Chapter 268 - Underground fighting Ring

Kretos entered the underground fighting ring and signed up as a fighter. The rules were simple the demons fighting on the ring would fight without weapons or use any outward spells. They can only use mana to strengthen their bodies, any usage of mana aside from that will be punished with death. The fighters on the ring cannot forfeit, the only way to win is if you kill your opponent or you beat them up that they can no longer fight. 

Kretos felt that he was lucky since after he registered he learned that there was an upcoming tournament. The winner of the tournament of this city will become its representative and will be able to fight the other powerful fighters of the different cities. The winner of the whole tournament will be then given a chance to meet the demon lord Darius. 

When Kretos heard that he couldn't believe his luck, he went here on a whim and now it became a way to meet the demon lord who stays in his castle that no one knows of the location of. So not only will he get to fight the strongest of the Western Demons now this became the path to meeting the demon lord he wanted to beat. 

'Coincidence or is something else?... The possibility that this is a trap specifically for me, is very high. Well, it doesn't really matter as long as I get to have fun battles then who cares.' 

Kretos got happy just thinking about what the demon lord that was called the most cunning had in store for him. Kretos was thrilled by the thought of facing such an opponent since most of the opponents he faced so far were either warriors or assassins. 

Demon Lord Nimune was more of a leader type, but this one, Vampiric Lord Darius was of a different type altogether. Vampiric Lord Darius was a demon that had most of the bad biases the other races had of demons. The other races might have thought the different tribes of demons to be evil because of their violent tendencies, but not all of them were like that. On the other hand, Vampiric Lord Darius was probably the face of what the other races think of demons. 

The Demon Lord of the west and the leader of the Vampire tribe used lies, deceit, and betrayal to destroy his enemies. He would toy with the weak, and make fun of the strong. To him everything was just a piece in a game he was playing.

Yet one shouldn't be deceived by his aversion of not doing things head-on, since that doesn't mean he wasn't strong. His fighting capabilities especially after drinking the blood of some poor v.i.r.g.i.n soul would make him be the top of the Demon Lords. Yet, of course, that kind of power-up has its demerits. The effects of the boost in power only last for a few hours. Not only that after the effects of the boost disappear he needs to sleep for a few weeks. 

Still, despite these limitations of his, he was still one of the oldest demon lords. He had seen the passing of the old demon lords and the rise of the new ones. The only one left in his generation was the Mighty Lycan Lord Kir, who he considers to be his rival and a constant annoyance. 

Knowing all this Kretos was so excited to face such an opponent. He wanted to see what kind of schemes and underhanded tactics this so called cunning demon lord will use against him. 

...

After registering in the underground fighting ring, Kretos's debut fight in the tournament came the following day. The underground fighting ring was at the name suggest located underground. 

In a well-lit tunnel covered by a powerful barrier was a ring made of stone. At the surrounding area were sits of various heights were hundreds of demons were now sitting on. It would seem that the underground fighting ring was pretty popular in the western lands. It looked to be the most popular form of entertainment they currently have, which might have been the result of the tournament. 

Kretos was led by one of the staff to a waiting area where he needed to stay until his name was called. When he entered the room, he saw the opponent he was about to face. It was a gigantic red ogre that stood at least three meters tall. 

The ogre looked at Kretos and growled trying to intimidate him. In response, Kretos showed his signature smile. 

"How do you wish to die?" The ogre spoke with a hoarse voice that made it sound like he was growling. 

"I wish to die in battle against a powerful opponent, or against multiple opponents. Well, I guess it doesn't really matter who the opponent is, I just want to die in battle. A battle where I can fight with all I have and still meet my end." Kretos answered without any hesitation. 

"Then you're in luck you get to die by my hands, in battle as you wish." When Kretos heard what the ogre said he couldn't help but laugh. 

"Then I hope that you won't disappoint me." 

"You think I can't do it?" The ogre responded with a scowl. Kretos then looked at the ogre up and down then shrugged his shoulder before answering. 

"The subtle movements you make, as well as your mana fluctuation tells me all I need to know. But if you are somehow masking your mana fluctuation to hide your true capacity then I guess you might actually be able to do it."

When the ogre was about to respond he heard the commentator's voice. "Welcome everyone! I hope everyone's excited, for tonight's battles, will get your blood pumping! Now allow me to introduce the first fighter to enter the ring. He was one of the new blood that registered a year ago, and his battle record is stellar. Having a total of eighty wins in the span of a year is nothing short but miraculous. Not only that, but all of these victories were also achieved in the most vicious of ways! Here comes the 'Bloody Red OGRE' KUMURUK!" 

When the ogre heard his name being called he looked at Kretos one more time before heading to the stage. Once he was on the stage a booming sound of cheers ringed in his ears. 

"Now his opponent is a newbie that just registered yesterday. But don't look down on this man, as he is more than he seems. Hailing from the south the one who defeated one of the five Demon Lords, the rumored 'killer of a thousand demons', the horned demon from the Shadow Clan, KRETOS!"