Inside the gladiator arena.
A red-skinned female warrior fought fiercely with another warrior.
A black helmet trimmed with gold sat on her head. On both sides of the helmet were raised, flattened horn-like spikes.
Beneath her golden armor was a black underlayer, and a brown-gray fur skirt-plate was tied at her waist, making her look even more valiant and extraordinary.
But that still wasn't the most astonishing thing about the Red Wind Queen.
Because she had two pairs of eyes, and four arms.
If Bant were here, he would immediately recognize the true identity of this overwhelmingly powerful warrior: a female Tetramand, princess of the Red Wind Empire, Ruma.
Not long ago, Princess Ruma arrived in this strange place, and the one who found her back then was also Valkyrie.
After fighting Valkyrie and winning, Ruma finally learned information about this planet.
So, as a Tetramand princess who thirsted for combat, she didn't hesitate. She went straight to the Red King and volunteered to serve as a warrior in the arena, fighting all kinds of different opponents.
Female Tetramands were superior to males in physical ability. With overwhelming strength and outstanding combat skill, Ruma quickly became the champion, and everyone began calling her the Red Wind Queen.
At this moment, Red King An-Mo A-Shan sat high at the top of the arena, enjoying this performance that belonged to the Red Wind Queen.
In truth, the first time he saw Ruma, he fell under her spell.
Princess Ruma possessed tremendous strength and terrifying power, yet her body wasn't bloated and ugly like the Hulk and other brute-type warriors.
On the contrary, she was solid yet slender, and within that powerful physique, a beautiful radiance seemed to burst forth.
However, Ruma didn't think much of the Red King at all.
This brutal ruler of Sakaar didn't have power that was worth even a second glance from her.
The only reason he could establish his rule was because he controlled powerful technology.
The Red King used neurotoxin to control the gladiators he enslaved, while using other technological weapons and armies to suppress Sakaar's native inhabitants.
Of course, he would sometimes enter the arena himself to slaughter a few opponents and show off his authority and "martial might", but that only made Ruma despise him even more.
Because whenever the Red King stepped into the arena, he was fully armed, wearing a high-tech exoskeleton that granted him great strength, while he himself hid behind armor and strutted about.
In Ruma's eyes, that was the behavior of a coward.
The Red King was no gentleman. He originally wanted to control Ruma with neurotoxin the same way he controlled other fighters, but Tetramand skin was harder than rock, tough enough to protect against flame and lasers.
Those neurotoxins barely worked on Ruma, and instead caused the Red King to suffer for it.
In anger, Ruma nearly tore the Red King's exoskeleton apart with her bare hands.
After that, the Red King no longer dared entertain any wicked thoughts toward her.
Fortunately, Ruma loved fighting. Life in the arena suited her perfectly. She didn't leave. As the Red Wind Queen, she continued to defeat challengers again and again.
Sadly, warriors strong enough to reach her were extremely rare.
And today, one finally had.
Boom!
Ruma threw a powerful punch. A sonic boom exploded, and the shockwave shattered the ground beneath their feet.
Then the two fighters separated at high speed.
Ruma lifted her chin proudly and stared at the opposing warrior, a brutal-looking figure with tan-yellow skin and a face that bulged and jutted grotesquely.
"You're not bad. State your name."
That warrior had clearly survived an extremely brutal path just to stand before Ruma. Right now, he was covered in wounds, his expression exhausted.
Yet his pale eyes didn't waver in the slightest.
He raised his weapon high and shouted, "I am a warrior of Korbin, Beta Ray Bill!"
"Very good, Beta Ray Bill!" Ruma nodded seriously, fully expressing her recognition of this warrior. Then she raised all four arms and roared aloud.
"I am the Queen of the Tetramands, commander of the Red Wind army, the Red Wind Queen, Ruma the First!"
Her voice echoed through the arena. The audience who heard her erupted into synchronized cheers, releasing large clouds of red smoke. They shouted Ruma's name, wave after wave of sound rising higher and higher.
"Red Wind Queen!"
"Red Wind Queen!"
"…"
Those cries seemed to form a massive ring, swelling into an arena even grander than the totem tower itself. Countless lights converged upon her!
High above, the Red King stared in obsession and sighed in awe. "How moving…"
Then his expression darkened. "I will have you, Ruma!"
On the dueling ground, the outcome was decided.
"Don't let him die."
The unconscious Bill was dragged away by two armored Sakaarans. Ruma, voice still full and powerful, gave that instruction. Then she raised her arms and basked in the cheers of victory for a while before striding away.
For her, an enemy as strong as Bill wasn't something she encountered often.
A feast ended.
The audience inside the arena began to file out one after another.
At the same time, the Red King immediately rose from his seat. He wanted to rush to Ruma and ingratiate himself, but just then Caiera contacted him.
"Your Majesty, Scrapper 142 has brought two more fighters."
"Oh?"
The Red King's interest instantly rose.
Ever since Valkyrie brought Ruma into the arena, the Red King had greatly valued this scrapper's ability.
Countless tons of garbage fell onto Sakaar every day, but not many people could truly find good things among it.
Many Sakaaran natives didn't recognize value, or even if they discovered a powerful warrior, they didn't have the ability to subdue them.
"It seems one of them has an unusual身份," Caiera emphasized again.
That made the Red King even more interested in Bant and Loki.
He glanced at the guards and attendants behind him and said, "Come. Let's go see my new slaves!"
Soon, the Red King arrived with a large entourage, and Bant finally saw the true ruler of Sakaar.
He had red skin, a thin body, a long face, and a permanently annoying arrogance stamped across his features.
"Scrapper 142, what surprise have you brought me this time?" he demanded like a monarch the moment he drew close. His gaze swept over Bant and Loki, then settled on Loki.
For the races of the universe, it was easy to tell that Loki's clothing was not ordinary. In comparison, Bant's clothes looked neat, but not presentable.
Valkyrie grabbed Loki by the shoulder and yanked him forward, dragging him to the Red King's face. With a showman's tone, she presented him like merchandise.
"An Asgardian, and a noble prince!"
Loki glared at her in fury, but in the end he still didn't say anything.
"Oh? A prince of the Aesir?" The Red King truly looked surprised.
Across the universe, who hadn't heard of the Realm Eternal?
To be honest, it was precisely because the Red King knew Valkyrie was from Asgard that he allowed her to move freely on Sakaar. Otherwise, as an outsider, she would have ended up thrown into the arena as well.
So the Red King completely ignored Bant. He circled Loki, sizing up the fallen Asgardian prince from head to toe.
Loki couldn't stand that gaze. He immediately mocked him.
"What are you staring at, you trash who crowns himself king in a garbage heap? Now that you know I'm an Asgardian prince, release me at once! Or do you want to bear Asgard's wrath!"
Those words angered the Red King.
He had been hesitating about whether to buy Loki at all, but now he made up his mind. His twisted features tightened together as he snarled, "Do you know what I like most?"
"Caiera, punch a chain through his collarbone. Next match, send him in!"
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