The people in the lounge could only hear the cheers and screams outside, but they had no idea what was going on there.
Fortunately, their doubts did not last long because Zhang Heng's figure had reappeared at the door of the lounge.
"You … are you back to get your helmet again?" The gladiator who kindly reminded Zhang Heng to get his helmet asked in a daze.
"No, the battle is over," Zhang Heng said as he sat back in his seat.
"It's over?"
The gladiators were in an uproar when they heard Zhang Heng's words. They had imagined all kinds of possibilities, but they did not expect the battle to end so quickly.
Habitus's previous battle only took a quarter of an hour to end, and it was already considered fast. However, compared to Zhang Heng's battle, it took him almost a century to finish. Most gladiators could only walk to the arena in such a short amount of time.
In other words, the battle between Zhang Heng and Cincinnatus ended in an instant.
The gladiators were no strangers to Cincinnatus. The latter came from the Hunahpu Arena. His strength might not be as good as a quasi-ace gladiator like Habitus, but he was still one of the best gladiators in Rome.
However, such a good gladiator could not even withstand a single blow from Zhang Heng. How powerful was his opponent?
All the gladiators, including Sartonilos, felt their hearts sink.
…
On the other hand, the cheers and screams from the stands did not diminish after Zhang Heng left. On the contrary, the cheers were getting louder and louder, making it impossible for the gladiatorial performance to continue.
As far as the process was concerned, the battle that had just ended wasn't that exciting. There was no muscle-on-muscle collision, no sensory stimulation brought by blood, and no dramatic twists and turns. However, this simple slash, coupled with Zhang Heng's fighting style, had completely conquered the 90,000 spectators.
The gladiators who stepped into the Flavian Arena today were all masters from various gladiator schools or places. Each of them had their own unique skills, and they joined forces to present a visual feast to the audience. However, because of this, the audience's eyes had long been trained to be picky. It was difficult for ordinary battles to excite them.
Even the two matches between Habitus and Sartonilos only received less than half of the cheers compared to ordinary matches.
However, the Amphitheatrum Flavium was now completely drowned out by the continuous cheers.
Today, ancient Rome and its people saw the minimalist aesthetic for the first time in the arena. The audience could not wait to listen to the referee's introduction, and they began to ask the people around them about the origin of this mysterious oriental man. Those who had witnessed Zhang Heng's previous battles began to describe Zhang Heng's heroism in those battles to their companions, as well as his confusing background.
Commodus seemed to be infected by this fanatical atmosphere. Although he was still trying to maintain the majesty of an emperor, the admiration in his eyes could not be concealed. Especially when Zhang Heng cut off his opponent's trident, Commodus was the first to stand up and applaud.
On the other hand, Lucilla, on the other hand, was much calmer. It seemed that this result was not unexpected to her. Even though the people around her stood up with Commodus, she still sat in her seat with her chin in her hand, muttering, "Really, how am I going to make money now?"
"This man is very powerful." Her husband, Pompeo Nuss, was also applauding at this time, looking surprised. "If I knew this, I would have taken out all the money I saved and bet it on him. That way, I won't have to make money for the next three years."
"No, you won't. He hasn't won the championship yet. As long as he hasn't won the championship, there will be risks. And you won't bet all your chips on a risky thing," Lucilla said lazily.
"Am I such a person?" Pompeo Nuss was surprised, but after thinking about it, he had to nod. "It seems to be true. Sure enough, my wife knows me best. What about you? If it were you, what would you choose? "
"I'm different from you. I believe in my intuition. My intuition tells me that he will be the final champion of this gladiatorial show. So, no matter how many chips I have, I will bet on him. Women are born emotional creatures."
Pompeo Nuss clicked his tongue. "But you have never lost, have you?"
"Yeah, maybe it's because my luck has always been good," Lucilla snorted.
Seeing that the audience refused to calm down, the subsequent gladiatorial show could not be carried out. There was also the possibility of a riot in the stands. Commodus had to wave his hand to signal everyone to calm down.
However, this was only temporary. The young emperor knew that if he could not come up with a solution that satisfied everyone, it was likely to cause a bigger commotion in the future.
Commodus discussed with several consultants around him, and someone proposed to distribute gifts or coins again. However, Commodus felt that this method was a little incompetent. It sounded like he only knew how to bribe his people with money. Commodus hoped to show more of his charm and means.
Clint bowed and said, "Your Majesty, whoever started the trouble should end it. If we can convince Zhang Heng to fight again, we may be able to meet the people's needs."
"Fight again?" Commodus raised his eyebrows. "But according to the rules, the winner of a gladiatorial fight will only fight in the second round. Isn't this too unfair to him?"
"This rule is to give the gladiators time to rest and recover. However, he did not use much strength in the previous battles. It will not be a problem even if he fights again," Clint said.
"You can say whatever you want, but we should still send someone to ask for his opinion. If he doesn't want to, we can't force him because it will destroy fairness. I want people to know that under my rule, fairness and justice will be maintained."
"Of course, Your Majesty." Clint hurriedly retreated to the lounge to look for Zhang Heng.
Commodus asked the band to play first to calm the audience's emotions. Fortunately, it did not take long for Zhang Heng to appear in the center of the arena from the lift platform. At this time, Clint had not even run to the stands.
Seeing Zhang Heng's appearance, the audience cheered again. After that, Zhang Heng bowed in the direction of Commodus, and the next round of cheers were for the emperor.
Commodus felt very comfortable when he heard the cheers, and the more he looked at Zhang Heng, the more he liked him. He had begun to think that this easterner was a good person. He was strong, and he knew how to solve his problems. It would be great if Zhang Heng was one of his people.
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