Although Sethnets' retirement had a big impact on the Victor Arena, the arena's foundation was still there. And Mark Reuss was running the second largest gladiator school in Rome.
In addition to Sethnets, there were also a group of less popular gladiators, such as Habitus, Nasika, and Rufus. In addition, there were also a large number of powerful gladiators that could attract a considerable number of spectators.
Therefore, on the day of the performance, two-thirds of the seats in the arena had been sold. However, Mark Reuss was still a little dissatisfied. After expressing his welcome and respect to several nobles and their families who came to watch the battle, he returned to his seat and frowned again.
In addition to the problem of audience loss, Mark Reuss was also having a headache about the gladiator show hosted by the royal family in more than a month.
Putting aside the possible financial loss, he knew that there were other troubles waiting for him. The gladiator school he ran was currently the second largest gladiator school in Rome. However, it was now entering a period of decline, and several competitors were eyeing it covetously.
Therefore, the performance in more than a month's time might have other meanings. Not only was the new emperor announcing the arrival of his rule, but it was also a reshuffle among the gladiator schools. Although Mark Reuss now had a lot of cards in his hand, he was missing the most critical one.
That was the biggest trump card.
According to the information he received, many gladiator schools had found very powerful newcomers. The retirement of Sethnets meant that the gladiators had entered a new era of heroes competing for the throne. Usually, everyone would be fighting in their respective territories. Now that they finally gathered together, if a gladiator could stand out from the crowd and take the crown, a new king would be born.
And the gladiator school behind him would become the biggest winner.
Mark Reuss had been urging Gaby to find Sethnets' successor. He even gave him a death order. It was not that he did not know that Bach would be able to fight after training for a while. However, he had already sensed the impending crisis.
As a courageous businessman, he knew that he had to make a move. However, deep down in his heart, he did not know if Bach could defeat the other gladiator schools. Perhaps he should talk to Habitus again and make some concessions.
Just when Mark Reuss was deep in thought, the performance below began. The first to appear was a small orchestra. They stood on a slowly rising platform in the center of the arena and played a marching song.
After that, a group of antelopes suddenly ran out of the gate on the side of the arena. When they heard the cheers from the audience, they seemed to be frightened. They began to flee around the arena, and one of them even wanted to jump onto the audience stand. However, the arena obviously had the corresponding safety measures.
At the bottom of the arena was a three-meter-high wall. Other than that, there was also a large net fixed on the pillars. These nets could stop the wild beasts from entering the arena. On the other hand, it allowed the gladiators to be in the line of sight of the audience. So, no one was when they saw the jumping antelops. Some noblewomen even stood up and looked curiously.
Since the time of Caesar, animal performances had been a part of the gladiatorial show, usually before the gladiator's battle.
Unlike most movies and TV shows, the gladiators would not fight these wild beasts head-on. This was the gladiator's job. Other than that, there was also the execution of prisoners that Zhang Heng and Varro saw earlier. Other than that, the arena would also arrange hunting and animal taming performances, as well as some fights between wild beasts for the audience's entertainment.
What the audience saw now was a hunting performance between a hunter and an antelope. Later on, a lion and a bear would fight, and the winner would face the gladiator.
The whole performance was getting more and more exciting, and the audience's emotions were getting more and more nervous. Especially when the gladiator appeared on the stage, the excitement reached a peak. Both men and women shouted the gladiator's name, watching him fight the beasts in front of him. He dodged left and right, dodging the claws of the beasts again and again, leaving scars on his prey with the weapons in his hands.
The gladiator's opponent became more and more manic.
There was nothing more charming than looking directly into the eyes of the grim reaper, constantly mocking death and escaping from its hands. Women screamed wildly for him, willing to sacrifice themselves for him. They were not inferior to the most fanatical idol fans of later generations. Although the face behind the helmet was not handsome, it could even be considered ugly. Three long scars almost destroyed the left side of his face, left by a cunning cheetah.
However, in the eyes of women, there was nothing better in this world than these scars.
At least at this moment in the arena, he was the dream lover of all the women. Just like the poet Venallis said, the women didn't love his face, but his sword.
In the end, the experienced gladiator once again successfully killed the beast in front of him.
He inserted his sword into the ground in front of him, took off his armor, and enjoyed the cheers and songs of victory that belonged to him.
After him, it was the gladiator's turn to appear.
Zhang Heng and Varro were not among them. Their gladiatorial performance was scheduled for the third day, and the two did not even go to the arena. However, there was a highly anticipated battle in the afternoon.
It was between Bach and Rufus.
Black Sickle was a celebrity in the Victor Arena. In contrast, most people had only heard of Bach's name not long ago. He was a complete rookie.
However, this time, the Victor Arena put him in their promotional advertisement. Obviously, they valued him a lot.
However, the audience was obviously more willing to believe in Black Sickle, who had proven himself more than once in the arena. This could be seen from the odds of both sides.
Since ancient times, the arena had always been inseparable from the arena. Not only could one enjoy the gladiatorial performance in the arena, but one could also bet on the gladiator that they favored.
On the other side, Varro was also asking Zhang Heng, who was training with him, "Who do you think will win?"
"I have never seen Black Sickle Rufus's skills, but since Gaby arranged this, it means that he is optimistic about Bach. If I were to bet, I would bet on Bach," Zhang Heng said.
"So, Rufus will definitely lose?"
"If Bach successfully completes all the training, I think so. But now, Rufus still has a chance," Zhang Heng said. Ever since he heard from the old trainer that the Amphitheatrum Flavium would hold a gladiatorial performance, Zhang Heng knew why Mark Reuss was so anxious.
However, this gladiatorial performance might be different from what he imagined.
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