Every heavy footfall of the giant triggered a silence that spread like a virus through the stands. The cheers that had once roared were silenced, replaced by a massive, stifling dread. The red and purple neon lights bathing the arena made the giant's muscular silhouette look like a demon crawling out of the abyss.
Gopis strode into the center of the fighting arena. He dragged his massive battle-axe, which was the size of a door, across the arena floor, creating a shrill, prolonged screech that sprayed sparks like pure fire.
"Quite a grand dumpster," Gopis hissed hoarsely. His voice boomed heavily through the arena's speakers, which suddenly buzzed with high-pitched feedback. He looked up, glaring at the thousands of petrified spectators, then shifted his gaze to Han and Gepo. "And... what is this? Two more sewer rats?"
In the corner of the arena, Black coughed up blood, his knees buckling as he leaned on his cracked black dagger. Black's eyes trembled as he stared at Han. "Get... out of here..." Black whispered weakly, his breath shallow, but his voice was drowned out by the increasingly suffocating atmosphere of the stadium.
Han did not budge. His gladiator instincts detected god-tier danger. He glanced at Gepo, and without a single word, the two fighters who had been trying to kill each other seconds ago now shifted their feet—adopting a compact, defensive stance, facing Gopis directly.
"Kacuk! We have to save that bleeding man!" Mira shouted from the stands, her hand instinctively reaching for the weapon at her waist, sensing a premonition that the city's iron law would shatter tonight.
Kacuk did not reply immediately. His eyes, hidden behind dark glasses, were locked onto the gleaming teeth of Gopis as they reflected the neon light. "Too slow, Mira. That bastard didn't come for negotiations..." Kacuk said coldly, just as Gopis suddenly raised his massive axe into the air with one muscular hand.
A dense killing aura exploded instantly, pressing against the chest of everyone inside The Silent Stage. Gopis grinned wide, staring at the entire stadium as if they were all just piles of meat ready to be minced.
"Let the slaughter begin!"
Gopis slammed his massive axe into the floor. The violent impact triggered a powerful tremor that blasted away the dust, swirling rapidly as if forming a solid circle of air.
"WHAT IS THIS?! IS THIS AN UNEXPECTED ENTERTAINMENT ROUND? A GIANT NEWCOMER HAS ENTERED AND IS CHALLENGING HAN AND GEPO AT THE SAME TIME!" the commentator screamed hysterically.
WHOOOOOOO!
Instantly, the roar of the crowd exploded again, filling every corner of The Silent Stage, which was thirsty for blood.
"Are you just going to stand there, or should I make the first move, huh?" Gopis grinned wide, baring his fangs.
Han whispered softly to Gepo. The man with the iron-hard body trembled for a moment under the heavy pressure, but a second later, he grinned back. Ignoring his fear, Gepo took a step and lunged forward at full speed.
"IRON FIST!" Gepo roared, his magical punch cleaving the air.
"Don't be reckless, Iron Man!" shouted Han, who immediately dashed, moving swiftly from Gopis's blind spot as a follow-up attack.
THUMP!
Gepo's punch landed squarely on Gopis's solar plexus. The sound of the massive, heavy impact echoed around them, forcing thousands of spectators in the stands to cheer hysterically once more.
The gust of pure wind from the impact raced brutally, blowing dust and gravel around them. Yet, Gopis did not move an inch. He stood as sturdy as a steel pillar planted in the earth. Only a single drop of fresh blood appeared, trickling from the corner of his lips.
Instead of grimacing in pain, Gopis burst into laughter, looking mockingly at Gepo, whose fist was still pressed against his chest.
Gepo slowly looked up, staring hollowly at the face of the monster who was still laughing without a care.
How is this possible... this bastard can still laugh after taking my best attack?! Gepo muttered to himself. Bullets of cold sweat began to pour from his temples as he realized the chasm of power between them.
Gopis stopped laughing. He raised his muscular right hand casually, then swung it downward with all his might. The empty-handed swing was so devastating that it created a hurricane-force pressure that rushed horizontally, hitting the spectators in the stands and forcing them to duck for cover.
Seeing Gepo locked in position, Han, who had been preparing to attack from the side, immediately aborted his plan. He abandoned his ego, pressing his feet against the concrete floor with all his might to leap and intercept Gopis's swing. In a split second, Han's body threw itself into the path of death, crossing his blade to parry Gopis's heavy hand.
CLANG!
The collision created a deafening screech, spraying sparks into the air. The commentator and thousands of spectators cheered again, thinking it was a perfect parry.
However, the crowd's cheers stopped instantly when they saw both of Han's wrists shaking violently. His blade bent extremely, digging back and scraping against his own chest armor due to the blow of an empty hand that carried the weight of thousands of tons of pure pressure.
Han forced every nerve in his body to tense, enduring the agonizing pain that was crushing his grip. "Run...!" he whispered through gritted teeth to Gepo, who was right behind him.
But the warning came too late.
Gopis's hand swing could not be contained. His strike gained perfect momentum from the mass of his rotating body, instantly multiplying its destructive power. In one brutal jolt, the wave of pure pressure exploded, shattering Han's sword defense and striking both of the best fighters in The Silent Stage, sending them flying together.
CRASH!
Han and Gepo's bodies hit the arena's concrete perimeter wall, cracking it into a thousand pieces. Debris flew, and thick dust billowed high, hiding the silhouettes of the two men lying at the base of the wall.
The Silent Stage fell silent again. The stillness was haunting, as if all the oxygen in the room had just been sucked dry by Gopis's killing aura.
"Ugh... What a monster..." Gepo groaned in agony. His iron body, usually bulletproof, was now covered in micro-cracks, emitting thin smoke due to the friction of the pure energy that was too great. Beside him, Han tried to rise, leaning on his sword, which was now bent and ruined. Fresh blood dripped from his trembling fingers.
Gopis snorted, thin smoke venting from his pug nose. He swung his massive axe in a circle, parting the dust cloud with one casual motion.
"Is this really the peak level of this dumpster? Disappointing," Gopis stepped forward, letting the edge of his axe scrape the floor again, spraying sparks that illuminated his sadistic face.
"You... you tricked us so we would let our guard down, ughh..." Han wheezed, suppressing the anger surging in his chest.
"I didn't trick you, Little Rat, you were just too naive," Gopis roared brutally. "True villains don't care about honor. We use every means necessary to win!"
In the corner of the arena, dimly lit by purple neon, Black—who had been coughing blood—slowly moved his fingers. His cracked black dagger began to tremble, not from fear, but from the resonance of dark energy that suddenly surged from within his blood. Black's eyes, which had been dull, now glowed a deep, dark red.
"Gopis..." Black whispered. His voice no longer sounded hoarse, but layered, echoing low like a whisper from the deepest abyss.
Gopis stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, grinning wide until his fangs poked out. "Oh? The nearly dead rat is still breathing?"
Amidst the falling dust, Han wiped the blood from his chin and glanced at Gepo, who was forcing his iron body to stand tall again. Both fighters nodded slowly in silence. There was no time for complex tactics; this was a life-or-death battle.