Chapter 278: Monster Arena (5)
The ogre warrior looked down at his club.
"Kraawr..."
The club, swung with all its might, was immensely powerful. It had been strong enough to crack the entire arena floor—its destructive force was truly overwhelming. However, no matter how powerful an attack was, it was meaningless if it didn’t reach its target.
The ogre warrior slowly turned its body, and a figure appeared in sight. A lizardman standing tall, scanning the audience.
"Kraaaawr!"
The ogre had once ruled a forest as an unstoppable tyrant. Of course, there had never been a creature stronger than itself, and all others would tremble and flee at the mere sound of its footsteps. Yet this creature—this single being—had evaded its attacks multiple times and still stood unharmed.
"Kraawr."
A violent bloodlust surged within the ogre. It threw its club aside and smashed its fists together.
Boom! Boom!
Each impact echoed like a siege weapon battering down a fortress gate.
As it took its first step toward Blizzard, the already cracked ground let out a pained screech.
Hearing the ground split, Blizzard slowly turned. He glanced at the approaching ogre warrior, then at the unstable ground.
He is watching over me.
His master had healed his broken body and even gifted him the blessing of immense power.
That means there is no defeat.
This was not mere hope but certainty.
With a low growl, Blizzard shot forward. The ogre warrior’s steps were heavy, but Blizzard’s were as light as a breeze.
"Kraaaaawr!"
The ogre’s massive fist cut through the air like a cannonball.
But Blizzard simply leaped up, landing on the ogre’s forearm and spun his body mid-air. Fueled by the momentum of the rotation, his thick tail struck the ogre in the face.
"Gruuaghh!"
As the ogre warrior lost its balance and staggered backward, the ground beneath it collapsed.
Now.
Blizzard’s eyes flashed as he kicked off the ogre’s arm, driving his elbow straight into its face.
"Kraaaaaghh!"
Thud!
The ogre warrior’s massive body collapsed, completely shattering the ground beneath him.
A battle of intelligence—perfectly analyzing the terrain and the opponent’s center of gravity, then using it to his advantage!
"Krawwr..."
Shaking its head, the dazed ogre warrior tried to regain his senses. As it lifted its upper body, a massive shadow loomed over him.
"Krawr?"
It looked up, expecting to see the sky, but what it saw instead was its own massive club, plummeting straight toward itself.
"K-kraaaawr!"
Struck by its own weapon, the ogre warrior's eyes rolled back as it collapsed, unconscious.
Despite the massive weight difference, Blizzard had claimed victory, and the arena erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Woooooooahhh!"
“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!"
"Black Comet! Black Comet!"
The crowd loved heroes, and they loved a good comeback even more. And if a match perfectly combined both elements? The deafening roar of the crowd, so powerful it raised goosebumps, was the answer.
"Heh." Baron Gordan looked down at the wildly excited audience and put on a satisfied smile. "What does it matter who healed him? The result is all that matters. Bahaha."
"But we cannot allow the audience to keep interfering in the matches." One of his attending knights offered a word of caution.
"Of course not. Make sure to thoroughly check everyone's identity before they leave the colosseum."
"Yes, sir!"
Just as the knights were about to exit, a new group of knights burst into the VIP room in a panic.
"M-My Lord! We have a problem!"
"What is it?"
"Inspectors from the Solarian Church are raiding businesses across the city as if they’re hunting rats!"
"W-what?!" Baron Gordan shot up from his seat, his face contorted in shock as he shouted.
Haran, being the greatest entertainment city in Caldaren, was naturally entangled in illegal activities. Things like drugs, illegal gambling, and prostitution—all strictly forbidden by the church.
His eyes darted around wildly as he snapped at the reporting knight. "Why would they... I made sure to show my sincerity before starting these businesses!"
"It seems the rumors about the church's restructuring are true. We tried to contact the leaders who used to take your bribes, but none of them are responding!"
"Tsk..." Baron Gordan clicked his tongue in annoyance and shouted, "Those bastards claim to believe in God, yet they're nothing but money-hungry scum... This is probably their way of pressuring us for their own share now that the leadership within the church has changed. Lead the way—I’ll handle this myself."
"Yes, sir!"
As the baron and his knights left the VIP room, the colosseum had already descended into chaos.
"Why are they suddenly checking our identities?"
"This has never happened before..."
"What the hell is going on?"
"This is all for your safety, so please cooperate."
Soldiers had already begun searching the audience, moving through the colosseum row by row.
"What should we do?" a subordinate asked cautiously, watching the soldiers gradually approach.
However, the trade group leader remained silent, his gaze fixed on the arena.
"Hey, 231! If the match is over, kneel and put your hands behind your head."
"Did that guy go deaf during the match or something? Do you not hear me?"
The soldiers secured shackles on the unconscious ogre warrior before approaching Blizzard and giving their orders. However, Blizzard ignored them, his eyes locked onto the audience.
Where are you, Master?
The stands were packed with countless people, but he was searching for only one. The one who had first forced him to his knees. Yet, instead of following the law of the strong devouring the weak, he was his savior who had shown him mercy and spared his life.
"This bastard. Guess we’ll have to use force after all."
As the soldiers closed in, they swiftly reached for Blizzard’s neck, attempting to lock the restraints around him from behind. But Blizzard, having already anticipated their movements, turned around in an instant, snatching the shackles and fastening them onto the soldier instead.
"Wearing this thing makes me feel like an animal. You can have it instead."
"Y-you bastard—kugh!"
Blizzard knocked the soldier unconscious, then nudged their sheathed sword with his foot. The sword smoothly slid out and Blizzard caught it mid-air. He slashed an X across the remaining soldier’s chest. It was a sword strike unleashed in the span of a mere instant.
"Aghhh!"
"You won’t die if you get treated," Blizzard, speaking the language of Rashion fluently, drew the sword from the fallen soldier’s sheath.
A shame it’s not a scimitar, but this isn’t the time to be picky.
Blizzard's sudden actions startled the audience.
"W-what the hell?"
"Black Comet is trying to escape!"
"Oooo... this is turning into quite the show!"
"Let’s see... does this make it his fifth escape attempt?"
"Alright, place your bets! Will Black Comet manage to escape this time or not?"
"Two gold on he won’t!"
"I’m putting five gold on that he will! Come on, make it happen this time!"
"Popcorn for sale!"
In the blink of an eye, the colosseum transformed into a bustling marketplace.
The panicked soldiers shouted in alarm.
"E-Everyone, calm down! This is dangerous!"
"This is not a situation we intended! Please remain calm, form an orderly line, and cooperate with the search before leaving—"
"Danger, my ass! Do you know how high the arena wall is compared to the audience stands?"
"And you expect us to miss out on such a sweet event?"
Despite the soldiers' attempts to stop them, the audience continued watching.
Seeing this, Baron Gordan's face turned red as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Argh... You, you, you, and you! Get down there and subdue him immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights, following the baron’s command, leaped down from the spectator stands into the arena. The height was well over fifteen meters, yet they landed without so much as a stagger and walked forward as if unbothered by the drop.
"Whew, 231. You should really give up at this point. There’s no way you’re getting out of here."
"I can’t tell if this guy is smart or just plain stupid."
The knights sighed as they approached, showing no fear.
"You damn monster, always making trouble."
Because, to them, Blizzard was just that—a monster.
He possessed the soul of a warrior, but the knights couldn’t understand that.
"Let’s finish this quickly."
Drawing their swords and spears, the knights charged. Normally, Blizzard wouldn’t have stood a chance against their four-man formation, but today was different. Blessed by his master’s power, Blizzard moved faster than ever before.
"Kugh..."
And he was stronger than ever before.
As one of the knights collapsed, their ribs completely shattered, the gazes of the remaining knights changed.
Impossible.
Why is he suddenly this strong?
But the one who felt the greatest unease was the knight who had pierced Blizzard’s leg with his spear a moment ago.
This doesn’t make sense. Could removing the shackles really make this much of a difference?
To his surprise, Blizzard was now effortlessly surpassing the speed of fully trained knights. A situation that defied all logic.
"How can a mere monster...?"
Blizzard could not understand the language of the Caldaren Empire, but he recognized the word monster.
"A term used to describe creatures that act purely on instinct and attack humans."
Holding both swords low, Blizzard looked down at the humans and firmly said, "I act rationally, as my master wills it, and I do not attack humans unless my master commands it. Therefore, I am not a monster..."
"What the hell is that thing babbling about?"
"I am a warrior."
The next moment, the two swords in Blizzard’s hands caught the sunlight and danced. The longer the swords continued to dance, the more cuts and wounds appeared on the knights' bodies.
"You idiots!" Unable to bear it any longer, Baron Gordan kicked the soldiers and knights around him and commanded, "All of you, get down there right now! Beat that bastard half to death and teach him a proper lesson!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The audience reacted with outrage.
"Boooo!"
"That’s dirty!"
"And you call yourselves honorable knights? You should be ashamed!"
"You... how dare you lowly peasants...!" Unable to suppress his anger, Baron Gordan gripped the railing of his viewing box tightly and shouted, "From this moment forward, anyone disrupting my event will be considered an accomplice in 231’s escape! Soldiers, break the legs of anyone who interferes!"
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, indiscriminate violence erupted throughout the audience stands.
"W-wait! I paid fairly for my ticket—"
"Shut up! How dare a filthy commoner raise his voice in front of the baron?"
Cries of pain rang out from every direction.
Just then, a staff member approached the trade group leader and whispered something to him.
"I see." The leader smiled.
Then, another subordinate beside him said, "Master, Black Comet is at a serious disadvantage. Are we just going to sit here and watch?"
As he had said, it was impossible for Blizzard to take on more than ten knights and dozens of soldiers at once.
At this, the trade group leader replied, "No. The information I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. It’s time to end this little roleplaying game."
Removing his turban, the trade leader, no, Kai, flashed a sharp, piercing gaze. "Let’s begin.”