To make the previous match even more convincing, I stand up and start walking with a limp before facing the crowd again and placing a thumb in the air to begin the next match.

The announcer yells in an excited tone.

"That's what we like to see! At this rate, The Flame Emperor could actually do it, he could defeat the 6th stage monster and become a Legacy fighter on his first time in the ring!"

The crowd erupts with cheers again, but I don't like how positively they're taking things. I want them to have no confidence I can defeat the next opponent that is teleported in.

At this thought, I cough and drop to my knees, holding my chest and let my sword hit the ground with a clang.

This makes the announcer pause, and the crowd begins to whisper and talk amongst themselves. Still, I raise a thumb and slowly get back up to my feet while using my sword as a crutch.

My wristband clearly states that I'm still at 100% of max HP, but I cover it up underneath my red cloak in case anyone in the audience has extra keen eyes. Unlike them, the announcer is not worried at all. His voice still rings out as enthusiastic as ever.

"Here in the Valor City fight arena, we don't hold back. Even if you're injured from the past stage, we won't go easy on you. Everyone place your bets! The Flame Emperor will be facing a level 599 Red Ogre Tyrant in the Stage 6 matchup!"

My eyes widen at the announcement.

The crowd goes silent too...

My opponent in this next round is going to be the maximum level available for a stage this high. I don't know who is choosing these opponents behind the scenes, but it's like they read my mind... This is exactly what I wanted to hear.

After the awkward moment of silence, the crowd begins to cheer again and rumble the stands around the arena and even slightly shake the floor itself.

The odds that pop up on my wristband make me smile inwardly, but I don't dare show even a little bit of emotion before the match begins.

For the first time in the event tonight, the betting odds are stacked against me. I stare down at the numbers, and it says 2.67x for a bet on myself and it keeps on rising.

I make a slow walk around the ring, just to make sure everyone can see the sorry shape I'm in and the crowd's confidence toward me as the potential winner in this fight lessens more and more.

The odds raise past 3.00x and I hear a few people yell out in the front rows down to me.

"Forfeit while you still have your dignity!"

"This will be the easiest money I've ever made. I'm going all in on the Red Ogre!"

"Look at him! He can barely stand. That last battle was all luck, there's no way he becomes a legacy fighter with moves like that."

"The Red Ogre Tyrant is more powerful than any normal Red Ogre, he doesn't stand a chance! Even Ace lost to one of these last week, my bet is on him losing too!"

I walk back to the center of the ring after my full lap and the announcer starts counting down for the fight to start.

"The match will begin shortly! Get ready in 10...9...8..."

More and more bets are placed and I peek at my watch to see the odds against me rise to 4.29x.

"7...6...5..."

I enter 75 gold into the betting notification, and wait longer for every last bet to be placed. The odds keep rising, and I want to lock in my bet at the highest payout I possibly can.

This opponent is going to be a higher level than me, but I've faced much more difficult monsters in battle before. I may have to pull out some more tricks, but I'm confident in my abilities to defeat it.

"4... 3... 2..."

The odds that I'll win have fallen so low, that the payout on me is now at 5.41x. I lock it in, draining most of my credit wallet, then finally standing up straight with a wide grin as my bet is now set in stone.

"1... 0... Let the Stage 6 Match begin!"

A blinding light transports an enormous Red Ogre Tyrant into the ring. It looks very similar to the Red Ogres in the previous matches I saw, but this one is much more muscular with crimson veins bulging out from its silver armor.

The beast lets out a roar as it begins to glow golden the moment it steps forward and swings a massive metal mace in the air. A thick chain that looks like it would hold an anchor to the sea floor connects a spiked metal ball as it swings it above its head.

The sharp eyes of the beast lock onto me in an instant as I approach and activate my own extreme strength and berserker skills as well.

As it swings the mace, a glimmer of pink mana starts to cover the entire weapon and its two skills show up in my mind's eye.

[Extreme Strength][Legendary Grade]

[Combat Magic][Advanced Mana Manipulation]

My gaze falsl down to its ranked-up buff too.

[Ogre Tyrant's Dominance]

It storms forward with incredible speed, and I jump out of the way using my full strength and speed to dodge.

"No more playing around. This fight is for real."

I use wind magic to propel my movements away from the golden glowing beast and turn back to release a mana blade imbued with fire from my sword at point-blank range at the Ogre's back.

The moment it's released, the instincts of the beast kick in, and it senses the shift in mana density that fills the air. Its shielded spiked mace spins back around to collide with the incoming attack and an explosion of mana and flames instantly fills the entire dome.

I activate my all-seeing eye, and sense the creature not taking a moment of rest. Through the chaos of the blast, it uses the plumes of flames as a smokescreen and runs at me to throw another hit.

I swing my blade up to collide with its spiked mace. The physical weapons don't collide, but the dense layers of shielding around them do. Another mana-on-mana eruption blasts both of us backward, sending the ogre and myself flying into the dome's mana shielding, then into the floor below with two loud bangs.

However, we got much closer this time around. Our energies colliding is close enough range for me to use my MP plundering skill along with Lifesteal to take as much MP and HP as I can before we're both sent flying to opposite sides of the ring.

The fire from our last attacks dissipates, and the audience can clearly see the next exchange. Just like before, the battle-hungry monster doesn't take a moment of rest, neither do I. We both run forward and clash again.

I can feel an invisible subconscious pull much stronger than normal guiding my sword with precision. It's the legendary swordsmanship skill at work, but the movements that enter my mind like instinct are very different than my normal fighting style. I suppress the urge to try anything too new and risky right now.

At this point in the battle, its best I stick to what I know and observe my opponent.

The speeds we're fighting at, and the precision of each hit is far greater than what I'd assume most of the audience has the ability to perceive. But if there are any highly skilled fighters or ex-hunters in the crowd they'd see us both collide in mid-air fighting with waves of mana, trying to cut through the other's defenses while regenerating our own before being thrown back from the excess energy.

My flaming sword covered in layers of pink mana shielding collide with the shielding that surrounds its mace. We both have a mana manipulation skill, so the shielding being used is just being constantly regenerated by the mana within our bodies.

The real test of strength will be who runs out of MP first.

Pure level numbers suggest this Ogre has higher MP stores than me, but each exchange we share drains its own stores and adds them to mine.

Although it looks like an even match, it's really a matter of time before the Tyrant runs out of MP and I can send a fatal attack that blasts through its weakened shielding.

Another four exchanges pass and just like the salamander in the previous round, I start to sense its movements slow.

At this point, the crowd realizes what's going on to an extent too. A few angry voices start to stand out to me in between the next few attacks the Ogre and I send at each other.

"He was strong all along? Was this guy playing us for our money?"

"There's no way... He set us up..."

"Could the Ogre Tyrant really lose?"

"Boooo!"

Half a dozen more exchanges pass and the audience has resorted to throwing things down at the ring. The mana shielding blocks anything from actually flying in, but the sounds of random items hitting the dome make me smirk.

In the meantime, I can tell the Red Ogre Tyrant is frustrated out of its mind as it roars louder and louder after every exchange we have. Its eyes start to shift from the jet black they started at to now a crimson glow.

After our 15th collision, I'm almost positive I've stolen over half of its HP and MP. It has noticed and is making its move.

The red glow that has slowly grown in its eyes begins to spread into the golden shimmer of its extreme strength skill. A shimmering red wave of energy surrounds its body and I feel a shockwave vibrate through the arena floor.

The air pressure shifts, and I feel most of the ambient mana from our previous clashes begin to gravitate toward the Ogre at the opposite side of the ring.

I use my own manipulation skill to attempt bringing it back my way, but the force at which it's being pulled in at the monster is significantly stronger than before.

Even the dome around the ring starts to vibrate. It hums loudly as it tries to stay in place, but the new buff my opponent is using seems to be pulling in every spare mana particle in the area. This feels extremely dangerous. Not only for me, but nearby audience members too if this monster is doing what I think it is.

It's using its ranked-up buff as a last-ditch effort, Ogre Tyrant's Dominance is being activated.