The Highly Anticipated Showdown

Valo now truly felt like a spectator—and one seated in the best section of the inner arena.

Zhang Heng had handled both fights alone, and both had ended quickly. Compared to the first match, which had ended in an instant, their opponents in the second match had at least been much more cautious after realizing that Zhang Heng and Valo had already secured victory.

But it had been useless. When the gap in strength was too great, caution could not change anything. Zhang Heng had even held back a little to let Valo get some exercise. Otherwise, Valo really would have been a spectator in every sense of the word.

Even so, their opponents had not lasted long. Then Valo realized that he had somehow won two matches in a row, while Nasica's group—the biggest favorite in this Twelve-Man Melee—was still locked in battle with their opponents.

After their unexpected victory in the first round, more and more spectators had begun to notice the two gladiators in this group. Of course, strictly speaking, most of them were watching Zhang Heng.

When they saw that Zhang Heng and Valo had won their second battle just as easily, a wave of astonished exclamations finally erupted from the stands. People began whispering to one another, asking about Zhang Heng's background.

This made Macrus ache with regret. The Gladiator School had not prepared anything for this at all. In the end, the curious spectators found their answer on the match schedule that had been handed out earlier.

Soon afterward, Nasica's battle finally reached its end. His opponents were declared incapable of continuing the fight. For once, the audience showed understanding toward the losers and did not demand the deaths of the two severely wounded gladiators, allowing them to be dragged away for treatment.

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