"Dang!" Artemis and Cabal intersected with their swords and shields, and both of them pushed each other backwards with force at the same time, while jumping backwards with their own strength. Artemis crouched slightly, staring at her opponent, gasping violently, and a wave of emotion in her heart.

Spartans were generally in good health, and they were discharged from the army after the age of 60, but they were still in reserve, and as long as they could survive the war and there were no major injuries, Spartan men could easily live past the age of 60, and women lived a little longer.

Artemis was in his early 40s, and for the Spartans, he was still in the prime of life, but the long years of slavery had weakened his health, and the physical requirements of the gladiator profession were too high, in fact, the age of about 24-34 was the golden age of gladiators.

Cabal is a champion gladiator at the peak of his skills and physical strength around 30 years old, if it was 10 years ago, Artemis thought that he would not lose to Cabal, and even had a slight advantage, but now he can't. Artemis wanted to wound Cabal as soon as he could, while he still had enough strength, to make him bleed first, and then to fight Cabal so that he could be confident of victory.

However, Cabal was cunning, and while using Artemis to leave a wound on his body, he also gave Artemis a blow on the shoulder, and as a result, both began to bleed at the same time, which was even more detrimental to Artemis. Even though it's just an exhibition match, it's clear that neither of them wants to lose, which is why the exhibition match doesn't use two championship gladiators.

Of course, the two champion gladiators were technically more in control of the game and would not be disproportionate, but the champion gladiators were both arrogant, and no one would voluntarily give up conceding. On the one hand, it is because both sides are competitive, and on the other hand, because if you lose, the champion is no longer the champion, and you lose your great fame and the privileges of the champion gladiator.

There was once a gladiator school owner, in order to please the nobility, to let two champion gladiators with similar skills and physical strength compete in exhibition matches. For the sake of the excitement of the game, the two champion gladiators did not kill their companions, but kept bleeding each other, hoping that one of them would not be able to support the fall, and the result was that when the two champion gladiators fell at the same time, the other could not support it and fell, and both were bled to death.

The gladiator school lost two champion gladiators at once, and its grades plummeted, and he was soon eliminated from the circle of gladiator schools. That's why Lucius would praise Bardachus when he saw that he was sending Artemis and Cabal off at the same time, saying that he was generous, and that this kind of game was obviously evenly matched, very exciting, but it would also cost a lot.

The two people on the stone platform had been fighting for nearly half an hour, although the time was a bit long, but the cheering of the nobles had not diminished in the slightest. On the one hand, because the gladiatorial performance was really exciting, and on the other hand, because Artemis and Cabal were both covered in blood, and the thick smell of blood in the courtyard stimulated everyone to accelerate the secretion of adrenaline hormones, which exacerbated the mood swings.

"Dang!" Artemis and Cabal intersected with their swords again, and both of them had already been knocked out by the other party, and now they would open a bloody wound on their opponent every turn.

The two of them followed their opponent's strength, and at the same time, their short swords slashed towards each other's bodies. However, at this time, Artemis's eyes darkened, and he raised his dagger slightly, staggering Cabal's body. Cabal's eyes flashed, and his haughty heart felt guilty, knowing that the aged Artemis had made a deliberate mistake and chose to let him win.

Suppressing his excitement, Cabal swung his dagger, and the blade that had been facing Artemis turned into a spine and slammed into Artemeter's knee. Artemis also took advantage of the situation and fell to the ground on one knee, and Cabal immediately turned around and pressed Artemis on the shoulder with one hand, and raised his short sword with the other, the tip of which was aimed at the intersection of Artemis' neck and collarbone, and then looked up at the nobles.

"Bang Bang!" The courtyard resounded with a rain of applause, and the nobles did not skimp on their applause for the wonderful gladiatorial fight. Now that this gladiatorial fight has been carried out, there is only one last link left, and that is the host of the banquet to announce the end of the exhibition match, sparing the lives of the defeated gladiators. Although not being able to see the final death would make these nobles a little dissatisfied, after all, it was only an informal exhibition match.

"Bardax, I'm very satisfied with this gladiatorial show you arranged, and the final decision is up to you!" Lucius applauded happily, but politely returned the final decision to Bardax, a great nobleman like him who paid attention to etiquette and would not take the lead under normal circumstances, even if he had the right to do so.

"No, no, no, Governor Lucius, I said that today you are the master, and the final glory belongs to you!" Bardax smiled and flattered.

"Do you really want me to make the decision?" Lucius looked at Bardax a little strangely, and then looked at the nobles who had already begun to talk about it when they heard their conversation, and then leaned into Bardax's ear and whispered, "You know, if I make the decision, I must represent the opinion of most of the nobles present?" ”

"As you wish!" Bardax's eyes flashed, and he still smiled humbly.

After receiving a definite answer, Lucius glanced meaningfully at Bardax, turned to the two gladiators on the stone platform, who were still in execution positions, and gave a thumbs up, flipping and pressing down.

"Hmm!" The Roman nobles in the field gave their praises, the Romans admired force, although Artemis's gladiatorial performance made them admire, but it was just a slave, the Romans had no shortage of slave gladiators, they needed the bloody thrill of blood and death.

Cabal's pupils dilated instantly, and he watched Lucius's gesture in disbelief, as a champion gladiator who had taken the lives of his opponents countless times in the gladiatorial arena, he certainly understood what this meant. Cabal's heart twitched, his wheat-colored face turned purple, and he looked around like a lost child, looking for a companion to rely on.

Artemis, who was kneeling on one knee, of course, also saw Lucius's gesture, the scar on his face twitched slightly, and he observed the many guards surrounding the stone platform with the corner of his eye, and his expression regained his composure, and patted the back of Kabal's hand holding his shoulder, comforting his companion, and at the same time signaling him to move.

However, at this moment, Artemis's eyes flashed, his face turned angry, and he saw a person's unusual behavior from the opposite row of gladiators who did not participate in the gladiatorial fight.

(In fact, there are no ancient documents that prove that the thumb up and down gestures in the Colosseum determined the life and death of a gladiator.) Later writers made the mistake of mistranslating the Latin word "Polliceve" to describe the gesture of "death" in the gladiatorial arena

so", the word does not mean that the thumb is pointing down, but that turning the thumb is to turn in an uncertain direction. We don't know which direction to turn. The gesture that the audience wants to unleash the loser is "pollicecomp."

"esso" means to hide your thumb and let it disappear from view. That is to say, the audience stretched out their thumbs to kill him, and put away their thumbs to let him go. The reason for this is not difficult to understand, if the audience wants the sword in the winner's hand to be cut down, they will use their thumb to imitate the sword to stab out, and if the audience wants to spare the loser who showed valor in the fight, they imitate putting the sword away. This article is still so wrong according to the habit of the public. ）