The cheers from the audience never stopped. This intense scene made the ticket price totally worth it.
After blocking a few frontal attacks while backing up, Regina nimbly repositioned again.
She couldn't drag out a long battle with this big pig. That wasn't in her favor!
Though Regina hadn't received any formal warrior training, after years of life-and-death struggles in the dark arena, she had a calm mindset and ruthlessly efficient moves.
Her experience was considerable.
Beasts were beasts, after all. Without a beast tamer's training and conditioning, their attacks relied purely on instinct. Their combat skills were seriously limited.
"Hah!"
With a fierce shout, Regina's halberd unleashed a brilliant flame battle energy slash, viciously striking the Thundertusk Boar's pig face once more.
Under the powerful, weighty blow, even this thirty-foot giant stumbled back several painful steps.
After dozens of exchanges, the Thundertusk Boar's body was covered in numerous terrifying wounds. But with all that health and thick hide, though it looked bloody and pitiful, it hadn't taken any fatal damage.
Regina, meanwhile, was starting to breathe heavily.
Though she hadn't been injured so far, fighting such a massive beast was quickly draining her stamina.
Seeing the crazed, tireless pig charge at her again, Regina's eyes filled with killing intent.
She dodged to the side again, and just as Regina raised her halberd to strike, violent tremors came from beneath her feet, nearly making her lose balance!
Her stance scattered, naturally draining more than half the force from her thrust.
Probably tired of getting juked by her side-stepping, this Thundertusk Boar learned from its mistakes. It actually stomped down hard with its hoof in the direction Regina dodged!
Creating an effect similar to War Stomp!
Taking advantage of Regina's imbalance, the Thundertusk Boar whipped its head, its massive tusk thrusting out!
If that hit solid, she'd definitely be toast!
In this life-or-death moment, Regina stayed calm and managed to block with her halberd in front of her.
Even so, her nearly six-and-a-half-foot frame was still sent flying!
A trail of crimson blood scattered through the air.
She flipped gracefully and landed, using her halberd as support against the ground. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and blood slowly flowed from a penetrating wound on her side.
Though she'd reacted in time to defend, the Thundertusk Boar's tusk still gouged out a nearly four-inch wound.
Even several of those armor-like silver scales had been knocked off.
Regina took deep breaths to regulate herself, clenching her muscles. The wound finally stopped bleeding.
But the Thundertusk Boar gave no breathing room. After landing that hit, the beast got so excited it kicked off with its hind legs, its massive body leaping into the air, crashing down toward Regina!
Seriously, semi-truck from above?
Just when everyone thought Regina would have to dodge awkwardly again, the warrior woman's amber pupils exploded with icy killing intent, and a fierce primal spirit battle flame erupted around her body!
As the pig body loomed overhead, Regina gripped her halberd with both hands and thrust upward violently!
With a squelching sound, the spear blade unstoppably pierced through its chest, going straight for the heart.
The Thundertusk Boar let out a shrill, miserable squeal, blood spraying from its mouth. This strike had truly wounded it severely.
Regina held her halberd, impaling and lifting the Thundertusk Boar. This heart-shaking scene made the surrounding audience even more excited and wild!
"Worthy of a divine-strength warrior woman with dragon bloodline," someone praised quietly.
This powerful burst also tore open the wound on Regina's side again, blood flowing out.
Nearly twenty inches of the spear blade had been driven in, even half the axe portion had gone in.
Feeling her stamina rapidly draining, Regina gritted her teeth and decided to end this quickly.
She released the struggling pig body to the side, and just as she prepared to pull out her halberd to bleed this Thundertusk Boar dry and gut it, a figure rushed into the arena like a gale.
With a simple, brutal shove, Regina, already in poor condition, released her halberd and flew out, rolling several times on the ground before slowly standing up.
"Alright, you won. You can leave now."
The speaker was a man close to fifty, a five-star warrior, and also the security management captain of this underground arena.
He was the one who stopped Regina from continuing her killing blow.
The reason for intervening was simple: the boss's orders.
This wild C-grade beast had cost quite a bit of money to obtain. Its value was far from fully exploited, so naturally they couldn't let it die here.
Regina said nothing, covering her wound as she silently walked toward the exit.
But the audience in the surrounding stands erupted in chaos!
A small number were grinning ear to ear with glee, while most were cursing furiously. Some were so emotional their faces contorted grotesquely.
Gambling addicts, left with nothing.
"Why don't you just die, you crossbreed beast woman!"
"I lost every damn thing, shit!"
Regina naturally was the high-odds side. Few bet on her, most bet on the Thundertusk Boar, so naturally most people lost.
During the Black Dragon Valkyrie's exit, beer bottles and rotten eggs flew toward her.
No winner's treatment or glory. Instead, sky-high curses and resentment hit her face-on.
But Regina remained coldly silent, as if accustomed to such scenes.
Watching that somewhat desolate, lonely figure disappear through the dark doorway, Leon revealed a satisfied, happy smile.
"This woman, I'm taking her."
To obtain his first beast, Leon had spent over twenty days running around several cities neighboring Desolate Dark City.
His destinations were all underground arenas.
What for? Finding muscle.
Why not go to legitimate job markets or associations? Simple reason: too expensive, not enough budget.
Leon's target was five-star warriors or mages. Hiring experts at that level to accompany him into deep forests for adventure cost serious money.
Plus, Leon himself didn't know how many days he'd need to spend in those forests. The costs were bottomless.
Besides hiring people, he had other expenses too.
All things considered, his million star coins were hanging by a thread.
So to cut costs, he had to put in the work to find gold.
Leon had set his sights on the dark arenas.
Dark arenas, also called underground arenas. As the name suggested, unlike those bright, glamorous mainstream competitions, these places were filled with violence, bloodshed, and death.
People who participated in dark arenas were basically undocumented folks, criminals, freaks, desperados, lunatics, generally all bottom-tier society types.
Setting aside those truly risking their lives to make money, the rest of them wouldn't be fighting in dark arenas if they could find decent work in regular society.
Normal people wouldn't think to hire here. First, it's unregulated with no one vouching. Second, they're wild cards, hard to control. Third, people look down on them and think it lowers their status. Fourth, the arena bosses might not even release them.
But Leon was a pragmatist. All those restrictions others cared about, he just tossed aside.
He'd circled through dark arenas in several cities but hadn't found anyone satisfactory.
Until a week ago, he discovered this mixed-blood female warrior here in Black Rock City...