Chapter 344: Final Round
Moby was asked the usual question to confirm whether or not he was cheating before he left the arena with his head up high and many thoughts running through his mind along with realizations he should have come too far earlier.
"This will mark an end to the semi-final round! The round where the winner will receive a very special prize from the mammon himself! I'm sure you guys are excited as I am for the final match! It's truly conflicting! Even I don't know who's gonna win! In the meantime, we will have a thirty-minute break to allow both fighters to properly rest and prepare themselves!"
Moby smiled as he heard the announcer speak for the last time before he left through the gate and headed towards his waiting room where he found a single male healer waiting for him at the door.
When he entered, he casually sat on the couch and sighed looking over towards his massive bag of money, the healer standing to his side recovering all of his wounds.
Moby more than heard all the rumours going on in the crowd and formulated his own conclusion. Funnily enough, he actually believed that his opponent did not cheat. No, it was the organizers who were the true cheaters. The people of the crowds were so brainwashed that not many of them even entertained the possibility that this abnormally just illegal organization would try to rig the match.
It was all for profit in the end… If there was an upset and Moby lost all of his money, it would greatly benefit them.
It all made sense now, it was not that he overestimated his own strength and underestimated his opponent, the match was rigged against him before it even began. They must have increased the limits of the power-level collars to something akin to double what he had.
No wonder they were all able to keep up with him… And, they could not have made it more obvious than in the last fight where his opponent literally got stronger as the fight progressed. He had to take a massive risk and use his eyes of sin in the end. And, even still, If it weren't for the initial blow he dealt when the match started and when his opponent was not prepared, he doubted he would be able to win outside some very risky magic manoeuvres.
Now that Moby knew the truth, he was able to do one of two things… Expose them for their corruption or keep silent and pretend like all was normal. He thought deeply about this dilemma and consulted Avilia just to reaffirm the choice he eventually concluded with.
The only option that made sense to him was to stay silent. If he were to speak out with no solid evidence, it would not end well, especially in their domain. There would be many ways for them to hide and twist the truth by using fake lie detectors and other such strategies. It was undoubtedly a trap if he spoke out.
But, on the other side of the spectrum, he would then be forced to fight once again in those unfavourable circumstances. And, from how the announcer and the crowd talked about his final opponent, they seemed to be far different from all of his prior opponents and far more powerful. Victory had never been so uncertain in his mind ever since he entered the mammon's den.
Even still, Moby faught to push his limits. There was no way he would quit after coming so far. Plus, from the way the announcer was talking, there must have been a reward for the victor that he wanted to find out about.
"Sir…"
"Sir…"
"SIR!"
"Wa-huh?" Moby looked around and noticed a slightly familiar masked man standing next to him.
"I've finished healing all of your wounds. Please tell me how you feel…"
It seemed like he lost himself in his own thoughts once again, he had to really break out of that habit very soon. Moby yawned and stretched his entire body that was stiff and felt good as new before he looked over towards the man to his side.
"Thanks! This is perfect!" He smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"Thank you very much! Your final match will begin any second now! Please use this time to prepare yourself, it shouldn't be too long now."
"I see… Thank you so much for letting me know! Keep up the good work!"
"Mhm, will do sir!" He bowed and gracefully exited the door, leaving Moby all alone with his massive bag of coins.
'Hey, Avilia, do you have any ideas how I can further boost my powers with this collar thing on?'
'If I had anything I would have told you. Your best bet now is to train your energy manipulation to better shift between your stats.
'Yeah… Should have figured…' He sighed, closing his eyes and going back into training for what little time he had remaining.
***********************
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Sir! Your match is now up! Hope you're ready!" A voice knocked at the door, making him open his eyes and take a deep breath.
"I guess it's already time…" He mumbled to himself as he strolled over to open the door, finding the same man who healed him.
He nodded slightly in his direction to thank him before he closed his door and walked over anxiously towards the arena gates, his heart beating faster than before as he knew full-well that the odds were all stacked against him.
That was when the announcer spoke, and Moby straightened his back and raised his head up high in anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's the moment you've all been waiting for! The final match of the main event in our glorious mammon's den is about to begin!! There were many hard-fought battles here today, but only two were worthy of a spot in this final round! So! Without further ado! Let's get this started!"
"Woooooo!! Yeah! Let's gooo!!"
The announcer paused and allowed the crowd's cheering to take center stage before he once again spoke.
"Now! On the right side! You know him all too well! He overcame adversity unlike anyone in this entire den and proved to everyone why he was on top! He had several hard-fought victories before he even entered this ring, and now! His journey has come to its climax in this single fight! Please welcome!! Joker!"
The first challenger was announced, and the right-side gates were promptly opened.
The crowd's roar was unlike anything Moby had heard before. It was certainly loud after his two victories, but even then it paled in comparison to now. Although they did not even cheer his real name and most people cheered him on for the sake of money, he could not help but feel pumped as he entered the Arena waving and looking up at the crowd.
Just like he expected, the crowd was more hyped than ever before, yet his attention did not last on the masses for long as his eyes searched for Hikari, finding her exactly where she always was. But, looking around her, he was quite disappointed, even perplexed to see that Regrit was not there.
'Is he that constipated or does he really not feel like watching to ease his stress? I swear, I can never read this guy even if I think I got his antics down.
Nevertheless, he could not keep such an expression on his face as he sighed and waved up at Hikari who oddly bore a nervous expression on her face, completely unlike the overly encouraging one she normally wore. He could not help but shake off the feeling that something was off…
Moby finished his walk by standing still at the center of the Arena, waiting for the match to begin.
The crowd settled down slightly as Moby finished his walk, yet were once again reignited by the announcer that announced the other fighter.
"And, on the left side! He was fairly unknown before his time in the ring, usually seen moping around at the corner of the den receiving all kinds of ridicule. BUT! He now more than proved himself and has earned quite the reputation! From the way he had brutally yet expertly taken out all of his previous foes, his name was now synonymous with fear itself! Give it up for the one and only FOX!!"
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