The smoke still drifted across the cracked platform, curling in thin ribbons that shimmered with leftover mana. The crowd's roar had not yet died when the next clash drew their eyes — Team Two and Team Four were still locked in combat. The atmosphere quivered with sound: metal striking stone, mana bursting in waves, and the sharp thuds of bodies hitting the ground.

Avin leaned forward again, eyes glinting faintly red beneath the sunlight. "They're still at it."

Henry folded his arms. "Yeah. Look — it's turning."

Down below, the Transportation Device still hummed faintly, runes flickering across its surface like dying embers. Around it, chaos reigned.

Team Two's archers were positioned high on the left edge of the platform, each one firing glowing projectiles that curved and bent midair. Team Four's magicians countered with walls of light and refracted energy, the shields forming and dissolving faster than Avin could count. The air shimmered like heat over metal — each exchange blinding and fast.

The swordsman of Team Four — the same one who'd planted the device — was now in the thick of it. He darted through the storm, clashing with Team Two's spearman whose weapon gleamed with etched blue runes. Each clash cracked the air; sparks burst outward in arcs of white light.

The swordsman's movements were slick, built on finesse and misdirection. But Team Two's fighter had brute stability — each spear thrust came with thunder behind it. When the blade met the haft, the ground beneath them shook.

For a moment, it looked even.

Then one of Team Two's magicians raised his staff. The crystal at the top pulsed, then shattered, releasing a beam of compressed wind. It screeched through the coliseum, hitting the spearman and the swordsman both. The explosion of air flung them back several meters.

"Damn," Avin muttered. "That's reckless."

Henry smirked. "Effective, though."

The swordsman was first to rise, his left arm bent wrong, but he still lifted his sword with his right. His blade pulsed faintly red as he charged again.

Team Two's mage began chanting — too slow.

The swordsman closed in, blade dragging low — but then a shadow crossed the platform.

It was the second archer from Team Two, repositioned to flank. His arrow shone bright green, a spiral of wind twisting around the shaft. He released.

Thwip.

The arrow pierced through the swordsman's guard and hit his chest plate square. The impact unleashed a concussive blast of air that threw him clear off the platform.

"TEAM FOUR — ONE MEMBER ELIMINATED!"

The coliseum erupted in noise.

But Team Four's magicians didn't flinch. The three remaining synchronized instantly, forming a triangle and raising their staves. Rings of arcane light encircled them, the symbols complex and shifting.

"Uh-oh," Henry said.

"What?" Avin asked, eyes narrowing.

"Tri-caster formation — high-tier synchronization spell. One mind, three conduits."

The floor beneath them began to vibrate. The runes from their circle spread outward, glowing purple and gold until the entire corner of the platform lit up. In unison, they raised their staffs.

Then came the burst — a storm of violet lightning that stretched across the field, connecting to every metal weapon within range.

Screams erupted as blades shocked their holders. Sparks flew from armor, energy jumping from one person to another like wildfire.

Team Two's spearman gritted his teeth, jamming his weapon into the ground and forcing his mana through it to insulate himself. The mages stumbled, one collapsing. The archers dove for cover, rolling across the cracked surface.

Avin winced at the sight. "They're frying them alive."

Henry nodded. "They're overusing mana — they'll burn out fast."

And he was right. The glow around Team Four's magicians began to flicker. Their synchronization faltered, one of them dropping to a knee, smoke rising from his palm where the staff handle had scorched him. Another's nose bled as the mana backlash caught up.

Then the ground shifted.

The Heavy Knight of Team One — who had remained still all this while, watching from his side of the arena — moved.

He slammed his greatsword into the ground beside him and stomped once. The sound thundered through the coliseum.

Everyone turned.

Even the announcer hesitated before shouting, "TEAM ONE — ENTERS THE ARENA!"

The mage of Team One raised a hand, murmuring something to the Martial Artist beside her. He nodded once. His body loosened, shoulders rolling, a grin playing on his lips.

They advanced.

The remaining members of Team One — the mage, the archer, the light-armored swordsman, the martial artist, and the heavy knight — stepped forward onto the secondary platform where Team Two and Four battled. The crowd's cheers merged into one deafening wall of sound.

Avin's eyes glowed slightly brighter. "Now this… this'll be good."

The transition was almost seamless — Team Two barely had time to brace before the heavy knight's greatsword was already descending.

BOOM!

The strike hit between both teams. A crater exploded outward, the shockwave toppling three people at once — two from Team Two, one from Team Four. The noise was so loud that the audience closest to the platform covered their ears.

"HE'S NOT EVEN AIMING!" Henry shouted, laughing.

Avin's grin returned. "He doesn't have to."

The martial artist leapt in right behind the knight, fist cocked. He hit the ground with enough force to send a ripple under the feet of his enemies. The ripple shot upward like a burst of compressed energy, throwing two magicians off balance. Before they could recover, the martial artist spun low, his heel catching one in the jaw — a clean upward arc that shattered the man's focus and sent him sprawling.

The mage from Team Four tried to counter — mana forming into a projectile — but the Heavy Knight's sword swung sideways, breaking through the spell mid-formation. The sphere of energy detonated prematurely, bursting in a harmless flash.

From the left flank, Team Two's spearman came in again, weapon charged with runic force. He drove the point toward the Heavy Knight's ribs.

Clang!

The spear struck — and stopped. The runes along it flickered and died.

The knight's armor had absorbed the mana flow completely.

The Heavy Knight grinned under his helm. "Nice try."

He grabbed the spear with one hand and yanked it, pulling the spearman forward — right into a knee strike that lifted him off the ground. The man fell limp before he even hit the floor.

"TEAM TWO — MEMBER DOWN!"

The coliseum howled.

Team One pressed harder. The martial artist was now fighting two opponents at once — one archer and one mage — and he wasn't backing down. His fists blurred, intercepting arrows midair, each punch producing a gust of wind as mana reinforced his strikes.

When an arrow got too close, he deflected it with his palm, twisting his wrist to redirect its path straight into the ground.

The mage tried to cast, but his chant was cut short by a kick to the abdomen. The impact folded him over with a wheeze.

The martial artist exhaled, stepped forward, and delivered a backfist that snapped the mage's head sideways and launched him off the platform.

"TEAM FOUR — TWO REMAINING!"

The fight was dissolving fast. The two teams opposing them were breaking down, their coordination gone under the sheer force of Team One's advance.

Then, the light-armored swordsman of Team One fell. He tried to parry a downward slash from Team Two's remaining archer — who had drawn a short sword as backup — but the impact came at the wrong angle. The blade nicked through his armguard and sliced his shoulder. He grunted, dropping to a knee, and the next arrow sent him tumbling off the edge.

"TEAM ONE — MEMBER ELIMINATED!"

Avin squinted. "And now it's a proper fight."

The mage of Team One joined the fray, firing a beam of searing light that cut a clean line across the field. The remaining magicians of Team Four threw up barriers to block, but their weakened synchronization couldn't hold. The beam shattered through their shield like glass, knocking both out in an explosion of heat.

The arena trembled again.

Now, only three fighters remained against Team One: Team Two's surviving archer and mage, and one wounded magician from Team Four.

They stood side by side, breathing heavily, eyes darting between the Heavy Knight and the Martial Artist.

Avin tilted his head. "If they're smart, they'll yield."

"They won't," Henry said flatly.

He was right. The three survivors gathered their mana in desperation, forming one last combined attack — a storm of arrows, wind, and fire, all converging on the two standing titans.

The Martial Artist and the Heavy Knight didn't move.

They waited until the mana storm reached them — and then struck together.

The Heavy Knight brought his greatsword down with both hands, cleaving through the torrent like it was nothing but smoke. The Martial Artist followed through with a punch that cracked the air. The collision between their combined force and the spell created a dome of light that swallowed the entire arena.

The explosion was instant, deafening.

When the dust settled, only two figures remained standing — the knight, armor scorched but unmoving, and the martial artist, one hand still raised, steam rising off his forearm.

Silence fell over the arena for a heartbeat.

Then the announcer's amplified voice broke through the stillness — his magic circle sparking slightly as he shouted:

"TEAM ONE — VICTORY!"

The stands erupted.

Avin leaned back in his seat, a quiet smirk tugging at his lips. "Overpowering, huh?"

Henry nodded. "No strategy. Just monsters."

Avin exhaled through his nose, eyes still glowing faintly as he watched the two champions stand tall amid the ruin of the arena floor.

"Maybe that's the strategy," he said softly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.