Chapter 270 Dance of Dragons

A section of the Great Hall was cleared to build a fighting circle. Tristan Salvatore stood at the center, looking like a heroic prince from the Georgian era. Someone entered the arena and stood opposite him. It was Sir Gideon Whitehall's champion—a hulking kickboxer named Ivan "The Hammer" Sokolov. His shaved head gleamed, and his muscles rippled under a black shirt with gothic prints. The herald's voice cut through the din. "First challenger: Sir Gideon's champion, The Hammer!" The crowd exploded. "Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!" they chanted, pumping their fists. Apparently, this man was quite popular as a pit fighter. Elites often participated in illegal underground battles. Ivan was an undefeated champion in those and had a reputation for killing his opponents with his bare hands. He grinned, cracking his knuckles with a sound like snapping twigs. "Poor little imposter," he sneered in a thick Russian accent. "I'll break you in half!" The onlookers jeered, a few casting pitying glances at