There weren't that many challengers left after Chris thrashed the fourth one. And due to how quickly everyone had been beaten, there weren't any new challengers lining up to take part in the challenge. However, the fact that the fourth challenger had lasted more than two minutes gave the remaining challengers some crumb-like hope. Even if Chris made sure to beat the fourth challenger in a painful way, there was no denying that he had shown the possibility of lasting five minutes.
A few of the more optimistic challengers and spectators noticed that Chris had taken longer with each successive fight, even while disregarding the fact that the fourth challenger ran around the ring. But the fifth challenger wasn't one of those people, and he stepped on stage with a face bordering on despair.
The fifth challenger had seen how Chris treated cowards. So, even if he wanted to leave the ring at once, he wasn't sure Chris would let him off painlessly. It was possible that Chris' attitude toward the fourth challenger came from how the fourth challenger had run around and not from how he tried to leave the ring. But the fifth challenger didn't want to take any risks.
It would be much easier just to let himself be knocked out in one go instead of trying to flee and getting slammed into the ground repeatedly like a doll.
The fifth challenger displayed surprising bravery as he stepped forward and walked toward Chris. The pressure of being in the ring made him reflexively hold up his hands. But as the first three challengers had proven, that wouldn't do much to defend against Chris.
It was undeniably brave of the fifth challenger to walk toward Chris while knowing what would happen if he did that, even if he suspected that fleeing would lead to a more painful death.
However, that bravery didn't save him. Since the fifth challenger had already resigned to his fate, Chris didn't even bother trying to drag it out. It would be better just to send him off and get the next challenger on stage.
The spectators needed some kind of excitement and to see some hope if they were to challenge Chris for the prize pool. So far, the only thing they had seen was one-sided beatdowns and despair. Though, the fourth challenger was pretty decent comedic relief. But it was a one-time thing. It wouldn't be as funny the second time. Not that anyone would want to try the same tactic because of how Chris had treated the fourth challenger when he finally caught him.
The fifth challenger accepted his fate without even trying to defend himself and was quickly tossed off the stage after losing consciousness. The crowd didn't even boo. It wasn't worth expending even that much energy on him.
The sixth challenger was a little different from the fifth. Rumors, hopes had begun spreading both in the crowd and to the challengers. It was unclear who had started them, but they helped the spectators and the challengers put aside some of their hopelessness.
According to the whispered hopes that passed through the crowd and then to the challengers like leaves caught in the wind, Chris was beginning to get tired. He had first fought an intense battle against three challengers at once. And even if he had gotten a little rest before the consecutive combat started, his fatigue was building.
Each challenge hadn't done much, except the fourth challenger, but it was gradually building up. They just had to look closely to see how Chris' movements were slowing down. His picture-perfect form had started loosening up a little.
Of course, a lot of those who saw those signs were delusional. Their minds convinced them of a reality that would better suit them since they were driven by the power of greed to get that prize pool. It was slight and not enough to encourage any more challengers. But it was enough to start influencing the crowd and the challengers, especially the challengers last in line.
If Chris were indeed getting more and more tired, the last challenger would have the best odds of winning. And if one person could think of it, so could others. The current last challenger in line quickly got a hopeful smile as he realized the position he was in.
The challengers before him split into two sides when they also realized what was possibly going to happen. One side wanted to cooperate and tire Chris out as much as possible and then share the prize pool. The other side was the opposite and wanted to do all they could to get the prize pool for themselves instead of letting anyone behind them in line reap the benefits of their efforts.
Some even got so fired up that they decided it was worth trying the fourth challenger's method, despite being fully aware that it would lead to a painful death if they failed. However, for many of them, it wasn't the first time they died painfully. And, depending on how horrible it was, it would be more than worth it if they could get their hands on two hundred and fifty bronze coins.
That was an amount that would take them around fifty days to gather without dying or getting robbed once, which was impossible in a lawless society like Vanitapolis or Hell in general. They also wouldn't be able to buy food to stave off the boredom or dullness of not eating for so long.
Two hundred and fifty bronze coins was a life-changing amount for the residents of Vanitapolis, and if they could get that by risking death once, it was worth it, even if the death would be painful.
The sixth challenger didn't step into the ring with his blood lit with motivation and desire. But he was at least slightly hopeful that he would be able to last longer than the previous challengers. He just had to grit his teeth and defend himself to the best of his ability. And if necessary, run a few laps.