Master Rat held a trembling Lalata Star girl in his arms. The cute girl was on the verge of tears, hoping for a hero to rescue her. Unfortunately, the "heroes" known throughout the Void were all turning their heads, pretending not to see.
"Such a tiring job," Master Rat muttered, taking a swig of strong liquor and looking toward the contestants' viewing area.
Su Xiao noticed Master Rat and remembered who he was. During Su Xiao's survival trial to advance from Tier 1 to Tier 2, Master Rat had been a judge-like figure.
Seeing Master Rat at the Void Arena now had a different implication for Su Xiao. Master Rat scanned the viewing area, soon locking eyes with Su Xiao. His eyes lit up, and he smiled, his few black whiskers twitching.
As they made eye contact, Master Rat pointed at Su Xiao and then raised his arm, revealing a temporary mark on the back of his hand.
Noticing this, Su Xiao's pupils contracted, but then he understood and felt relieved. The mark on Master Rat's hand was a temporary Reincarnation Mark, indicating that Master Rat might have been commissioned or traded with Reincarnation Paradise to come to the Void Arena.
This spoke volumes. Reincarnation Paradise had sent Su Xiao, Pi Pang, and others to the Void Arena, even though it was too early for them to encounter the Void before advancing to Tier 3. Even upon reaching Tier 3, they would not be qualified to venture into the Void.
Thus, Reincarnation Paradise took a precautionary measure, represented by Master Rat. If the contractors or hunters died in the arena, Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't interfere. However, if external dangers arose, Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't stand idly by.
Reincarnation Paradise seemed unwilling to overly meddle with Void rules, hence Master Rat's presence.
Seeing Master Rat here reassured Su Xiao. It seemed he didn't need to worry about being ganged up on once he entered the arena. Master Rat's strength was unknown for now, but as a temporary representative of Reincarnation Paradise, he was undoubtedly formidable.
"Too tiring. Give me a leg massage," Master Rat said, crossing his legs. The trembling cute girl immediately began massaging his legs.
Master Rat's presence didn't dampen the arena's atmosphere. The audience continued their enthusiastic cheering.
On the sandy field, six girls, each about 1.5 meters tall, were fighting. To Su Xiao, it looked more like a scuffle than a battle.
These "Lalata Star" girls' moves were flashy, their fighting fluid and crisp. It looked more like a performance than a fight.
"Ha!" The chubby hand of a bunny-eared girl slapped the belly of another girl with cat-like paws.
The bunny-eared girl glared at the cat-paw girl when the audience wasn't watching. "That hurt! Too hard!" she complained, while the cat-paw girl stuck out her tongue playfully.
As the bunny-eared girl flew through the air, she activated a mechanism on her wrist. With a tear, her outer clothing exploded, leaving her in only her underwear. She fell to the sand, looking pitiful, her exposure drawing laughter from the audience.
"Ohohohoho!" The "gentlemen" in the audience cheered. Watching the pre-battle performance was an entertaining distraction.
Soon, the performance match ended, with the bunny-eared girl winning. Her team decided to let her win as compensation for her red-streaked belly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the performance match has concluded. I rate it a 9, leaving 1 point to prevent these cute girls from becoming conceited."
On the highest platform, the demon commentator, red-skinned with horns, stood tall. Demons differed from devils; demons were generally lawfully evil, advocating "fair" trades and often serving as merchants.
This demon commentator was a well-known figure in the Void Arena, akin to a celebrity.
"Everyone, remember me? I am..."
The demon held a circular microphone toward the audience. "Hack! Hack!" they shouted in unison.
"Yes! I am the spokesperson of lawful evil, Hack! Void Arena spectators, Hack missed you all! Without further ado, let the matches begin!"
Hack's direct style surprised the organizers. Unlike other commentators, Hack didn't bother hyping up the crowd but announced the matches right away, deviating from the usual lengthy introductions of sponsors and organizers.
The sudden silence from the crowd surprised the organizers, who expected at least half an hour of pre-match banter. "Roar!!" The audience's response was overwhelming, much stronger than anticipated.
The organizers quickly signalled the staff to start the matches, keeping pace with Hack's commentary.
The war drums beat from above the Void Arena, signalling the start of the matches with seven thundering strikes.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for the opening match of this Void Arena event, I must say it will be thrilling. First, let's welcome the warrior from the Mechanical Race, the anonymous Mr. Ole."
The audience looked puzzled at "the anonymous Mr. Ole." It sounded odd.
A tall, dark-skinned man walked onto the sandy field. His eyes were mechanical, as was his entire body. He was not a robot but a member of the Mechanical Race.
The Mechanical Race's origins were mysterious. They had appeared suddenly one day and grown into a significant Void faction.
Mechanical beings had independent consciousness, and though their bodies were metal, it was a living metal with sensory perceptions, albeit weaker than those of biological beings.
Warrior Ole seemed displeased. He had planned to reveal his name after winning, to garner more attention.
But the audience's reaction surprised him. Hack had helped him by calling him "the anonymous Mr. Ole," making him more memorable than if he had won a match first.
"Next, let's welcome Ole's opponent, Mr. Pi Pang. By the way, Mr. Pi Pang comes from a mysterious faction, so mysterious that even Hack doesn't know which faction it is."