people to see one man fight hand-to-hand against an opponent several times bigger than him.
As expected, the fight turned into a contest of pure raw strength where the two of them brawled fiercely, each dealing powerful blows to the other to the point that the arena was affected. Cracks appeared where they traded blows as the aftermath.
Of course, the audience cheered loudly at such a blood-pumping spectacle. Even though they were just watching, the audience could feel their adrenaline rising as if they were the ones fighting.
As the one bearing the moniker Gladiator, Thrax was certainly one that could always give such thrilling entertainment.
With the relentless [9 Sun Divine Technique] he possessed, the Immortal Gladiator managed to wrestle his way and keep the upper hand in this brawl, gradually weakening and exhausting Igor bit by bit.
Until finally, he spotted an opening that ended with him climbing on the beast’s back.
Looking down, Thrax flexed his muscle and swiftly reached down, circling his arm around the half-blood’s neck before choking his opponent with all the strength he could muster.
Of course, Igor quickly tried to break free, to which Thrax responded by tightening his choke.
“I am sorry, friend. This round is for me.. Have a good rest.”
The half-blood Igor attempted to free himself by grabbing Thrax’s body and smashing him away. Unfortunately, the Gladiator was a tough nut to crack. He did not budge from his place on Igor’s back until the half-blood fell to his knee. The moment he lost consciousness due to suffocation, his body returned to his human form.
[Thrax wins]
Backing away from his opponent’s body, Thrax turned to the audience and waved his hand at them. The Immortal Gladiator also did not forget to strike a memorable winning pose, which once again grasped another cheer and applause from the crowd.
Then suddenly, a different kind of cheer was heard from the crowd – one that put a frown on some people’s faces.
“Yes!! Get all of them half-bloods!”
“Show those freaks who’s the boss here!!”
Hearing such words, Thrax immediately stopped waving his hand. He turned away from the audience and approached Igor. He picked up the unconscious half-blood and carried him out of the arena on his shoulder, a show of respect to the man.
There was some booing, but most of the audience stood up from their seats and applauded for the great fight.
After Igor was handed over to the nearby medical staff, Emery welcomed Thrax with apparent pride on his face. He hugged his Thracian friend and said, “Good job, Thrax. And thank you.” to which the latter responded with a tight hug of his own.
They then returned their attention to the ongoing matches, while waiting for Klea’s turn which should be near. Although the other matches weren’t as engaging as Thrax’s, there were still a few that caught the crowd’s attention.
There was even one match where an acolyte got smashed by his opponent’s hammer and killed on the spot. The bloody sight sparked various reactions from the audience, and the accident was ruled as an unintentional mistake.
In such a competitive tournament where the use of force was not restricted and instead encouraged, accidents where death was the result were simply inevitable. And with Emery having firsthand experience of how dangerous Lodos could be, he couldn’t help but feel worried about Klea’s match.
It was truly unfortunate that it was Klea who got the short straw to fight Lodos, since her compatibility against the maniac was exactly the best. For example, Thrax could use his overwhelming strength to brute force through Lodos’ spell, while Chumo could fight the man from a distance and dodge the gravity spells with his exceptional agility.
It seemed that his worry was showing on his face because Klea suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Don’t worry.. Just look after Tivali, will you?” She said with a reassuring smile, her other hand caressing the beast in her lap. Immediately after, the black cat jumped down and stood next to Emery’s feet.
When her name appeared on the screen, the beautiful Egyptian Queen stood up from her seat and confidently walked out of the terrace.
When the match started, as expected, Lodos took the initiative and cast his gravity spells. The arena shook and several parts around him suddenly formed a crater, all due to the gravity force he exerted.
Klea responded promptly, boosting her body with wind element spells. It gave her the much needed speed to escape from the affected area of the spell. However, the spell turned out much faster than she initially thought.
The speed increase her spell gave wasn’t enough to allow her escape from the spell. In an instant, Klea felt her body weight multiply many times as if there was a mountain on her back, rendering her unable to move.
[Gravitational Pressure]
Klea struggled with all she had to break free, but it seemed that she did not have the necessary battle power to do so. Seeing such a sight, a maniacal laughter erupted from her opponent as he flashed a cocky smirk.
“Hahahaha! Caught you!”
Immediately after, the Maniac cast [Dark Needle], manifesting dozens of needle-like projectiles made of darkness energy around his entire body. But then, Klea who was still maintaining her composure said something that no one expected.
“I dare you to put a scratch on my skin, and I’ll make sure my man Emery will beat you up again!!”
The needles that had been quivering – a sign that they were about to be fired – suddenly came to stillness as Lodos was stunned by those words. It was clear that Klea taunted the Maniac by reminding him of Emery, of his defeat, and the fact he was actually scared of her man.
In just a split second, Lodos’ expression turned twisted and all the needles floating around his body turned into something comparable to a spear. Even without saying anything, the audience knew that the man was incensed.
“How dare you?! You are now as helpless as trapped birds! You shall pay for what you said!!”
In the next second, the spears made of darkness shot swiftly through the air and pierced Klea’s body. Crimson blood splashed onto the arena floor, whereupon the girl fell helplessly and didn’t move anymore.
She died, instantly.
Lodos had just killed his opponent with his attack, and this realization quickly brought him back to his senses.
“W–What.. What happened? What did– Why didn’t she do anything?”
He turned his head and looked at the audience in panic. “N-No.. I don’t mean it.. I don’t…”
Then suddenly, he found his gaze met with two green eyes which then transformed into a giant wolf beast that charged at him ferociously. In that instant, terror-filled his entire being.
“No! Please don’t! I give up! Someone save me!!”
Alas, there was nothing Lodos could do except watch as his head was bitten by the beast. But when he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was still alive. There was nothing that resembled a beast in front of him, other than sweat-soaking his clothes and a girl smiling at him.
Then, a notification came to his mind.
[Cleopatra wins]
“W–What… H-How…” Lodos asked in a daze, confused by the notification of his defeat.
Apparently, Klea had been using her enchantment since the start of the match, and with the unstable mind he had, Lodos was the easiest prey she had ever faced against. She played into his anger and later fear, as waypoints into giving the man an illusion; and all while he was enchanted, Lodos voluntarily declared his surrender.
Klea walked up to the Maniac and whispered, You are still under my enchantment, you know.. Come with me, so I can release you from it.”