Powerful Enemy

"Miss Lisa!" Will shouted anxiously, standing beside Lisa, who was wrapped in bandages.

"Will, don't worry. She told us to just watch," Jin said nonchalantly, seated on the ground.

"But..." Will's voice trembled with concern.

"Don't underestimate her. Her power might be greater than both of ours combined," Jin suddenly said, his tone serious.

"Will, look," Jin gestured toward Lisa, still wrapped in bandages.

"What's this? Is this Lisa's fire magic?" Will followed Jin's pointing finger and noticed faint black smoke emanating from the bandages.

"Watch closely," Jin said smugly.

"Boom!" No sooner had Jin spoken than a massive pillar of fire erupted from the bandages. The flames soared into the sky, and the shockwave from the explosion sent both Jin and Will flying from where they sat.

"Wow!" Jin exclaimed as he was thrown through the air.

"Wow!" The crowd in the stands also erupted in awe.

Moments later, the enormous pillar of fire began to weaken and gradually dissipated. Lisa, however, remained unscathed, standing perfectly still, untouched by the searing flames.

"Oh! Lisa, how are you unharmed?" Jin asked, bewildered.

"What do you mean?" Lisa responded casually.

"The fire! That enormous blaze! You seem completely unaffected by it," Jin pressed.

"Are you an idiot? If I couldn't even protect myself from the magic I cast, there wouldn't be any mages left in the world," Lisa said with a mocking smile.

"Tch, I worried for nothing," Jin muttered dismissively.

"Well... with that, the Silent Ones should be all gone, right?" Will asked.

"Yes," Lisa replied.

"Uh... it seems the outcome has been decided. The victors of this match are... Oh, that's right, you still don't have names," the loathsome gnome spoke again.

"No, we have names!" Will stepped forward and shouted at the gnome.

"Oh? You've thought of a name? Tell me!" the gnome also shouted.

"Destroyers!" Will declared loudly.

"Destroyers? Fine, the victors of this match are our Destroyers!" Though the gnome was clearly displeased, he still introduced Will and his companions to the crowd.

"Yay! Destroyers! Destroyers! Destroyers!" The audience in the stands erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

"Alright, now, the victors may exit and rest. We need to prepare for the next match, heh heh heh," the gnome said with an evil grin.

"Destroyers? What a ridiculous name. Will, what were you thinking?" Jin grumbled as they made their way back.

"Are you still a child? 'Destroyers,' really?" Lisa scolded, shaking her head.

Under the combined "assault" of Lisa and Jin's teasing, Will lowered his head, too afraid to look up. He knew they would criticize him when they heard the name. But from his deep thoughts between last night and this morning, Will had come to a firm resolve: he was determined to destroy this place, to bring down the entire Bonecrush Arena. No matter the danger, he would destroy it. He couldn't bear to see more innocent people brought here.

Back in their room, Will sat down beside a table, trembling as he recalled the battle.

"Will, what's wrong? Why are you shaking?" Jin asked, concerned.

"He's probably just scared. That battle was pretty dangerous," Lisa said.

"No... no, it's because I'm happy," Will said, smiling at Jin and Lisa, who were seated across from him.

"Happy?" Both Jin and Lisa looked at him in confusion.

"Yes, knowing that both of you are fine makes me really happy," Will said, his smile innocent and bright.

"Huh?" Jin sighed helplessly.

"By the way, we really owe it to Will today. Otherwise, the three of us might have died at the hands of those bandage monsters," Lisa said seriously.

"Yes! We should thank Will today. Otherwise, we would've been long gone," Jin agreed with Lisa.

"Ha! Considering you saved us today, I guess you can keep the name 'Destroyer,'" Jin said, smiling at Will.

"Sigh, why are you still hung up on that name?" Lisa sighed, hearing Jin's words.

"Ahhh!" Suddenly, a deafening beast-like roar echoed from outside Will's window, coming from the arena. The sound was so loud it shook the air.

"What's that noise?" Jin asked, his tone wary.

"It's coming from the arena," Will said, quickly walking toward the window.

Then, a series of deep, thunderous footsteps could be heard, growing louder with each passing moment. Will had never heard footsteps so massive.

"Could it... could it be a giant?" Jin said, suddenly filled with fear.

"A giant?" Will asked in shock.

Just as Jin had feared, a colossal figure slowly emerged from behind the massive gates of the arena. It was a giant, easily five or six times the size of a normal human. Its limbs were immensely muscular, and the giant could likely crush a human with a single hand. Even more horrifying, the giant had two heads.

"I can't even imagine it—they can capture giants too?" Jin's face went pale as he stared at the giant in the arena, his voice trembling.

"Jin, you know giants?" Will asked, noticing Jin's ashen face.

"I once encountered one while hunting in a forest. Giants usually live deep in the woods," Jin replied, his eyes locked on the giant, his voice quivering slightly.

"At the time, I was hunting with a small team. They discovered the cave where the giant lived. It was a massive cave. I warned them not to go any further, thinking the giant might be inside. But they didn't listen. They believed there might be treasure, so they decided to risk it and enter. I, however, stayed behind, hiding in the bushes. They found a wooden chest inside, filled with Jin and jewels. But that chest had been taken from a destroyed cart, and the horses and people had all been eaten by the giant, leaving nothing but bones."

Jin spoke in a low voice, his words laced with concern.

"But the hunting party was too greedy. They insisted on taking the entire chest. They wasted so much time. When they finally emerged from the cave, the giant had returned from its hunt."

"And then..." Jin took a sharp breath.

"They were all killed. The hunting party, eight in total, none of them survived. Only I made it out, hiding in the bushes and staying silent. The giant's movements were deceptively quick—its massive size was just a facade," Jin continued, his voice trembling.

Will and Lisa remained silent, understanding that the giant had left a deep scar in Jin's heart.

"It looks like we'll be facing a tough battle tomorrow," Lisa said with a bitter smile, gazing out at the giant.

"We need to figure out how to deal with the giant," Jin said with a furrowed brow, quickly returning to his seat at the table. He crossed his arms, lowered his head, and sat silently.

Just then, the sudden roar of the crowd in the arena interrupted Jin's thoughts.

"What happened?" Jin asked.

"The giant won. It killed all three of its opponents," Lisa said, her voice calm.

"How brutal. It crushed one underfoot, squeezed another to death, and... and ate the last one," Will said, his voice filled with fear.