The duel between Bach and Rufus became the most exciting part of the first day of the performance. Many spectators continued discussing the battle even after it was over.
Blood splattering on the ground, muscle collisions, and an unexpected change of tide throughout the battle—in addition to a well-known gladiator’s death, almost every other eye-catching element a grand performance should have was presented to the audience. Hence, Bach’s name began to spread among the people of Rome.
[A very powerful newcomer has appeared in the Victor Arena!]
That was the phrase spread throughout every street in Rome.
The first phase of Mark Reuss’s and Gaby’s plan had been achieved. However, they could only see the result during Bach’s second battle. With Bach and the dead Rufus’s help, the arena’s attendance rate in the next two days also saw a slight increase.
And soon, it was the third day.
Zhang Heng and Varo returned to the Victor Arena’s underground.
In order to maximize dramatic effects, many arenas had similar designs. Its upper level was a wooden floor covered with sand, and the lower level looked like the backstage of a theater. Among others, there was a weapon storehouse, a cage, and a preparation room. At that time, a special elevator would be used to transport people or beasts to the surface, making them look like they had just emerged from the ground.
The two worked here before they were trained to be gladiators. Now, they were back to where it all began. Unfortunately, there were no mirrors in the preparation room. All the gladiators who were asked to participate in the twelve-man mixed fight were here, and the expressions on each of their faces were different.
Some were silently cleaning their weapons and adjusting their armor, some were doing some weird pre-war rituals, and of course, some were relaxed. And Nasika was one of them, talking and laughing with his partner next to him.
This was the ninth time he participated in a twelve-man mixed fight. And he had won seven out of the eight battles. The only reason he lost in that battle was that Sethnets was there to fight with him. Even though Sethnets was about to retire, he still managed to defeat Nasika after a tough battle.
But now that Sethnets was retired, not many people in the gladiator school were powerful enough to defeat Nasika. Especially when the roster for this twelve-man mixed fight came out, Nasika odds had significantly improved. If everything went well, he should be able to clinch his eighth win easily.
In contrast, on the other side, Varo suffered his old problems again, vomiting into a clay pot. He thought that he was ready, underestimating the tremendous pressure he felt when he walked into the arena for the first time as a gladiator. This was especially the case when he heard the constant cheers from above his head. It reminded him of the two death row prisoners right before they got eaten by wild beasts.
Seeing how he was crumbling under the pressure, the other gladiators looked at him in disdain.
Nasika teased him, “Hey, boy, how did they let you pass the assessment? Will your fear make you pee in your pants during the fight later?”
Varo did not answer him. Not only was he a little afraid of Nasika, but he could also feel another round of vomit coming up his guts.
Zhang Heng then handed Varo a bowl of water so he could rinse his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” Varo took the bowl of water and apologized to Zhang Heng. He knew that he had just embarrassed him. All the other gladiators were now looking down on Zhang Heng as well. “I will adjust my state of mind before the fight later. I promise.”
“Well, you can try to take a few deep breaths. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Treat it as a training session,” said Zhang Heng.
Varo nodded, but before he could even speak, Nasika spoke again. “This is different from training. Training will not kill you, but a real gladiatorial performance could cost you your life. And I guarantee you that you will learn this cold hard truth from the battle later. This is a stage for heroes and warriors, while the bones of cowards and trash like you will be buried here.”
“Can you mind your own business?” Zhang Heng finally voiced out, “If you have nothing to do now, think about what pose you should make to beg for mercy later.”
“Interesting… it’s been a long time since a newcomer dared to speak to me in this tone.” Nasika turned and looked at Zhang Heng. “I am not like Garba. I don’t rely on my age to attract attention. Do you know why the gladiators didn’t dare to refute me? It is because they are afraid that I will target them later. Trust me. You don’t want to know how my nickname, Bone Shatterer, came about.”
“I really want to see what you can do to me.” Zhang Heng said lightly, “I’m afraid you won’t get to live up to your title.”
Nasika wanted to say something, but suddenly they heard a long applause. Everyone knew that it indicated that the previous performance had ended. Now, it was their turn to perform in the arena.
“Oriental man, you will regret what you said to me.” Nasika glared at Zhang Heng, put on his helmet, and stood up from where he was sitting.
Varo, on the other hand, had finally stopped vomiting. He rinsed his mouth with clean water, got up with everyone, hurriedly walked towards the elevator. On the way, he passed an emergency treatment room and saw a gladiator getting treated. His left arm was curved in an unnatural shape. It looked like his bone was broken.
Upon seeing that, Varo quickly looked away and wiped the sweat off his face.
The gladiator who performed earlier was bowing at the audience before he left the arena. Soon after that, the cheers died down. It meant that the gladiator had already left the arena. Hence, the slaves in charge of the elevator pulled the winch together, and the twelve gladiators standing on the platform ascended.
The yelling and stomping of thousands of spectators soon drowned the entire arena.
Perhaps only those literally surrounded by the deafening cheers could truly understand Varo’s tension and fear. He felt like his eardrums were about to burst.
As usual, the twelve gladiators walked around the arena so the audience could see their faces. After that, they conducted some one-to-one warm-up exercises to showcase their combat skills.
Nasika was the most famous gladiator among the twelve. When he appeared, at least half of the audience chanted his name. And Nasika also waved at the audience to thank them for their support. As for the two rookies, Zhang Heng and Varo, they did not receive much attention.
This calmed Varo’s nerves a lot, and he recalled the feeling when he trained under Zhang Heng.
As the three referees walked into the arena, everyone knew that the time for the decisive battle had arrived.
Varo noticed that Nasika seemed to be approaching them deliberately. He probably wanted to wait for the performance to start before getting rid of the newcomers first. However, the other gladiators seemed to have the same idea as him. To them, Zhang Heng and Varo were the easiest pair to get rid of.
When the fight began, Nasika failed to attack Zhang Heng and Varo first. According to the rules, he had to find another opponent.
