The officiating party was still wondering if Max should be given a little more time to show up or if the fight to be handed to Darla as a walk over.
But as if he had read their minds, Max casually strolled into the arena. It could have been because of the anticipation in the arena, but the door which was usually ever so silent in opening had announced the arrival of Max.
Heads could not remain still as they all turned towards the almost silent sound of the door.
A young average height, fair skinned boy dressed in black walked into the arena. His nose was slightly pointed and his eyes though half open looked like it could pierce metal. He looked like he was able to notice even the microscopic bacteria float by in the air.
His other facial features were hidden behind a black face mask which covered half his nose, his mouth and jaw line.
Derek stared at the figure that had just entered the hall. He turned to stare at the screen and stared back at the figure. There was slight confusion plastered on this face.
When Max had been shown initially, he hadn't noticed that there was a mask on his face, it almost seemed to blend in with his face even though they were contrasting colours.
It was like the image on the screen was more of an illusion. Like the brain only realized he was on a mask whenp you looked at his face in real time.
The thought of it made Derek's suspicion increase, it looked like this Max was shrouded in a robe of mystery.qq
'what do you have to do with what happened last night' Derek asked in his mind.
Max casually strode through the rows of people who watched his entrance as if in a trance. Nicki moved two steps back to grant him access into the stage.
"I thought you ran away, when you discovered who your opponent was" Darla taunted him.
Max turned to face her at her words, his eyes formed into a thin like as though he was smirking beneath the mask. Without replying her taunt, he walked over to the opposite side of the stage waiting for the start of the fight.
Max's appearance seemed to have sucked the life out of the arena, but slowly the noise began to filter back in. Chatters began to sound from every corner of the arena once again. People began to place bets against each other in favour of their favourite.
"Darla's taking this" someone said.
"You have to be kidding bro, didn't you just see this guy's demeanor? He's not scared of anything, I bet he might even be able to beat both David and Edward.
"Blasphemy" someone screamed from behind. It was a cacophony of voices all around the arena.
"Our last contestant has decided to join us. So, let's get started."
The screen lit up and the number three started to count down. When it got to zero, an alarm sounded signalling the start of the fight.
Without any warning, Max dove at Darla. Except for the last fight Darla had finished before him in the other stages, so he had no time to watch her fighting style.
Though he needed none of those things as he rushed in head first into the fight. Weapons had been provided for the fight but the duo had chosen to settle for their fists.
No one wanted to show off all they could do before the fight had even started. They wanted to first observe and gauge their opponents strength before revealing any hidden trick they had up their sleeve.
Max threw two quick hooks at Darla, fast as she was she almost didn't meet them in time. Max had made it evident from the start of the fight that he was not going to go easy.
There was no chance for a counter as Max jumped back and dove in once again, he released a flurry of punches at Darla. She skillfully blocked all of them and evaded the ones she couldn't block.
He was not as fast as Hermes but he was quite fast and more skillful than any of her other opponents, his motion was fluid and keeping up with him was troublesome.
Though she had attempted two stop all his attacks, two of his punches got through, one had connected with her abdomen and the other slightly grazed her chin.
Due to her daily training, she managed not to keel over. She quickly redirected her stance and got ready to counter his next move.
When he rushed in again, she paused and let him draw in closer, when he threw a punch she grabbed his wrist and her knee shot up. As her knee connected with his jaw she let go of his hand.
The impact of the strike sent him staggering.
There was cheering in the stands, in the audience books they could now term the strike as an equaliser. They had both received damage even though the one dealt by Darla felt more fatal.
Mqx winced in pain through his mask, but the expression did not last long on his face. He looked like someone on a mission and he walked back into the fight after flexing his jaw.
On the other side of the arena Edward, the wonder kid stood opposite the Rockefeller kid. Edward had decided to enter another staring contest with his opponent.
Some in the audience were already complaining, finding the lack of engagement frustrating but on the other hand, Edward newly found supporters stared on, claiming that his opponent was delaying the inevitable.
People who knew the Rockefeller refused to agree with this assumption. He was rumoured to be stronger than David Dupont even though he had managed to win the last competition. Those that knew him well enough did not undermine his ability and they in no way felt that Edward would emerge victorious.
Edward after a while felt it was time to move in. Encasing his both hands in flames he jumped at his opponent.
The audience got too excited and almost jumped out of their seats. Edward was going all out from the beginning. This was going to be the best fight so far.
Edward never reached his opponent because at that same moment the ceiling caved in and the arena erupted in chaos