338: Final Event

Final Event

Whispers incited amongst the crowd as they were all escorted by staff off of their gambling tables. They all wondered what this major event was, although they have been there for quite a while now, many of them were interested, especially those who were in extreme debt.  0

It did not take too long for the crowd to form and wait in front of the main stage. The lights then dimmed not allowing anything to be seen outside of one single area on the stage, and from the darkness emerged a man… The same man that came out when they first came in. 

"Greetings to you all! As you know by now, I am the mammon! I hope you all found it fair and enjoyed everything so far!" His elderly face smiled as he panned a look at all the people present. 

"From the looks on many of your faces, I assume that things didn't go as you wanted… There are actually more losers here than I expected… It's almost like there's someone hogging all the coins..." He laughed heartily to himself as his eyes naturally shifted towards one proud, smiling man whose bag of coins toppled all else, the crowd also doing the same. 

"Anyways." He closed his eyes and smiled, making everyone's attention go back on him. "The starting events may be over, but that doesn't mean you won't have any chance to gain points… If anything, this might be your best chance yet! So, listen up all of you who are in debt! Everyone will be participating in this one!"

The silent crowd's gaze grew keener as some of them unconsciously leaned in closer.

"You see that big hole in the center of the room? Yeah! That's what we're gonna do! Hand to hand fight betting! You will either be a fighter, or you would bet on a winner! Simple is it not? And, to ensure this will all be fair, no abilities are allowed for obvious reasons, we don't want you to expose who you really are do we? And, power levels will be limited to a mere 5000! This will be a pure fight of skill! Before the match, each contestant will be asked with a lie detector whether or not he was ready, and afterwards, they will be asked if they tried their best to win or rigged it for profit. I guarantee you this will all be fair!"

He took a small pause, noting down the reaction of the audience before he continued. 

"For the fighters that want to participate, unless you bet on yourself, you won't lose anything. BUT! If you win! You will be provided 10% of the total bets straight out of our pockets! We will allow 8 people! So! Who wants to join!? Please raise your hand up high and you will be escorted by a staff member to a waiting room to await your fight!"

"..."

The air was cold, and no word was spoken as everyone was deep in thought. Especially Moby. 

That was when someone broke the ice and raised his hands. 

"Me! I'll do it!"

"Great!" The mammon beamed. "Staff, please escort him to his room!" He spoke as several staff members showed him the way down a distinct set of stairs. 

"I'll do it!"

"Yeah! Count me in too!" 

After the initial spark, several people decided to follow in their footsteps and people began signing up at a much faster rate, most of them being the less fortunate of people.

'Do I really need any more coins? Is this worth the risk!?" Moby thought deeply to himself. 

Even in a situation like this, he had a major advantage. Not only was his martial arts superior to everyone else there, but he also had access to his demon powers, though keeping them hidden in such a well-watched environment may prove to be a challenge.

It was tough, but in the end, he came to a decision… 

"Hey, Mammon! I'll join too and bet everything on myself!" The entire crowd gasped at once and lost their collective minds, staring at him with eyes that were about to fall out of their sockets. Many whispers immediately incited.

He was so rich… Any man would have just settled on what he had… But, he wanted even more… This was no longer a game of luck, was that man truly that powerful!?

"HAHAHAHA!" The mammon could not help but break out laughing. "You know! I like you kid! Not many people are that daring! I guess that's how you got this far right? This is what separates the strong from the chaff! Staff! Please escort this man to his waiting room!"

"Hey… Joker… Please be careful… He heard a voice from beside him, making him turn around and smile.

"Don't worry, I'll be more than fine," 

That was when his eyes laid upon Regrit, his hands were tightly clenched, and he could not help but find it to be somewhat odd…  He was either imagining things or there was a nearly invisible twitchy smile on his face. 

"Hey, Fox, you not gonna even try to stop me?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Eh, I don't care anymore… It's not worth the stress and I know you're not gonna listen anyways. I'd rather keep my hair far away from any gray thank you very much! I'm gonna go to the washroom, maybe relax and take a nap as I shit… Who knows… I'll just leave things up to you… Good luck!" He waved him off as he walked away from the crowds, on his way to the washroom. 

Moby could not help but sigh at the sight, and not too long after, he saw two figures standing in front of him, one man and one woman of average stature. 

"Please follow us! We'll lead the way!" They bowed their head slightly before turning around. 

"Okay, thank you," He walked behind them towards those same stairs…

"Good Luck!! I already know you will win!"

  That was when he heard Hikari's final words of encouragement, making him turn around to see her waving at him.

"Sure will…" He smiled back as he walked down the stairs below. 

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