Chapter 90

Chapter 90: An Unwelcome Guest: Mr. Felzahar

Glancing upward again, Ajin's gaze collided with the owner of the black hemline.

It was an extravagantly terrifying face, with bumpy, ochre-colored skin. Enormous eyes bulged without any visible whites, pure black in hue. The nose bridge was nonexistent, replaced by two tiny holes where nostrils should have been. Below that, a wide mouth stretched across her face.

Unperturbed, Ajin recalled the black imp with its diaper, though the creature didn't have as many protrusions on its skin. This lady resembled something more like...

A toad.

No one had ever captured an image of Mrs. Cantaro, so this was Ajin's first encounter with her appearance. Thankfully, he was so accustomed to seeing frogs that not even his eyebrows twitched.

He nodded slightly at the frighteningly-featured lady before calmly straightening his neck, refocusing his attention on the arena.

Heavy sounds came from the box beside them, indicating that the lady had taken her seat.

With a roar from a beast below, the battle began.

Whether it was an arena or a fighting platform, their design resembled Earth's sports stadiums, with the spectators' stands towering above the battleground. However, unlike a stadium, this combat arena seemed like an excavated labyrinth. Multiple entrances lined its sides, through which the magical beasts were released. Two creatures would be randomly matched to fight within designated squares. The defeated one perished, while the victor passed through an opening in the grid wall to enter the next square and face an upgraded opponent in the following round.

Cell by cell, only the two beasts that triumph until the end can ascend to the central platform of the arena – that is where the true battles unfold!

This is a genuine bloodbath!

These beasts, trained for combat, are inherently savage. They tear into each other with vicious ferocity, each claw swipe and tooth rending shedding copious amounts of flesh. Whenever this happens, the deliberately designed white floor of the arena splashes with great pools of blood. As time passes, the floor becomes entirely saturated in crimson, and at such moments, the spectators often find their own eyes turning red with excitement.

Next door, Mrs. Cantaro's eyes were undoubtedly reddened as well. She laughed heartily, thumping the railing with such force that the barrier in front of Ajin, who sat beside her, trembled slightly.

All the creatures in the arena were driven into a frenzied state by the bloodshed. Even Snow, concealed within a box, began tapping excitedly on the floor. Only Mr. Felzahar, with his raven hair, remained as serene as when he first arrived.

In other words, Mr. Felzahar was undoubtedly the least favorite kind of spectator in the arena.

Not only did he remain untouched by the atmosphere within, but merely looking at him caused others' adrenaline to gradually subside.

He was the ultimate mood killer!

Snow inwardly grumbled while swinging his fists in the air.

"Ahaha, what an exhilarating match indeed," Mr. Felzahar smiled faintly.

"Ha ha." Snow's heart was on the verge of collapse.

Your expression doesn't show any excitement at all!

The two magic beasts that had fought their way to the end finally leaped onto the central arena. Originally, no one knew what colors their fur had been, but now, both beasts were entirely crimson, drenched in the blood of their opponent – and perhaps their own. Roaring, they charged at each other the moment they stood firm on the platform!

"Eiffel! Bite it! Rip its guts out and devour them! Devour them, ahhhh!" Amidst the deafening cries of the audience, Snow's voice was almost drowned out. However, Mrs. Cantaro's next door had a powerful voice that penetrated the walls and reached Ajin's ears.

His lifeless gaze returned to the arena, landing on one of the magic beasts. Flipping through the information Snow had given him beforehand, Ajin discovered that the beast named Eiffel was indeed the one brought by Mrs. Cantaro.

In the brief moment he spent checking the data, the match within the arena had already concluded.

Just as Mrs. Cantaro had shouted, Eiffel opened its massive jaws and severed the neck of its opponent with a single bite.

The rival was quite large in size, and it took a while for Eiffel to finish the job. During that time, the other beast struggled desperately until it finally stopped moving. Only then did Eiffel release its grip, extending its enormous claws to tear open the opponent's belly, dragging out its intestines to devour greedily.

Some were frustrated, while others ecstatic; the magic beasts in the arena boiled over like boiling water.

Madame Cantaro appeared to have risen, and countless monsters in the audience turned their attention towards her. They clapped, cheered, and yelled their congratulations. Ajin, seated in the box adjacent to hers, was also swept up in this fervor.

"I must say, it's quite exhilarating," murmured the black-haired monster, softly clapping along with the crowd and smiling to himself.

Beside him, Snow had stripped off his upper garments and was now wielding them like a banner, swinging them energetically.

"The ultimate victor of this beast arena contest is—"

"Madame Cantaro!!!"

The emcee's voice echoed through the arena, and with that announcement, a shower of flowers erupted over Madame Cantaro's box. Whistles and cheers reverberated from below as she found herself enveloped in applause and blossoms.

The scent of flowers mingled with the metallic tang of blood from the arena, creating an intriguing aroma.

"Congratulations to Madame Cantaro! The ten million gold bar prize for this tournament will be all yours!"

Money, blood, combat, and glory – the atmosphere in the arena reached its boiling point!

Then, Madame Cantaro spoke up, "This match was too tame. Does anyone dare to challenge my Eiffel? I'll fund the entertainment. If anyone can defeat Eiffel, the entire ten million gold bar reward will be theirs!"

Look! This is the kind of audience that truly thrives in a gladiatorial arena!

They revel in the excitement while also generating more of it! This is the embodiment of a true combat enthusiast! Although Snow was overwhelmed by the trouble that Lady Cantaro had caused, as a shareholder of the arena and an equally fervent combat enthusiast, he couldn't help but admire her at this moment.

The timing and content of Lady Cantaro's provocation were so tempting that he was momentarily tempted to step into the ring himself. However—

Surveying the towering, three-meter-tall monsters in the arena and comparing them to his own petite frame, reason forced him to put on the brakes.

Many in the audience must have undergone a similar thought process. Several had even lost their shoes in the attempt before leaping back into the air. Their antics added even more amusement to the scene, earning them jeers of cowardice amidst the growing commotion.

Lured by the substantial prize money, numerous spectators from neighboring arenas rushed over. But upon catching sight of the monstrous creatures in the ring, almost all of them hesitated.

"No one dares to give it a shot? Then I'll be taking that ten million—” Laughter erupted from Lady Cantaro as she spoke when suddenly—

A black figure jumped out from a box in the adjacent section.

"It's... quite stirring, isn't it?" The man with black hair discarded his cloak and black coat on the seat in his private box before standing resolutely in the center of the main arena. With one hand, he unfastened the cufflink of his white shirt, rolling up the sleeves meticulously. He then loosened the collar of his shirt, which had been buttoned all the way up to the top.

The moment he stepped onto the arena, the entire amphitheater fell into an eerie silence.

All the spectators seemed to be frozen in place.

It was such an incongruous sight!

The man before them was too out of place amidst this gory stage!

Dressed in a high-end shirt and shoes that even most monsters couldn't afford in a year, he appeared elegant and composed. This attire would have been suitable for a ball or an auction, but not a fighting match!

" Felzahar! It's Mister Felzahar!" At that moment, someone recognized the identity of the monster on the platform. The residents of this city were affluent, and some fight enthusiasts occasionally attended auctions. Thus, it didn't take long for someone to identify the black-haired monster!

Although there had never been any front-page photos of this nouveau riche monster in newspapers, as a headline-grabbing figure, the name Felzahar was well-known to all.

Even if they hadn't heard of him before, the news spread like wildfire, and soon, every monster present was aware of the renowned creature's exploits and name.

A young tycoon, a VIP client at auctions, had actually leaped onto the fighting platform?

"Mister Felzahar! I must ask, are you truly prepared? Have you taken out insurance? Have you written your will? Who is your designated beneficiary?"

The sports journalist on the scene (?!), swift as a reflex, shifted their coverage to finance and entertainment, eagerly cross-examining the black-haired monster.

With eyes like pools of water gazing at the questioner, a deafening roar of a beast echoed. The reporter, who had been persistently querying on the sidelines, trembled, collapsing instantly.

The crimson monster was in a furious rage.

Standing beside its former opponent, now half devoured, its emotionless gaze met the tiny black monster before it.

Every creature that stood on the same platform was an adversary.

Thus, this black monster became its new rival.

Enormous eyes locked onto the opposing creature, the red monster stood silently, fresh blood still dripping from its thick fur into the small river of blood forming at its feet, disappearing without a trace.

A pair of fine black leather shoes also stood in that rivulet, diverting its gaze from the spectators outside. The black-haired monster's stagnant eyes fixated intently on the towering beast opposite.

His reflection shimmered in the blood-red stream, tinted with a faint red hue.

Suddenly, —

The reflection vanished.

He moved!

No one could track his movements; the entire audience could only infer from the agonized reaction of the crimson beast what was happening now!

"Mr. Felzahar has attacked!"

"He targeted Eiffel's head!"

"Eiffel has been sent flying!"

"It's coming back!"

"It seems to be trying to bite Mr. Felzahar!"

"It bit itself!"

Given the significance of this figure, the commentator had intended to provide an explanation. However...

Invisible! He couldn't see anything at all!

There was no choice. He could only describe what he could barely make out!

Unfortunately, as the demonic beasts accelerated their attack, the magical beasts also quickened their pace. In an instant, only afterimages remained on the fighting platform, leaving him with nothing to see!

Until the final moment—

With a thud, Aifeil's heavy body hit the ground.

Its fur was thick, and there were no visible wounds on its body. However—

Another loud crash echoed as a heavy object fell from the sky.

It was the massive, unblinking head of the red magical beast.

Decapitated!

No! There were no signs of cutting. The red magical beast's head had been ripped off its body with brute force!

This terrifying power...

A distinct gulp echoed through the microphone.

Then, when the raven-haired monster leaped down from midair moments later, the entire venue fell eerily silent.

As the blood-covered, black-haired creature waved at the audience with a slight smile, an immense cheer suddenly erupted within the crowd!