A crackle ran through the loudspeakers.
Then the commentator's voice burst out again across the entire arena.
— Ladies and gentlemen…
A short silence, as if to let the tension settle.
— What we just witnessed is… simply HISTORICAL!!
His voice vibrated with excitement.
— An expulsion of this magnitude… it's never been seen!!
Murmurs still ran through the stands, some spectators barely getting up, others still staring at the arena, unable to look away.
— In an instant… dozens… NO… hundreds of fighters were swept away!!
He paused, then continued, more gravely:
— And now…
A slight echo resonated.
— Only… TEN fighters remain in this arena.
A collective shiver ran through the public.
The tone changed.
More composed.
More solemn.
— Ten survivors… ten monsters… ten individuals capable of resisting the will of a Class S.
The giant screens lit up.
— And it's time…
— To introduce them to you.
A first image appeared.
A tall man, with a massive body, covered in scars, arms crossed.
— Raizen Kurogami!
— Class A… reinforced body specialist.
He didn't move.
Motionless.
Like a mountain.
A slimmer silhouette took its place.
A woman with silver hair, cold gaze, surrounded by thin floating blades.
— Lyra Venshade!
— Class A… spectral weapons manipulator.
Her blades vibrated slightly around her.
A boy with a nervous smile, hands traversed by unstable lightning.
— Toma Rekkai!
— Class A… unstable lightning user!!
Electric arcs crackled around him.
A hooded man, whose face remained invisible.
— Zerath Noct…
— Class S… unknown type.
A strange silence accompanied his appearance.
A woman with golden eyes, whose skin seemed slightly crystallized.
— Elyra Solm!
— Class A… absolute defense.
She remained calm.
Too calm.
A broad-shouldered fighter, breathing heavily, a red aura pulsing around him.
— Gorn Valdrik!
— Class A… pure berserker!!
The ground under his feet cracked slightly.
An elegant young man, almost detached, hands in his pockets.
— Seirin Kael!
— Class A… speed and precision.
His gaze analyzed everything.
Constantly.
A final silhouette appeared.
A man covered in black marks, as if his body was slowly disintegrating.
— Draev Malchor!
— Class A… body alteration.
His breath was irregular.
Unstable.
Then—
The commentator's tone changed again.
More intense.
— And now…
— The two names everyone has been waiting for…
The screen trembled slightly.
Kert appeared.
Suspended in the air.
Smile on his lips.
— KERT!!
— Class S!!
— Responsible for this massive elimination!!
Shouts erupted in the stands.
Then—
Hinata.
Standing.
Silent.
Calm.
— …Hinata.
A hesitation.
The commentator hesitated for a fraction of a second.
— …Unknown class.
A murmur ran through the arena.
— No data.
The tone became almost intrigued.
— No trace in the system…
Silence.
— And yet…
Zoom on Hinata.
— She is one of the ten.
A beat.
Then—
— Ladies and gentlemen…
His voice rose.
— The real fight…
— BEGINS NOW!!!
In the arena—
The wind had stopped.
Calm had returned.
But this calm…
was more dangerous than everything that had preceded it.
The ten fighters faced each other.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then—
A step.
A single one.
Kert.
His gaze fixed on Hinata.
His smile widened slightly.
— Now…
His voice was low.
But perfectly audible.
— We can really begin.
The silence didn't last.
It exploded.
BOOM!!!
A monstrous deflagration tore through the arena from the very first second.
Without hesitation—
Draev, Seirin, and Gorn lunged at the same time.
Their target was obvious.
Kert.
Eliminate him.
Now.
It was the most logical decision.
The smartest.
The one who had swept almost the entire arena in an instant…
had to fall first.
But—
No one saw the exact moment.
No one understood.
Kert…
was no longer there.
BOOM!!!
A titanic shockwave crushed the air.
The three Class A were pinned to the ground, thrown backward without even understanding.
The ground cracked.
Space vibrated.
They saw nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Lyra stepped back, eyes wide.
— Where… where are they…?
An invisible pressure crushed the arena.
Something was moving.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
BOOOOM!!!
An explosion erupted in the center of the arena.
Violent.
Brutal.
Uncontrollable.
All the remaining fighters were repelled, thrown like simple debris.
Then—
Silence fell again.
Two silhouettes were there.
In the center.
Kert.
And—
Hinata.
Hinata, motionless.
Arms crossed.
Hard gaze.
Her body slightly tilted—
as if she had just stopped something monstrous.
Kert's fist.
Blocked.
Cleanly.
A residual wave still vibrated around them.
Kert smiled.
A wider smile.
More interested.
— Well…
He tilted his head slightly.
— It seems the others aren't even capable of following our fight.
His gaze glanced briefly around them.
— Shall we ignore them?
Hinata didn't respond.
Not a word.
Not an unnecessary movement.
Silence.
Short.
Then—
Kert disappeared again.
But this time—
Something changed.
A shiver.
Pure danger.
Kert stopped dead.
His instincts screamed.
Without thinking—
He shifted to the side.
A mass of energy surged.
An orb.
Red.
Black.
Almost… alive.
It crossed the space at a terrifying speed.
Kert had dodged.
But—
Hinata—
was on the trajectory.
For a fraction of a second—
she didn't understand.
Then—
Her body moved.
Alone.
Her mana pulsed.
Brutally.
She dodged.
By an instant.
By nothing.
The orb passed.
And behind—
it was carnage.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact was apocalyptic.
Toma.
Elyra.
Draev.
Lyra.
Raizen.
They were hit full force.
Their bodies lifted.
Broken.
Thrown out of the arena.
Explosion.
Fragments.
Silence.
None of them could get up anymore.
A void.
Terrifying.
Everyone slowly turned their heads.
A silhouette.
Motionless.
Arm still extended.
Zerath Noct.
The silence became heavy.
Crushing.
Kert… smiled.
A satisfied smile.
Almost amused.
— I expected no less…
His eyes gleamed slightly.
— From another Class S.
The remaining survivors—
Gorn…
Seirin…
Draev… (those barely conscious)
—
trembled.
They understood.
It was no longer their level.
No longer their world.
Without a word—
They backed away.
Then—
Ran.
And jumped out of the arena.
Of their own accord.
Abandonment.
Only three presences remained.
The wind blew lightly.
Kert.
Hinata.
Zerath.
Three monsters.
The commentator's voice exploded:
— LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!
His voice trembled.
— IT'S INCREDIBLE!!!
— IN SO LITTLE TIME…
— ONLY THREE FIGHTERS REMAIN!!!
A breath.
— THREE!!
In the arena—
No one spoke.
But this time—
The real fight—
was truly about to begin.