Dirga stepped into the ring.
The air was dry, laced with smoke and the faint scent of metal and blood. The Gemspire Ring's sixth arena wasn't packed, but a respectable crowd had gathered—bored gamblers, veterans looking for easy coin, and a few scouts with sharp eyes.
From the stands, Optik was already working the crowd like a well-oiled machine.
"Come on, people, ten-to-one odds on the newcomer! First-timer against a ranker with poison blades! Easy cash!"
He smiled like a devil in a suit—sleek, professional, hungry.
Dirga ignored the noise. His boots touched the tiled surface of the arena floor—runed stone that hummed faintly with Zarion. His black jacket fluttered as he came to a stop at the center. The Crimson Core buzzed faintly beneath his back, calm but alive.
Then his opponent stepped in.