The Arena has five floors in total, each with a vast interior space and a different level of competition.
The first floor is purely for entertainment. It contains many recreational facilities but no actual matches.
The second floor does host competitions, but most of them are training bouts or friendly sparring. There is less bloodshed and more focus on spectacle.
The third and fourth floors, however, are the true battlegrounds and the most crowded levels.
Here, warriors clash in close combat, while magic casters bombard each other with spells.
Both sides fight for generous prize money, and no one holds back. Every battle is fought with full strength, making the matches extremely thrilling.
As for the fifth and final floor, it is reserved for life-or-death duels—the bloodiest and most frenzied place in the entire Arena.
The spectators here are incredibly excited. Especially when blood is spilled, the near-hysterical shouting and roaring never seem to stop.
Naohara and Momonga walked up the stairs.
They did not head to the fifth floor. Instead, they arrived at the fourth.
Under the respectful guidance of a staff member, the two were led into a VIP box on the fourth floor.
Money really did make life easier.
Compared to the ordinary seats, the VIP box was far more comfortable, with every facility one could need.
Ignoring Momonga's earlier objections and spending a full two hundred gold coins on the two most expensive tickets suddenly felt completely worth it.
Leaning back in their seats, the battle in the arena below had just reached its climax.
Both fighters were warriors. Neither carried a weapon, and they had already closed the distance, grappling and trading blows at point-blank range.
Sweat mixed with blood dripped down their bodies. They exchanged punches one after another. The scene was somewhat rough and messy, but it was undeniably entertaining.
Compared to all kinds of bizarre magic, ordinary people might actually prefer this kind of straightforward brawl.
"Momonga, looks like you're getting tempted?"
Watching the fight below, Naohara picked up a drink from the side table and raised his glass toward Momonga.
"Yeah, I do feel like going down there and trying it."
"But after thinking it over… I'll pass. Leaving you here alone wouldn't sit right with me."
Momonga nodded as he explained.
At the same time, he raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Naohara's.
A crisp sound rang out. The two drained their drinks in one go, both showing slightly intoxicated expressions.
The faint smell of blood in the air was the perfect seasoning.
They slowly savored the wine. Amid wave after wave of cheers from the crowd, the match below also reached its conclusion.
One of the fighters—a yellow-haired warrior—gained the upper hand. After crushing his opponent's balls, he secured victory with overwhelming dominance.
After a match ends, the winner can either retire or continue defending the ring. The latter offers higher rewards, and the yellow-haired warrior chose it without hesitation.
"Not bad. At least he's got some brains."
Naohara chuckled as he commented.
In his opinion, the guy was pretty smart. In competitions, exploiting loopholes within the rules was part of the game.
Crushing the opponent's balls to secure victory.
It might be a bit dirty, but so what? A win was a win.
And judging from the cheers in the arena, the audience clearly enjoyed such bloody moments.
Of course, quite a few male spectators instinctively clamped their legs together while cheering.
Momonga was one of them.
After all, under the effect of the item [Mask of the Dead], he currently had balls.
Naohara: A daily three-hour junk experience card? (laughs)
After the cheering subsided, the next round began.
The gates of the Arena slowly opened. Under the gaze of the audience, the next contestant stepped into view.
It was a young girl wearing a cloak and holding a staff.
"Huh. Didn't expect to run into her here. What a coincidence."
Naohara and Momonga both looked slightly surprised.
They had just encountered this girl earlier.
She was Arche, the one with the innate Talent [All-Seeing Eyes].
"Since fate brought us together, Momonga, want to place a bet?"
Naohara turned to Momonga and made the suggestion.
After all, an Arena of this scale definitely had places where you could place bets on the contestants.
"No. Even if we have plenty of money, we can't keep spending it like this. If someday we end up…"
Momonga immediately crossed his arms and refused with righteous seriousness.
Just the 200 gold coins for the tickets had already made his heart ache.
Yet when faced with Momonga's refusal, Naohara didn't seem surprised at all. It was as if he had expected this response from the start.
"So… what if I'm the one asking you?"
Naohara clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, his expression shifting as he said it with a smile.
"This…"
Momonga immediately fell silent, feeling somewhat helpless. He had really been completely wrapped around Naohara's finger.
After letting out a sigh, he waved his hand.
"Fine. As long as you're happy."
Even though it pained him a little, Naohara had already said that much. There was no way he could refuse.
Calling over a waiter, Momonga took out two extremely valuable vouchers. Under the attendant's stunned gaze, he placed them directly on the girl named Arche.
If he was going to play, he might as well go big!
Momonga really was a contradictory person.
Before making a decision, he would hesitate endlessly, worrying about every possible outcome.
But once he made up his mind, he would charge forward stubbornly, with no intention of turning back.
"Haha, then I'll add a bit more."
Naohara clapped his hands, then took out several money pouches and placed them on Arche as well.
Together, their bet totaled 6,666 gold coins.
After dismissing the waiter, Naohara and Momonga continued watching the match.
The battle began.
Arche did not disappoint them. As soon as the match started, she cast several enhancement spells and immediately widened the distance between herself and her opponent.
For a magic caster fighting a warrior, this was the most basic tactic.
The yellow-haired warrior activated a martial skill and tried to rush toward Arche, but in the next moment he was suppressed in place by a barrage of colorful magic.
Arche clearly understood her own advantage. With a wave of her staff, spells poured out one after another, creating a dazzling display.
Most of them were only first- or second-tier spells, but the speed and frequency of her casting were incredibly fast, leaving the opponent no chance to retaliate.
In the end, under Momonga's satisfied gaze, Arche secured a clean victory.
"Very good, very good. What a good kid."
Taking the gold coins handed over by the attendant, Momonga looked at Arche standing in the arena. His gaze grew noticeably softer.
Naohara really had been right.
This human cub was quite adorable.
"Hmm. Clear tactics, and her timing was perfect."
Naohara grabbed a handful of gold coins, roughly sixty-six in total, and asked the waiter to deliver them to Arche as a reward.
(Sixty-six gold coins may sound small, but it was actually a considerable amount.)
Truth be told, neither Naohara nor Momonga had known how the match would end.
Their abilities were fairly close, so it really could have gone either way.
And that uncertainty was exactly what had made Naohara interested in placing a bet.
If they won, Naohara didn't mind tipping Arche a portion.
If they lost, it didn't matter either. The point was simply to enjoy the moment.
Of course, the two of them could have cheated using magic.
But there was no need for that. Naohara didn't consider himself someone who couldn't accept losing.
As long as it didn't involve Nazarick, he had no intention of interfering with other people's fates.
Momonga understood this as well.
On that point, the two shared a quiet, unspoken understanding.
"Let's go. The three hours are almost up. It's about time we meet the Bloody Emperor."
After watching a few more matches, time slipped by before they realized it.
Now that his emotions had fully settled, Naohara left the arena together with Momonga.
...
Inside the Imperial Palace, in the Bloody Emperor's office.
A dark vortex suddenly appeared, and two terrifying, monstrous figures stepped out of it.
They were, without a doubt, Naohara and Momonga, now restored to their Dragonoid and Undead forms.
"He's not here?"
After looking around and finding the room empty, Naohara seemed a little surprised. The two immediately cast detection magic.
"Let me see… ah, he's in the conference room."
After sensing the Bloody Emperor's location, Naohara turned toward Momonga.
"Momonga, interested in seeing the power of a so-called World Boss?"
"I'm definitely curious. But Naohara, don't go too far. After all, the Empire is our ally now."
Momonga didn't try to stop him.
He trusted that if Naohara said this, he must already have everything under control.
Still, considering the terrifying power of a World Boss, Momonga thought it over and offered a small warning.
Naohara gave an OK gesture.
Then he raised his hand and removed one of the rings that suppressed his magical aura.
"The weather's about to change…"
In an instant, the world lost its color.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
It was as if time itself had been frozen.
Everything fell silent.
Suddenly, an invisible pillar of brilliant light shot into the sky, while magical power surged like a raging storm.
Across the Empire, citizens looked up in confusion.
Just moments ago the sky had been bright and sunny.
Now it had turned dark and oppressive.
[Singing Apple Pavilion]
Inside a private room.
Arche was chatting excitedly with her companions, telling them about the kind people she had met today who rewarded her with a large sum of money.
But halfway through her story, the girl suddenly stopped speaking.
"What's wrong, Arche?"
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, Arche's body began to tremble violently.
Her legs went weak, and she dropped to one knee. A rainbow-colored stream suddenly burst from her mouth.
The next moment, she completely lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, inside the conference room.
Fluder, who had been thinking about how to convince the Bloody Emperor to accept the plan of betraying the nation, suddenly froze.
He looked up toward the sky.
An intense wave of nausea suddenly surged through his body.