Sartonilos slowed down his attack rhythm a little and focused more of his energy on defense. Finally, he managed to stabilize his footing. However, he soon discovered another piece of bad news. His opponent's endurance seemed to be better than his. After fighting for so long, Zhang Heng's breathing rate did not change much. In other words, if the fight dragged on, the situation would become more disadvantageous to him.
Sartonilos frowned. He didn't expect the Victor Arena to nurture such a troublesome newcomer after Sethnets retired not long ago. However, since Sethnets started it, Sartonilos would still make a move if he had to choose again. After all, there were so many big shots present tonight. He couldn't back down.
Just like how a lion would react to other lions that trespassed into its territory, the gladiators would react the same way.
In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, no matter how strong you were before, once you showed your weakness, you would be torn apart by the swarming hyenas.
And the current situation was only slightly disadvantageous to Sartonilos. In his long career as a gladiator, he had fought many battles against the wind. He had the most scars among all the gladiators present. But since he was still standing there, these scars had become his glory, telling the story of the exciting battles he had fought in the gladiator arena.
So tonight would be no exception.
Sartonilos was punched in the mouth again, but he retaliated with a kick. After that, he spat out a bloody tooth and sneered, "What? Is that all you can do?"
Zhang Heng also got up from the ground. He could have dodged this kick, but after calculating the damage dealt, he realized that he would benefit more from the exchange. In the end, Zhang Heng chose to face it head-on. Of course, the biggest reason was that he knew what the audience liked. Dodging might be a better way to show off one's strength, but it was not as eye-catching as exchanging blows with blows and blood for blood.
In this regard, the audience's aesthetic standards for thousands of years were similar. No matter what kind of competition it was, everyone was always more inclined to appreciate "tough guys."
Defeating Sartonilos was not Zhang Heng's goal. Attracting Commodus's attention was Zhang Heng's real goal. The young emperor was now watching with relish. The guests spontaneously formed a circle, surrounding Zhang Heng and Sartonilos in the center. At first, Commodus was a little reserved, but he soon took the lead to cheer for Zhang Heng.
However, he supported Sartonilos. After all, he knew the latter before he left Rome. And this time, the person who provoked him was Zhang Heng. In terms of justice, Zhang Heng did not have the upper hand.
However, as the sound of fists colliding with muscles sounded, Commodus's impression of Zhang Heng improved to a certain extent. He felt that although Zhang Heng was a little reckless, he was still a real man. So when Zhang Heng performed well, he would cheer for him equally.
Sartonilos knew that he had to make a decision. Sartonilos knew that he had to make a decision.
As early as a month ago, he and his gladiator school began to prepare for the gladiatorial performance in the Amphitheatrum Flavium. For this reason, the gladiator school did not hesitate to ask him to stop fighting for a month, losing a lot of money to create an image of him indulging in debauchery for the other gladiator schools to see.
Sartonilos, on the other hand, used this month to heal the internal injuries that had accumulated in his body. He adjusted his spirit and body to the best state. Only a few people knew that he was now better than ever. Sartonilos originally wanted to hide his strength until he encountered a strong enemy, so he could fully unleash his strength.
But he did not expect that before the gladiatorial performance began, he would be forced into such an embarrassing situation by an Asian man who came out of nowhere.
So a multiple-choice question was placed in front of Sartonilos. Should he use his trump card now?
After all, this was not an official gladiatorial performance. If he lost, it would not affect him winning the championship later. However, the emperor and other important figures were here. Sartonilos could not imagine how losing this battle would affect his reputation and that of the gladiator school.
So in the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to tear off his disguise. Anyway, even if he showed his true strength, he might still win the gladiatorial performance later.
The next moment, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The audience next to him might only have a vague feeling that Sartonilos's aura seemed to have changed. As his opponent, Zhang Heng felt it the most directly. His expression changed, knowing that Sartonilos was finally forced into a corner. However, Zhang Heng was one of the few people who could see through Sartonilos's disguise. Naturally, he had been guarding against Sartonilos's sudden attack.
However, Zhang Heng found that he still underestimated his opponent. Seeing that Sartonilos's chest revealed a flaw again, Zhang Heng subconsciously punched him. However, Sartonilos blocked his fist with one hand.
There was a small exclamation from the crowd.
Zhang Heng tried to swing his hand, but he failed to retract his fist.
"You seemed to be having fun running up and down like a monkey. Now, it's your turn to taste my fist." Sartonilos said while waving his other fist at Zhang Heng's head. However, Zhang Heng dodged it by squatting down. After that, Zhang Heng caught Sartonilos's arm with his legs before Sartonilos could throw a second punch.
The two fell to the ground together, accompanied by a cloud of dust. Unfortunately, Zhang Heng did not learn the locking technique in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Otherwise, he might have taken advantage of the chaos to lock Sartonilos down. Now, the two had to separate again.
However, what Sartonilos did not expect was that Zhang Heng, who was almost controlled by him just now, attacked him again not long after they separated. Sartonilos wanted to use the same trick again, but this time, Zhang Heng did not fight him head-on. Instead, he used the newly learned assassin's footwork to sneak behind Sartonilos.
The change in the rhythm of the battle obviously made Sartonilos a little uncomfortable. After that, he felt a chill under the left side of his neck. Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injury. His nails scratched a bloody mark. Sartonilos turned around and was ready to fight again. Unexpectedly, Zhang Heng took two steps back and took the initiative to say, "Let's call it a day."
Sartonilos was taken aback when he heard what Zhang Heng said. What was this? Did this Oriental man admit defeat? But the battle was not over yet. He had just started to exert his strength. At most, the two sides were tied now.
So Sartonilos refused without hesitation, "It's still early. You won't be so lucky to escape next time."
However, he then heard another voice, "I think what he said makes sense. The two of you have given us a wonderful performance tonight. However, the winner will be decided in the arena after the gladiator performance."
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