It was a rugged man with stubbly beard, but that was all.
Compared to this figure now entering, the Spartan warrior who had appeared earlier was equally strong, with muscles even a full circle thicker.
Judging purely by appearance, this Spartacus who had just entered did not exude that overwhelming, palpable aura (appearance) of a true powerhouse.
Seeing this scene, both Gnaeus Pompey and Gaius Octavius let out a sigh of relief in their hearts.
They felt that victory was assured...
Although they were so far away, no one could judge a person's strength just by looking, unless his presence was so immense that it seemed the world itself could not contain it.
However, whether a person was powerful or not basically followed certain fundamental laws.
Generally, the thicker and bulkier a warrior's muscles, the more terrifying his strength.
Yet compared to the many muscle-bound behemoths they had seen before, this Spartacus even looked somewhat "skinny."
"Kill him!! Storm King!"
"I bet my entire fortune on you to win. Tear this man apart, you beast!"
"Hahaha, twelve straight victories. Once the Storm King shreds the man in front of him, my savings will double again!"
Countless people in the audience stands shouted excitedly.
In one of the special VIP rooms, Crassus was introducing his trump card....Spartacus, to Marius.
This was the first and also the last fight for Spartacus after Crassus had sold him.
Previously, although Spartacus had displayed astonishing combat prowess, that was when Thrassus had deliberately ordered him to fight another one of his slaves in a test of strength, and no outsiders had been present at the time.
So Spartacus's true fighting ability had never been known to the outside world.
This time, by sending Spartacus into the arena to finish off that beast, the Storm King, he could perfectly rake in all the money from those gamblers in the audience seats.
Pompey could set up bets, and as the host, Crassus could naturally do the same.
But Crassus's money was not so easy to earn.
First, let you taste a little sweetness, then when you go all-in, get carried away and frantically keep betting everything on the Storm King that has already made you enough money...
Then send the dark horse Spartacus up to slaughter the Storm King, and however much the house earned from the bets, you would lose it all, spit it back out, and end up even deeper in the red.
This fight would not only allow Spartacus to generate one final burst of profit for him, but also demonstrate his martial prowess to the elder Marius.
It was truly a move that killed two birds with one stone.
At this moment, Marius in the VIP room also saw Spartacus's true appearance and felt a little disappointed.
After all, the man did not look as fierce or imposing as he had imagined.
As if sensing Marius's thoughts, Crassus said, "Rest assured, Your Excellency. Just keep watching, and you will soon see where Spartacus's true power lies!
To be honest, if it were anyone else trading with me, I really wouldn't bear to sell him."
"Then let us wait and see. I also trust Your Excellency Crassus's judgment," Marius replied calmly.
To be frank, compared to a man like Night, whose edge was fully exposed and who seemed extraordinary at first glance, this Spartacus in front of him was far too ordinary.
He wasn't lacking in strength, but it depended on who you compared him to.
Just as Marius was preparing himself for disappointment, the next moment!
Bang~!!
As the clanking sound of chains rang out, Spartacus fully stepped into the arena and was exposed under the sunlight.
Suddenly, everyone in the audience stands fell silent because they saw the multiple layers of chains binding Spartacus's body.
"That... that's—
What the hell?!" The crowd was stunned.
Chains?!
Those chains alone looked heavy enough to easily bind even a male lion, rendering it completely immobile.
Layer upon layer, they wrapped around his body, ultimately making it seem as if he were clad in a suit of iron-blood armor, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.
Just moments ago, when he hadn't fully emerged, people hadn't seen clearly and assumed it was just his leather armor or clothing.
Only now, upon realizing what an exaggerated outfit this truly was, did the crowd completely erupt.
Just looking at it made it seem impossibly heavy.
Dragging all that weight, was he really here to fight?!
Fuck—!
What kind of monster is this!
An ordinary person probably couldn't even walk under the burden of that alone.
Yet he moved as if it were nothing, walking with complete ease and freedom.
At this moment, Spartacus coldly gazed across the arena at his opponent, a powerful brown bear.
Its body was four or five times the size of an ordinary brown bear.
Though this degree of mutation was rare in Rome, which had not yet fully detached from the mythic era, it wasn't something Spartacus had never seen before.
He had even hunted far more powerful beasts in the past.
He was contemplating how much strength he should reveal in the coming fight, enough to avoid further suspicion from his slave master while hiding his true power, yet sufficient to demonstrate his value and convince the master to keep him in this arena.
He needed time, to familiarize himself with the terrain here, then lead his countless Thracian compatriots who had been sent to this arena along with him in escaping Rome together.
This was the true reason Spartacus had been so compliant and hidden his intentions all this time.
A warrior of freedom would naturally never submit to enslavement by others.
If it were just himself, he could have long since torn apart the chains and fled.
But once he had people he cared about, people he wanted to save, an invisible shackle bound him as well.
At this moment in the arena, perhaps only Night was the one person who could guess what Spartacus was planning.
And at this very moment, while Gnaeus Pompey's face in the audience stands had already turned ugly enough to look like he was eating shit, realizing he had probably truly lost the bet, now even an ordinary person could see that Spartacus was no simple opponent.
Crassus—!!!
Gnaeus Pompey now thoroughly harbored hatred toward the mastermind behind this arena.
He had even begun to suspect that this was likely a trap set up jointly by Crassus and Lista Night against him.
The other side had known all along and deliberately sent this monster to end the Storm King's winning streak.
Roar!!
At that moment, the Storm King let out a furious roar.
A beast's instincts were far sharper; it too sensed the danger from Spartacus.
This was utterly unlike the prey it had torn apart before; there was even a faint oppressive feeling as if it were about to be devoured.
Faced with such power, the Storm King's wild nature not only refused to back down but instead prompted it to launch an attack proactively.
As the Storm King suddenly charged forward like a massive war chariot rushing toward its enemy, countless gasps of shock erupted from the high stands—!!
The gamblers who had been worried that the Storm King might finally meet his match instantly became excited again, shouting, "Go! Go, Storm King!"
"That's it, exactly, there's nothing to fear!
It's just for show. How could a man fight while wearing all that? Go tear out his throat, my little cutie!!"
Ohhhhh—!!!
The arena once again exploded with fervor, but in the very next moment, clank~!!
Bang!
Just as someone had shouted that Spartacus couldn't possibly continue fighting under those conditions, the next instant!
A chain dragging on the ground whipped out as Spartacus swung his arm, breaking the sound barrier with a terrifying cracking sound that instantly echoed throughout the entire arena.
What?!
.
.
.