Chapter 269 - The first battle

Kretos was surprised to hear what the announcer said as he entered the ring. He never gave any information about who he was, and he even used a fake name. Kretos's name was indeed famous but no one knew what he looked like, nor should anyone know he was part of the Shadow Clan. Horned Demons like him were indeed a rare sight in the Western Lands, but it was not like there weren't any at all. 

So how did these guys knew who he was, the answer was damn obvious. There was someone here spying on him.

'There's actually someone that could sneak around me without even a hint of his presence... AMAZING!' There was someone capable enough to stalk him, without him noticing. Not even the great Shadow Clan who made the greatest of assassins had this kind of skill. Kretos and most of the Shadow Clan members had the ability to sense the fluctuation of mana. So even if you hide your physical presence and scent as long as you emit mana which every being in the world does, then it was impossible for him not to notice. 

This meant the stalker either has a spell that makes mana in one's body stops fluctuating, or he has the ability to control his mana perfectly. Either way that was amazing, and of course this person could either be Darius or someone who works under him. 

'So the game has begun.' Kretos smiled viciously as he stood in the middle of the ring. When Kumuruk saw that Kretos's attention was elsewhere he grew furious. He then punched the stone ring that has been enhanced with numerous spells and was able to crack it. That punch not only cracked the ring a bit but it also made it shake. He did all this with nothing more than his physical strength, not even an ounce of mana was used. 

When the crowd saw what Kumuruk did they grew even more excited. On the other hand, Kretos was still engrossed in his thoughts about the mysterious stalker. Seeing Kretos continue to ignore him just made Kumuruk even angrier. 

"It looks like our two fighters can no longer hold it in. So let's get this battle going! BATTLE START!"

The moment those words were said Kretos snapped out of his daydreaming and saw a charging red ogre coming towards him. Kumuruk raised his right hand made a fist and slammed it down towards Kretos who simply raised his one finger. 

The moment Kumuruk hand came in contact with Kretos's finger a powerful shockwave was produced. It was at that moment Kretos was surprised to feel the power of the strike. He was then forced to use his whole hand to block the strike. 

Kumuruk then unleashed an uppercut with his left hand, Kretos stopped it with his foot. Another loud shockwave happened and two were now at a deadlock. Kretos looked at the Red Ogre surprised. This was the first time he has faced an ogre and was surprised by the ogre's physical strength. 

The ogre in front of Kretos didn't use any mana and relied solely on his physical strength. When kretos learned of this the vicious smile he shows when he gets excited was now on full display. He then let go of Kumuruk's right hand allowing him to slam his fist onto the floor. Kretos then used Kumuruk's left fist as a springboard to jump backward. 

"I apologize for looking down on you. It turns out you are better than I thought."

"It's too late to say that now!" Kumuruk was also surprised by how easily Kretos was able to catch his attacks. That has never happened before, usually the moment his fist comes into contact with something it breaks. He roared to shake the idle thoughts away. 

"Don't be like that, come show me more of your strength!" Kumuruk once again charged at Kretos and had his arms wide open. It was like he was inviting Kretos to attack him. The moment Kumuruk got near he gave Kretos a hug, a bear hug. 

Kumuruk used all of his strength to squeeze Kretos to death. But the usual sound of bones breaking wasn't heard. Instead, he heard a fanatical laugh. 

"Hahaha, incredible! You're not using any mana at all to strengthen yourself, this is pure physical strength! This kind of strength is enough to crush even a sturdy minotaur's body into dust. Is this a trait of the ogre tribe or are you special?" 

Kretos was handling being squeezed by a force of forty tonnes, which is enough strength to kill even the sturdiest of demons, like he was getting a massage. Kumuruk was enraged by the sight and tried to squeeze harder. 

Kretos then flicked his fingers at Kumurk's forehead forcing the ogre to let go of him. Kretos was once again happily surprised. That forehead flick might've looked like a joke, but it was actually an attack that he used a greater amount of mana than usual. 

Kretos was expecting Kumuruk's head to explode. If one did not use a mana barrier to block the strike that was what would usually happen, but the ogre took it with nothing but his flesh. This fight got way more interesting than he initially thought. 

Kumuruk who was light-headed because of that strike shook it off quickly and started to get even more enraged. His body started getting redder and he then attacked Kretos with a speed incomparable to before. 

Kretos took the attack again but this time he was pushed back. It was at that moment Kretos finally took the opponent in front of him seriously. Kretos smile grew wider and wider as he fought Kumuruk fist against fist. 

Kretos redirected one of Kumuruk's punches and then kicked Kumuruk's elbow making it bend. Kretos then kicked Kumuruk's knees making him fall. Yet despite his two legs and right hand being broken Kumuruk continued to attack. 

Kretos then quickly got behind the three-meter tall ogre and used his whole body to wrap around Kumuruk's neck. The Red Ogre did everything to throw Kretos off, but then he heard Kretos whisper in his ear. 

"That was a good fight. Thank you for the battle." Kumuruk then felt Kretos's grip getting tighter and he lost consciousness. The giant red ogre fell to the ground. Kretos didn't wait for the announcer to say that he won and left the ring. 

...

The people spectating the fight were silently watching ever since the first shockwave. When Kretos won they continued to be silent that was until the announcer finally got a hold of herself and spoke. 

"T-t-hat was magnificent! As expected of the killer of a thousand demons! The winner of this match is Kretos!" When the announcer declared Kretos's victory the silent audience suddenly woke up from their state of stunned silence and cheered. 

...

While everyone was cheering a man at the back frowned. He was ordered to assess how strong Kretos was, and see if he had any obvious weaknesses. So with that order at hand, the man rigged the match up and allowed Kretos to fight the strongest fighter in this city as his first opponent. He wasn't expecting the red ogre to win but he did expect the red ogre to be able to draw even a little bit of Kretos's abilities. Yet Kretos dealt with the red ogre as if he was dealing with a child. 

'He might be stronger than we initially expected... Well, no matter, let's see if he has any emotional weaknesses.'