"What the hell are you guys doing!?"
A thunderous yell erupted from Hanging, his voice sharp enough to set the room ablaze. The burly gladiators lowered their shoulders, shrinking under his glare.
His face flushed red, veins bulging from his furious eyes as he scanned the room like a predator. Paralyzed, the gladiators stood frozen, like frogs cornered by a snake.
"Listen up, you idiots! I told you to make Sprex’s crew eat dirt! Who told you to get yourselves half-killed, huh? And to top it all off, you let them finish you off barehanded!? They could’ve killed you but didn’t! They’re mocking us, dammit!"
Spitting foam as he shouted, Hanging’s rage made the defeated gladiators grit their teeth in frustration.
"You're all useless bastards! I let today's main fight slide because Cradle was the one fighting, but we were supposed to take out nine of them!"
With a furious kick, Hanging sent a chair flying. Four gladiators gathered by the wall hesitantly stood up.
"C-Captain. Let us have another go. We can’t stomach this!"
One of them, a snake-eyed man, spoke up, his voice laced with desperation. Hanging glared at them, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"You want another shot after you couldn’t even scratch a single opponent? You want me to end you instead!?"
"N-no! That bastard got us from behind...!"
"Don’t give me that crap! I can tell just by looking at your wounds! That’s why I didn’t let you face Sprex’s crew again! You want to go out there and disgrace us even more!?"
At Hanging's furious outburst, the four men turned to face him directly, their desperation clear.
"Please! We know it’s shameful, but we’ll lose our minds if we don’t get back at that bastard!"
Listening to their plea, Hanging clicked his tongue and scrutinized the group.
"…Fine. I’ll give you a big match."
Surprised, the four men looked at Hanging with a mix of joy, disbelief, and hesitation. Hanging smirked at their confusion.
"But you’d better make damn sure you tear that Matt guy to shreds."
Hearing this, the snake-eyed man furrowed his brow.
"You mean… all four of us? Are you saying we should gang up on him? That’s just... wouldn’t it be better to ambush him outside?"
"Idiots. We’re not doing some back-alley nonsense. I’ve got a plan."
"You really think this will work…?"
Cutting off the snake-eyed man’s doubts with a raised hand, Hanging grinned ominously, stroking his chin with a finger.
[Yamato/Matt’s POV]
After a string of victories, the Sprex Gladiator Troupe remained buoyant the next day. The gladiators trained with newfound confidence, emboldened by their triumphs and my guidance.
By midday, Sprex’s team had already secured three wins, with the remaining fighters preparing diligently under my supervision.
That’s when Hanging paid an unannounced visit to the Sprex waiting area, silencing everyone with his presence.
"Well, well, Sprex! You’ve been on quite a roll lately, haven’t you?"
Laughing boisterously, Hanging approached Sprex. The latter, wary of the sudden change in demeanor, took a cautious step back.
"What do you want, Hanging?" Sprex asked, his tone wary.
Hanging’s grin widened as he clapped Sprex’s shoulder.
"Relax, I’ve got a little favor to ask."
Sprex narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of favor?"
"Don’t get mad, buddy. How about we shake up the final match tomorrow or the day after?"
"Shake it up? What’s your angle?"
Hanging spread his arms dramatically, grinning like a showman.
"We’re halfway through the event. How about something spectacular to spice things up?"
With that, he pointed directly at me.
"That guy there—let’s have him fight some of my crew."
"That’s normal enough… wait, *some*? What the hell do you mean by that?"
"You know, the four who tangled with him before."
"Four!? You’re suggesting a four-on-one!?" Sprex’s voice rose in outrage, echoed by the simmering anger of the other gladiators.
Amused by the tension, Hanging smirked.
"That Matt guy humiliated my team, so give us this one match. We’ll call it even afterward."
Sprex glared daggers at Hanging.
"We agreed to bury that incident. You started it, so you should be the one groveling in apology!"
"Oh yeah? Then how about I tell the lord, ‘Hey, the tournament’s canceled because too many gladiators are injured from private fights’? Word will spread to the capital and beyond, you know."
"You’d sink yourself just to drag us down!? This is all on you!"
As their heated exchange continued, I stepped forward, my expression calm.
"I’ll do it—but on one condition."
Both Sprex and Hanging turned to look at me.
"The fight will be barehanded."
Hearing my proposal, Hanging froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Deal! This is going to be fun!"
With that, Hanging strode off, leaving Sprex to grab me by the collar, his face inches from mine.
"Are you serious, Matt!?"
I nodded firmly, brushing off his concern.
Before I could elaborate, Cradle joined us, his expression grim.
"So, you’re betting on surviving rather than winning?"
Sprex nodded in sudden understanding.
"Right. A sword fight ends with one clean strike. But barehanded, even if he gets pummeled, someone can step in and stop it."
As the two talked, a young gladiator, Emera, stepped forward with a rare burst of confidence.
"Yamato will win! He won’t lose to those guys!"
Her words, loud and firm, stunned the others into silence.
Smiling, I gently patted her head.
"Exactly."
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