Elijah shut his eyes, along with those of his two alter egos—one with golden eyes, the other with abyssal ones.
These alter egos glared at him with fury and anger, demanding, "Give us the seat," their voices eerily echoing his own and triggering a memory. Before he could react, their hands reached out and consumed him whole.
Lost in thought, he snapped back to reality, noticing a young man with blonde hair sporting a minor cut on his arm and someone else's blood on his shirt. As Elijah regained awareness, he smiled and asked, "How was it?"
The boy remained silent, sitting down and shutting his eyes. Elijah observed, "So, they don't tend to wounds, huh? That could be a problem."
A few minutes later, the same guard arrived to unlock the cell. "It's your turn," he informed Elijah. Rising to depart, Elijah was momentarily stunned by something he heard.
"Don't die," the boy muttered softly but audibly.
Elijah smiled in response. "I'm not planning on it," he replied, leaving with the guard, who remained tight-lipped. As they walked, he glimpsed other cells, each housing one or two occupants. The place was disorderly and foul-smelling, making even a brief exit a relief.
The door opened again, and the guard motioned for Elijah to follow. He walked through dimly lit corridors, the sounds of distant cheers and screams growing louder. The arena was alive with the bloodlust of spectators eager to see combatants tear each other apart.
As they neared the arena, Elijah's heart pounded with anticipation. He wasn't just fighting for survival; he was fighting to prove himself, to prepare for the day he would face the Slash Faction.
"I'm hungry," he thought, his hand instinctively reaching for his stomach. The clamor of cheering crowds grew as they neared a lit area.
"Do you use any weapons?" the guard inquired, gesturing toward an array of arms. Elijah shook his head with a grin. "Then proceed," the guard instructed. As he followed the indicated path, the noise intensified.
Stepping into the bright light of the arena, Elijah was momentarily blinded. The crowd roared, a deafening cacophony of voices.
His opponent stood across from him, a hulking figure clad in armor and wielding a massive mace. The announcer's voice boomed, introducing the fighters and hyping the crowd.
"You're tall," Elijah remarked as he stepped into the arena. The man smirked at Elijah.
"I was getting worried my first five matches before promotion would be too easy," he chuckled, while Elijah simply yawned.
A person hovered above on a floating platform, announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Beast's fifth match is about to commence, pitting him against a newcomer. Place your bets as the match begins."
"Will it be the Beast or the newcomer?" he bellowed, irritating Elijah enough to contemplate knocking him out of the air.
"Count with me," he instructed. "3... 2... 1... Start."
The Beast charged forward, wielding his formidable power, slashing his greatsword toward Elijah. Under his breath, Elijah uttered, "Level 0," unleashing suppressed pressure with a punch that collided with the sword.
BOOM
The Beast staggered back. "Flash step!" Elijah dashed from the dust toward the recovering Beast. In an instant, Elijah appeared before him, and they clashed, dancing around the arena.
"Look at that speed! The newcomer is holding his own against the Beast!" the crowd cheered, growing excited.
Pushed back by the Beast's onslaught, Elijah studied him intently, dodging the next ground-cracking blow. Landing, he countered with a kick, sending the Beast flying several meters. Elijah matched and surpassed the Beast in both speed and power.
Elijah had reached (F+) rank, the breaking point, but his martial prowess overpowered the Beast. Both combatants stood apart, each contemplating, 'I thought this would be easy, but it seems not.' The Beast sighed, flames flickering on his body.
'He's enhancing his physical abilities with his element,' Elijah observed, forming a chi ball in his hand. He launched it toward the Beast, aiming to keep him at bay. The Beast attempted to evade but pressed forward, colliding with the chi ball and more.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
For a fleeting moment, Elijah believed victory was his, but to his astonishment, the Beast emerged unscathed. 'That's troublesome,' Elijah sighed. Enhancing his body with chi, he dashed forward, his hand radiating white light.
"Flame Slasher!" the Beast roared.
"Sky Covering Fist!"
BOOM
"What just happened, folks... WHO WON?!" The arena fell silent, awaiting the dispersal of dust.
'Your incessant yelling is grating,' Elijah thought, his hand clashing with the greatsword before they both leaped out of the dust. 'I can match his destructive power with the Sky Covering Fist. His speed isn't an issue, but I'm going to fight more than a single match, so let's end this quickly.'
Closing his eyes momentarily, he assumed a stance that elicited a smirk from the Beast, who moved to seize the opportunity. "Full Burst: Sky Covering Fist," Elijah declared, a raging energy enveloping his hand with a white lotus forming from his back, shocking the spectators and the Beast, who lunged at him. Elijah vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he punched the Beast, whose bones could clearly be heard cracking. The Beast coughed out blood and was sent flying to the other side of the ring.
BOOM
The Beast collapsed on the arena's other side, out of commission. Killing was allowed, but Elijah found no reason to go that far. 'I shouldn't have used my lotus technique because if I hadn't held back at the last moment, he would be dead.'
"What an astonishing display of power."
"The winner is the Sky Warrior."
"What?