Arkorg stared at him with mounting irritation.
His anger only lasted a few seconds, though, and then his expression slowly shifted. "You really are shameless."
Max smiled. "I prefer practical."
Arkorg gave a cold laugh.
Fortunately for him, he had considered this possibility before coming. He knew Max had fought people for Bronze Marks over and over throughout the Ten Shadows Trial, and he had heard how Max would squeeze marks out of anyone foolish enough to provoke him. That was why he had suspected Max might demand some absurd condition before agreeing to a life-and-death battle, and why he had prepared in advance.
Arkorg raised one hand.
Several Devil Race geniuses who had been standing farther back stepped forward at once. There were more than a dozen of them. Some carried a little over a hundred Bronze Marks, others had two hundred or more, and a few had clearly handed over nearly everything they'd saved.
