Oliver stood tall with his towering figure draped in a short black overall that barely reached his waist, matched with shorts of the same color. His long hair danced in the air as his expression twisted into one of rage, accentuated by his overgrown facial bones.
His mark, a bold line etched on his bulky back and partially obscured by his overall, began to glow with a sinister green hue.
Suddenly, a long-handled hammer crafted from stone and steel materialized on the ground before him. With a swift motion, Oliver launched the hammer into the air with his feet, and caught effortlessly on his shoulder.
As Oliver let out his battle cry, the spectators erupted in excitement, their cheers filling the air with anticipation.
"It seems Oliver is an offensive type!" the announcer proclaimed, his voice amplified by the roaring crowd.
Witnessing the unfolding battle, Armis unleashed a resounding battle cry and charged at Oliver with unwavering determination. Alan kept his eyes trained on the clash, ready to absorb every detail.
As Armis surged forward, Oliver sidestepped, attempting to confound his opponent. With his hammer poised for a strike, Oliver awaited Armis's approach.
In a daring move, Armis lunged at Oliver, covering several steps in a single leap.
Alan observed with anticipation as Armis executed his move, knowing the stupidity of the Armis's charge.
As Armis closed in, Oliver swung his hammer with formidable force. In a split second, Armis emitted a silent grunt as a green glow emanated from beneath his worn overall.
Suddenly, his attire shredded, revealing a gleaming armor of hardened metal that encased his chest and abdomen. Despite the ferocious blow from Oliver's hammer, Armis stood firm, his feet rigidly planted on the ground as he withstood the powerful blow, skidding back several feet. Alan's eyes rose along with his brows on Armis's resilience, a small curl appearing at the corner of his lips seeing Armis's knuckleheaded charge.
Once again, the crowd erupted into cheers, celebrating the direct blow on Armis and indulging in mockery. Despite his heavy breaths, Armis regained his balance and let out a resolute battle cry.
"I am the son of Hero Goliath!!! The legendary Sword wielder!!! And I will not give up!!!!" Armis declared defiantly, his words echoing amidst the cacophony of the crowd.
"Armis Goliath, the defense wielder, faces a cruel matchup!!!" the announcer exclaimed, emphasizing the challenging nature of the confrontation.
"He is not going to last long like this," Alan murmured to himself.
As Armis charged towards Oliver, the latter prepared to strike once more, taunting his opponent with contemptuous gestures. Undeterred, Armis closed the distance between them with remarkable speed. In a sudden burst of agility, Armis leaped into the air, delivering a powerful kick squarely to Oliver's face.
Though the impact resonated with a resounding thud, only Alan and Armis caught the subtle reaction that flickered across Oliver's features.
Unfazed by the impact, despite blood dripping from his temple, Oliver swiftly seized Armis's leg and whirled him through the air. With a deft motion, he swung his hammer, delivering a powerful blow to Armis's chest, the collision resonating with a sharp clang of stone against steel. Sending Armis hurtling through the air.
As Armis descended, Oliver positioned himself for another strike, landing yet another powerful blow on Armis's chest upon impact.
The force sent Armis crashing into the arena wall with a resounding bang. Despite the spectators' raucous excitement, Oliver joined in with maniacal laughter, mocking Armis as he emerged from the impact, visibly injured and struggling to regain his footing.
Oliver approached Armis slowly, with a grin still curled on his face. Limping, Armis began to move toward Oliver.
As Oliver raised his hammer to strike, Armis swiftly delivered a kick to Oliver's knee, causing him to lose balance. Taking advantage of the opening, Armis shoved a punch into Oliver's gut and then smashed his face with his knee, sending Oliver stumbling back a few steps.
However, Armis's successful hits were met with silence from the crowd. Oliver regained his balance, wiping blood from his nose and mouth, then charged at Armis with a yell.
Despite Armis's attempts to dodge, Oliver anticipated his movements and landed a punch on Armis's face. The crowd erupted into cheers as Oliver continued his assault, delivering a backhand blow with his hammer to Armis's armor. The force of the blow sent Armis crashing to the ground, creating a half arc in the air with his hammer as he lunged at Armis.
Observing the unfolding brutality, Alan cringed, realizing that the events were unfolding almost exactly as he had predicted. However, the killing rage he had expected from Armis was still nowhere to be seen.
Armis struggled to rise from the ground as Oliver approached him, his voice dripping with malicious intent as he taunted,
"So, how should I end this? Or I can…" With a vicious thrust, Oliver drove his hammer into Armis's knee, eliciting a cry of agony from Armis.
"Feel your pain and agony by torturing you first," Oliver sneered, continuing to mercilessly assault Armis's joints with his hammer. Armis screamed in agony, his voice drowned out by the raucous cheers of the crowd, who egged Oliver on with callous remarks such as,
"Yeah!" "Kill him!" "Make him suffer!" and "No bottom feeder shall be allowed in the Academy!"
Witnessing the lack of empathy and the ease with which the crowd embraced cruelty made Alan ponder the city he was tasked to survey.
Hearing Armis's escalating screams sent Alan into a state of inner turmoil. He realized that if he didn't intervene to help Armis, he would never uncover the truth behind the phenomenon he had witnessed. However, intervening meant risking the prejudice of the people of Pompeii and jeopardizing his mission.
Caught in his dilemma, Alan observed as Armis struggled to his feet, pushing Oliver away with a desperate kick. Oliver, sneering at Armis's resilience, taunted,
"Oh, so you still have strength left? Looks like my last strike wasn't enough. No worries, this will be enough to send your soul to Roiran."
As Oliver prepared to strike, Armis charged forward with a feeble punch. Alan knew that if he didn't intervene now, it could be the end of his investigation into Armis's secret. Without hesitation, Alan extended his fingers, locking them into position, and aimed at Oliver. With a swift motion, he launched a minuscule dart at Oliver, piercing his skin mid-swing.
The impact of the dart caused Oliver's eyes to roll up as he collapsed to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Armis delivered a powerful punch, sending Oliver swirling onto the ground. Alan discreetly withdrew his arms as Oliver fell down hard unconscious. The dart Oliver was hit with contained potent muscle relaxers, that rendered him incapacitated instantly.
As Oliver lay unconscious and Armis stood victorious, panting heavily with blood trickling down his head, the once-boisterous crowd fell silent. Only Armis's triumphant battle cry echoed through the arena, followed by the announcer's declaration: "And with a knockout, the unexpected winner of this bout is Armis Goliath!"
Despite the lack of applause from the spectators, two candidates from Alan's row clapped in appreciation of Armis's victory.
Armis celebrated briefly before collapsing onto the ground, but Alan acted swiftly, catching him before he hit the floor. Guards soon arrived to escort Armis back to his seat, relieving Alan of his burden.
As Armis was led away, Alan glanced back and observed Oliver's weapon disintegrating from its green glow, a tangible reminder of the mystery of the supernatural phenomenon and the intensity of the battle that had just taken place.
The announcer returned to the arena as workers cleared the debris from the floor. With a commanding voice, he began announcing the next match:
"Populace of Pompeii, get ready for the next bout! Aurelia from the Scrotch Lineage versus Orion from the Starown Lineage!"
With that, the next round of the Physical Test commenced, filling the arena with anticipation and excitement.