For a few moments, Emery saw a hint of irritation and disappointment on Zach's face when he announced his decision. However, they quickly disappeared as the dragon protege gave a slight nod of respect before turning around and leaving.
With their duel finally over and the outcome revealed, the crowd began fervently cheering. While it indeed ended as most of them initially expected, the battle itself far exceeded their imaginations.
Meanwhile, Emery noticed his friends running toward him a distance away.
"Aaaargh, that's too bad! Why! Why!? Just one gladiator punch and that lizard would have popped!" Thrax shouted as he hastily closed the distance between the two. Oddly enough, even though Emery was the one who lost, the gladiator seemed to be even more annoyed than him.
However, as soon as Thrax finished speaking, Emery's legs finally gave out. Fortunately, he reacted just in time and managed to use his sword to help him stand.
