The edge of my blade shortens the distance between the deep crimson red thread and the neck of the monster threatening the lives of everyone in this arena.

In an instant, using over 1000MP in a single strike, I release a mana blade while making direct contact with the monster's neck and its head is sliced clean off in an instant.

My boosted perception is so much greater than the world around me, that even as the beast's head slowly spins in the air disconnected from its body, the wide eyes and mixed reaction from the crowd seem so slow that they're not even moving...

The severed head collides with the rippling mana shielding dome and instantly splatters into indistinguishable parts.

[Congratulations! 5.41x bet won on Fighter: The Flame Emperor]

[Your 75 Gold Base Bet has been returned to your account.]

[330.75 Gold Credits have been added to your account.]

[Stage 6 Fight Victory: Reward: 68.4450 Gold Credits]

[68.4450 Gold Credits have been added to your account.]

[Total Account balance: 4.784800 Platinum]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Use Absorption]

MCP: 1,034,980

[YES][NO]

[Use Absorption]

Skill: Extreme Strength

Upgrade: Legendary Grade

[YES][NO]

The moment the Ogre Tyrant's head leaves its body, the red aura that fills almost half the rings dissipates in an instant.

However, the vibrating and churning mana shielding that makes up the arena's dome gets more and more violent following the explosion of the Ogre's head.

I jump back and land on the floor, choosing yes to all the notification options that pop up and excitedly look at my wristband as it shifts in color from golden to a shimmering platinum glow.

My eyes dart around the ring at the dome. I assumed it would calm down the moment the Ogre's skill dissipated, but the turbulent nature only grows worse as the seconds pass and the crowd erupts into cheers, yells of anger, boos, and frightened screams.

Four flashes of white light come into my peripheral vision for a fraction of a second, and knights in black armor teleport in on opposite sides of the inside of the dome.

I turn my head to try and scan one with my appraisal skill as they all place their armored hands on the vibrating shielding.

Wisps of grey and white energy come out of their gauntlets and the violent unstable nature of the ring ceases, leaving the stable humming mana shielding in its original form.

The 4 of them disappear along with the corpse of the monster I defeated before I can even blink again.

The only reading I managed to see from one of them leaves my mouth wide open underneath my mask in a state of confusion.

_____________________

[Lv. ??? Access Denied]

Active Items: [??? Access Denied]

Active Skills: [??? Access Denied]

Buffs: [??? Access Denied]

_____________________

These readings look eerily similar to the odd black armor of the Sector 2 Leader I defeated not so long ago...

The announcer finally speaks up, quieting the crowd down.

At this disturbance, my natural perceptions of time begin to go back to normal.

"We... have a winner... The Flame Emperor! Give it up for our newest legacy fighter! Can you believe it? From an unknown name, to a man that beat all the odds. What do you say, will you be taking on the 7th stage?"

I'm in quite the daze after what I just witnessed, but still slowly put a thumb in the air.

Almost all my HP and MP were restored after that final blow using plunderer on the body and excess energy that escaped from the shielding in the ring.

Although it wasn't a walk in the park, I was far from being in real danger while facing that monster, if anything, the audience was in more trouble than me. It seems the announcer isn't going to bring attention to this fact at all. They did have safeguards in place just in case any events like this were to happen.

The sounds of the crowd aren't the excited screams that were rattling the stadium earlier, but the quick thinking of the announcer changes their minds.

"You all know we have only had one contestant get anywhere close to beating the stage 7 Ghoul in years. This is another major step up from the stage 6 fights. Even if the Flame Emperor finally showed you all his full strength, we know that's part of the fight game. You can't hate the player."

The angry words and whispers start to change their tone, and I hear a few members of the crowd speak up. Instead of all hatred, I'm beginning to get mixed reviews.

"He's right, the rules of the arena never said any bets were fair."

"No kidding, I'm glad I took the risk. I can't believe it, I bet on him as a joke and just 5x'd my money!"

"I lost everything. I hate the Flame Emperor, he'll get what's coming to him in this next round."

"You're right! Monk is the only one I've seen beat that Ghoul monster in the 7th stage, and I've been coming to this arena for years now. There's something really off about those monsters. Pure magic power, or even superior skill never seems to be enough to kill them."

"I bet my whole wallet on that last round, I'll be kicked out of the city if I'm still here at midnight."

"Ha! Then you better leave now. This is a gambling area! What do you expect, never bet what you can't afford to lose!"

By the time the announcer speaks up again, all hatred has left the crowd's mind, and they're all fully consumed with the next round.

"Everyone, place your bets on the next Stage 7 matchup of the night! The Flame Emperor will be facing off against a level 689 Mutant Ghoul."

The crowd completely flips tones again. As the betting odds pop up in front of their faces and they're consumed with greed.

I take my slow lap around the ring as the announcer continues on and on, hyping up the fight more. This time around, I'm more confused at what the purpose of this arena really is.

The man at the registration desk did say it's one of the main income streams of the city along with an auction hall in the platinum district, but after that display of power from what I can only assume is the royal guards, something isn't adding up.

Why do they really have a fight arena in this city, and where are they getting all the incredibly high-level monsters to teleport in like it's easy? Who are the legacy fighters...? Why does no one seem to care about anyone's true identity here...? And why did my teammates agree to come to this city in the first place?

For some reason, all these questions start to hit me at once as the announcer counts down the betting timer as the show is about to begin again.

"10...9...8..."

I take a deep breath in and out, then shake my head while staring straight ahead to where my opponent will be standing next.

Then, look down at my wristband and see the odds for me to win are still stacked against me, but much less so than the round before. People seem to be more confident in my abilities after that last display of strength, but the prestige of the final event in the eyes of the crowd is still a very tough challenge. The payout on me winning is 2.09x.

This will most likely be my last event in the ring... A level 689 is far above my own level, but it's still within reach of an opponent I can potentially defeat. I've taken on a Demon of a similar level, and a Demonic Minotaur recently of strength that may match it.

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

I'm going to have to plan for this to be my last event. I need 10 platinum coins to make it into the final gate, so it's all or nothing right now.

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

The payout raises to a 2.51x multiplier and I bet 400 gold credits, equal to 4 platinum coins on myself to win.

"1...0.... Let the Stage 7 Match Begin!"