Champion Portraits in the Cosmic Arena

Universe, Sakaar, a luxurious prison cell.

Thor, whose striking long golden hair had been forcibly shaved off and whose hands and feet were bound by chains, sat slumped on the ground, head bowed, and remained withdrawn for a long time.

The mysterious device embedded in his chest and the mysterious chip around his neck were the reasons why he dared not easily break out of prison; the high-intensity electric current was something even he, the Thor Asgardian, could not withstand.

He has tried it ten times in the past four days.

The consequences were horrific.

"What exactly do you want?!" Thor was very annoyed, especially after the Grandmaster pushed open the prison door and appeared in front of him again.

"Of course, I'm here to find something fun that will make me feel good."

The Grandmaster, unfazed by the glare, continued to look at Thor he had tormented for the past four days, with a mocking gaze.

He felt very happy, extremely happy.

The only pity is that Thor isn't Hela, nor is Beckett. But it doesn't matter, he'll live a long time. When those two are nearing the end of their lives, he can go and capture them to take revenge.

Faced with the Grandmaster's mocking gaze, Thor instinctively tried to leap up, but was pinned to the ground by heavy chains and unable to move.

Thump!

The sound of chains crashing to the ground echoed in the luxurious private room, also startling the Grandmaster who was lost in thought.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in using you as a punching bag today. I'm tired of it."

"Now, I want to see another side of you."

The Grandmaster raised an eyebrow, fiddling with his fingernails as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Thor remained wary.

His experience of being beaten over the past four days taught him that he could not believe a word this man said.

"Cosmic Arena." The Grandmaster casually conjured a chair and sat down in front of Thor.

"I can give you a chance to leave Sakaar alive, as long as you can defeat those madmen from all over the universe in the Cosmic Arena and win the Champion."

As if afraid that Thor might miss some conditions, the Grandmaster spoke very slowly.

"What's the meaning?"

"It means exactly what it says."

The Grandmaster smiled and snapped his the Snap with ease.

The door was pushed open again, but this time it was an arena staff member in a blue uniform who opened the door.

Female.

The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes clearly indicated this woman's age, but her face was still quite delicate.

"Zola, take our Thor from Asgard down here and let him choose his weapon and armor."

Without giving Thor a chance to ask any more questions, the Grandmaster immediately ordered the woman to take Thor away.

"Yes."

Zola, who had served in the Cosmic Arena for nearly two thousand years, bowed respectfully and then dragged the bewildered Thor out of his cell like a chicken.

"???"

"Wait! I still have—"

"Please refrain from any further agitation, Your Excellency Thor."

"This will make me very distressed."

Having long since risen to a management position in the Cosmic Arena's service industry, Zola was no longer the timid and submissive woman she once was. Thor felt he would remember her for the rest of his life with her dashing figure as she pressed the power switch.

"Sizzle..."

Thor mind had been cleared by the electric shock, became much more obedient. He no longer needed Zola to drag him along; he was able to follow her quietly on his own.

"We've arrived, this is the place."

Thor, who had been secretly memorizing the locations of various buildings along the way, was led by Zola into a changing room specially prepared for him in the Cosmic Arena.

The changing room was large, with all sorts of weapons hanging on the shelves on the left, while the cabinets on the right displayed standard armor of a single design.

The middle section is clearly the living area.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows were blocked by curtains, allowing no light to penetrate.

"This is..."

"This is your future residence, built for you by our Arena staff on the orders of the Grandmaster."

"This is your home until you finish your challenge."

"The Grandmaster??? He created this specifically for me???" Thor seemed to have heard something unbelievable.

"Of course, you are Ms. Hela's brother and deserve preferential treatment." Zola's polite response made Thor's forehead veins bulge.

Preferential treatment?

I thanked him!

"Hoo..." But the situation was beyond his control, so Thor could only suppress his urge to curse, take a few deep breaths, and ask the question that he should be most concerned about at the moment.

"What does it mean that the Grandmaster said I can leave this place if I win the Champion?"

"These are the rules of the Cosmic Arena." Zola, with a professional fake smile on his face, explained to Thor the rule that [as long as you participate in the fighting competition held by the Cosmic Arena and win the Champion, you can leave Sakaar safely].

Thor was stunned.

Is there such a rule?

"Did someone really win the Champion and leave?" Thor still didn't believe that the pervert could actually keep his word.

"Of course, it is said that the Champion of the first and second editions left Sakaar with their heads held high."

"Only the first and second editions?" Thor astutely spotted the blind spot.

"Of course not. It's just that after that, I was rewarded by the Grandmaster for my outstanding work and was allowed to soak in the Fountain of Life to prolong my life."

Zola smiled and lifted the blue curtains that covered the French windows.

Brush!

The blinding sunlight shone directly into Thor's eyes, along with the several portraits on the arena's stone walls.

Thor recognized the portrait at the very top; he would recognize it even if the Thor turned to dust.

Beckett!

"Beckett is also Champion of your arena???" Thor's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"Of course, His Highness Beckett was the Champion of the first fighting tournament in the Cosmic Arena, and he even defeated the Kami Ego who came seeking revenge at that time by himself."

"He is a true Godslayer."

When Zola spoke of that figure from behind in her memory, her smile became genuine.

At that time, she had just been exiled to Sakaar, but somehow ended up becoming Beckett's waitress in the arena.

Later, he even witnessed Beckett killing Ego.

"Godslayer ...?" Thor's pupils suddenly contracted.

He thought of his father, Odin ... who had also died at the hands of Beckett.

"Are you very familiar with him?"

"Two thousand years ago, when I first started my job, I was His Highness Beckett's personal attendant." Zola's exquisite face carried a hint of pride.

She was one of the few witnesses from that time.

"What's with these avatars?" Thor asked, puzzled.

Judging from the way the Grandmaster gritted his teeth when he mentioned Beckett, it was clear that he would never leave Beckett's portrait.

Doesn't it feel disgusting to look at?

"Every Champion of a fighting tournament is entitled to have their portrait printed on it."

"This is a rule that Hela set after discussing it with the Grandmaster."

"..." Thor's eyes twitched.

He roughly figured it out. It must be because his cheap older sister and brother-in-law had scared the Grandmaster a long time ago, so this bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong would rather look at the image himself than push it away.

"And the second one? Why is he wearing a mask?" Thor's gaze then turned to the other portrait below Beckett's.

Long hair, but no face can be seen, only a horse mask.

"I don't know. I didn't bring him here, and nobody on the entire Sakaar knows his real name." Zola shook his head.

"Back then on Sakaar, he was known as..."

"Horse-faced Thor".