Chapter 78 : High Stakes, Higher Tables

The moment Dirga stepped through the towering gates of the coliseum, a hum filled his ears—not of cheering, but of anticipation, of raw energy coiled beneath stone and steel.

The structure loomed before him like a sleeping titan: The Gemspire Ring, carved into hell-forged obsidian and inlaid with shimmering veins of blue Zarion crystal.

At the entrance, a towering digital poster flickered overhead.

THE CHAMPION: IRONPULSE

"Break yourself or be broken."

An oni glared down from the screen—his gray skin taut over slabs of muscle, chest bare, gleaming with sweat and scars.

One arm was replaced by a bulky mechanical limb, veins of blue light pulsing through the intricate plating.

 His face was that of an aged warrior: grim, furrowed, immortal.

"...Ironpulse," Dirga muttered, taking it in. His aura even in digital form felt suffocating.

He pushed through the doors.