"Today is the day," Sara said, her voice low. She watched the crowds pour into the massive arena. "The day Vell faces off against Rana. I know he is strong, but Rana is a different story. Even the guild masters fear her."

The morning air was heavy. Sara had come to the arena hours before the first match, but she had still struggled to find a good viewing spot. The normal seats had been claimed days in advance. Now, people were paying huge sums of money just for a place to stand in the packed aisles.

She knew why. For three years, no one had managed to put a single scratch on Rana's armor. The woman was not just a fighter, she was a legend. She only ever appeared in the arena when an opponent was deemed worthy, and even then, the fights were brief.

"Quite the turnout," a voice said next to her. It was Henry. He looked awful. His eyes had dark circles under them, and his guild uniform, usually perfect, was wrinkled.

"You look terrible," Sara stated.

He tried to smile, but it looked more like he was in pain. "I have not been sleeping well."

Before she could ask him more, the crowd went silent. The main arena doors were sliding open.

Rana entered the arena first. A familiar chill went through Sara as she watched. Rana's black armor seemed to absorb the light around it, and with each step, the joints of her suit made a soft whirring sound. She carried no weapon. The stories said she had killed a noble from a higher section to get that armor, but no one was brave enough to ask if it was true.

Sara had seen her fight twice. Both matches lasted less than one minute. Rana did not just beat her opponents, she broke them. Their bodies and their spirits were crushed by a power they could not understand.

"Three years," Henry muttered beside her, his voice quiet. "Three years, and not one defeat. They say even Guild Master Lyon backed down when she challenged him last winter."

The door on the opposite side of the arena opened, and Vell walked out. Sara leaned forward, her eyes locked on him. He was no longer acting like a clumsy rookie. He walked with a steady pace, his simple sword held loosely at his side. But there was something new about him, an eagerness in his posture that she had not seen before.

The air in the arena grew heavy as the two fighters took their positions. The quiet hum of Rana's armor was the only sound. Vell stood completely still, watching her with open interest.

"I have heard interesting things about you," Rana said. Her voice came through her helmet's respirator, making it sound mechanical and distorted. "They say you are not what you seem."

"Funny," Vell's voice was soft, but it carried across the silent arena. "I was about to say the same thing about you."

High above them, in the VIP section, the guild masters were watching. Sara could hear fragments of their hushed conversation on the wind.

"…should not have let it get this far…"

"…it is too late for that now…"

"…what if he actually wins this…"

The referee, a small man who looked terrified, raised his hand. The entire crowd seemed to be holding its breath.

"FIGHT!"

For a long moment, neither of them moved. They just stood there, studying each other. The air between them felt charged, like it was about to explode. Sara felt her hands start to sweat as she gripped the railing in front of her.

"Well?" Rana's mechanical voice asked. "Shall we begin?"

A small smile appeared on Vell's face. "Ladies first."

Rana moved. Her armor propelled her across the arena in an instant, faster than most of the people watching could even track. Her first punch could have broken stone.

But it hit nothing.

Vell was simply gone. He had not dodged, not in any way that Sara could see. One moment he was standing there, and the next, he was not.

"Interesting," his voice said from behind Rana. "That armor is faster than I expected."

She spun around, her next attack already moving. The ground cracked under her feet as she launched a combination of strikes that had ended many fights before. This time, Sara could just barely follow his movements. Vell was not just dodging, he was analyzing. He was testing her, learning her patterns with every strike she threw. His eyes tracked her every move with a chilling intensity.

The fight continued, a dance of attacks and evasions. Neither of them landed a clean hit, but Sara could feel the pressure in the arena building.

Then, Rana spoke again, and her voice had a new edge to it.

"Stop. Playing. Games."

The mechanical tone became sharper. The humming from her armor grew louder, and panels slid open, showing glowing patterns of light underneath.

"You want to see what this armor can really do?" The ground beneath her began to crack, the fractures spreading out like a spiderweb. "Fine."

The air pressure in the arena suddenly changed, and Sara's ears popped. Henry grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "We need to move."

"What? Why—"

An explosion of power from the arena cut her off. Rana's armor was now blazing with energy, the light so bright it was hard to look at. The protective barriers around the arena flickered, struggling to contain the power.

"Full Enhancement: Liberation," Rana's voice was no longer human, it was pure machine. Her armor shifted, expanding, pieces moving into new positions until it looked more like a monster than a suit of protection. "Show me what you are hiding."

Vell did not move, but his expression had changed. The casual look of interest was gone. "Finally getting serious?"

Her answer was to move. The ground where she stood exploded, unable to handle the force of her launch. Her fist shot forward, carrying the power of a cannonball.

This time, Vell moved to meet her.

The impact of their clash sent a shockwave through the entire arena. People who had not moved back were knocked off their feet. Sara held onto a pillar, forcing herself to keep watching.

Through the dust and flying debris, she saw something that made her blood run cold.

Vell had caught Rana's punch with his bare hand.

"Impossible," Rana's mechanical voice said, and for the first time, it cracked. "This armor can shatter mountains."

"Can it?" Vell's voice had changed too. It was not human anymore. "How disappointing."

His grip on her fist tightened. The sound of groaning metal filled the air.

"What… what are you?" Rana asked.

Vell smiled. "I have been so patient this past month, going along with this normal way of doing things, but you have no idea how pissed off I was. Losing on purpose made me want to kill everyone in this section, but I held back, for my family's sake." The color of his eyes changed as he activated his predator eyes skill.

"I was promised someone strong if I just made it up the ranks, so I kept up the act, but what is this? I was looking forward to facing you, thinking I can finally face someone strong, but you are weak, just like all of them, and my patience has run thin. I am tired of waiting." He squeezed her hand so hard that her arm broke. Then, he threw her. She flew through the air and crashed into the VIP room with enough force to shatter the protective barrier.

"Get down here you fuckers, I am sick of all this bullshit, I will just force you all into submission, no more slow plans." He formed a ball of mana in his hand and threw it at the remains of the VIP room, causing another explosion. The guild masters jumped down into the arena, carrying Rana's severely injured body.

"What is going on?"

"Has he lost his mind?"

"Rana lost?"

"My money."

The crowd began to whisper, but Vell was focused only on the guild masters in front of him.

"What is the meaning of this?" one of them asked. He was trying to look calm, but his voice was shaking.

Vell's laughter echoed through the arena. It was a cold sound. "The meaning? I thought I made myself clear." His eyes moved over the guild masters, one by one. "Your pitiful hierarchy ends today."

The guild master in the golden armor stepped forward. "You dare challenge all of us at once? Even you must know how foolish that is."

"Foolishness?" Vell's smile grew wider. "No. What is foolish is how you have all become lazy, hiding behind your titles and traditions." He pointed at Rana's broken body. "Look how easily your strongest warrior was defeated. You are all just as weak as she is."

The air grew heavy as the guild masters spread out, forming a circle around him. Sara watched from the stands, her heart pounding. This was crazy. Even if Vell was as strong as he seemed, fighting all the guild masters at once was suicide.

"I will make this simple for you," he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Submit to me now, and I will let you keep your positions, under my leadership. Refuse…" His eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "Well, I am sure you can guess what happens then."

The guild master in the shadowy cloak spoke. "You talk of breaking traditions, but you are just another thug trying to take power. We have dealt with your kind before."

"My kind? No. You have never dealt with anything like me." Vell raised his hand, and the air seemed to grow even heavier. "Let me show you the difference."

The first attack came from the guild master in golden armor. He launched a blade of pure light that could cut through steel. Vell did not even move. The blade hit him in the chest and then disappeared like it was never there.

"Is that all?" Vell asked, his voice full of disappointment.

"What is wrong with you? I was on your side, I was rooting for you, so why are you doing this?" the golden-armored master asked.

"You will thank me later. This is for your own good."

The arena turned into chaos. The guild masters all attacked at once. Light, shadow, fire, and other strange powers all converged on Vell. For a moment, he was completely hidden by the storm of energy. The crowd gasped, many of them thinking it was over.

Then, they heard him laughing.

The energy swirling around him was pushed back, scattered like leaves in a storm. He stood in the middle of it all, completely unharmed. "Not bad."

Then he moved.

The guild master in golden armor barely had time to raise a shield before Vell's fist hit him in the chest. The sound of breaking ribs echoed through the arena, and the master's body was sent flying into the far wall.

"One."

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