Chapter 74 - Enough

The tall man charged towards me, swinging the flail in his hand.

My eyes watched the morningstar approach my face.

My hand swatted it away, like a fly.

The morningstar violently snapped back. The tall man's hand snapped into pieces while his chest caved in from the morningstar.

He hardly had a second left to breathe before dying.

The surrounding participants were terrified.

They actively took a few steps away from me, but continued their fierce battle.

Everett simply looked at the ground, trying to disappear.

A sigh escaped me.

Was this what people wanted to see?

A slaughterfest?

The cheers from the crowd seemed to answer my questions.

Eventually, the bloodshed stopped.

For now.

There were five people left on each of the platforms, though almost all of them were horribly bloody.

The announcer let out an excited roar.

"That is it for the first part of our competition. Give a hand to the winners of the first round!"

The cheers grew louder.

It seemed the people of this city really like this kind of thing.

I shook my head.

Perhaps I am the strange one?

The announcer cleared his throat.

"Now! For the next event, random people will be selected from the group of winners to fight on the main stage!"

After the cheers settled down, the announcer continued.

"First, the man with the black crown at platform five will fight the tallest guy at platform seven!"

My eyebrow raised.

What determined the platform numbers?

Well, I guess the only person with a black crown was me.

Seriously though, why were there no breaks for people to heal up?

With a sigh, my footsteps took me to the middle, where a huge stone platform resided.

The man that walked towards the platform was five meters tall.

My head had to tilt up to match his glare.

The man was very muscular, burly to the point it appeared unnatural. In his hand was a mace.

He kinda reminded me of the three-horned demon.

However, the three-horned demon would definitely be a more formidable opponent.

I guess I am fighting the little brother.

A chuckle escaped me.

The man immediately got angry.

"You dare to look down on me?"

He grit his teeth, while his body expanded.

...This guy really is the little brother of a three-horned demon.

His body dangerously expanded, causing his skin to tear. He was now standing at seven meters.

The crowd cheered louder.

"Crush him!"

"Woah! He's so big!"

...Was this something one could do without mana?

I leisurely walked towards the giant man.

The man swung his mace at me, stirring up violent gales of wind.

This time, my fist shot out with full strength. I put my back into it, you could say.

There was a loud bang that rang out.

I took one step back.

On the other hand, the man's mace flew out to the side. His hands were mangled and bloody.

The man grimaced.

"AHH! You... I will kill you!"

There was a theory I wanted to test.

"Then try it."

The man lunged at me, trying to punch me.

Suddenly, my body dashed forward, letting me dodge the punch by a hair.

For dramatic effect, my finger tapped the man's body.

Then, my mind activated the black crystal.

The man's body immediately shrunk like a popped balloon.

My theory was correct.

The man was using mana to artificially increase his size, like the three-horned demons.

The crowd roared in excitement.

I had no intention of capitalizing on his momentary weakness.

The man had shrunk down, becoming less than three meters high.

He had fallen on his hands and knees. Blood poured out like a fountain.

Yet, he still struggled to stand up.

A sigh escaped me.

"You've lost. Don't you realize that?"

The man laughed.

"It isn't over... as long as I still breathe... I will stand."

The announcer suddenly laughed.

"Haha, it seems our crowned contestant doesn't know what it means to win the battle. Should we remind him?"

The crowd roared loudly.

"KILL, KILL, KILL"

A frown slowly appeared on my face.

"...What is this?"

The man stood up to his feet, though he was shaking.

He chuckled.

"You understand now?... The moment you decide to enter this competition, you either win..."

The man clenched his fists.

"Or die."

The man no longer bothered with pretenses, wildly swinging his mangled hands.

Due to the difference in strength, it was easy for me to dodge.

However, the man did not let up. He continued with his frenzy while roaring desperately.

The crowd continued to roar.

"KILL HIM."

"KILL HIM."

"KILL HIM."

My hands remained by my side, while my feet pranced about.

Against the crowd's wishes, my fist did not strike out a single time.

Quite a long time passed and the crowd's excitement died down.

There were boos and cries of complaints.

However, that did not change my decision.

I did not attack.

At this point, the man's swings were just for show.

Even if Everett was on the receiving end, he wouldn't be hurt.

The man fell to his knees, trembling.

"Damn... I lost."

He collapsed to the ground.

The man died.

The crowd had fallen silent.

After a few moments of hesitation, the announcer spoke up.

"Haha, let's give a hand to our crowned contestant's cruelty!"

The announcer injected enthusiasm in his voice.

"Instead of finishing his opponent off, he let him die a slow and painful death."

The announcer roared.

"See his confidence? After one single tap to the body, he let his foe die miserably from exhaustion!"

The crowd was silent for a moment.

Then, they roared.

The colosseum shook from the pure force behind the zealous screams.

A helpless sigh escaped me.

Once the crowd died down, the announcer continued.

"To the crowned contestant, please step off to the side and wait for your next call!"

My step took me off the stage, as the announcer wanted, albeit reluctantly.

The moment the stage was empty, the announcer screamed out once more.

"Now, the kid with a sword from stage five will fight the man wearing a wolf coat in stage three!"

Everett nervously hopped off the platform. He stumbled towards the platform in the middle.

There was also a man who hopped off another stage.

He was short, perhaps only a head higher than Everett. However, he had a fierce aura.

He walked leisurely, but with strength.

A wolf coat was draped over his body, with a hood covering his face. However, it did not cover his front.

The man displayed his naked chest proudly

There were a few deep scars etched into his body and toned muscles.

The crowd roared with excitement.

"Haha, it's time for the butchering section!"

"BUTCHER!"

"BUTCHER!"

"BUTCHER!"

My brows furrowed.

What were they talking about?

The announcer chortled.

"You guessed it right! Now comes the butchering segment! Get ready to see our kid contestant brutally mauled!"

My eyes narrowed.

What the hell was this?

Everett didn't seem to understand the situation he was in.

He simply stood on the stage awkwardly.

The man standing opposite to him smirked.

"You aren't going to pull out your sword?"

Everett panicked, hurriedly drawing his sword.

He tried to keep it up, but his arms weren't listening to him.

They were sore from all the practice he had been doing.

As such, the sword skidded on the ground, giving him quite the pathetic appearance.

Jeers and laughs immediately raised from the crowd.

"TORTURE THIS KID."

"MAIM HIM."

"MAKE HIM SCREAM."

My throat cleared.

"Everett. Maybe we should give up on the competition."

Everett gulped nervously.

"Ah... maybe."

He stepped back, getting off the stage.

This caused countless boos to rise from the crowd.

The announcer chuckled.

"It seems the pig is afraid! However, for butchering segments, the entire colosseum is the stage! Let the fight begin!"

The man in a wolf coat immediately dashed forwards, reaching Everett before he could even step off the stage.

However, instead of attacking, he simply stopped in front of Everett.

There was a wicked smile on his face.

"Are you prepared, pig?"

Everett let go of the sword, letting it clatter onto the floor.

"I give up! I give up!"

The man let out a derisive chuckle.

"Conceding won't do anything for you!"

The man proceeded to slap Everett hard.

Laughs were raised from the crowd.

As for Everett, he winced in pain.

He still did not understand the situation he was in.

"Wait! Stop, I give up! Why are you still fighting!"

The man simply smiled.

He proceeded to take a step forward and throw an uppercut towards Everett's gut.

A frown etched itself onto my face.

Everett's eyes bulged from his sockets as some stomach acid was expelled through his mouth.

He was tossed like a sack of potatoes.

The man chased after him, grabbing one of his arms before he fell.

Then, with a snap, twisted it.

Roars of excitement came from the crowd.

...My eyes narrowed.

This was enough.