From Valkyrie's words, Bant could tell the new arena champion was a woman.
But he didn't ask more.
The only champions he vaguely remembered were Horse-Face Thor and Ares, and even those two he only knew because he'd once seen movie comments mentioning them. Even then, he only remembered the names.
As for everyone else, Bant had no idea.
After the ship docked, Valkyrie kicked Loki square in the butt and sent him flying off the ship. Then she tilted her head and glanced at Bant.
"Come on."
Loki immediately felt wronged.
"Why do you only kick me and not him?"
"Because you're Odin's son," Valkyrie said with a cold laugh. After that, she leaped and stomped on Loki like he was a stepping stone.
Then she lifted her head, looked at Bant standing at the edge of the hatch, and opened her arms.
"Jump down. I can catch you."
After learning Bant's age, it was hard for her not to treat him like a baby that needed careful protection.
Honestly, at that age in Asgard, you wouldn't be considered an infant, but your divine power would still be extremely weak.
And an Asgardian without divine power was only a little stronger than an ordinary Earth human.
But she clearly underestimated Bant.
A height of several dozen meters meant nothing to him. He jumped, and at the same time, the web shooter on his wrist fired a strand of webbing, letting him drop like a paratrooper.
"By Asgardian sixteen-year-old standards, you're not bad," Valkyrie praised, then asked, "Are you sure you want to go into the arena? That's not a good place. The Red King practically enslaves every outsider who comes to this planet and forces them into brutal fights. With your strength, you'll probably be torn into pieces by those savage gladiators very soon!"
"I can't wait," Bant said, lips pressed together.
With his current strength, he wasn't worried about fighting at all.
That cosmic god form with Asgardian genes gave him power no weaker than Thor. Four Arms Overlord was strong enough to wrestle the Hulk in his normal state. Diamond War God basically had no weaknesses. Flame Man, when pushed into extreme rage, could erupt with a force capable of supernova-level destruction…
Even if someone was so strong that Bant couldn't win even after using every trick he had, he could still turn into Ghostfreak and escape.
He could advance or retreat. There was really nothing to fear.
"Suit yourself." Valkyrie saw that Bant wouldn't take her advice, so she didn't say more.
As for Loki, he desperately wanted to escape this hell. Unfortunately for him, Valkyrie knew he could use illusions, so every few seconds she pressed the control device, shocking Loki until his hair practically stood on end…
Loki: Behaving now, please stop.
He really did behave.
Now Loki understood one thing clearly: strength beat status, and it beat godhood too.
Right now he was fish on someone else's chopping block. If he didn't want to be carved up, he'd better stay obedient.
So he lowered his head, his face dark, and said nothing.
From inside the arena, thunderous cheers shook the sky. Bant heard countless people shouting with raised arms. At first the noise was messy and mixed together, but gradually it became more unified. He could make out a name he had never heard before.
"Red Wind Queen!"
"Red Wind Queen!"
"…"
"Red Wind Queen?" Bant turned his head toward Valkyrie. "Who's that?"
"Sakaar's current champion," Valkyrie said. When she mentioned the Red Wind Queen, she couldn't help showing a look of awe.
"Strong enough that even I feel inferior. I can't believe some blind idiot is actually challenging her."
Valkyrie wore a gloating expression. From the crowd's roaring, it wasn't hard to tell that the challenger was probably getting beaten into misery already.
"In this arena, if you can win three matches in a row, you can regain your freedom. But it's not easy. Fighting back-to-back will exhaust you in body and mind, and your opponents will only get stronger, until you face the Red Wind Queen. After all, the Red King would rather you die in the arena than willingly let you go."
As she spoke, her emerald eyes flicked to Bant's face, as if trying to catch even a hint of fear or hesitation. But to her disappointment, Bant stayed calm, looking completely unconcerned.
Valkyrie could only assume he hadn't seen the Red Wind Queen's true strength, so he didn't understand how terrifying she was.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "With your strength, as long as you don't fantasize about challenging the champion or trying to win your freedom back, you should be able to barely survive."
"Relax. How could I do something that stupid?" Bant said with a smile.
After all, what he planned to do was far more dangerous than that.
"Good." Valkyrie nodded, then kicked Loki again. The three of them walked toward the arena together.
From far away, they saw two red-skinned aliens guarding the gate.
When they saw Valkyrie, they didn't seem surprised. Clearly, this Valkyrie had been a familiar face here for a long time.
"The Red King is still watching the Red Wind Queen's match. You may need to wait for a while. I'll take you to meet the Supreme Warrior first."
"Move it."
Then one of the guards led Bant and the other two inside.
The arena's interior was massive. This wasn't just where gladiators spilled their blood. It was also the Red King's palace.
That towering totem spire was the center of power on this planet.
The group ascended, breaking through several layers of security, until they finally saw a different kind of woman.
She had silver-gray skin. Her hair was black, but only a small tuft remained, trailing behind her like a horse's tail.
She was nearly two meters tall and stood straight as a board.
Seeing Valkyrie, she didn't look surprised. But when her gaze fell on Bant and Loki, a trace of surprise flashed across her face.
"Scrapper 142. The fighters you brought this time don't look like much," she said as she walked over.
"Compared to the Red Wind Queen, these two look like they'd fall over from a breeze."
She had the right to say that, because this woman was named Caiera, a powerful warrior who could go a few rounds with the Hulk.
"Not every run is lucky enough to find strong warriors," Valkyrie said. She pulled out a bottle and took several more gulps, then added, "Besides, this time the merchandise's identity is not ordinary. I think the Red King will like it."
Caiera smiled slightly. "The Red Wind Queen you brought last time already has him completely dizzy. Too bad the Queen doesn't think much of him."
Valkyrie didn't find that strange at all.
The Red Wind Queen looked down on the weak. She stayed in the arena not because she was enslaved, but because she enjoyed fighting and chose to remain.
Hearing them talk like this, Bant grew even more curious about the Red Wind Queen.
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