The moment Aria vanished, the air itself seemed to shatter.
BOOM!
A sonic shockwave exploded outward from where she had stood, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. The rock golem's glowing eyes barely had time to register the movement before—
CRACK!
A fist smashed straight through its chest.
Chunks of stone erupted from the impact as Aria's hand tore through solid rock like it was paper. The golem let out a guttural roar, stumbling back, but before it could react—
BANG!
Aria flipped backward and kicked its head clean off. The massive stone head spiraled through the air before smashing into the arena wall, embedding itself deep into the structure.
The entire arena went silent for half a second.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
The boy, who had been controlling the golem, stumbled backward, his face pale. His connection to the construct had been severed instantly. But before he could even think of a backup plan—
WHOOSH!
