However, before Chris could lunge at challenger two, the bell rang and put a hold on the fight. Challenger two was surprised at first, but he could feel his nerves relaxing as he realized that Chris and the entire battle paused at the bell's ringing. Challenger three was still slightly out of it, but challenger one was conscious enough to begin sitting up.
"Now, now, ladies and gentlemen. It wouldn't be any fun if it ended that quickly, right?"
Dennis spoke up after the crowd started booing a little, but before it turned into an avalanche of displeasure at the sudden interruption.
"Don't worry. It's only a short break to let the fighters reorganize themselves and prepare for an even more exciting second round. But while you wait, how about discussing who you think will win? Maybe even bet on it? Just so that everyone knows, part of the night's earnings will go to the victor."
Dennis smiled as he left those words and stepped off the stage.
Light returned to the stands and spectators, and it didn't take long until they buzzed with excited conversations about the fight mostly, but also about the Cube and the battle arena in general.
Of course, a lot of people still watched the fighters in the ring to see what kind of state they were in to try and figure out who was most likely to win. Chris, the designated champion, was the one most favored even before the battle began. But once rumors spread about how Chris tunnel-visioned one challenger because he was afraid of getting grouped up on, the odds in the challengers' favor rose.
So, even if it looked as if Chris had dominated the fight so far, few were absolutely confident that he would be the final winner. Ernest, who went around the crowd collecting bets, also listened to the conversations around him and adjusted the odds appropriately. And when even the bookmaker confirmed that the odds for the challengers and the champion were even, the betters grew even more insecure. But that only added to the thrill since if they won, they would win big, as long as they bet on the right side.
Of course, after getting robbed during the day and then paying for entrance and maybe even a front row or grandstand seat, not many were that keen on betting. But there were still a lot who realized that if they won, they would be able to make up for their losses during the day. They might even get more than ten bronze if they bet everything they had left.
After a while of subdued excitement and anticipation for the second round, during which everyone who wanted had time to bet, the fighters got ready to fight again.
And then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the second round.
Challengers one and three, especially three, were still far from an optimal state, but surprisingly enough, Chris was the one who looked the most bruised and beaten. Unlike challenger one, whose beating had been concentrated solely on the face, Chris got assaulted by challengers one and two all over his body.
The bruises that formed after the beating and during the short break gave Chris a pitiful appearance, which naturally lowered his odds of winning. Thankfully, Ernest was still receiving bets. So, when the lights once again concentrated on the stage, several spectators who had been unsure of who to bet on, if they should bet at all, placed their bets on the challengers.
Of course, to those with keener eyes and more experience, that was a foolish decision. Despite his appearance, Chris' gait was steady, and he looked at the challengers with clear eyes.
Challenger three was already doing his best to remain standing without swaying too much or bending over and clutching his cracked ribs. However, challenger one had gotten rid of his dizziness during the pause, and challenger two was in good shape aside from his nerves. So, standing between the other two, challenger three's state wasn't that obvious, even if his face looked like someone had splattered rotten fish on it.
After the bell rang, the four fighters didn't instantly begin fighting. Both the challengers and Chris had learned that the other side could win. Of course, Chris was confident he had the advantage since he had successfully beaten challenger one. But the challengers should have learned from the first round.
They didn't try to encircle Chris again since if they did, the events of last round would repeat. Chris would charge at one of them and beat them until the remaining two tackled him and did their best to beat him up.
Of course, the challengers wouldn't mind another chance to beat Chris like that, but not at the cost of one of them, even if it looked like their beating had done a lot of damage to him. The challengers had to be cautious, and that caution forced Chris to also take it slow and steady.
Since Chris was at a clear numerical disadvantage, he could easily be defeated if he made a mistake or charged rashly.
But even as the four fighters eyed their opponent warily and waited for an opportunity to strike, all of them shared one thought that made them even more eager to win.
Dennis' words about the winner, or winners, getting a share of the night's profits tempted the four fighters into giving more than their all. They had to win not only to not die but also because they would get rich.
They might not know how much the expected profits of the night would be, but based on everyone in the crowd and the pause intentionally made for people to get time to bet, the Cube was probably going to haul in quite a lot of pol. It might not be enough to overthrow the owners of the Cube. But it would be enough to live leisurely without having to fear getting robbed for a while.
And for Chris, it was a chance to regain some of the strength he had lost after getting defeated and killed by Micah, then chained, starved, and robbed.