The battles continued for hours with a number of breaks in between to give the audience time to relieve themselves and get more snacks.
Strangely, the breaks felt a lot more prolonged than normal, so much so that by the time it was Wise's turn to enter the stage, it was alredy night.
Not evening time, it was a literal night. The area was now shrouded in a deep darkness, one so thick that they had to light torches around to keep the place bright.
But even with those flaming torches, it would have still been very difficult for the audience to see the fight.
And so they brought a device very similar to the spotlights they had on earth, this one had a large energy crystal in its center instead of a bulb and was capable of running for far longer without dimming.
The corners of the arena were still dark and the stage itself was not still as clear as when it was day, but it was an improvement.
"And for the final battle of the day!" The announcer began. "Please welcome to the stage Xanthos and—"
The sound of the crowd's cheers overshadowed the second name he was about to mention.
They had witnessed an amazing fight the last time he appeared and were hoping he would do the same thing today.
Wise walked up to the weapon stand and glanced through their collection. There was an array of swords with so many diffent builds, from Katanas to sabres and even down to Dadoas.
'I used a sword last time…'
Wise looked at the other shelf and his eyes caught a particular weapon.
Two long daggers, one with an engraving of the sun on its handle and the other with the moon.
He picked up the weapon and felt the weight in his hands. 'Not bad.'
"What are you going to pick?" Wise asked the timid girl beside him.
Taryn was looking as lost as ever, the calm composer girl he had met in the tavern was gone and was replaced by this terrified version of her.
She suddenly slapped her face repeatedly and picked up a Glaive. "I'll h-help!" She blurted.
Wise cocked a brow. "Thanks but no thanks, just stick next to me and you'll be fine."
Taryn seemed unwilling to say her next words, but deciding that it was best for her own good, she said, "I have an affinity for revelations, I can predict their attacks."
Wise swung the dagger to get a feel of it. "Really, that's nice. Don't say anything except it's very crucial though, I'm sure I can handle them without any tips."
Taryn nodded, her hands still clasped on her spear while Wise placed the dagger in their sheath. "Shall we?"
The two of them walked over from the weapons rack to the center of the stage.
The announcer brought out a card from his pocket but had to place it underneath the spotlight to read it properly.
"Alright, team nine your opponents will be—Terror of the long night, the Night Wolves."
A knowing smile appeared on Wise's face.
'Night wolves…'
They were fierce predators that hunted in packs, using highly organised plots to capture their prey.
Night wolves unlike low tier beasts, were all capable of using a particular skill, night shadow.
They could easily blend with the darkness and move through it extremely fast. The night was their prayground, it was their domain and anyone who stepped into it was basically signing their death warrant.
'I see…' That was why the games were delayed to this point.
Wise glanced in the queens direction.
'Agatha is a persistent one.'
The gate at the side suddenly groaned, and out of if preceded the first dark entity. A snout peeked out of the darkness first and then a paw followed before its full body was revealed.
Taryn gasped at the sight of the beast.
The monster looked menacing. It had thick black fur that made it harder to spot in the darkness, rippling muscles that flexed with each step it took and dark streaks resembling lighting that ran from from its eyes down to its tail.
It was a deadly beast, the prime predators of the night capable of ripping entire merchant companies to shreds.
And that was just one of them…
Soon, more night wolves began to emerge until there were five wolves on the stage.
Just when they thought it was finally over, a piercing howl filled the air and finally, the last wolf— the Alpha stepped out.
Unlike the others, the alpha was considerably bigger and around its neck, its fur extended, resembling something akin to a lion's mane.
The wolf locked those cold calculating eyes on him and growled, a low guttural sound that sounded like thunder.
But instead of charging forward, the wolves took a step back and blended into the darkness.
"No matter what happens, never be more than a feet away from—"
Grabbing Taryn by the arm and pulling her backwards, Wise suddenly stuck his dagger forward.
The darkness in front of him ripped and a wolf emerged almost instantly, its claws outstretched.
Clang!
The dagger slammed into the claws of an approaching wolf, causing him to skid back a little.
Taryn swallowed her scream, as two other wolves suddenly appeared mid pounce.
Still holding onto her arm, Wise darted forward, right at the first beast. His daggers flashed like lightning, tearing deep into the first wolf's fur and drawing viscous red blood.
The next wolf was already moments from colliding with him when Wise leaped into the air—
He rotated immediately and delivered a jumping kick to separate him from it and then he sidestepped the last one, jumping backward with Taryn held next to his chest.
But just as his legs landed on the ground, a large figure suddenly materialized out of the darkness.
The alpha…
Its adamantium claws flashed as it cut through the air, moments away from ripping his chest open.
Cussing, Wise immediately pivoted, swinging his daggers with full force, but it was far too late.