The bullet shot faster towards Ezra, who was already pinned down with Kira's swords pressing and piercing into his palms gradually. Blood dripped from where the starlight blades were slowly cutting through his enhanced skin. He had two option. Let the sword pierce him completely or let the bullet blow his head off.
Both options were death.Ezra gritted his teeth. His mind raced. He had seconds. Less than seconds. The bullet was almost there. He could see it. A tiny point of purple light cutting through the air toward his skull.
And He made his choice.
[Library of the Iron Fist: Archive 20 - The Dump Truck"] he muttered.
Instantly, his body began to swell. It started from his hands. His arms expanded. His chest ballooned outward. His legs thickened. His head grew larger. Every part of his body inflated like he was being pumped full of air.But it wasn't air. It was muscle solid , dense and Heavy.
Within two seconds, Ezra had transformed completely. He was no longer the lean fighter who had entered the arena. He was massive now. Ten feet tall. His body was round. Thick. Like a giant ball of steel. His skin took on a metallic sheen. He looked like a fat panda made of solid iron with the strength of diamond.
The bullet struck him. Right in the forehead.But instead of piercing through, it bounced off. The sound was like a hammer hitting an anvil. The bullet ricocheted away, spinning through the air before embedding itself harmlessly in the dirt.
Ezra's massive hands, now the size of boulders, grabbed the two greatswords that were still pressing down on him. His fingers wrapped around the blades. And then he squeezed.
The swords shattered. They exploded into thousands of pieces of light that scattered across the arena like broken glass.Kira's eyes widened. She lowered her rifle slowly. "He's got a lot of defensive abilities," she muttered.
But before she could finish analyzing the situation, something else happened.The ground beneath her feet began to tremble. Small cracks appeared in the dirt. And then, without warning, six giant chains burst out from below.
They were massive. Each chain was as thick as a tree trunk. Made of black iron. Covered in strange symbols that glowed faintly red. The same symbols that had been on Ezra's hands.
The chains swung upward into the air like living serpents. They twisted and coiled. Then they slammed back down into the ground with tremendous force. The impact created craters dust exploded into the air.
And then they burst out again. This time, they were moving. The first chain swung toward Kira like a whip. She saw it coming and jumped to the side. The chain slammed into the ground where she had been standing just a moment before. The earth shattered under the impact.
But Kira noticed something. Where the chain had struck, there was a small lizard. It had been crawling across the dirt. The chain had grazed it. Just barely touched it.
The lizard froze. Its body went completely stiff. It couldn't move. Couldn't run. It just lay there, paralyzed.
Kira's heart sank. Those chains could paralyze whatever they touched.
Two more chains swung at her from different directions. Left and right. She fired her rifle at one of them. The bullet struck the chain and bounced off harmlessly. The chain didn't even slow down.
Kira dropped her rifle and pulled out her bow. She notched an arrow and fired. The arrow struck the left chain and exploded on impact. The chain was knocked slightly off course, but it kept coming.She used Shadow Step. Her body blurred and she reappeared twenty feet away.
But the chains adjusted. They changed direction mid-swing. They were tracking her. Following her movements.
"Dammit," Kira whispered.
She ran. Her feet pounded against the dirt as she sprinted across the arena. The chains chased her. They swung and lashed out. One came from above. She rolled forward. It missed her by inches.
Another came from the side. She jumped over it. Her body twisted in midair. She landed and kept running.But there were six chains. And they were everywhere.
One of them caught her.
It came from behind. It was too fast too sudden. The chain wrapped around her left shoulder. Not tightlh Just a graze. Just a touch.But that was enough.
Kira felt it immediately. Her left arm went numb. Completely numb. Like it had been disconnected from her body. She couldn't move it. Couldn't feel it. It hung limply at her side.
She stumbled. Her balance was off now. She tried to keep running, but another chain was already coming.It struck her legs. She felt the same sensation. Numbness spreading through her right leg. She fell to one knee.
Her Chrono Gauge beeped.
[Chrono Gauge: Status Update - Kira]
[Health Point: 75]
[Damage Taken: -15]
[Remaining HP: 60]
[Warning: Paralysis Effect Detected]
[Left Arm: 80% Mobility Loss]
[Right Leg: 60% Mobility Loss]
Kira gasped for air. Her vision blurred slightly. The paralysis was spreading. If another chain touched her, she would be completely immobilized.And then she would lose.From the block where the other participants were watching, Aldrich stood with his fists clenched. His eyes were locked on Kira. He could see her struggling. See her losing.
"Come on, Kira," he muttered under his breath. "Get up. You can do this."
The person standing next to him glanced over. "You know her?"
Aldrich nodded. "Yeah. We came through the Realm of Monsters together."
"She doesn't look good."
"She's stronger than she looks," Aldrich said firmly. "She'll figure it out."
But even as he said it, he wasn't entirely sure. The chains were closing in. Kira was injured. Paralyzed. Running out of options.
Down in the arena, Ezra was still in his massive Dump Truck form. He stood in the center, watching. His transformation made him too heavy to move quickly, but he didn't need to. The chains were doing all the work.
"Just give up!" Ezra's voice boomed across the arena. It was deeper now. Heavier. "You can't win! Those chains won't stop until you're completely paralyzed!"
Kira was on one knee. Her left arm was useless. Her right leg was barely responding. The chains were circling around her now. Closing in like predators surrounding wounded prey.
She looked up at the sky. The red hue was still there. And through it, she could see them again, faint But there it was Stars.
She took a shaky breath. Her right hand reached for her bow. It was difficult. Her body wasn't responding properly. But she managed to grab it.
"Library of the War Maiden," she whispered. Her voice was weak. Strained. "Archive 10."
The two stars appeared in the sky ignited.The crowd saw them. The commentator saw them. Ezra saw them.
"Again?!" Ezra shouted. "Are you serious?!"
But this time, Kira wasn't aiming at Ezra.
The two stars fell. They transformed into the massive greatswords. But as they descended, Kira changed their trajectory. She aimed them at the chains.The first sword struck three of the chains at once. It cleaved through them like they were paper. The chains shattered into fragments of black iron that scattered across the ground.
The second sword took out the remaining three chains. They broke apart and fell.The paralysis began to fade. Kira could feel sensation returning to her arm. To her leg. It hurt. Everything hurt. But she could move again.
She stood up. Her legs were shaking. Her body was exhausted. But she stood.
Ezra's eyes widened. "No way."Kira didn't waste time. She pulled out her rifle again. She aimed directly at Ezra's massive form. She knew the bullet wouldn't pierce his body. Not in this form.
But she wasn't aiming for his body.She aimed lower. At his feet. At the ground beneath him.She fired.The bullet struck the ground. And it exploded.
The explosion wasn't from the bullet itself. It was from Kira's essence. She had channeled it into the shot. The ground beneath Ezra erupted. A massive crater formed. And Ezra, despite his enormous weight, lost his footing.He fell backward. His massive body crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact. Dust and debris flew everywhere.
And then Kira moved. She used the last of her strength. She pulled three arrows from her quiver. She notched them all at once. Her hands were trembling. Her vision was fading at the edges.But she aimed.
At Ezra's exposed neck. The one weak point in his Dump Truck form.She fired.The three arrows shot forward. They struck Ezra's neck simultaneously. And unlike the bullet to his forehead, these arrows pierced through. Not deeply but it was enough.
Ezra's Chrono Gauge beeped rapidly.
[Chrono Gauge: Critical Damage - Ezra]
[Health Point: 85]
[Damage Taken: -87]
[Remaining HP: 00]
[Status: DEFEATED]
Ezra's massive body began to shrink. The Dump Truck form faded. He returned to his normal size. And he collapsed. He was Unconscious. Blood trickled from his neck where the arrows had struck.
Kira dropped to her knees. Her bow fell from her hands. She was gasping for air. Her entire body was shaking. She had won.For a moment, she had seen it. Death. Right in front of her eyes. The chains closing in. The paralysis spreading. The feeling of helplessness.
But she had survived.
The commentator's voice exploded through the arena. "INCREDIBLE! KIRA HAS WON! SHE TURNED THE FIGHT AROUND IN THE FINAL MOMENTS! SHE DESTROYED THE CHAINS! SHE BROUGHT DOWN THE GIANT! AND SHE SECURED VICTORY WITH A PERFECT SHOT TO THE WEAK POINT!"
The crowd erupted. People were on their feet. The noise was deafening. This had been a real fight. A real struggle. Both fighters had pushed themselves to the limit.
Kira slowly stood up. Her legs were still shaking. She looked over at Ezra's unconscious body. Guards were already moving to carry him off the field.
She had won. But it didn't feel like a victory. It felt like survival.Back in the block, Aldrich let out a long breath. He had been holding it without realizing. "I knew she could do it," he muttered.
The person next to him laughed. "You didn't look so confident a minute ago."Aldrich smiled . "Yeah, well. She likes to make things dramatic."
The large screen above the arena flickered. The next matchup appeared.
ALDRICH VS SYLVESTER
Aldrich's grin faded. He looked up at the screen. His name was there. In bold letters.His heart started pounding. This was it. His turn.
The commentator's voice rang out again. "AND NOW! OUR NEXT MATCH! ALDRICH VERSUS SYLVESTER! TWO MORE FIGHTERS READY TO PROVE THEIR WORTH!"
The crowd was already buzzing. People were placing bets. Discussing. Speculating.
Aldrich took a deep breath. He reached down and touched the hilt of his IceKing Breaker Sword. The cold metal was reassuring.He started walking toward the tunnel. His footsteps echoed. His mind was racing. He had watched Kai kill someone with a single technique. He had watched Kira nearly die.And now it was his turn.Two guards appeared at the tunnel entrance. One of them gestured for him to follow.Aldrich walked forward. The tunnel was dark. Cold. But at the end, he could see the light. The arena. The crowd. The battlefield.