Faced with the deafening boos from the entire arena, Lucas did not remain silent.
Instead, his body slowly lifted off the ground. He rose into the air, calmly hovering as his gaze swept across the vast stadium.
Every spectator who met his eyes felt as though they were being stared down by an ancient, ferocious beast.
An overwhelming sense of fear descended upon the crowd.
The jeering abruptly vanished.
In an instant, the entire arena fell deathly silent.
With his presence alone, Lucas completely suppressed everyone in the stadium.
Sensing that the atmosphere had gone wrong, the Grandmaster hurriedly shifted the focus and began introducing the three challengers.
"Tonight, no one shall feel lonely," he announced excitedly.
"Tonight, all of you will once again be immersed in the bloody beauty of arena combat!"
"Come—let us welcome tonight's three grand champions!"
"They are former titleholders, the most renowned guardians of the arena!"
"The first—the Demolisher!"
The audience immediately erupted into cheers, while Lucas slowly descended back onto the arena floor.
The opposing gate rose, and the first combatant emerged.
He was nearly three meters tall, humanoid in shape, with yellowish skin. His body was clad in crude metal armor, and countless spherical devices were strapped all over him in chaotic rows.
The Demolisher threw back his head and roared, then ripped one of the metal spheres from his body and hurled it toward the arena.
The moment the yellow sphere hit the ground, a blinding flash erupted—
a small mushroom cloud shot upward.
The explosion thundered through the arena, and the violent shockwave even flung some spectators from their seats.
Yet the more intense the destruction, the louder the crowd cheered.
Roars echoed.
The audience was completely unhinged.
"And next," the Grandmaster continued theatrically,
"the one you all love the most—every match filled with visual carnage—the Splitter!"
The second challenger stepped out.
A monstrous, three-legged creature over four meters tall, it possessed four arms, each equipped with different mechanical weapons.
Chainsaws, spinning blades, and other instruments whirred to life, filling the arena with an earsplitting mechanical roar.
The crowd's cheers reached another peak.
"And finally," the Grandmaster shouted, voice rising,
"the one who has mastered three thousand seven hundred ways to torture and slaughter his opponents—the Blood Butcher!"
The third challenger emerged.
He stood just over three meters tall, grotesquely bloated like a living mass of flesh. His blue-green, rock-like skin was covered in countless tentacles of varying lengths.
The moment he appeared, the entire arena rose to its feet, screaming in frenzy—
as if die-hard fans had just seen their ultimate idol.
The Grandmaster smiled in satisfaction as the atmosphere returned to full madness.
"Look at those ecstatic faces," he laughed.
"Aren't you all eager for tonight's glorious performance?"
"Do you want to see the challenger torn apart on this very stage?"
"Rest assured—no matter what happens, tonight will not disappoint!"
"Without further delay—let the main event begin!"
The arena exploded with cheers.
Lucas, however, lifted his gaze toward the transparent, elongated glass chamber high above the arena.
Inside, the Grandmaster lounged comfortably on a sofa.
Beside him floated a levitating chair, upon which Hela sat—her body bound tightly by glowing energy shackles and chains.
"Grandmaster," Hela said calmly,
"do you realize you're playing with fire?"
"Fire?" The Grandmaster chuckled.
"Didn't your father Odin ever tell you? I love playing with fire."
"All Odin ever said," Hela replied indifferently,
"was that you and your brother, the Collector, are lunatics."
"Even lunatics have their fun," the Grandmaster said, unconcerned.
"Then I hope you won't regret your decision," Hela said flatly.
"Regret?" The Grandmaster burst into laughter.
"If he can make me regret this, I'd be thrilled."
"In all my endless years, there are fewer and fewer things that can stir my emotions. I'm genuinely looking forward to feeling regret again."
His smile was almost… innocent.
As one of the earliest intelligent beings in the universe, he had endured near-eternal solitude.
The arena itself existed merely to give his endless life some form of amusement—
so he wouldn't lose himself completely and choose oblivion.
Seeing that Hela was safe, Lucas finally relaxed.
He looked down at the three challengers, who were still showing off theatrically, and let out a faint scoff.
Sensing his contempt, the three arena champions grew visibly enraged.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Lucas said casually, stepping down from the air to the ground.
"You three can't fly."
The moment his feet touched the arena floor, all three roared and charged toward him.
The Demolisher abruptly halted, rapidly tearing the yellow spheres from his body and hurling them toward Lucas in rapid succession.
The other two immediately stopped advancing—they had no desire to be caught in the explosions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the arena again and again.
The ground trembled violently as shockwaves tore through the stadium, even flinging spectators into the air.
"Hahaha! What beautiful fireworks!" the Grandmaster clapped enthusiastically.
"I love it! Let's see if he can withstand this!"
"You should be hoping your three fighters last a little longer," Hela said coolly.
"…I hope so," the Grandmaster muttered, less confident than before.
Soon, the explosions stopped.
The thick smoke slowly dispersed.
Then the audience gasped in unison.
A lone figure stood at the very center of the blast zone.
As the smoke cleared completely, everyone drew a sharp breath—
Lucas stood there unharmed.
Not even his clothes were damaged.
His indifferent gaze swept over the three challengers, and he slowly shook his head.
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Lucas raised one hand, clenched it into a fist, and extended his thumb upward.
Under countless puzzled stares, his thumb then turned slowly downward.
Boooo—!
Even across cultures and species, the meaning was unmistakable.
Enraged, the Splitter screamed and charged forward, all four mechanical arms spinning at maximum speed.
The deafening hum filled the air.
Lucas merely shifted his body slightly and clenched his fist.
When the Splitter closed to within eight meters, Lucas's eyes sharpened—
—and he punched the air.
In the next instant—
The Splitter's charging body froze mid-stride.
The space around him seemed to solidify, as if seized by an invisible, terrifying force.
_____
T/N:
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