Chapter 56: Flower Street: Arena Angel [VIP]

"...I don't know what you want to do by bringing Lance and the others to Kukuchia, but I must tell you that Tales is a very cruel man."

Alfonso spoke close to Xiao Yun's ear to avoid being overheard by Tales who was paying close attention to them.

"Three years ago, I was a nameless mercenary leader, newly funded by your brother. I came to Kukuchia to purchase gladiators to train as his subordinates. He proposed a deal to me, saying that if I would accompany him once, he would take any gladiator he liked, free of charge." "Did you agree?"

"No, I rejected him."

Alfonso said bluntly, "Once you do something like this for the first time, it's easy to do it again. Then you keep selling it cheaper and cheaper, and you end up ruining yourself."

"The next day, he invited me to watch a duel. In the middle of the fight, he suddenly accused his mistress of spilling wine on him, and then threw her into the arena to her death!"

“This kind of person…”

"Later, I met Lance... Lance told me that Tales was a tyrannical and capricious man. He loved drinking, and when drunk, he would tell his partner everything, only to regret it when sober. So, he preferred to choose lowly women as his mistresses, and when he got tired of them or regretted it, he would execute them at will!"

"The lucky ones will be rewarded with poisoned wine, dying on the spot. Sometimes, they'll be thrown into a dark water dungeon. The worst-case scenario is being taken to the underground arena in Paradise City—there, he orders his trusted swordsmen to toy with and abuse his fallen lover like prey, even driving wild beasts into the arena... So, even if it wasn't you that Carilla brought to Paradise City tonight, I would still come after receiving news from Lance."

"—The Kukuchia never thought of resisting?"

"Resist? How?"

Alfonso smiled bitterly and said, "Behind the Lord of Kukuchia is the 'Priest of the Sea God', who is known as one of the three most powerful magicians in the world."

"'Priest of Poseidon'?"

Xiao Yun thought of the "Dark Night Mentor", who was one of the three great magicians but behaved in an ugly manner in front of Yaris and was extremely flattering to him.

"Is he scary? Stronger than 'Dark Night Mentor'?"

"The most recognized and strongest of the three great mage masters of the time is the 'Sage of Death', who has long since retired from the world. It is rumored that he has lived for over a thousand years and may be the only person in the world who knows the true origins of the Holy Family and the High Priest."

"In terms of magical prowess alone, the Seagod Priest and the Dark Night Mentor are on par, perhaps even slightly inferior. However, the Seagod Priest excels at raising sea monsters and controlling tsunamis. For those living in coastal areas, the Seagod Priest is a powerful being, on par with a god, that absolutely cannot be offended."

Alfonso smiled bitterly and frowned.

"To overthrow the Talese family's rule over Kukuchia, we must first gain the support of the 'Priest of the Sea God', or... but that is almost impossible..."

"So your real purpose for coming to Kukuchia this time is..."

"Um."

Alfonso admitted frankly, "The northwest, central plains, and northern grasslands of the Western Continent all have powerful and historic nations. I can only consider establishing a nation in the southeastern coastal region. Kukuchia will become my nation's most prosperous city, second only to the capital, and a vital source of tax revenue for the treasury."

…

…

After having a breakfast of Kucukia's specialties, which mainly consisted of fish and seafood, the servant entered the room and invited the two to take a carriage to the Colosseum to watch the gladiator selection competition with the city lord, and presented the bard with luxurious clothing personally selected by the city lord.

Xiao Yun accepted the frivolous clothes with a gloomy face, and walked out of the small building with Alfonso. They left Paradise City in a carriage and entered the large arena in Lower Kucuccia that could accommodate 10,000 spectators.

At this point, the game hasn't started yet.

Tales could not hide his pride. Surrounded by many slaves, he took Alfonso to the gladiators' preparation room, talking big all the way.

"After ten days of selection, only the sixteen best contestants remain. Every match is a thrilling battle not to be missed. The few you are about to meet each possess physiques comparable to those of mythical heroes. They will shed their blood in the upcoming matches, vying for the highest honor..."

"Oh, is that so?"

Alfonso echoed absentmindedly, occasionally stopping to tease Xiao Yun beside him.

Xiao Yun tried hard to keep smiling.

The idea of ​​overthrowing the rule of the Tales family and liberating Kukuchia lingered in his mind.

(Given Thales's brutality, if he loses the support of the "Priest of Poseidon," even if Alfonso doesn't take action, his rule will quickly collapse...)

(But how can I get the "Priest of the Sea God" to stop protecting this blood-stained family?)

(If...if it was Yaris...)

But he knew even more clearly that if he intervened in Kukuchia's affairs as he requested, the already shaky relationship between Yaris and Edmund would deteriorate rapidly.

What's more——

(I can't rely on Yaris for everything. His situation is even more difficult than mine... The Dragon Emperor has always coveted him, and that thing... the thing that can attract the gods to frequently enter his body... is constantly damaging his body...)

"The three guys brought by the Masked Warriors have been on a winning streak since the warm-up matches, without losing a single match. On the other hand, Brandy... I had high hopes for him, but he ended up losing without a fight due to diarrhea! It's shameful!"

"After the Sea God Celebration is over, I will definitely kill this guy who brought shame upon me and take him away with me!"

"--arrive!"

tower.

The servant stepped forward and pushed open the door. A terrible noise and a stench of sweat came out, shocking Xiao Yun's five senses.

"Thirty or forty men in their prime gathered together, so it's inevitable that the atmosphere is a bit heavy."

Tales looked at Xiao Yun's white face, which was frowned by the smell of sweat, with enjoyment, and drooled greedily.

"As expected of Alfonso's favorite bard, not only is her beauty surpassing anyone in Paradise City, but she also possesses the refined elegance of a prince or princess raised in a palace. She is truly suitable to be the Holy Duke's replacement."

"If these words were to reach His Highness's ears, he would be unhappy."

Alfonso said jokingly.

At this time, the gladiators, led by the staff, lined up and walked in front of Talese.

In order to allow the audience to better appreciate the gladiators' full and strong muscles, these gladiators were required to wear clothes made of leather belts and a small amount of cloth on the upper body, leather shorts that barely covered the hips on the lower body, leather wrist guards on their hands and feet, and a layer of oil on the surface of their skin, making it look exceptionally smooth and shiny.

(The aura of the word Zhe♂ hits me.)

Xiao Yun secretly complained.

"The game is about to begin, you have to perform well."

Talese raised his chin and announced, "Today's winners will not only receive a bounty, but also receive a beautiful woman as an extra reward. Those who prefer men can exchange the beautiful woman for a handsome man."

"In the world of gladiators, it's normal to like men."

Alfonso whispered to Xiao Yun, "Not only do disciples offer their bodies to their teachers, but male prostitutes also often provide free services to legendary gladiators."

(It’s actually a real ♂ character…)

"...Get ready! The first match of the day is about to begin!"

Talese shouted arrogantly, his eyes sweeping over the gladiators one by one, finally landing on the masked warrior in the corner: "Brandy, where are your barbarian companions?"

"They are praying to their barbarian gods in the little room."

"oh."

Talles beckoned Brandi forward: "Alfonso, he is the Brandi who looks like Lance that I mentioned to you before."

"Brandy?"

Alfonso reached out and flicked the metal mask: "Take off the mask immediately!"

"I'm sorry, but my mask is cursed by a black mage, and it can't be removed by ordinary means. Actually, I gathered my companions to come to Kukuchia for the gladiatorial tournament in order to quickly save up enough gold to ask the white mage in the capital to remove the curse for me."

"It sounds a bit pitiful..."

Xiao Yun tried hard to suppress his laughter and acted sympathetically.

Alfonso, pretending to be intimate, put his arm around his shoulders and lectured him, "Although I hope your words and actions will emulate the Holy Duke, you'd better put away your excessive sympathy now, because the game is about to begin."

…

…

The game is about to begin.

clang--

With a loud gong sound, the iron fence on the east side slowly rose up, and the barbarian warriors who were more than two meters and three meters tall passed through the iron gate and appeared on the sand of the largest arena in Kucukia.

A giant wearing only leather shorts, his body covered in muscles as hard and strong as rock, stood in the center of the arena, holding a giant sword that was one and a half meters long and thirty centimeters wide. He raised his head and received the sunlight shining from above.

"Habbia! Habbia! Habbia!"

There was an ecstatic cheer from the audience.

The giant opened his arms and accepted their cheers.

Suddenly, he stopped, his sharp eyes looking towards the luxurious VIP stands with sunshades, and then—

He knelt on one knee, put down his great sword, raised his hands, palms facing the sky, and prayed loudly.

[Great and holy master, every victory Habib achieves here belongs to you!]

"What is he talking about?"

Talles, who was sitting in the center of the VIP stands, asked the arena manager who could understand the barbarians' daily language.

"My Lord, he is paying homage to you and calling you his master!"

"This barbarian is very sensible."

Talles was beaming with joy as he took the telescope-like tube used for distant viewing from his servant.

Xiao Yun also picked up the tubular telescope and looked nervously at Habib in the arena.

because--

The opponents that Talese arranged for Habib were two mutant beasts from the Great Desert of Death!

…

"Great Lord, distinguished guests, the brutal fight between man and beast is about to begin!"

The host held up a megaphone and yelled, "--Release the Tumor Wolf!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a monster that looked like neither wolf nor ape, two meters tall at the shoulder and covered with strange tumors all over its body, rushed out of the iron cage and pounced on Habib!

Bang!

Crash——

Without even a single step, the arrogant Lump Wolf had already—

One of them was chopped off horizontally along its gaping mouth by the barbarian's huge sword, and the two foul-smelling pieces of the corpse lay on the white sand of the arena; the other one was pinched by the barbarian's giant hand that was larger than an ordinary person, and with a "crack" it was twisted off and thrown ten meters away. When it landed on the ground, it was already a corpse with blood at the corner of the mouth.

There was silence in the arena.

Everything happened so fast, so fast that before the audience could see clearly what was happening, the battle between the barbarian warriors and the two giant beasts was over!

Then there was intense applause and cheers all around.

“Oh my god…”

Count Tres, who was watching Harbier's battle for the first time, exclaimed, "What the hell did he do! The battle is over before I even saw it! Is this guy really human?"

"The Shem Tribe is one of the four great barbarian tribes of the Gora Forest. Most of their members possess exceptionally strong physiques, and even among the Shem Tribe, Habib is exceptionally strong and brave."

The steward excitedly explained, "Ninety percent of the barbarian slaves sent to Kukuchia on slave ships were Sioux. Occasionally, there were a few Semites who were too stubborn and unruly, so they were sent to do hard labor instead of being trained as gladiators, to prevent them from rebelling after receiving weapons."

"But Harbius is different. He's a barbarian warrior who left the jungle to become a gladiator after the Grand Marquis of Gaura, with the help of the Holy Grand Duke, reached a reconciliation with the jungle. He's not a slave sent by a slave ship. He's willing to obey orders and demonstrate his strength in the arena."

"No wonder we've bought thousands of barbarian slaves from the Gaola region through various channels over the years, but I've never seen such strong muscles until today—"

Talles stroked his chin, his face intoxicated. "It's a pity that the Grand Marquis of Gaura is too well protected by his brother, the Grand Duke, and won't come to Kucuccia... If only I could spend the night with him..."

"You'd better give up this ridiculous idea."

Alfonso sneered.

Talese: "Because His Royal Highness will be angry?"

“…”

"Claude, your mercenary king doesn't care about you at all. He even defended the brother of his crush in front of you. Come into my arms as soon as possible. I can pamper you with all the wealth of Kukuchia."

(And yet I am the Marquis of Gaura that Alfonso spoke of...)

Xiao Yun secretly complained.

After Habib was confirmed as the winner and was taken away by the staff to rest, he looked at Alfonso with pretended affection and told Thales: "Thank you for the invitation, Lord Count, but I really love Lord Alfonso."

"True love? Isn't it because he's young and handsome, strong and skilled?"

Talese snorted, called the arena manager forward, and after whispering something—

"Did you hear that clearly?"

"But--"

The steward's face twitched, as if he could not accept the earl's order.

"This kind of thing... Your Excellency... With all due respect... This is a bit too much..."

"Can't do it?"

The steward lowered his head and remained silent.

"If you can't do it, die!"

Tales raised his hand, and his trusted swordsman drew half of his sword—

"—I can do it! I can do it! I'll arrange it right away! Wait a moment! Wait a moment!"

The manager was frightened and agreed immediately.

…

…

The battle in which Habib killed the Lumpy Wolf was so shocking that although the following three gladiatorial matches were also very exciting, the audience was not interested and the applause and cheers celebrating the victory were a little sparse.

until--

"Dear guests, what is about to unfold before you is a spectacular performance filled with taboos and bloodshed far beyond your imagination! This performance was personally designed by our great city lord. Please join me in thanking the city lord!"

The host held up a megaphone and shouted, "Great and wise Lord Mayor! Your fair and benevolent governance has made Kukuchia the most dazzling jewel in the crown of Poseidon! Praise the Lord Mayor!"

"Praise the City Lord!"

In the seats, the audience murmured in agreement.

“—Let’s get started.”

Talese said proudly.

As these words were spoken, the western entrance to the arena slowly opened, and a group of unarmed civilians were driven into the arena by the city lord's guards!

Most of them are women between the ages of 20 and 40!

“Oh my God!”

Terrible screams suddenly swept across the entire arena.

The audience stared with eyes wide open, unable to believe that the city lord would actually—

"These guys are all thugs who slandered the city lord!"

The host shouted at the top of his lungs, "Even so, our great and merciful city lord is still trying to forgive them! As long as someone successfully kills the three beasts charging towards them, they will all be pardoned!"

"Come! Let us thank the City Lord for his kindness together!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord City Lord!"

“…”

The arena, which could accommodate tens of thousands of people, fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone - whether they were in the audience or the unfortunate ones who were driven into the arena - were silent, as silent as stone statues standing in the deepest part of the Great Desert of Death.

…

In the VIP stands, Xiao Yun gradually recovered from his shock and looked at the City Lord, Talese, in disbelief: "Lord City Lord, why... why did you do this?!"

"Why do you ask?"

Talese gave a nonchalant smile.

"It's because of you that these people were captured and driven into the arena."

"W-What did you say?!"

Xiao Yun was shocked. He raised his telescope and looked at the dozens of civilians who were driven into the arena by the city lord's guards.

The leader is the female owner of the "Sea Fairy" store.

The middle-aged man standing side by side with the female boss was Harry, who openly contradicted Carella last night.

Behind them were all familiar faces: the waitresses from the Sea Fairy, the customers who came to the shop every day to listen to music, and the prostitutes who saw Lisa and Lina off to freedom on the day they left the Red Street...

The only thing that comforted Xiao Yun was that Lisa and Lina were not in the crowd.

“——Why! Why are you doing this!?”

"Because they're so ignorant of their own lives! These ants from Red Street actually dared to publicly accuse me, who is so high and mighty! I admire their courage and will reward them with a glorious death!"

Tales' face was grim, and he declared fiercely, "Before sunset, their blood will dye the white sand of the arena red! As the first sacrifice that Kukuchia City offers to the God of the Sea this year! Unless—"

"—unless what?"

"Be my lover."

“…”

"Tales, are you going to be my enemy?"

Alfonso suddenly spoke.

Talles laughed dryly and said, "Alfonso, I'm testing him for you. If he agrees to my request, it means he possesses a kindness comparable to that of the Holy Duke and cannot bear to see so many people die for him. If he refuses, it means he is a poor imitation of the Holy Duke and is unworthy of you."

"Claude—"

"I choose to be with them."

Xiao Yun suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"I said—I'm with them!"

After saying this, he twisted his slender and flexible body swiftly, snatched the weapon from Talese's personal attendant at an astonishing speed, grabbed the canopy decoration of the VIP stand with his left hand, and like a madman, used the long cloth strip as a rope to jump over the railing of the VIP stand and jump into the arena!

“——!”

"W-What are you going to do!?"

"Claude!"

Including Talese, everyone was stunned. With astonished expressions, they stared at Xiao Yun who jumped into the arena on his own initiative!

In the arena, Xiao Yun landed gracefully like a bird spreading its wings. He raised his head gracefully and said in a clear voice, "Your Excellency, Lord Count Tales, ruler of Kukuchia, you previously promised to pardon all of them if anyone successfully killed the three beasts charging at them. Now, please allow me to fight on their behalf!"

"——Claude!"

Talese had an indescribable expression on his face.

At this moment he was too shocked to speak.

The others stared at Xiao Yun in amazement, as if they had seen a real angel.

for a long time--

Tales regained his ability to speak, licked his lips, and roared, "As you wish!"

"Thank you!"

Xiao Yun turned around sternly and drew his sword towards the sun.

…

The battle officially begins.

The enemies are three ghouls emitting miasma.

The ghouls, who had been hungry for who knows how long, just came out of the cage and, guided by the blood food, surrounded the bard, who was as slender as a girl, with hideous and twisted shapes, and let out the roars of wild beasts from their throats.

(There is no possibility of winning this battle!)

(He will die!)

(This kind young man...)

The audience could not bear to witness the tragedy, so they closed their eyes, clasped their hands, and prayed silently for the upright and brave young man.

(God! Please—)

"I don't know what kind of curse your ancestors suffered that turned them from humans into beasts, but since you have become bloodthirsty beasts, it is my duty to put an end to your tragedy!"

As he declared, the bard swung his sword.

His voice seemed to have some incredible magic to the ghouls. The three beasts, which were as nimble as leopards when they rushed out of the cage, seemed to be trapped by some invisible sticky substance. They became dull and slow in movement, allowing the bard to come to them as lightly and gracefully as feathers falling from the sky, only to be pierced through the body by the sharp and swift sword!

(Wow!)

The audience was stunned.

"This... he actually..."

"Impossible! Impossible! He actually—"

In the VIP stands, Talese’s fat face turned red with anger and made a hissing sound like boiling water.

Alfonso enjoyed watching Thales's face twisted with shock, and said leisurely, "Claude is a rare magic swordsman."

"I see... You and him have been... from the very beginning..."

"How could someone as picky as me choose a roadside white flower who has nothing but beauty and kindness as a substitute for my beloved Rosa Marie?"

"Damn it! I—"

"——Claude! Claude!"

"Long live! Long live!"

"Claude! Long live!"

“…”

In the arena, nearly 10,000 spectators who had come to their senses screamed wildly and clapped their hands desperately. The sound drowned out Talese's roar like a tide and poured into Xiao Yun's ears.

The intense emotions like a tsunami captured his soul and the soul of everyone.

(I know……)

(This feeling... I know, I truly know... It's—)

"Claude!"

A giant sword fell from the sky and pierced the sand three centimeters in front of Xiao Yun's feet.

The fully armed strong man jumped into the arena.

"The last gladiator champion, Richard, challenges the bard Claude!"

“Ahhhh—”

"Claude!"

“Oh my God!”

The audience couldn't help but scream.

The bard's performance of standing up to protect the weak and slaying three ghouls was so brilliant that it reminded people of a mythical hero, but—

In front of Richard, the last Gladiator champion, his girlish figure seemed too thin.

(He will be killed by Richard!)

(Like a bunch of pure white saint flowers burned by fire!)

Thinking of this, people who were moved by the bard's heroic spirit covered their eyes, unable to bear to see the bard, who was as pure and kind as an angel, falling in a pool of blood.

At this moment, everyone in the "Sea Fairy" shop who was saved by the bard folded their hands, knelt under the beautiful blue sky of Kucukia, and offered the most pious and sincere prayers.

"Great and fair gods, we are willing to sacrifice our lives ten thousand times and beg you who live in higher dimensions to open your omnipotent eyes and take a look at Kukuchia, take a look at Claude Shaw, he is our hero, our angel..."

…

On the high platform, Alfonso suddenly drew his sword, the tip of the sword pointed directly at Talese's heart: "Let Richard retreat!"

"you……"

Talese was surprised: "What did you say?"

"I say—order Richard to withdraw immediately!"

Alfonso looked at Talese coldly.

"Because Claude is not only your lover, but also your most trusted subordinate?"

Tales looked at Alfonso angrily. "I should have guessed that he was no ordinary bard. I should have also seen that you had other intentions by visiting Kukuchia with such fanfare! You originally planned to—"

"Don't move!"

Alfonso suddenly issued a warning: "My becoming the 'Mercenary King' wasn't just luck. Before you even touched my body, I had already pierced your master's heart!"

The Knights of Paradise who had sneaked up on Alfonso while the two were confronting each other suddenly froze.

They knew Alfonso wasn't bluffing.

The "Mercenary King" Alfonso is not only the "White Devil" with an invincible record on the battlefield, but also a top-level warrior whose swordsmanship skills have won the "Blue Lion" Lance, who has set a record of 100 wins in the arena, convinced by him.

"Back off!"

Talese said with a wry smile.

He explained to Alfonso in a dilemma: "It was not I who ordered Richard to challenge your minstrel."

"Who is it?"

"I--"

A vague black-green figure appeared behind Talese.

"'Priest of the Sea God'?!"

"Yes...that's right..."

Talese replied.

The Poseidon priest spoke to Alfonso in a hoarse, old voice: "I see two black moons rising in the sky above you. You are covered in blood. Bathed in the darkness of the moons, the world has become a rotten cheese crawling with maggots, and every inch of land is piled with corpses... Alfonso... you bear a horrible fate that I cannot further explore..."

"I know better than you the fate I carry."

Alfonso looked at the "Priest of Poseidon" calmly. His rare golden-green eyes seemed to be able to see through the black-green cloak and see the dry and shriveled face under the hood.

"Order Richard to retreat immediately!"

"impossible."

"Why?"

"Because the battle has begun!"

"What--"

Alfonso couldn't believe his ears, but the next moment, he was startled by the sound of fighting coming from the arena.

…

Swish——

A sword that was larger and more terrifying than a regular sword attacked Xiao Yun from the front.

If his body had not been carefully trained by Kairusha and others to develop extraordinary reflexes, this single blow would have been enough to kill him!

But even so, Xiao Yun did not dare to let down his guard, let alone retreat significantly.

Kairusha said that in an open field, if you retreat far back to avoid an enemy's greatsword attack, you will be more likely to be stabbed by the second attack that follows!

He tensed all his muscles and dodged Richard's sword by a hair's breadth, just a piece of paper away!

“Interesting!”

Richard spat.

With rich combat experience, he realized that the bard in front of him possessed powerful strength that was completely inconsistent with his cute appearance.

"You were able to perfectly avoid my first attack and accurately predict the angle of my second attack. You deserve my attention!"

"I'm honored by your compliment."

Xiao Yun answered calmly, moving his feet on the sand and constantly adjusting his position.

Richard also took a deep breath, adjusting his heartbeat and muscles throughout his body.

At this moment, the arena was unusually quiet.

People forgot to breathe and their heartbeats, and stared at the two people on the white sand with their eyes and mouths wide open like dehydrated fish, without blinking.

"You are a handsome and capable young man. If it weren't for the master's order, I wouldn't have the heart to hurt you. In fact, I have fallen in love with you. So--"

Richard raised his voice: "Claude, kneel down and admit your mistake to the master! Ask him to forgive you! Cancel this battle that is destined to end in your death!"

"—Are you kidding me?"

Xiao Yun said confidently, "If I were willing to kneel, I wouldn't have jumped into the arena to fight the ghouls! Richard, you may be a powerful gladiator, and you will be highly sought after by the Kukuchia people for winning the championship again. But you will never be a hero because you don't understand the meaning of a hero!"

"The meaning of a hero? What's the point of being a hero?"

“Heroes are the light in the dark night. This light may not be able to drive away the darkness, but it brings hope to people in the dark night!”

"—This is not something a gladiator needs to understand!"

Richard rushed towards Xiao Yun again, and his sword raised waves of sand.

Xiao Yun did not dodge this time. Instead, when the big sword was about to reach him, he jumped onto the sword with an extremely light and agile body and landed on Richard's shoulder.

"You know what? If I had used magic and swordsmanship at the same time just now, your internal organs would have flown out by now."

"Then why are you..."

"Because you're just a gladiator following orders."

"ridiculous!"

Richard suddenly plunged his greatsword into the sand of the arena and made a fierce gesture to the host.

The host glanced at the VIP stands and hesitantly raised the black flag representing a fight to the death.

The whole audience exclaimed!

"I'm not dreaming!"

"Richard is going to—"

“It’s horrible!”

…

On the sand, Richard's eyes burned with a fierce fire.

"Claude, I was going to let you go! But you humiliated me right there and then! You said I could never be a true hero! I'm still alive because of your kindness! Now I challenge you to a fight to the death! Only one of us can survive!"

“…”

"I'm serious! If you die by my hand, just consider it bad luck!"

Richard raised his giant sword and slashed at Xiao Yun, as if he wanted to put the weight of the entire mountain on Xiao Yun's head.

Guided by the muscle memory formed by long-term training, Xiao Yun immediately fell to the ground and rolled over, avoiding the frontal attack while stabbing Richard's ankle with his sword!

Squeak——

Blood flew out.

Richard also vaguely realized that his ankle was seriously injured, but he had no time to think about it. After escaping, he immediately stood up again with his sword.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yun didn't give him any chance to attack again!

Squeak! Squeak!

The attacks came at Richard like a rainstorm.

At this moment, Xiao Yun was as light as a bird spreading its wings, or a wild bee dancing wildly.

Richard couldn't believe that he would meet such a terrible opponent in the arena. He tried his best to distance himself from Xiao Yun. His breathing was disordered and his eyes were full of fear.

"...Swordsmanship like this... This is definitely not something a mercenary can possess! You've received very professional training! And all your teachers are famous swordsmen! Who are you?!"

"I'm just a bard."

Xiao Yun said coldly.

Although he was in a combat state at the moment, his breath was not disordered at all, and his eyes were so calm as if he had long been stripped of human emotions.

He looked down at Richard, who was seriously injured and unable to move, and struck a strange posture that the Kukuchia had never seen before.

With his right hand holding high the sword and his left hand on his chest, a strong wind blew behind him, blowing up his shoulder-length brown curly hair and the decorations on his clothes.

"--bring it on!"

Richard's muscles tensed: "Come and kill me!"

"No, I forgive you."

The sword gracefully tapped Richard's shoulder, and Xiao Yun declared proudly like an angel: "I have taken your life. From now on, you are a new person."

"...You! Do you know what you are doing?!"

Richard's eyes widened.

The people in the audience - including Alfonso, the "Priest of Poseidon" and Thales who were confronting each other in the VIP seats - all had expressions of disbelief.

"What is he doing! This damn bard!"

Tales growled in confusion.

The Seagod Priest suddenly lost consciousness and made a hazy prophecy: "Light! Light! Strong light! I saw the light! Incredible light! Waves of blood surged out with the darkness, but under the illumination of the light... Ah! Ah!"

With an angry scream, the black-green figure turned into dew and quickly disappeared.

Alfonso, who was the first to come to his senses, raised his sword: "Tales——"

"knew."

Talese said dejectedly, throwing a yellow cloth out of the VIP stand.

At this point, the competition between Richard, the champion of the last gladiatorial contest, and the bard Claude officially ended, and everyone in the "Sea Fairy" shop was pardoned.

…

…

Staff entered the arena, stopped Richard's bleeding, and put him on a stretcher.

The stretcher had been lifted, but Richard was still staring at Xiao Yun, his green eyes flashing with complex emotions: "'Bard' Claude Shaw, one day, I will know who you are."

Afterwards, the stretcher carrying Richard disappeared through the door, and the city lord's guards also withdrew as agreed.

The free people ran towards Xiao Yun, hugged him tightly, surrounded him, and cried bitterly.

"——Claude! Claude!"

"He's a hero! A true hero!"

Everyone in the audience stood up.

They waved their hands desperately, and many people even wrapped jewelry around bouquets and threw them into the arena to express their admiration and love for the "Bard" Claude Shaw.

In the arena that accommodates tens of thousands of people, countless voices are shouting the same name.

"Claude! Claude! Claude!"