Kyrion kept moving forward, a faint smile spreading across his face as sparks of lightning coiled around his legs. Before Fenva could even react, Kyrion vanished from sight, a flash of blue light split the air, and then shhk! the blade was already buried deep in Fenva's chest.

Fenva froze, eyes wide in disbelief. What… how? How did he move that fast? he thought, blood dripping from his lips. He swung a punch at Kyrion, but Kyrion had already pulled the blade out and leapt back, moving faster than Fenva's eyes could track.

Lightning danced again, Kyrion dashed forward, his sword trailing arcs of electricity. Another slash, clang!, struck Fenva's ribs, sending him staggering back several steps. Gritting his teeth, Fenva raised a trembling hand, using his energy to stop the bleeding.

Then, with a growl, he lunged again and raised his leg to crush Kyrion. Kyrion met him head on, his blade flashing upward. Slash! The sword tore through Fenva's leg, slicing clean through flesh and muscle, but stopped at the bone.

Fenva stumbled back, his eyes burning with disbelief. "What… what is this? You've gotten stronger, that sword, it's cutting through my body like it's nothing." He clenched his fists, trembling with fury. "It couldn't cut through my leg bone, but it pierced my chest like it was paper. I have to end this, now."

His aura flared like a storm, shaking the entire arena as both fighters locked eyes, lightning against raw, monstrous power.

Fenva was about to move, his muscles tensed, his aura rising, but Kyrion moved first.

The crowd didn't even see it happen. All they saw was blood spraying across the arena, and then silence. Kyrion had already struck.

Then it happened again, faster than before. Kyrion blurred out of sight, a streak of lightning carving through the air. He appeared beside Fenva, his blade flashing again and again. Fenva tried to follow his movements, but he couldn't.

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty deep cuts appeared across Fenva's body. Blood dripped from every wound as Kyrion slid backward, sword still humming with energy.

"What the hell is happening?" Fenva gasped, his breathing ragged. "How is he this fast? How is he doing this?"

He staggered, his body trembling from blood loss and pain. "I can't win like this… No. Losing, losing is worse than dying. I can't lose. I won't."

Raising his arm, he forced his energy through his veins. The bleeding slowed, but the pain didn't stop, every nerve in his body screamed.

Then Kyrion vanished again.

Fenva couldn't see him. He could only feel the pressure closing in. In desperation, he raised his fist and slammed it into the ground with all his strength.

BOOM!

The entire arena shattered. The ground split apart and chunks of stone shot into the air. One of them hurled Kyrion upward, the speed alone launching him high above the battlefield.

Fenva leaped after him, his body glowing with energy. As he reached Kyrion midair, he threw a massive punch, BOOM!, driving Kyrion back down to the ground. The impact shook the arena once more.

Without stopping, Fenva charged again. He landed, dust exploding beneath his feet, and swung a second punch with all his might,

But Kyrion wasn't there.

Fenva's eyes widened. "What,"

Behind him, lightning cracked.

Kyrion appeared in an instant, blade raised, and slash! cut deep across Fenva's back.

Fenva roared in pain, blood bursting from the wound as the crowd gasped, unable to keep up with what was happening.

"What's happening to me? This… this is something I've never felt before," Kyrion said, his voice trembling with disbelief. "In my entire life… this is absolute shame."

He pressed his hand against his body, feeling the deep ache in his core. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his expression cold, unreadable.

As soon as Kyrion stood, Fenva moved, but Kyrion was faster.

BAM!

Kyrion's foot crashed into Fenva's face. But Fenva didn't even flinch. He grabbed for Kyrion's leg, but Kyrion vanished, leaving only a blur of afterimages.

Then came a barrage.

Fists rained down like a storm.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Kyrion's punches struck relentlessly, every hit exploding with lightning. Fenva tried to counter, tried to swing, but Kyrion was everywhere at once.

And then Kyrion changed his target.

He stopped striking Fenva's face and began attacking the open wounds, the deep cuts he had already inflicted.

Every punch hit those injuries directly.

"Gah!" Fenva staggered backward, his body trembling under the pain. He raised his leg and swung with all his might, but Kyrion slipped under it like a flash of lightning.

Then,

KRRSH!

Kyrion's sword pierced straight through Fenva's stomach. The blade sliced out through his back, blood dripping from both sides.

Fenva's eyes widened. He could feel his strength leaving his body. He turned toward the crowd, panting heavily, his vision blurring.

"I'm… going to lose this fight," he thought. "If I die here, it means nothing. I need to get stronger. I have to train… harder."

He slowly raised his trembling hand.

"I surrender," he said weakly.

The emissary's voice echoed across the silent arena.

"Stop! The match ends here! Kyrion wins!"

Kyrion pulled his sword free from Fenva's stomach, blood spraying across the cracked arena floor. The crowd erupted in a mix of awe and fear, chanting the name of the victor,

"Kyrion! Kyrion! Kyrion!"

"Wow! That was an outstanding match, everyone!" the emissary shouted.

The arena erupted in thunderous cheers, the crowd standing on their feet, screaming and clapping.

"Yeah! That was incredible!" voices echoed from every corner of the stands.

The emissary raised his hand, his voice booming through the wind crystal. "Now then… we have only three fighters left!"

The audience leaned forward, eager to hear the names.

"The remaining participants are, Celia, Nolan Thorne, and Kyrion!"

A new wave of excitement rippled through the arena.

"But," the emissary continued, "since Nolan and Celia are from the same group, one of them must fight, and the other must forfeit."

The crowd began murmuring restlessly, anticipation mixing with confusion.

Then, a tall man approached from behind and whispered something into the emissary's ear. The emissary's eyes widened slightly as he nodded.

"Well," he said, turning back to the crowd, "it appears we have an update. Celia has decided to disqualify herself."

A collective gasp filled the arena.

"What? She gave up?" someone shouted.

"No way! She was one of the strongest!" another yelled.

The emissary raised his voice, echoing across the coliseum.

"That means the final match will now be between Kyrion and Nolan Thorne!"

The crowd exploded in excitement.

"But!" the emissary added, "since Kyrion just finished an intense battle, the final match will take place tomorrow. And after that, the winner will face the Champion of the Empire, Luthar!"

The entire arena shook from the roaring chants that followed.

"Tomorrow's going to be insane!" someone said.

"Yeah, Kyrion's power is unreal. Did you see how fast he moved against Fenva?"

"You're right," another replied, "but Nolan's no joke either. That guy's got skill."

"Still," another added, "that girl Celia, she could've made it to the finals if she didn't withdraw. Maybe she's hiding something."

The crowd's chant grew louder, echoing through the massive coliseum:

"Kyrion! Nolan! Kyrion! Nolan!"

Above the cheering masses, the sky began to darken with the evening sun, casting long shadows across the arena floor. Tomorrow, two warriors would clash, and the one who stood victorious would face Luthar himself.

The next battle would decide not just strength, but destiny.

"Good, it's finally happening," Nolan said, voice low and steady. "After I beat Kyrion, I'll face Luthar. I'll make him pay for what he did to Cynthia. The court's corruption ends with me. Tomorrow decides everything."

"Yes, Master, I can't wait," Linda replied, eyes shining. "I know you'll beat Kyrion."

Nolan gave a small, confident smile. "Don't be so sure about me, Lina. Be sure about yourself. You'll do fine."

Linda's grin hardened. "Of course I will. There's no doubt."

She hesitated, then asked the question that had been on everyone's lips. "Master, what about his ability? That life consume thing. He heals himself, stitches his wounds back together… how will you stop that?"

Nolan's expression went serious. "You'll see tomorrow. It doesn't matter how well he patches himself up, if I injure him the right way, he won't get the chance to recover. That's the plan."

The room fell quiet for a beat as each of them imagined the fight to come, steel, speed, and something darker beneath Kyrion's smiles. Outside, the arena lights burned like a promise: tomorrow everything would change.

Kyrion then turned, looking at Nolan when Nolan was standing up. He smiled at Nolan as he raised his blade, which was filled with blood. As he pointed it toward Nolan, they walked out of the arena. Fenva, who was kneeling on the ground in pain, saw two healers come forward to heal him.

He stood up and said, "I'm fine," Fenva said. The bleeding stopped, but the injury wasn't closed. He felt very ashamed as he walked out of the arena.

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