Inside the shattered arena, the pressure between Max and Karo continued to rise, and although neither of them had made the first move yet, everyone outside the barrier could feel that this battle was completely different from the previous nine.
The earlier opponents had charged at Max with rage, greed, or arrogance, but Karo stood there with a calm smile and a dark, restrained aura that made him seem far more dangerous than all of them combined.
He was not in a hurry to attack. He was not blinded by anger. He looked at Max as if he had already measured the value of the prey before him and was simply deciding how much effort he needed to use to take everything.
Max looked at him for a moment, then slowly rolled his shoulders as the black dragon scales covering his body gave off a faint metallic sound.
"Use your full strength," Max said calmly.
The words were not loud.
But in the quiet Combat Hall, they spread clearly to everyone watching.
