Aurelia and Orion leapt into the arena, catching Alan's attention—especially the girl he recognized as the one who had cheered for Armis's victory. With graceful agility, she flipped through the air and landed in front of Orion.
Orion, a man with an imposing stature, was clad in a large overall that concealed his mark, seemingly a deliberate choice.
In contrast, Aurelia stood boldly, her attire accentuating her figure with a thin layer of clothing that barely concealed her ample curves. Tight pants, adorned with strategic cuts revealing her mark—a snake-like lining coiled around her right leg.
Alan quickly deduced her potential weapon.
"Ah! Her weapon will probably be a whip, but isn't it a bad strategy, showing her mark before the battle?" Alan mused under his breath.
As the announcer prompted Aurelia and Orion to exchange vows, he quickly retreated after their handshake, leaving both fighters to assume their stances.
True to Alan's expectations, Aurelia let out a light grunt as she swiftly materialized her weapon—a whip crafted from high-quality leather with a sharp shard at its edge. With a resounding crack, she struck the floor with her whip, igniting the crowd's excitement. The announcer's voice thundered through the arena, amplifying the anticipation.
"Aurelia challenges Orion with her long-range wielding!" the announcer proclaimed, further fueling the spectators' enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Orion's expressionless face transformed into a grin, his overgrown cheekbones accentuating the shift.
With a loud grunt, he removed his overalls. Moments before the green glow cloaked Orion's marks, Alan glimpsed at them—a pair of massive spheres with handles at their ends, etched in a cross position on his bare chest. In an instant, they materialized into two iron maces within Orion's grasp, as he unleashed a battle cry, holding the maces aloft in the same cross formation, his eyes locked on Aurelia with a fierce glare.
Before Aurelia could react, Orion charged at her with relentless speed. Anticipating his approach, Aurelia swiftly wielded her whip, sending it crackling through the air with lightning speed.
However, Orion skillfully deflected each strike with his maces, closing in on her without hesitation. Thinking on her feet, Aurelia made a split-second decision to leap high into the air, attempting to evade Orion's charging assault.
But Orion was relentless, leaping after her and seizing her leg mid-air, violently yanking her back down to the ground. Aurelia landed with a precarious balance, struggling to regain her footing as Orion swiftly delivered a powerful roundhouse blow with his maces.
The impact reverberated through the arena, causing the crowd to erupt into screams of excitement on first blow landed which Aurelia narrowly avoided being knocked off her feet, using her whip's handle to shield her head.
Despite her efforts, she was sent reeling backward, falling to her knees under the force of Orion's attack.
Without hesitation, Orion launched himself back at Aurelia, swinging his maces with relentless fury. Aurelia desperately tried to evade his onslaught, but Orion's blows rained down upon her non-stop. With a swift and forceful movement, Orion delivered a powerful kick, sending Aurelia crashing into the arena wall with a thundering impact.
The crowd erupted into cheers, thoroughly entertained by the impressive display of skill from Orion. Emerging from the crater she had created upon impact, Aurelia limped forward, blood trickling from her mouth.
"You have no idea how to treat a woman!" Aurelia exclaimed angrily at her opponent.
"I think it's time I punish you for your bad behavior!" With determination flashing in her eyes, Aurelia snapped her whip through the air and charged at Orion, who laughed maniacally at her outburst.
Undeterred, Aurelia lunged at him, but Orion sidestepped her attack. Quick on her feet, Aurelia sprang into action, using her agility to grab hold of Orion's right mace with her whip. Propelling herself forward, she delivered a powerful kick to Orion's face, followed by a strike to his knee that caused him to stagger.
Seizing the opening, Aurelia unleashed a devastating sunrise kick to Orion's chin with all her might.
Undeterred, Aurelia continued her assault, dancing around Orion with her whip, delivering stinging blows to his body. Orion grunted in agony as each strike landed, but suddenly he seized Aurelia by the head with his massive hands and slammed her face-first into the ground with brutal force, causing her to lose her grip on her whip.
Orion swiftly pulled Aurelia to her feet and delivered a punishing blow to her gut with his mace, causing her to cough up blood.
Despite her pain, Aurelia attempted to retreat, but Orion ruthlessly stomped on her feet, eliciting screams of agony from her. The crowd in the stadium roared with excitement at the brutal display unfolding before them.
Witnessing the crowd's fervent enthusiasm for the violence inflicted upon a woman, Alan couldn't help but contemplate the grim reality that, in Pompeii, gender was no barrier to the acceptance of cruelty and brutality.
Orion delivered a vicious kick to Aurelia's face, sending her sprawling to the ground. With brute strength, he lifted her like a ragdoll and hurled her into the air, then struck her back with his mace, sending her hurtling back towards the crater she had created earlier with her impact.
Despite the immense pain from the brutal blow, Aurelia summoned all her strength and determination to rise once more.
Blood flowed from a gash on her head, blurring her vision as she staggered forward, her movements labored and unsteady. With unbreaking determination, she approached Orion, who grinned sadistically, his face streaked with cuts and blood.
Locking eyes with Orion, Aurelia let out a fierce shriek of fury. Orion's grin faltered, replaced by widened eyes as he began to laugh. However, his laughter was abruptly cut short as Aurelia thrust her fingers deep into his eyes, causing blood to splatter in all directions.
She swiftly retracted her fingers, watching as Orion stumbled back, his agonized cries filling the arena as he shielded his blood-soaked eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Aurelia retrieved her whip with lightning speed.
With a deft motion, she used her whip to ensnare one of Orion's maces, swinging it with all her might and connecting it with a skull-crushing thud against the side of his head just as he forcefully opened his eyes in anger. Orion's eyes rolled back into his skull from the impact, but Aurelia wasted no time.
Seizing his other mace in her hand, Aurelia delivered a powerful blow to the opposite side of his head, causing him to collapse onto his other side. With precise timing, she ensnared his face with her whip, the sharp crack echoing through the arena as it coiled tightly around Orion's head.
Using his head as an anchor, Aurelia propelled herself towards him, her knee crashing forcefully into his face with a deafening thud. The once-silenced crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers as Orion fell to the ground, defeated by Aurelia's relentless assault.
With completely knocked senseless the giant Orion fell on his back as Aurelia disintegrated her whip back into her mark. The announcer's booming voice echoing through the arena:
"People of Pompeii, witness the gruesome victory of Aurelia from the Scrotch Lineage!"
The crowd erupted in excitement, cheering wildly for Aurelia's triumph. With a confident stride, she approached the fallen Orion, wasting no time in stripping him of his valuables with practiced ease. Returning to her seat, she tossed a pouch full of silver at the announcer, a gesture of victory and dominance.
Alan watched in surprise, intrigued by this new custom he had never before witnessed in battle. It was a stark reminder of the fierce and unforgiving nature of combat in Pompeii.
As the third round concluded, the announcer strode back to the center of the arena, his voice echoing throughout the stadium:
"Behold, citizens of Pompeii! Prepare yourselves for the upcoming spectacle. Join us in welcoming the esteemed contender from the Moriel lineage, none other than the sweet prince of Pompeii himself, Augustus Moriel! Versus the gruesome, the sinning priest of the Rowyard Nexus Church, Omeus Pratas!"
Excitement rippled through the crowd as they eagerly anticipated the clash between these two formidable opponents. The stage was set for another thrilling showdown as the third round of the Physical Test commenced.