The moment the two monsters laid eyes on each other, they let out what could almost be mistaken for mating calls… ahem, furious roars, then suddenly charged forward.
The Velutia Great-Horned Ram leveled its head, aiming its obsidian-like spiral horns directly at the Mini Glyptodon.
Its hardened hooves stomped against the arena floor, thundering forward with an unstoppable force.
The Mini Glyptodon, however, didn't flinch.
It lowered its head, which was covered in an even thicker keratin layer, and braced itself.
Its four stout legs, covered in dark scales, dug into the ground as it held its position against the incoming charge.
"Boom!"
With a deep, bone-rattling thud, the Velutia Great-Horned Ram collided head-on with the Mini Glyptodon.
A white shockwave visibly burst from the point of impact between their heads, striking the ground and causing the entire monster arena to subtly tremble.
The two monsters each stumbled back a step, shaking their heads slightly as if dazed, then immediately began building up strength for another clash.
"Ohhhhhh—!!! What a terrifying collision!" the announcer exclaimed at just the right moment.
"These are truly two of the most powerful beasts known throughout the Seventh Floor!"
The sheer force of the impact made even Akimi and Kirito at ringside click their tongues in awe.
"Whoa, I mean, aren't these monsters a bit too overpowered…?" Akimi said, staring at the ripples forming in the cocktail glass on the table.
He rubbed his forehead in disbelief.
Kirito, gripping his chin, added, "I remember their stats weren't this strong during the closed beta. Even if they got buffed, it shouldn't be this extreme…"
While the two of them discussed, the frenzied monsters had already crashed into each other several more times, causing the arena to tremble repeatedly.
As time passed, the Velutia Great-Horned Ram began to fall behind—it was down to two-fifths of its HP, while the Mini Glyptodon still had slightly more than three-fifths remaining.
"The Velutia Great-Horned Ram is losing ground—are we about to see the final victor decided?!"
Everyone's hearts rose with the announcer's voice, and Akimi and Kirito were no exception.
Though they had mentally prepared for the possibility of losing the bet, actually facing it left them feeling undeniably frustrated.
And it wasn't just them.
In the VIP box, Bardun also wore a grim expression.
He waved over Menden, who was standing beside him, and whispered a few words in a low voice.
"…Understood, Lord Bardun."
"Go. Be careful. Don't let that Nactoy fellow notice."
Menden nodded in acknowledgment, then quietly left the room.
Although he told Menden to be careful, Bardun himself didn't show the slightest sign of nervousness—it was as if he had long since grown used to this.
He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs leisurely, and calmly watched the two monsters colliding in the arena.
"Heh… Not even that little girl Nirrnir could find any evidence when she was still around—let alone now… Fight, fight… Let your struggle become the foundation of my life."
Not long after Menden left the room, two additional lights came on above the arena—so subtly that no one noticed.
Unlike the other four spotlights, these two lights cast faint green lines, so pale in color they were almost unnoticeable.
At that moment, the Velutia Great-Horned Ram suddenly reversed its decline and regained its footing—or rather, it wasn't that the ram had stabilized, but that the Mini Glyptodon had abruptly weakened.
Its impact damage began to drop noticeably, and before long, it was actually hitting with less force than the Velutia Great-Horned Ram.
Taking the opportunity, the reinvigorated ram went on the offensive and managed to suppress the Mini Glyptodon.
The host wore a stunned expression and shouted, "What's going on?! The Mini Glyptodon has suddenly weakened—has it run out of strength?! Could this be the Velutia Great-Horned Ram's chance?!"
But just as the Velutia Great-Horned Ram bared its sharp teeth and prepared to land a finishing blow, it suddenly staggered, forcing it to abandon the attempt to end the battle immediately.
At this point, the two monsters had nearly identical HP remaining—both down to around one-fifth.
The ram had a slight edge in HP, but not enough to decide the match.
If things continued like this, neither side would win.
The result would be a draw.
And that was absolutely the last thing Akimi and Kirito wanted to see—because Kio had previously explained the arena's rules to them.
One of those rules stated that if the fight between monsters ended in a draw, the house would take all the winnings.
In other words, if the Velutia Great-Horned Ram and the Mini Glyptodon really ended in a tie, the 250,000 chips currently in the prize pool would all go straight into Bardun's pocket.
"Tch… Looks like Bardun's crew has started playing dirty," Akimi muttered, frowning as he stared at the two equally matched monsters in the arena.
He looked around, trying to spot how Bardun was cheating, but couldn't immediately find anything.
Not that it was entirely his fault—those two extra lights were indeed well hidden, nearly impossible to notice without actively looking for them.
But thanks to his persistent effort, after about half a minute of scanning, he finally found the source of the problem.
"Hey, Kirito, look over there."
Akimi pointed to the two lamps glowing with green light.
The lights would always aim at whichever monster was gaining the advantage.
"I remember you have the Throwing Knife skill, right?"
Then he pulled out six small stones and added, "Coincidentally, I've been practicing with throwing knives recently too. Want to have a little contest?"
Kirito looked at the stones in his hand, stunned for a moment, then understood instantly and chuckled.
"Alright, let's do it."
He took three stones from Akimi, took aim at the spotlights on the ceiling, while Akimi also got into position beside him.
"Three, two, one—go!"
As Akimi gave the signal, the six stones flew through the air—targeting the four regular spotlights and the two green lights.
With the crisp sound of shattering glass, all six lights broke in an instant, and the arena dimmed.
Only a few small lights around the edges continued to emit a faint glow.
Bardun, who had been sitting leisurely in his VIP box, relaxed and confident, was startled by the sudden darkness in the arena.
Alarmed, he demanded of his guards, "What's going on?!"
Naturally, the guards had no idea and could only stare blankly toward the arena.
Before Bardun could even give the order to investigate, faint crashing sounds echoed from within the arena—it was the two monsters again!
Right before Bardun's disbelieving eyes, they clashed once more.
The tiny sliver of HP that the Velutia Great-Horned Ram had above its opponent became its last and deciding advantage.
5%, 2%, 1%...
Bang!
With one final collision, both monsters froze in place, unmoving.
Everyone's hearts clenched in suspense.
"Who's the winner?! Who's the winner?!"
With the announcer shouting excitedly, the final result was revealed:
The Mini Glyptodon shattered into fragments, while the Velutia Great-Horned Ram clung to life—its HP reduced to a nearly invisible sliver.
---------------
Exclusive access : 150+ch on paetron
Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz