Chapter 160: The Devil Beneath Moonlight

In tournament melees, several men ganging up on one opponent was nothing unusual.

Truth be told, it happened in nearly every match.

But there was a vast difference between the chaos of a melee and a coordinated assassination hidden inside it.

In an ordinary fight, even if several contestants recognized a particularly dangerous opponent and silently agreed to take him down first, that did not mean the rest of the field would politely stay out of the way.

Inside the arena, one battle circle often stood no more than a single stride away from another.

In the end, things always devolved into a chaotic brawl where no one could maintain an overwhelming numerical advantage against a true fighter.

In simple terms, multiple men attacking one was both expected and permitted.

Because under normal circumstances, it never crossed the line into outright cheating or rigged slaughter.

But Robert knew perfectly well that what he faced now had nothing to do with tournament rules.

Eight men dressed as dusty warriors and mercenaries had subtly boxed him into the center. Five advanced directly toward him while the remaining three deliberately drove away any contestants who drifted too close during the fighting.

Coordinated positioning. Matching weapons.

Those two details alone told Robert this was no disorganized melee. These were professionals.

Sweat began to gather inside his gauntlets. His armored fingers flexed against the hammer haft with scraping metallic clicks.

Robert understood clearly that amidst the confusion of the arena, even the spectators seated high above would struggle to notice anything unusual.

And shouting for help?

The screams and battle cries of over a hundred fighters would drown any meaningful words into meaningless noise.

As Robert lowered his center of gravity, he felt his heart hammering beneath the armor.

Was this dangerous?

Very.

Eight trained killers intended to butcher him in the middle of a crowded battlefield.

And yet, at this very moment, Robert felt exhilarated beyond measure.

This was what he had always wanted. Not some ridiculous game of sport.