Chapter 800: Opponent
The previous battles had all been arranged by the arena long ago. To ensure that the final battle’s excitement and popularity could be kept up, the most powerful gladiators would not meet during the early phase of the battle. But now, Zhang Heng had appeared in from of the audience while they were cheering for him. It also brought out a new problem. His opponent hadn’t yet been decided. The organizer did not know what to do at a time like this. Zhang Heng, however, walked to the judge and talked to him, to which the latter looked very surprised. He repeatedly asked, “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I won’t play around with my life,” Zhang Heng said.
The judge then hurriedly told Zhang Heng’s proposal to Commodus in the front row. And the young emperor also had a strange look on his face when he heard what Zhang Heng said, “He said that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I asked him twice.” The judge affirmed.
Commodus thought for a while, “Then we should trust him. He is a man who can always perform miracles, and I think this time is no exception.”
Commodus gave the order, and soon, more and more people in the stands knew which opponent Zhang Heng would face in the next battle.
The results shocked the audience, especially when they saw Zhang Heng handing over his two Persian swords. They started a fervent whispering to each other. Although Zhang Heng had presented overwhelming strength in the previous battle, not many people were optimistic about his next. Considering the opponent that he was going to face, his fighting skills, strength, and speed would not give him an advantage in this battle. And the worst part was that he actually planned to fight his enemy with his bare hands.
Of course, this was just what the audience thought about him. Not planning to use any weapons, Zhang Heng, who proposed this fight, did not feel that his decision would cost him his life. The only item that he requested was only a rope.
He first tested the strength of the rope before tying it into a knot to make a noose. He felt like he was back in the 19th century wild west of the United States with the lasso across his shoulder.
Next, his opponent was released from the cage.
He was met with a full-grown adult bison. With a length of more than two meters and a weight of around one ton, it was no wonder the audience thought Zhang Heng couldn’t win this battle. With its weight, it was impossible for a regular human to stop its attack. If it did run into someone, the poor soul’s bones would probably be crushed and shattered.
Moreover, the bison’s skin was thick and tough, and its pair of horns was almost indestructible. If it felt that a group of lions threatened its life, the bison would risk its life to fight against the lions. A lot of times, when a pride of lions went on a hunt, the bison would plant its tusks into the lion’s stomach and kill it on the spot.
Reality was different from the movies. In reality, gladiators and beastmasters were two completely different professions. Under normal circumstances, the two professions would not exchange opponents. The fighting skills that a gladiator learned and trained for were used to deal with another gladiator, which also meant they had never learned how to deal with beasts. On the other hand, the same applied to the beastmasters as well. These two professions would never cross paths with each other.
That was why the judge was taken aback when he heard that Zhang Heng was about to challenge the bison. After that, the judge got even more shocked when he heard that Zhang Heng did not need any weapons other than a strong rope. The audience in the stands could not imagine how he was going to defeat the bison. With his fists and teeth?
But just when everyone was puzzled, the battle had already begun. The beastmaster poked a sharpened rod into the bison to provoke it. Immediately, the bison locked on Zhang Heng with its pair of big copper bell-like eyes. After that, the bison lowered his head and revealed the deadliest weapon on its head before rushing toward Zhang Heng.
On the other hand, Zhang Heng did not rush to throw the lasso at the bison.
When he was a cowboy, he tended to many bulls and had dealt with many disobedient ones. However, this was his first time dealing with such a large bovine, and there was no horse for him to ride either, so he had to be more cautious. Fortunately, the method that one used to capture a bison was the same method used to tame a bull. All the experience that he had accumulated earlier could be put to use right now. Zhang Heng did not rush to lasso it because the beast was so powerful that even if the lasso landed on its neck accurately, Zhang Heng would probably be the one that dragged around.
So he chose to dodge the bison’s attack for the time being. He rolled on the ground to avoid the bison’s tackle. However, the bison had locked on to him, and it was determined to kill Zhang Heng. Once it realized that it missed, it quickly turned around and ran towards Zhang Heng’s back, seeming as if it was ready to deal a lethal blow.
Seeing that the bison was less than half a meter away from Zhang Heng, the audience began to worry about him. And Queen Christina could not bear to watch the performance anymore. She quickly plunged her head into her husband’s arms. Commodus’s heart sank. Although he said he wanted to believe in Zhang Heng, he was also skeptical about dealing with the bison empty-handed. Seeing that Zhang Heng’s life was at stake, he could not help but suspect that the gladiator would meet his end here.
It would be a pity if this oriental man really lost his life here. Commodus had started to like Zhang Heng, and he wanted to look for an opportunity to chat with the latter. After the previous battle, Zhang Heng’s odds soared in the betting business. It meant that everyone was very optimistic that he would win the championship. If his arrogance caused him to lose his life here and failed to join the final battle, his flawless victory in the first round of his battle would become a joke.
Pompeo Nuss, on the other side, also shook his head while watching and said to his wife, “It seems like your five thousand gold coins are about to disappear soon. How are you holding up? Is your private money enough to pay for the loan? Do you need me to help you to pay some of it first?”
“What a caring man.” Lucilla smiled upon hearing this, “but the battle is not over yet, isn’t it?”
As if he had a pair of ears growing behind his head, Zhang Heng knew what was going on behind his back. Instead of looking back, he moved a little to the left and dodged the brutal sneak attack. The two sharp horns touched his arms, and the bison would plant them into Zhang Heng’s body if he made the wrong move. After that, Zhang Heng did something so crazy that no one had expected.
Soon after he had escaped death’s claws, he took the initiative to reach out to grab a horn and lightly tapped his toes on the ground. The next moment he leaped onto the back of the bison, and there was a burst of applause from the stands. The audience was shocked, bewildered by what they saw.
However, Zhang Heng’s plan also fell through. The bison’s back was so bumpy that he could not string the lasso around its neck. After that, the bison charged at the rope net at the edge of the arena, trying to throw Zhang Heng off his back. Fortunately, Zhang Heng managed to figure out its intention in time. Leaving with no other option, he had to jump down from the bison’s back, roll on around and escaped another round of trampling.