What Benjamin was trying to do was simple, at least in theory. He could even imagine and visualize himself doing it.
But in practice…
Benjamin knew he was supposed to feint right, but what was he supposed to do if his opponent didn't care about his feint? No matter what Benjamin was trying to do, he had to get close to his opponent, and that was all Mangy Mike needed. Without putting any thought into it, he threw his fist straight forward.
When Benjamin bobbed to the side to take his fourth step and drive his fist into Mike's stomach, he crossed over right in front of Mike. He had also started lowering his body without thinking much about what Mike was doing since he was so focused on his own thing.
Benjamin head-butted Mangy Mike's hand.
"..."
Both fighters stopped moving. The crowd grew more silent than it had been during the entire night.
The first time it happened, it could have been a mistake or the actions of a cocky barbarian. But this time, the crowd didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It didn't make sense for Brock and Wilson to rig a match with no stakes, not to mention that it would take a disproportionately skilled fighter to do on purpose what Benjamin had just done.
What kind of clownery was this?
Benjamin took a step back. Mike's knuckles had rattled his brain, and his eyes swam around in their sockets. But while Mangy Mike was as stunned as the crowd, he wasn't that much of a fool. He had an opening, he saw it, and he took it.
While Benjamin was still stumbling backward, Mangy Mike threw himself forward. He pushed Benjamin to the ground, straddling him and unleashing a torrential assault.
Thanks to Benjamin taking the earlier hit, it really looked like he was throwing the match.
*What are you doing? Foolish avatar. Get up!*
"Man, is this all a barbarian has to offer? Two hits and he's on the ground?"
"I want my money back."
"What money?"
"The entrance fee."
"Sylvester is fighting later, though?"
"Oh. I'll just come back later then…"
Benjamin's head was a mess. The blows Mangy Mike were hand-delivering to his face felt muted. He couldn't move his body. He couldn't see much due to the blood and his and Mike's hands covering his face.
But he could hear everything around him clearly. Eluzan's voice shouting at him to do something. The spectators chatting about whether they could grab something to eat and make it back in time for the next fight.
Benjamin even felt like he could hear Mangy Mike's heartbeat. Or it was his own that was running at double speed and irregularly.
Every fist Mangy Mike pounded Benjamin's head with rocked his skull into the ground. Each time it happened, booms like tribal drums rang out inside his mind. His vision faltered.
It was strange.
He should be in pain. He should be concussed. Maybe he was. He should be dazed and confused.
But everything was so clear and detailed. He couldn't see but the things he saw, he saw like he was using a microscope. However, his thoughts didn't move.
Eluzan's voice was faint. He couldn't hear any of the conversations any more.
The only thing he heard was the booming drum.
This wasn't the worst beating he had been through, far from it.
But while Mangy Mike wanted to win a fight, Rydell and the other bullies had only wanted to torment Benjamin. The sadistic fucks didn't want Benjamin to pass out, get mentally crippled, or die. They avoided targeting his head and face. When they targeted his face, they did so without leaving any permanent damage.
His body, on the other hand, was not something Benjamin liked showing off.
Benjamin blinked.
Why wasn't it ending? Why wasn't he losing his consciousness? Why was he still alive?
When would it end?
After everything he had been through, why was he still fighting? What could possibly make all this suffering worth it?
*...revenge…*
Perhaps coincidence. Perhaps fate.
A single word of Eluzan's tirade slipped through the fog around Benjamin's mind. It ran through his body like a bolt of lightning.
Something grabbed hold of Benjamin.
Mangy Mike was still punching. Benjamin, somehow, was still conscious after all. His eyes were open and wandering.
A proper fight would have ended. A real referee would have ended the fight.
This place had neither proper fights nor real referees. It was fine as long as Mangy Mike didn't kill him.
The crowd needed to see some blood to get warmed up.
Why stop it?
Benjamin's mind was enveloped by darkness. He lost consciousness.
But his body, which had gone limp for less than a second, moved. The arm that had been lying by his side shot up and a balled fist collided with Mangy Mike's ribcage, knocking him off Benjamin.
With stiff movements, Benjamin stood up before mindlessly walking over to Mangy Mike, who lay on the ground in a fetal position covering his ribs with his hands to try and do something about the pain.
The crowd grew silent once again at the sudden turn of events.
Then, Benjamin slammed a fist down onto Mangy Mike's head with a nasty crack.
The crowd burst into cheers.
This! This was the kind of excitement they went to underground fighting pits for!
It had seemed a little boring at first, especially after Benjamin was put on his back. But those who stayed and continued paying attention to the fight didn't regret it one bit.
"H-hey, isn't someone going to stop him?" Someone pointed at Benjamin, who seemed intent on repaying Mike for the punches at a one-to-one ration.
The problem was that Mangy Mike had already stopped moving.
If Benjamin continued like this, he would break the rules.
It wasn't the entire world. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.
But deaths brought unnecessary attention, and the fight pit might be forced to close for a few weeks while the town guard investigated.
Eventually, someone entered the ring and dragged Benjamin off of Mike only to get an elbow in the face.
He had succeeded in saving Mangy Mike, but he couldn't stop Benjamin on his own. A few of the other spectators quickly realized the situation.
The northern barbarian had started rampaging mindlessly.
They dove into the ring and threw themselves onto Benjamin, suppressing him with sheer numbers. After trapping him under four grown men, they finally managed to get Benjamin under control.