He had been hoping to threaten Arthur in order to discourage further fighting and force Arthur to let him go. But that was clearly not going to happen if he couldn't injure Arthur.
Black Mantis felt despair as he faltered. Arthur's fist struck him, but his skin hardened a little too slowly. By the time his skin was ready to harden, it had been smashed open by Arthur's fist.
That mistake sealed his fate. One mistake meant more mistakes. More mistakes meant more injuries. Soon he was bruised and battered.
In less than five seconds, he had been struck by more than twenty times. He was bleeding all over and was unsteady on his feet.
He knew then that he was beyond saving. So he pleaded desperately, "Please, spare me."
Arthur wanted to spare him for a moment. He wanted to beat the man up and force Black Mantis to tell him where he kept his wealth. But he wasn't confident he could get away with it.
