Chapter 6: The Boy With Red Hair [Pt 2]

Taunt sinews. Spraying sweat. Deafening cheers.

The excitement that swept through the massive arena made everyone on edge. Warriors fought to their hearts' delight. Exchanging blows and attempting to obtain the ultimate reward, each strived for greatness.

Sounds of clanging metal and flesh hitting flesh echoed across the Colosseum. The loud cheers never ceased with every ending match. Why? It was because of the champion that emerged from every single match.

The Tall Serpent!

As expected, his title did him justice. Even after nineteen consecutive matches, the man remained the victor. Many had thought he would have lost his strength, but the opposite was the case. With every match, this massive beast on the battlefield only became more adept— up to the point where it only took a single blow to finish off his opponents.

Now standing on the stage after finishing off his last opponent with a powerful strike to the jaw, the Tall Serpent sighed a little. He felt a mix of emotions that was difficult to explain, even for a warrior of his caliber.

Was it disappointment? Frustration? Emptiness? He didn't know. It could be none of those things, yet his swirling emotions could be all of them.

He wasn't aware of his deep-seated emotions, but he knew of their cause— the quality of battles he had fought compared to his first match.

The Tall Serpent had a close fight against the first contestant. If he wasn't careful back then, he would have lost. The large man was well aware of this fact.

Owning up to this, he expected greater challenges in the upcoming matches and steeled himself in absolute determination and preparation. Unfortunately, after the battle with the Armored Frenzy, all the warriors who came next were fodder.

Eighteen men so far had challenged him after his first match, yet none left as much as a satisfactory impression on the Warrior. His blood was alit in flames of passion, yet none was able to quench it and satisfy his thirst for a thrilling match.

"Next up, we have a new contestant!" The moderator's voice boomed, causing everyone to, once again watch in anticipation as the new victim would be crushed by the overwhelming power of the Tall Serpent.

While no one said anything of it, it was already etched in their minds that the winner of the contest was most likely going to be the indomitable warrior who stood on the stage— impatiently waiting for his next prey.

"Let's give it up for... Theo!!!"

As was the custom of the gladiator arena, the spectating Warriors roared in excitement. They awaited the next mighty warrior who would approach the mighty Serpent and fall by his hands.

However, some... very few, thought that perhaps this might be the turning point of the consecutively won match. If this Theo was a great warrior, then perhaps he could change the fated outcome that awaited him.

Unfortunately, very few shared this view. The reason was plain for everyone to see.

"Who's Theo?"

"Dunno, I've never heard of any warrior by that name."

"Maybe he's just one of the small fry adventurers who hope to obtain an Object Of Power by winning this tournament."

"I'm surprised he hasn't run off after experiencing who his opponent will be."

Hushed voices permeated the ring, as everyone wondered who the new challenger was. For warriors— valiant men of battle, the most important aspect of their existence was fame. The greatness of any powerful man would be how far his name had spread and how wide his feats had spread.

If a warrior had neither name nor feats, then he was as good as mediocre. For the so-called 'Theo', who had no prior record of achievements, there was an inevitable cause for disdain and immediate assumption of loss.

Even the waiting warrior furrowed his brow in annoyance, already angry by the fact that he was going to be challenged by yet another weakling.

Among the several who sat at a remote spot in the massive colosseum, a little boy stood and began moving. He was so small that it was hardly noticeable among the large crowd of people.

"Excuse me, I'm comin' through." His voice came out— firm, yet childlike.

Those around him looked and made way for his small frame. What was a child doing in a place that was made obviously for men? No, in the first place, how had he been there all along and none of them picked up his presence?

In a blur, the boy vanished from sight just as the people around contemplated this. Initially, they had thought the boy was on his way home, feeling creeped out by the display of violence that the fights so far had shown. However, with his sudden blurred movement... a thought appeared on their mind— that perhaps the lad could be the one being called.

"Where is the contestant, Theo-?!" The moderator repeated impatiently.

The general rule was that a contestant was not to be called more than twice. If they failed to answer after their names had been mentioned two times, they were disqualified. So far, over fifty had given up on their fight against the Tall Serpent. The eighteen others who took their chances after witnessing his first fight were all knocked out cold.

Already concluding that the 'Theo' he called was the same as the cowards who couldn't face such a strong foe, the moderator turned his eyes to the next name on the list. However-

"... I'm right here!" A youthful, no, child-like voice called out.

The voice was so loud that it instantly captivated everyone around. Perhaps it was due to how awfully young the tone was that everyone had expressions of surprise. Turning their heads to the origin of the sound, they all saw the most amusing sight.

A child!

"I'm Theo!" The boy declared.

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For a moment, no, maybe a little more... there was silence. Everyone tried to comprehend the situation unfolding before their very eyes. A young boy, appearing no older than thirteen, suddenly appeared beside the moderator and confirmed his identity as the next participant.

After attempting to understand this bizarre occurrence and arriving at no reasonable conclusion, the only thing left for them was to purse their lips and give in to amusement.

"PFFT!"

 

"PUAHAHA HAHAHAHA!!!"

Roars of laughter streamed out of the mouths of everyone. The thunderous noise of people who couldn't believe that a little child was claiming to be a warrior, or rather, had managed to find his way into a place meant only for the finest of warriors.

"What the heck?!"

"How old can he be? Twelve?"

"He looks younger than my kid!"

As their voices kept hammering the atmosphere, the moderator had to look at the one claiming to be Theo with a concerned expression.

"Look, kid... you sure you aren't lost or anything?"

Theo, if he could be called that anyway, looked at the referee and gave him a slight shrug.

"I registered fair and square. Besides... I'm not a kid. I'm old enough to participate. The fact that my name is there and I was granted entry into this place is more than enough to prove that."

The moderator couldn't dispute that. The security around the arena was top-tier. No one underage could be permitted to even get a step close to this place. This was a royal arena, and the king himself was here. There was no way a little boy could have sneaked past security.

He also didn't appear to be lying. The moderator was conflicted, unable to make a choice.

"Oi, you're wasting too much time." The Tall Serpent suddenly spoke out, moving forward by merely a step.

This sent the entire audience into silence. The pressure of a supreme warrior was being exhibited right in front of them. Who could dare raise their lips to let out a peep?

"If the kid wants to fight, then let him fight. Let's not waste any time." The huge man grinned, looking down on the small figure of the shabbily dressed brat.

He couldn't be up to 59 inches— 58 inches would be his height at best. Yet, such a kid dared to return his gaze with a defiant one.

The moderator's hands were tied. So far everything checked out, and both parties seemed willing to fight. There were cases of abnormality in humans, so perhaps the kid was one of those with stunted growth. In any case, he only had to do his job.

Plus, time was running out!

"A-alright then! Since both parties are up for this. Let the fight begin!"

With this statement, the moderator took steps backward and went to his safe zone where he could watch the fight from a secure distance.

Already feeling the tension build up as he left, the young man cursed a little before picking up his pace and leaving the arena. Somehow, he felt sorry for the young boy... perhaps he had been asleep throughout the fight that had just taken place. Was he blind? Could he not see the overwhelming force of the current champion of the tournament?

'Well... it's none of my business.' The man thought as he moved away.

At this moment, the audience was silent. They carefully watched what would unfold in the strange turn of events. A short dwarf versus a mighty Tall Serpent. The results had already been decided but somehow these warriors felt an atmosphere of unease descend upon them.

Such a thing only happened in one instance— when two masters were about to do battle!

"I'm only going to say this once, kid... it's too late for you to leave now." The Tall Serpent uttered.

He wasn't known for being a gentleman, and the fact that he was being insulted by such a tiny brat made him feel all the more annoyed. Even though he wasn't going to kill the kid, the warrior resolved himself to batter his face so much that the red-haired one wouldn't look at him with the defiant gaze that was plastered on his face.

There was no need for a stance. Using brute force was enough to handle an inexperienced, disheveled— weak, kid.

'I'm going to-' The Tall Serpent halted his thoughts the moment he sensed a level of activity from the boy who had remained transfixed since the match was declared to have begun. The boy was moving his face slightly, no, his lips.

Opening his mouth for the first time since he addressed the moderator, Theo— the red-haired kid smiled and uttered the most condescending words that no warrior wished to hear.

"You... you're too weak!"

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