Looking at the small figure before him, the Qiya Magic Lion's eyes revealed a human-like wariness.
Although it didn't understand what the thing in the opponent's hand was, the cold glint on it made it realize that it was a dangerous object, just like the things held by the group of small figures who had captured it before. It could cause injury, bleeding, and even death.
However, the scent emanating from the opponent made it feel an overwhelming sense of deliciousness, and saliva involuntarily seeped from the corners of its mouth.
Staring directly into the opponent's eyes, the Qiya Magic Lion began to circle around the opponent's body, continuously emitting low growls from its mouth.
This was a precursor to a beast's hunt, using the pressure of movement and gaze to make the prey start to feel panic, leading to a fatal strike.
But after circling for a while, it still didn't sense any fear from the opponent, and it began to feel a strong impatience.
Its four limbs tensed, ready to pounce.
Otto gripped his weapon tightly, his gaze firmly locked on the magical beast before him, and his palms involuntarily became a bit sweaty.
To say he wasn't nervous at all would be a lie. No one could remain completely calm when facing such a beast!
But years of combat experience told him that he absolutely couldn't show any weakness at this moment. The slightest mistake could mean the difference between life and death.
The Qiya Magic Lion, however, could no longer hold back. Its hind legs pushed with force, and its body shot forward like a battering ram.
Its speed was so fast that it even kicked up a cloud of dust from the ground!
Otto's expression immediately changed. He knew he couldn't take this hit head-on. With a weight of over a thousand kilograms and the explosive power of a cheetah, the Qiya Magic Lion was like a wild elephant charging at full speed. The impact alone could shatter all the bones in his body through his armor.
He immediately thought of rolling to the side, but as the Qiya Magic Lion brushed past him, its tail, at an angle he couldn't avoid, wrapped around his waist like a flexible python and gave a sharp tug!
This caused his already off-balance body to be lifted off the ground, threatening to pull him down.
Without any hesitation, Otto, while still off-balance and about to flip over, took advantage of the beast not having turned its head yet and swung his axe towards the base of its tail.
With a cry of pain, the Qiya Magic Lion's body stiffened immediately. The blade of the axe cut through the outer scales and embedded itself into the tailbone!
Otto was flung more than ten meters away, rolling several times on the ground before he could stop himself.
Getting up, he looked at the Qiya Magic Lion not far away, its mouth twitching and its eyes filled with murderous intent. Otto instantly judged that the injury wasn't too severe because he had been off-balance when he struck, unable to use his full strength.
Instead, the injury had completely enraged it!
The only good news was that although he hadn't managed to sever its tail in one strike, he had injured the base of its tail, rendering it unusable as a weapon for the time being, thus neutralizing one of its attack methods.
He readied his stance again, knowing that the next moment would decide life or death.
An injured beast that hasn't lost its fighting ability is the most dangerous...
Watching the two weaklings pecking at each other in the arena, Olthagia honestly felt like stepping in and kicking them both to death.
In terms of combat power, these two wouldn't even stand a chance against an Infant Demon in the Bottomless Abyss. Their physical attributes were at most around twenty points, and with their poor resistance to abnormalities, it wouldn't be surprising if they poisoned themselves by inhaling too much of the Abyss's air.
The energy content within their bodies was far inferior to that of Demons, who were born with their veins filled with magic.
Compared to true innate supernatural beings, even the Qiya Magic Lion could only be considered underdeveloped. Aside from its imposing appearance, it had no other merits!
The magic content within its body wasn't even enough to cast the most basic Spell, at best it could slightly enhance its physical strength.
If it weren't for the fact that it indeed possessed magic, it might be more appropriate to call it a beast.
Unlike Olthagia's dead-fish-eyed gaze, others seemed particularly excited when faced with this level of combat. Many people screamed themselves hoarse as the two spilled blood, even more excited than those actually fighting in the arena.
Especially for Ottok, who was also human, the shouting and cursing never stopped!
The feeling that someone of higher status and strength than oneself could only fight to the death in front of them made many people particularly addicted.
It was like they were on a high, unable to control their excitement!
Greed, hatred, jealousy... all sorts of negative emotions were displayed on their ugly or twisted faces. At this moment, many people's inner disguises were stripped away, revealing their true selves.
Ottok below the stage was no good person, a serial killer beyond redemption.
The audience on the stage wasn't much better, taking pleasure in the lives of their own kind.
The only difference was that this was legal and didn't require them to get their hands dirty.
In this situation, compared to the two contestants who were fighting to the death, the weaklings pecking at each other with all their might.
The various ugly performances of the audience in the stands actually made Olthagia find it somewhat interesting.
The nature of a Demon made him enjoy such scenes, it was very appetizing!
Even the fruit in his hand seemed to have more flavor!
For Olthagia and the ordinary audience who were also here for entertainment, although the process was different, the result was ultimately the same!
Everyone was quite satisfied!
More than ten minutes later.
Ottok stood in the center of the arena, covered in blood, his lungs working like bellows, frantically sucking in air.
At this moment, only a third of his armor remained on his scarred body, and one of his hands had been torn off, blood still continuously flowing from the wound.
The Qiya Magic Lion lay beside him.
Most of its injuries were minor, but the fatal wound was on its forehead, where Ottok had struck it seven or eight times with a heavy axe, leaving it a bloody mess, continuously emitting heat and a nauseating stench.
The audience in the stands was shouting Ottok's name like mad, some excited, some worshipful, some hateful. Regardless, at this moment, Ottok had become the protagonist of the Beast Fighting Arena due to his bravery.
No one cared about his identity as a murderer anymore. Since ancient times, humans have revered the strong, and after his victory, all that became irrelevant, selectively forgotten by the masses.
As long as he kept winning, nothing else mattered!
As for the more than ten murders he had committed, how many of those who died by his hand were innocent? Did that really matter?
As long as it didn't concern them, it was of no consequence.
Right?
Whether humans or other intelligent beings, they always seem extraordinarily generous when it comes to forgiving others' enemies.
In the private room, Olthagia stood up indifferently and said to the three people beside him:
"Let's go, it's time to head back."
A few days later.
Jialite Plain, Bone Grinding Fortress.
Prince Jem and several armored officers stood beside the sand table map, frowning as they pondered their strategy.
The state of the war wasn't entirely one-sided, but they were at a significant disadvantage. Due to a major strategic mistake earlier, Maddon Duchy's defensive lines had suffered heavy losses at the hands of Yar Principality, forcing them to retreat and avoid direct confrontation with the enemy's overwhelming forces.
After listening to several proposals from his generals, Jem.Woz rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
'The situation is a complete mess!'
As a prince, he not only had to consider the external enemy but also find ways to appease the nobles within his own country. At the first sign of trouble in the war, those nobles could stir up all sorts of chaos, worsening Maddon Duchy's already dire situation.
If he could, he would love to purge the nobility several times over, but clearly, he didn't have the means to do so. He could only fantasize about it in his mind...
Thinking of the treaty Yar Principality had submitted, Jem.Woz felt his teeth grind in frustration. The terms were nothing short of humiliating.
If he agreed to their conditions, he would immediately be nailed to the pillar of shame, turning Maddon Duchy's royal family into a laughingstock for countless people.
'If it weren't for my father being misled and making so many mistakes back then, you wouldn't have had this opportunity...'
'You forced my hand. Being sacrificed to the Demon is your own doing...'
With that thought, he touched the item Olthagia had given him in his pocket, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
Sacrificing tens of thousands of people at once—if such a thing were exposed, even if they were enemies, the consequences wouldn't be much better than defeat.
But at least there was one thing far better than signing a surrender agreement himself: the initiative would remain in his hands!
For a future king, a reputation for cruelty might not sound good, but it was always better than being seen as weak.
A successful leader could tolerate others fearing or disliking him, but he could never allow others to look down on him!
With that in mind, he took a deep breath and asked the generals beside him, "Since Yar Principality's army has already regrouped, how long do you think it will take for them to arrive today?"
An older, white-haired general replied, "They should reach Bone Grinding Fortress before the sun reaches its peak."
"Very well, there's still some time. In that case, have the soldiers quickly prepare a large amount of rope, enough for seventy to eighty thousand people, to get ready for the upcoming prisoner work."
The many generals present were immediately stunned.
"?"
One general licked his lips, his face showing hesitation, and cautiously asked:
"Uh... Your Highness, when you mention prisoner work, do you mean for us to tie ourselves up and surrender to the enemy?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Naturally, it's to prepare the ropes to tie them up!"
"...Alright, as you command..."
The generals exchanged glances and collectively sighed.
'The pressure on His Highness is indeed too great!'
Several of the older generals immediately shed tears.
They were eager to rush into battle and serve their country!
Seeing the endless tears in the eyes of these generals, Jem Woz also realized what they were thinking. He opened his mouth to say something but found it difficult to explain, so he could only let them freely exercise their imagination.