Brimming with anger, Rylan stormed out of the lobby, his footsteps echoing as he paid no heed to the onlookers.
The moment he passed through the imposing door, he couldn't help but notice another figure coming out simultaneously, a presence that he assumed belonged to his opponent, SteelSlicer.
Rylan's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized and study the figure. Before him was a slender man with a tangle of black, curly hair, his hand firmly gripping a long sword.
Sensing Rylan's piercing gaze, the man turned toward him, smirk, and swiftly placed his hands at his neck, mimicking a throat-slitting gesture.
Rylan took deep breath but refrained from uttering another word after witnessing his opponent throat signs. Instead, he pivoted swiftly and began making his way toward the southern gate.
He had no intention to engage in further communication, he believed the forthcoming battle should do the talking.
Meanwhile, in perfect harmony, his opponent followed suit, turning resolutely toward the opposite direction, striding confidently toward the northern gate.
"Now in the fighters' lobby, Zephyrion sat alone, his eyes fixed on the large screen showing an aftermath of just finished battle. While Gavric, on the other hand had moved to a certain spot in the lobby, where fighters can placed their bet on the upcoming battle.
Zephyrion had already connected the dots, since he and Rylan had registered at the same time, logic dictated that his own battle would follow Rylan's.
"Finally, finally," Zephyrion mused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "After enduring hours of boredom, my time to shine is drawing near."
He sat there, a picture of anticipation, his excitement palpable. If anyone happened to see Zephyrion in that moment, they would likely deem him a bit of a fool, sitting there and just grinning like a man with a brief episode of madness"
After a mere moments, a woman's voice resonated throughout the large screen in the lobby, signaling the start of the next match. Notably, this announcer was not the strong lady Evadne but the one responsible for introducing the arena's combatants.
"Ladies and gentlemen, warriors and mages, brace yourselves for a spectacle featuring two of our esteemed regular fighters in this grand colosseum. Emerging from the northern gate, let's welcome the early outer stage swordman, SteelSlicer!"
As SteelSlicer's name rang out, the spectators erupted in cheers, he confidently strode out from the north gate, waving to the crowd in response to their cheers.
"From the southern gate, we present the swordsman you all know, not for his combat skills, but for his memorable battle name. Give it up for the early outer stage's very own, Captain Swordy The Ass Smacker!"
However, instead of resounding cheers, an uproarious wave of laughter echoed through the arena.
Although Zephyrion might not know, Rylan's got quite the reputation among spectators for his peculiar name. The spectators never resist and grow tired poking fun at him whenever he was announced.
Especially after his last unfortunate defeat, when his opponent had humorously decided to give the spectators the final show of the battle by firstly cutting his legs and smacking him on the ass ten times with the flat surface of his sword.
That day marked the most humiliating moment for Rylan, with even Gavric laughing to tears. Nevertheless, it was this incident that fueled Rylan's determination to advance through the martial realm, pushing him closer to breaking into the middle outer stage.
This was why Rylan exuded such confidence when he urged Gavric to bet on him at the PlayZone Pavilion. He even believed he could defeat the person who had bested him before.
While the crowd might mock Rylan's battle name, if it's to be analysed, the majority of them, almost seventy percent, were placing their bets on him to win. After all, almost all his previous matches ended in victories, except for his unfortunate encounter with a stronger opponent last time.
And right now, Rylan had already taken his place on the stage, engaged in a fierce stare-down with his opponent, he had already determined to use this opponent as a scapegoat to regain back his face.
SteelSlicer was also staring at Rylan, not backing away. "Ass something or whatever your battle name is, just give me a fight to remember, okay? If I'm satisfied, I might spare your ass from another smacking this time," SteelSlicer smirk and taunted, his sword pointing at Rylan.
SteelSlicer showed no fear, in fact, he felt quite confident inside, having made progress in the martial realm just the previous night. He was quite sure he wouldn't be defeated easily.
But little did he know that Rylan had also taken a significant step toward breaking through to the next stage.
On the sidelines, the announcer caught wind of SteelSlicer's taunting words and couldn't help but sport a subtle grin. She was a houtain stage expert, even before the battle commence, she could already determined the victor of this battle, though her expression remained stoic.
She felt the electric energy enveloping Rylan, like a palpable aura. His opponent's teasing remarks seemed to ignite his anger, causing his body to quiver with eager anticipation for the battle to start.
Zephyrion, too, watched with keen interest, eager to witness how strong Rylan was.
Without further ado, the female announcer exited the battleground and moved to her designated spot. After a brief moment, she raised her right hand high in the air, heightening the suspense among the spectators. And then...
BANGG!
Without a moment's hesitation, Rylan immediately rushed up the instant the battle commenced. With a resounding stomp to the ground, he propelled himself into the air, drawing his sword in one fluid motion.
"Stompblade cleave!"
Rylan's roar echoed through the arena as he unleashed his most formidable sword technique right from the start. Sword Qi materialized, slicing through the air with tremendous force. He had no intention of playing games with his opponent, all he desired was a swift victory to restore his honor.
Witnessing the lightning-fast approach of the sword Qi, SteelSlicer dared not underestimate his opponent. In a swift maneuver, he too unleashed his most potent technique.
"Hurricane Whirl!" he shouted.
"Whoosh." A similar sword Qi burst forth from his blade, colliding head-on with Rylan's attack.
BANG!
With the impact, SteelSlicer's Hurricane Whirl crumbled like a fragile sheet of paper before Rylan's Stompblade cleave.
"Ah." SteelSlicer's astonishment was evident as his sword was sent flying from his grasp. There was no need for any words, with the testing of sword Qi alone, he knew who was stronger and weaker in this situation.
Wide-eyed and in disbelief, SteelSlicer watched as Rylan's blade continued its inexorable advance. Panic surged within him, and he attempted to reach for his fallen weapon, but how could Rylan offered him the chance.
"Ahhhhh."
The arena reverberated with a pained, pig-like wail as SteelSlicer's right hand was cleanly severed. In the blink of an eye, his left hand met the same fate, suspended briefly in the air before joining its counterpart on the ground.
SteelSlicer remained frozen in disbelief, his hands pouring out blood that painted the battleground. "How...how is this possible? Not even thirty seconds have passed," he wondered as his body slowly descended to the arena floor.
He laid there on the ground weakly, his face show a disbelief expression as he couldn't grasp how he was easily defeated despite making progress in his realm.
"Footsteps, footsteps, footsteps…"
SteelSlicer shivered as he heard the approaching sounds, a foreboding sense washing over him. His gaze shot upward, revealing Rylan now standing over him.
"You, are you not going to show any mer…?" He wanted to ask for mercy, but his words caught in his throat as he recollected his earlier taunts. A bitter smile formed as he braced for the impending pain.
Rylan wasted no words, swiftly lifting his foot and stomping firmly on SteelSlicer's chest.
"Puff, SteelSlicer's spurt blood as Rylan's foot descended on his chest.
"Hehehe, I must apologize but I didn't quite catch what you said earlier. Did you mention something about wanting to smack my ass? Well come, here's your chance. But it's a pity you're now handless.
"You.... Don't bully other too much," SteelSlicer ground out through gritted teeth, small blood still flowing from his mouth.
"You're still putting on a tough act, huh? Then don't blame me for being ruthless," Rylan frowned and, with a resolute move, there was a distinct…
"Ka-cha."
"Ahhhh!" SteelSlicer howled again in agony, rolling on the ground. "This bastard! He's utterly ruthless, stomping on the joint of my right leg ahh."
Rylan also didn't want to exaggerate things, so seeing SteelSlicer in pain and with blood all over him, he stopped. This was enough, this outcome satisfied him entirely.
He too couldn't believe how swiftly the battle had concluded, it marked his fastest victory in the colosseum. It appeared that advancing half a step into the middle outer stage had made a significant difference.
With the battle concluded, Rylan raised his sword high in the air in jubilation. "This feels good, let's see who still remember to mock me now."
"Cheers!"
There was a few seconds of silent before the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Though the battle had been brief, their favorite fighter had triumphed and didn't disappoint those who had placed bets on him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for the victor, the one and only Captain Swordy The Ass Smacker!"
"Suddenly, the announcer emerged in the midst of the battleground, proclaiming the victor. Her gaze fixed on SteelSlicer as she tossed a white pill directly to his mouth. "Stop the bleeding first and settle your payment before you go.""
She gracefully wave her hand towards a designated area on the battleground, and soon a group of individuals emerged, each carrying specialized equipment designed for safely evacuating the wounded from the battleground
She wasn't worried about SteelSlicer not having the money for the pill, she recognised him as regular here. This wasn't the first time he'd broken his limbs and requested to buy a pill.
But then, what if he truly didn't have any money to pay? It was just that simple- she would just break his limbs again and turn him back to his former state, nothing special about that.
SteelSlicer gazed at the announcer with gratitude in his eyes but chose to remain silent, saying nothing more. He immediately felt the effect of the pill taking place.
Of course, this pill wasn't a miraculous instant fix, it would halt the bleeding and begin the process of limb restoration, which typically took a few days.
Meanwhile, Rylan strolled off the battleground, waving casually to the spectators, a feeling of cool confidence within him.
Zephyrion saw this scene and rolled his eyes, thinking, "Who are you pretending to act cool for with the act?"
He was also quite surprised by Rylan's displayed strength, everyone in the lobby could see that Rylan was just one step away from breaking into the middle outer stage.
If Rylan was that talented, maybe two weeks or a month would be enough for him to break through.
Zephyrion contemplated how he would fare in SteelSlicer's shoes, even though he knew the odds were against him and wouldn't not win. It was a strategic consideration in case he ever found himself facing Rylan in combat.
As Zephyrion pondered about this, a loud sound reverberated throughout the lobby.
ATTENTION, WARRIORS! THE NEXT BATTLE COMBATANTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!
Hexspell, make your way to the NORTHERN GATE IMMEDIATELY!
Venomblade, make your way to the SOUTHERN GATE IMMEDIATELY!