Kingsman Return

Arena Battle

There were powerful waves coming out of the building. What seemed like cannon shots were sounding loudly throughout the area in short intervals, followed by cheers and loud roars.

From the sounds, Arran could guess that there was currently a battle taking place inside.

The building's exterior looked like a standard-sized coliseum, but as they made their way inside, Arran was shocked to see a field that was twice the size of two Olympic stadiums.

Not knowing how the size of a building's interior could so vastly different from its exterior, Arran looked around curiously.

Before Arran's eyes were the vast space of the stadium. It was sectioned and divided into different segments with each having its own functions. Right in the middle of the field, there was an arena, and it was from here that the sounds were generated and it was currently surrounded by a lot of people.

Commander Margo took Arran in that direction of the arena and Arran was able to get a clear look at what was going on there.

The arena was made up of different stages where battles could be held and they varied in different sizes. The biggest stage in the center was currently occupied and there was a crowd that was gathered around it. That was where Arran was headed to.

As he got closer to the stage, Arran saw two people that were in a heated battle right now.

One of them was big and muscular, with huge muscles and biceps that were very prominent on his body. He had long veins that were visibly crawling around his body like thousands of centipedes as he exerted force on his body in order to resist the attacks of his opponent.

He was adopting a fighting style where he stood as still and steady as a mountain on the stage with his back to the ropes as he took his opponent's attacks head-on while looking for opportunities to counter-attack.

His opponent on the other hand was a man with a very ordinary build. One look at him and no one would expect him to be able to put up a very good fight, but don't let that fool you because, in this battle, his attacks were more ferocious than a mountain tigers as he let out one deadly attack after another. His aim was insidious as he sought to land vicious hits in unsavory places that were hard to defend against.

As Arran was watching the fight, he found it hard to follow as the moves were too fast for the untrained eye to see properly. The man with an ordinary build was launching attacks that he was so fast that they seemed to embody the meaning of attack, attack, attack, as he never seemed to pause in his attacks in favor of his defense, only stopping to evade once in a while when the other man counter attacked.

What surprised Arran the most was the muscular man. His defense was so sturdy that he seemed to just shrug off the attacks of his opponent and just let them land on his body. There was no visible damage done to him and he seemed to leisurely take the hits. The most impressive thing was that when he decides to counter attack, his offense was also as shocking as his defense. At that moment, his attacks were so fast that Arran could only see a shadowy trail, and his opponent would have to hurriedly evade. They were simple but deadly.

As the fight went on, Arran could see that due to their opposing fighting styles, they were evenly matched and that they currently had no way to deal with the other. Unless they were willing to pay a heavy price in order to deal with the other, this fight would only boil down to one of endurance where the one who could last until the end wins.

As he was watching the fight while getting immersed in the hot-blooded atmosphere that permeated the entire crowd, no one paid any attention to him and Commander Margo and she did not take the initiative to announce her presence.

It was not known where it came from, but there was a loud shout that reverberated everywhere and interrupted the battle.

Immediately, as if a loud gunshot had been let loose in a marketplace, everywhere became silent and as one, the whole crowd banged their feet together and saluted.

The sound of their feet coming together and the way they all moved like everyone was of one body, made Arran's blood boil and his heart quicken. He was reminded of the time when he first participated in a war as a young boy not more than ten years old, between the local militia of a third world country back on earth.

That was the first time he saw the horrors of war. The sight of blood, the feeling of taking a life as you watch them die before your eyes, Arran was reminded of that feeling and he felt his passion reignited as he yearned for the battlefield.

Unknowingly, his bloodlust that he had cultivated in the battlefield leaked out at that moment and it drew the gaze of Commander Margo and the attention of all those present.

It was not until he suppressed that feeling that he noticed he was the center of attention right now.

Looking at all the eyes that were staring at him, he returned the looks stoically and ran his gaze through the crowd quickly, it was then that he saw her.

Those eyes that he had been dreaming of for some time now and would not forget anytime soon. They stared at each other for some time and it was not until the voice from the previous time sounded again that their gaze broke and they came to themselves.

Like the voice had just remembered that it had to give orders, it said loudly, "all cadets, officer in our midst, salute!"

Once again, everybody moved as one and this time they got on one knee and raised one hand in a fist to rest on their chests while looking up towards Arran and Commander Margo.

Seeing this, Arran decisively took a step back and stood behind Commander Margo as he knew that this salute was meant for her. This was when he caught sight of a woman that was in the crowd. She was the only one there who was not kneeling and as such, she was very eye-catching amongst everyone there.

Seeing everybody kneeling and saluting to her, Commander Margo was very cool about it, like it was a very common thing for her and she only nodded.

Not paying any mind to them, she simply said, "at ease cadets."

Hearing this, everybody stood up and no longer looked towards her. Instead, their eyes shifted to look at Arran.