The horn of the Coliseum still echoed in Gavrin's ears, a deep, cutting roar that pounded his skull like a hammer against molten iron, reverberating through his temples as the deafening cheers of the crowd engulfed him like a war drum that knew no pause. The sand beneath his boots crunched with every firm step, dust rising in small clouds that swirled like tiny ghosts around his ankles, and the searing heat of the place licked his skin like invisible tongues of flame, mingling with the acrid stench of hot iron and stale sweat that stung his nostrils with a visceral, piercing warning. Light of Ether hummed in his right hand, the blade's blue glow pulsing like a restless heart, its electric energy crackling against his calloused palm and sending a tingle that climbed up his arm to his shoulder, buzzing in his bones like a living heartbeat. Across from him, twenty yards away, stood she—Kaili, the Plague Shadow, her figure silhouetted against the flickering torches like a shadow carved from pure obsidian. Her black armor hugged her curves with lethal precision, reflecting the light in sharp glints that sliced through the air like fleeting knives, and her silver eyes gleamed like icy daggers beneath the reddish sky, piercing him with a calm that prickled the back of his neck and left a bitter taste in his throat.
Gavrin clenched his teeth, the metallic tang of sweat dripping down the corner of his lips as his chest swelled with a mix of arrogance and defiance that burned in his gut like a wildfire. That's the big threat? he thought, his mind faltering for a moment as he recalled the treacherous shiver that had crawled up his spine seconds ago when he'd seen her emerge from the western arch like a black specter against the trembling light. His eyes had wavered, his hand trembling over Light of Ether as if the sword itself doubted its wielder, but now he shook off that feeling with a low growl that scraped his throat like wet gravel. It was just the damn heat—the crowd, the pressure, nothing more. This chick's nothing against me. He'd split rocks in Aegis like they were stale bread, shattered mages who thought themselves gods with a single clean slash—a warrior without lineage, without noble blood in her veins, wasn't going to disgrace him in front of thousands. "Get ready, shadow!" he roared, his harsh voice cutting through the air like a whip as he raised Light of Ether with a broad, theatrical swing, the blade's hum rising to an angry wasp-swarm pitch. "I'm gonna carve you into three pieces and send your puffed-up tale back to the dust where it belongs, you filthy rat!"
High in the VIP box, Dorian Brener leaned against the splintered wooden railing, the silver falcon embroidered on his gray tunic catching the torchlight in glints that seemed to flicker alive with each flare. His breath had caught when he first saw Kaili—those silver eyes that cut like ice, that armor forged from the night itself—but he let it out hard, regaining his composure as a sharp, dagger-like smile curled his lips. "Ha, Edmund!" he said, his voice smooth but laced with a boastful edge, like a blade sliding over a whetstone. "Your warrior's got some flair, I'll give her that—she had me for a second with that shadow play. But Gavrin's a Brener, forged in Aegis! This'll be a stroll, a quick stomp on that cocky peasant." He turned his head toward Viscount Reinard, seated with his legs crossed and a steaming teacup in hand, the vapor brushing his face like a fleeting veil that dissolved in the hot air.
Edmund set his cup down with a faint clink that bounced off the stone walls of the box, the rustle of his blue tunic echoing as he raised an eyebrow, his gray eyes glinting with a spark of curiosity and barely veiled mockery. "A stroll?" he shot back, his dry tone slicing through the air like a whip, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "That girl's already got me hooked—if she fights as good as she walks, your noble pup's gonna sweat blood before the dust settles, Brener."
Valerius Thorne stood by the railing, drumming his fingers against the wood in a quick, restless rhythm that rang out like a defiant echo, his gray cloak rippling with the hot breeze wafting up from the arena like a whisper thick with tension. His icy eyes were locked on Kaili, the intensity of his gaze cutting through the distance like a honed blade seeking to unravel her every move. "It's not flair," he said, his deep voice rumbling like a war drum, each word heavy with a fascination he could barely contain, "it's damn calculation—I saw her shred Bonebreaker with less, but this… this has a sharper edge I didn't see coming." Dorian chuckled, the sound soft but edged with disdain that stung like needles on skin. "Lineage crushes calculations, Thorne! Gavrin's a Brener, not some peasant with an inflated tale and a handful of cheap tricks."
Down in the arena, Gavrin unleashed his first strike, a horizontal slash that loosed a fifty-yard-wide wave of blue energy, a tsunami of light that roared across the Coliseum like the sky itself had split in two with a boom that rattled the stands. The sand fractured under its force, a steaming crevice opening in the ground with a dry snap that echoed like a breaking bone, and the air crackled with an electric heat that scorched the nostrils of the nearest spectators, wrenching sharp cries from them as they shielded their faces with dusty tunic sleeves. The triple barriers of the Ivory Tower flared with white sparks as they absorbed the impact, the low hum of the mages' chants resonating like a desperate heartbeat struggling to contain the unleashed chaos. Gavrin laughed, the harsh sound bouncing off the Coliseum's black walls as dust rose in swirling eddies that reflected the blue light like a veil torn apart by his attack's fury. "Come on, shadow! Dance or bust before I turn you to ash!" he bellowed, his voice ringing with an arrogance that puffed up his chest like a bellows, certain that this blow would force her back like a wounded beast.
Kaili countered with a fluid spin, her black hair dancing like living shadows that snagged the torchlight in fleeting glints that seemed to move with a will of their own, and she leaped over the energy wave with a grace that defied all logic, her boots ringing against the air with a metallic echo that sliced through the crowd's deafening roar. With a precise flick of her black sword, she deflected the wave skyward, where it burst in a blue explosion that lit the dark clouds like a second sun, the resulting thunder shaking the stands to their highest beams and tearing gasps of awe and panic that mingled in a chaotic chorus. Gavrin blinked, sweat stinging his eyes as the blinding light forced him to squint, his arrogance wavering for a fleeting instant. What the hell was that? he thought, that earlier shiver creeping back like an icy jab at his nape, but he crushed it with a growl that scraped his throat like he was spitting sand. "Pure luck, rat!" he roared, his voice quivering slightly as he gripped Light of Ether tighter, the blade's hum swelling to a furious buzz that drilled into his eardrums. "You won't last another breath against me—I'll split you like dry firewood!"
In the box, Dorian's brow furrowed for a second, his fingers twitching on the railing as the blue burst bathed his face and cast sharp shadows across his features, but he quickly forced out a dry laugh that cut the air like a blade over tanned leather. "She's just playing with him, that's all!" he said, his tone less steady than he'd like, forcing the words as if to convince himself, "That slash would've smashed a whole wall—it was a trick, a damn trick of light and reflexes!"
Edmund leaned forward, the steam from his tea forgotten as his gray eyes gleamed with barely masked glee. "A trick?" he snapped, his dry voice ringing like a whipcrack through the hot air, "Look at that, Brener! Your noble's already roasting like a pig on a spit—he's sweating buckets, and she hasn't even mussed her hair yet."
Valerius drummed the railing faster, the dry tap of his fingers echoing like a subtle dare lost in the crowd's roar below. "It's not luck," he said, his deep voice thrumming like a storm-warning drum, "it's speed—more than I figured when I watched her before. This is gonna get ugly, and not for her." His icy eyes tracked Kaili's every move, as if trying to decode a puzzle that rewrote itself with each step.
Gavrin planted his boots, the ground cracking under his weight as dust shimmered in the flickering torchlight. That initial doubt morphed into a fury that blazed in his chest like live coals, exhaustion starting to weigh on his shoulders like a slab of stone. She's not gonna humiliate me, damn shadow, he thought, his mind roaring as Light of Ether flared with an intensity that blinded the nearest onlookers, the blade's hum ringing like an electric scream that pierced his eardrums and echoed in his skull. "You're not dodging this, you filthy shadow!" he bellowed, his voice sharp as an axe as he unleashed a hurricane of blue slashes, a two-hundred-yard vortex that spun like a living storm, each cutting arc shredding the sand into shards that flew like jagged shrapnel. The deafening buzz rattled the stands to their foundations, and sweat stung his forehead, running in rivulets that dripped off his chin and spattered the sand with drops that sparked under the light. The electric heat singed the air, wrenching panicked cries from the crowd as dust rose in blue-reflecting whirlwinds like a veil ripped apart by his attack's fury. "Keep hopping, rat—I'll pin you like a damn bug before you can blink!" he shouted, his harsh laugh fading into the din as the triple barriers groaned under the strain, white flashes bursting like broken fireworks.
Kaili danced through the slashes, her form a dark blur sliding through the chaos like a wraith in a tempest, her black sword tracing arcs that summoned liquid shadows, deflecting each strike with precise moves that hissed like ice through the hot, thick air. She ran along the hurricane's edge, her boots crunching against the sand with an echo lost in the vortex's roar, and leaped between the energy arcs with an agility that baffled the eye, her black hair flowing like a river of living ink that caught the light in mocking, fleeting glints. With a swift twist, she loosed a fifty-yard black wave that crashed into the hurricane, the collision unleashing an explosion that rocked the Coliseum like an entire nation had shattered, the ground quaking beneath their feet as dust and shadows rose in a blinding whirlwind that filled the air with an electric hum that prickled the skin.
Gavrin stumbled back, his boots sliding in the sand as the impact shoved him, exhaustion searing his arms like liquid fire coursing through his veins and settling into his muscles like molten lead. His breathing turned ragged, the hot air scorching his throat as sweat dripped off his chin, spattering the sand with drops that glowed like tiny flames under the torches. How the hell is this damn thing still standing? he thought, disbelief cracking his mind like a fissure as his blue eyes locked onto Kail tới
i, who landed with a soft crunch, her stance still as a statue carved from the night, her black sword resting with a deadly elegance that made him feel small for the first time in years. "Keep spinning, you idiot—I'm using you like a damn windmill!" she said, her voice a chilling purr that sliced through the air like a frozen blade, her silver eyes glinting with a taunt that froze his blood and boiled his guts in equal measure.
In the box, Dorian gripped the railing harder, his knuckles whitening as the whirlwind of light and shadow lit his face, the arrogance in his chest starting to crumble like adobe under an unseen hammer. "He's just playing with her, that's it!" he repeated, his voice quaking slightly as he forced the words out like he was clinging to them, "Those slashes are pure brute force—they'd smash a wall! She shouldn't be moving like that, damn it!" His green eyes dulled, the confidence he'd flaunted minutes ago fading like smoke in the hot wind rising from the fractured arena.
Edmund set his cup down with a sharp clink, the steaming liquid forgotten as he leaned forward, his gray eyes sparkling with a mix of awe and glee he no longer bothered to hide. "Playing?" he shot back, his dry tone cutting through the air like a whipcrack, "Your noble's panting like a dog in the desert, Brener! Looks like she's leading this dance, and he's barely keeping up."
Valerius drummed the railing faster, the dry tap echoing like a dare swallowed by the crowd's roar, his icy eyes tracking Kaili's every move with an intensity bordering on obsession. "It's more than speed," he said, his deep voice thrumming like a drum heralding an inevitable shift, "it's precision—she's matching his raw power, but she's tearing him apart with pure technique. I didn't see this coming, and it's killing me to admit it."
Gavrin felt exhaustion sink into his bones like molten lead that burned his muscles, his arms trembling as he gripped Light of Ether with both hands, the blade's hum ringing in his ears like a relentless scream drilling into his skull. This isn't right, he thought, disbelief swelling like a storm in his mind as sweat soaked his face, dripping off his nose and spattering the sand with drops that sparked under the torches like tiny blue embers. His breathing was a ragged gasp, the hot air searing his throat like he was swallowing coals, while his blue eyes fixed on Kaili, who stood motionless, her black sword resting with a calm that enraged and terrified him in equal measure. She can't be this fast—it's impossible, he thought, fury mingling with a spark of doubt he tried to crush with every fiber of his being. "You can't handle this, damn it!" he roared, his voice cracking with the strain as he poured all his energy into Light of Ether, the blade flaring with a blinding intensity that cast dancing shadows across the stands, its hum thundering like a trapped storm shaking the ground beneath his boots.
He unleashed a massive strike, a downward slash that loosed a three-hundred-yard column of blue energy, a spear of light that cleaved the black clouds and unleashed a rain of lightning bolts that fell like living lances, each impact fracturing the sand into twenty-yard craters that oozed reddish steam like boiling blood bubbling and hissing against the air. The ground cracked in a hundred-yard radius, fissures opening like canyons that trembled under his boots with a dry snap echoing through the chaos, and the triple barriers roared with white flashes that blinded half the crowd, the low hum of the mages' chants resonating like a heartbeat fighting to contain the unleashed destruction. The electric heat singed the air, wrenching panicked cries from the crowd as dust rose in blue-reflecting whirlwinds like a veil torn apart, and Gavrin laughed, the harsh sound bouncing off the black walls as sweat dripped off his chin and spattered the sand with drops that gleamed like broken jewels. "Crushed like a rat, shadow!" he bellowed, his arrogance flaring back like a spark in the dark as his blue eyes shone with renewed defiance, certain this time he'd trapped her. "No cheap tricks are saving you from this—bust already, damn it!"
Kaili responded with minimal steps, her form a dark blur that seemed to read each lightning bolt before it struck, her boots crunching against the sand with an echo lost in the attack's roar. She redirected the energy with open hands, her movements hissing like ice through the hot, thick air, and ran along Light of Ether's edge with an agility that baffled the eye, her black hair flowing like a river of living ink that caught the light in mocking, fleeting glints. With a swift slash, she struck Gavrin's elbow, a wet snap ringing out like a breaking bone as blue blood spurted in a glowing stream that splashed the sand like luminous ink, the electric stench filling the air with a hum that stung the nostrils and made the nearest spectators recoil with gasps of shock. Gavrin staggered back, pain jolting him like a hammer against flesh, his legs quaking as exhaustion burned his muscles like liquid fire spreading through his veins. "How'd you touch me, damn it?" he growled, his voice rasping with a fury that barely masked the disbelief gnawing at his mind as his blue eyes locked onto Kaili, who landed with a soft crunch, her stance still as a statue carved from the night, her unshaken presence cutting deeper than any blade.
In the box, Dorian gripped the railing tighter, his knuckles whitening as the blue blood lit his face, the arrogance in his chest crumbling like adobe under an unseen hammer. "He felt that hit, but he's holding!" he muttered, his voice quaking as he forced the words out like he was clinging to them, "He's a Brener, damn it—he doesn't fall this easy to a nameless shadow!" His green eyes dulled, the confidence he'd flaunted minutes ago fading like smoke in the hot wind rising from the fractured arena.
Edmund leaned forward, the steam from his tea forgotten as his gray eyes sparkled with a mix of awe and glee he no longer bothered to hide. "Easy?" he snapped, his dry tone cutting through the air like a whipcrack, "Your noble's bleeding like a stuck pig, Brener! She hasn't even blinked—this is a damn show, and not the one you were betting on."
Valerius drummed the railing faster, the dry tap echoing like a subtle dare as his icy eyes tracked Kaili's every move with an intensity bordering on obsession. "That precision," he said, his deep voice thrumming like a drum heralding an inevitable shift, "it's more than she showed before—she's playing with him, and he doesn't see it coming. This is an art I can't measure."
Gavrin felt fear slither into his mind like a cold knife sliding down his spine, blue blood dripping down his arm and sizzling as it hit the sand with a hiss that filled the air with an electric stench stinging his nose. I'm not losing—I'm a damn Brener, he thought, his mind roaring as exhaustion seared his muscles like liquid fire, his arms trembling as he gripped Light of Ether with both hands like it was the only thing keeping him upright. He roared, a sound that shook the ground beneath his boots and echoed through the stands, and his upper armor shattered with a dry crack, falling in fragments that clanged against the sand like breaking metal, revealing taut abs glistening under the sweat streaming down his torso like salty rivers. His skin began to glow with pulsing blue veins like rivers of light, a faint golden hue spreading across his body like molten gold poured over bronze. The ground crumbled around him in a four-hundred-yard circle, fissures opening like canyons oozing reddish steam like boiling blood that bubbled and hissed, and Light of Ether split into two swords, one in each hand, the blades humming with a blue glare that blinded the nearest onlookers and cast dancing shadows across the stands. His eyes turned red like blazing coals, flashing with a fury that seemed to set the air ablaze, and his gray hair dyed a brilliant blue that rippled like liquid flames in the Coliseum's hot wind.
"I'm a god, shadow—I'll wipe you off the damn map!" he roared, his voice thundering through the stands to the highest beams, the hum of his swords swelling to a deafening pitch that pierced eardrums like an endless swarm of fury. He unleashed a dual strike with both blades, a blue energy explosion that carved a five-hundred-yard crater, shockwaves of blue light sweeping the sand like a tidal wave of radiance that fractured the ground into shards flying like jagged shrapnel. The triple barriers collapsed partially, white fragments raining down and sparking under the torches, and the air crackled with an electric heat that scorched spectators' nostrils, wrenching panicked cries as dust rose in blue-reflecting whirlwinds like a veil torn apart by his attack's fury.
Kaili leaped into the air, her form a dark blur against the chaos, running along one sword's edge with precise steps that rang like soft drums amid the din, her black hair flowing like a river of living ink that caught the light in mocking, fleeting glints. She struck three weak points—wrist, shoulder, knee—with dark slashes that spurted blue blood in glowing geysers, the air buzzing with a chilling hum as Gavrin staggered, his aura collapsing in a whirlwind of light and shadow that rocked the Coliseum to its foundations. "I'll split you in half, damn it!" he roared, his voice breaking as he loosed a desperate dual slash, the air howling with blue energy that sliced through the dust like a knife. She dodged with a theatrical spin, landing behind him with a soft crunch. "Is that all they teach nobles? Just to squawk like crows?" she said, her chilling purr slicing through the air like a frozen blade, her silver eyes glinting with a taunt that froze his blood and boiled his guts in equal measure.
Gavrin stumbled back, exhaustion and fear mingling like venom in his veins, his legs quaking as blue blood dripped down his golden body, spattering the sand with drops that sizzled like liquid fire under the torches. No… this can't be happening, he thought, disbelief swelling like a storm in his mind as his red eyes locked onto Kaili, who stood still, her unshaken stance cutting deeper than any blade.
In the box, Dorian paled, but a spark of hope flared in his green eyes as he saw Gavrin's transformation, leaning forward with a feverish glint. "That's it, Gavrin! Crush that trash like you're meant to!" he shouted, his smooth but boastful voice ringing over the crowd's roar, his knuckles whitening on the railing as the blue crater lit his face. "That form's his peak—now he'll smash her flat!"
Edmund gaped, his tea forgotten as his gray eyes gleamed with unmasked awe. "By the gods, Brener!" he muttered, his dry voice trembling slightly, "Your noble's bleeding gold and blue, and she's not even sweating! This is madness—your pup's in deep trouble."
Valerius drummed the railing faster, the dry tap echoing like a subtle dare as his icy eyes tracked Kaili's every move with an intensity bordering on obsession. "Every slash is a poem," he said, his deep voice thrumming like a drum, "I'm losing count of her genius—this goes beyond what I calculated, and it's killing me not to crack it."
Gavrin felt fear consume him like a cold knife sliding down his spine, his arms trembling as he raised both swords, blue blood dripping down his golden body and sizzling as it hit the sand with a hiss that filled the air with an electric stench stinging his nose. "No… I won't fall… I'm invincible!" he roared, his voice thundering brokenly as he unleashed a six-hundred-yard sphere of blue energy, a radiant explosion that cloaked the Coliseum like a blue sun, fracturing the sand into a desert of craters, the ground collapsing into an abyss oozing reddish steam like boiling blood that bubbled and hissed. Blue lightning rained down like a sky-spanning storm, each strike shaking the stands to their highest beams, and the triple barriers shattered completely, white fragments raining down and sparking under the torches. His legs buckled, exhaustion crushing him like an anvil on his chest as sweat streamed off his face, spattering the sand with drops that glowed like tiny blue embers. My blood… my name… it all shatters here, he thought, despair seeping into his mind like a poison he couldn't expel.
Kaili stood still at the sphere's heart, her form a dark blur against the chaos, and waited until the last second before leaping with a spinning twist, her black sword tracing a hundred-yard dark arc that cleaved the sphere in two, the air erupting in a whirlwind of shadow and light that blinded every onlooker and filled the Coliseum with a deafening hum that rattled bones. She landed behind Gavrin with a soft crunch, her stance still as a statue carved from the night, and struck his nape with a final slash, a wet snap ringing out like a breaking bone as blue blood spurted in a glowing geyser that splashed the sand like a river of light that shimmered and hissed as it evaporated. Gavrin crashed face-first with a boom that shook the Coliseum to its foundations, his aura dissipating in a blue smoke that rose like a torn veil, leaving a deathly silence as his golden body lay motionless in a steaming crater that bubbled like burning flesh, the ground's fracturing crack breaking the stillness like a final lament. "Invincible, my ass," she said, her chilling purr slicing through the air like a frozen blade, "technique kills strength, noble—carve that on your tombstone."
In the box, Dorian froze, his disbelief absolute as his green eyes fixed on Gavrin's still form, the blue blood gleaming like a lake under the flickering torches. "No! Gavrin, damn it, get up!" he stammered, his voice shattering like glass, awe replacing every trace of arrogance as his hands trembled on the railing, knuckles white as stripped bone. "That peasant can't… she can't have dropped him like that!"
Edmund muttered, his dry voice quaking with a mix of awe and sarcasm that cut like a knife: "By the gods, Thorne—this wasn't a fight, it was a slaughter! Well, Brener, your noble's decorating my wall after all—a blue-and-gold trophy, what a fine touch."
Valerius drummed the railing slowly, the dry tap echoing like a dare lost in the crowd's deathly hush, his icy eyes fixed on Kaili with a fascination bordering on obsession. "She's an abyss with a sword," he said, his deep voice thrumming like a drum, "I can't crack her, and it's killing me—she didn't show half this against the orc."
Dust still hung in the air like a torn veil, settling slowly over the sand speckled with blue blood and steaming pools that gave off an acrid stench stinging the nostrils, the ground creaking under Gavrin's motionless weight as the Coliseum quaked with the echo of wild cheers erupting like a savage chorus, resounding through the stands like a war drum without end. Kaili wiped her sword with a swift move that rang with a sharp hiss, blue blood spattering the sand in drops that sizzled like liquid fire, and strode toward the stands with firm steps, her armor's clink echoing like a soft drum in the silence following the roar, her silver eyes rising to the box with a blend of mockery and satisfaction that cut deeper than any blade, leaving a lingering echo of humiliation heavy in the air like the blue smoke dissipating over the crater.