Chapter 20: Tier 2 Professionals
"Looks like I'm going to lose money on the red side this round..."
The "Red Demon" Goron was battling the A-level criminal "Shadow Scorpion" Abike, and Su Lun's first impression was that Abike would win.
After all, they were both second-tier professionals; a notorious criminal would definitely have superior combat capabilities, while the other was just a bodyguard with no fame to speak of.
Even if they had great talent, a fattened hound raised in a greenhouse is still no match for a starving wild dog hunting on the wastelands.
But unexpectedly, this match completely overturned Su Lun's perceptions.
Normally, when the two gladiators entered the arena, the referee would ring a bronze bell to announce the start of the match.
But this time, it was different.
Abike had no intention of following the rules at all; the moment several mechanical-arm strongmen released his restraints, he magically produced two flintlock pistols and pulled the triggers, "bang bang," shooting twice at the burly man in the suit across from him.
This guy was clearly aware that only one person would walk out of this arena alive today.
All those damned rules meant nothing compared to staying alive!
Being close to the arena, Su Lun could even see the cold sneer on his face. He embodied the word "sly" to perfection.
....
This was a no-holds-barred fight, where the gladiators could use their weapon of choice, and using guns was naturally no issue.
It was then that Su Lun understood why a "blast shield" had been raised.
But watching a second-tier expert resort to a sneak attack, his expression instantly turned a bit peculiar, "This... this guy has no sense of honor!"
The cool image of a second-tier professional that Su Lun had just erected in his mind immediately crumbled.
However, he also felt that this guy's sly character was well-suited to the cruel rules of survival in this world.
A true scoundrel, without pretense.
No wonder he could commit crimes again and again and still live for so long.
...
Everything happened too fast. In less than a tenth of a second, the guy had fired his gun.
To anyone watching, it seemed like the suited bodyguard was at a huge disadvantage.
The two shots were tricky; they seemed impossible to dodge.
Just one hit and, even if it wasn't fatal, the injury would take away the initiative.
The gamblers who had bet on "Red Demon" Goron were just about to curse his opponent for being underhanded when the turnaround happened so quickly...
As the flash from the gun barrel shot out, and while the shock hadn't even registered on the bettors' faces yet, they suddenly saw the bodyguard in front of them flicker his hands, and two brief sparks appeared.
It was then that the "boom" "boom" of gunshots and the "clang" "clang" of metal colliding nearly simultaneously reached everyone's ears.
A moment of utter silence.
The whole room of gamblers was agape.
Even Su Lun, watching the two men confront each other in the center of the arena, was stunned.
It was as if time stood still for a moment before his thoughts resumed normal operation.
Su Lun, realizing what had just happened when he saw the dagger that appeared out of nowhere in the hand of the suited bodyguard, also doubted his own eyes: "Did... did he just slice the bullets with a knife?"
All around were sounds of people swallowing hard.
Nobody had expected that the burly man in the suit would actually catch the two sneaky bullets with his knife!
He just stood there expressionless, calm as a cold, lifeless stone.
The next instant, the entire arena erupted with a tsunami of applause and cheering.
"Red Demon!"
"Red Demon!"
"Red Demon!"
"..."
The emotions of the gamblers skyrocketed in an instant.
The high-stakes fight had just begun, and it already delivered a visual spectacle that intensely stimulated the nerves of the audience.
The battle between the two second-tier professionals... opened everyone's eyes!
....
"He's so strong!"
Su Lun's gaze narrowed, focusing intently on everything in the arena, not wanting to miss a single detail.
At this moment, the face of "Scorpion" Abek also underwent a slight change.
Only an equal in strength can accurately gauge how strong their opponent truly is.
Although he had not underestimated his enemy and had expected that his two shots might not wound the other, he did not expect the opponent to dissolve them so effortlessly.
And at that moment, with a flash of fierceness in his eyes, he moved again!
With a sweep of Abek's cloak, a string of sharp throwing knives suddenly "whooshed" out.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Sparks flew as those several throwing knives were easily caught by Goron with his dagger once more.
But obviously, Abek hadn't counted on the throwing knives to wound his enemy. It was during the instant of sparking light that he appeared behind Goron like a phantom!
He was like a ghost, slashing a dark dagger across Goron's neck with incredible speed.
It was so fast it seemed like teleportation, unbelievable to the onlookers.
Seeing this spectacle, the gamblers below became excited as well.
"So fast, is that the speed of 'Scorpion' Abek... Truly worthy of an assassin!"
"It's said that he has awakened the [Talent C-009-Teleportation], with an ability to burst forward over short distances. Within twenty meters, the opponent doesn't even have a chance to shoot..."
"An A-ranked wanted criminal, indeed as formidable as rumored."
"..."
Hearing the shocked comments of the gamblers around him, Su Lun's thoughts had no time to settle before the two combatants on the stage had already exchanged several more rounds of blows.
Abek's movement speed was extremely fast, like a ghost, it seemed as if the entire stage was his shadow.
If it weren't for the fact that Su Lun's eyesight had multiplied in sharpness, he would not have been able to see clearly that just now the two on stage had already clashed thirteen times with their blades, including two elbow strikes to block...
And clearly, Goron was stronger.
Despite such a barrage of attacks like a storm, he remained expressionless, wielding his dagger and blocking each attack with precise timing.
"That guy fights so calmly, he's completely like a machine..."
Su Lun watched carefully; "Red Demon" Goron had not moved his feet at all throughout the fight, just standing in place wielding his dagger to block.
It seemed like an intense exchange of blows between the two, but... upon closer inspection, even his suit was not disheveled.
"Are the bodyguards of those big shots in the inner city all this strong?"
Su Lun found it hard to believe.
Abek's ghostly maneuvers were more than enough to guarantee his safety. Moreover, both his marksmanship and knife skills, in the eyes of Su Lun, a "Beginner in Advanced Combat," were unattainably top-notch techniques.
But, he didn't manage to injure his opponent.
Su Lun never imagined that a bodyguard could be so strong.
And what was even more unexpected was yet to come!
...
The fight between the two second-tier professionals on the stage was very ferocious, and the ordinary gamblers were just watching the excitement.
"That Goron has been under pressure, why doesn't he fight back..."
"He wants to fight back, but he has to be able to react in time. Abek is so fast, it is already good enough that he can block."
"Heh, you guys don't get it, that is the smartest reaction. Abek has the [Teleportation] talent, trying to catch him is almost impossible. That talent ability takes a huge toll when used explosively, and this frequency of attacks cannot last. The best response is to remain unshaken by numerous changes. Goron is not only far from being foolish, he is actually very smart. Just watch, it won't be long before Abek starts to panic..."
"Pssh~ I don't see anything impressive about that big guy. I still think Abek will win for sure; his moves are too unpredictable..."
"..."
Most of the gamblers were ordinary folks; they only cared about their own bets.
The rhythm and skill of the fight on the stage were understood by only a few.
However, silently, the entire "Crimson Fortress" gambling den had already gathered many experts from nearby... even Captain Kai and a group of veterans from the "Cross Society" had rushed over to observe this exquisite duel between second-tier professionals.
Beyond the gamblers' line of sight, in the boxes on the second floor, those big shots from the inner city were standing in front of the one-way glass, watching this bloody duel with great interest.
They were the real masters behind the scenes of this match; the heavy bets on the two gladiators were the most crucial reason in facilitating this competition.
Next to the stage, Su Lun muttered, "The probing is over, are they getting serious now..."
He knew the excitement was just beginning.
After all, these were two alchemists!