Blood sprayed through the air.
A flash of red, a sickening crunch — and then silence.
Raizel's eyes widened as Dante's body collapsed to the ground, his mouth open in a breathless gasp. Time seemed to slow as Dante's broken form hit the marble floor of the arena, crimson blood seeping beneath him.
Zephyros, Ignis, and Chronos had known from the start that they couldn't beat Raizel directly. Without their full divine power, Raizel's overwhelming strength was too much — he had already humiliated Orion, broken divine relics with his bare hands, and fought like a predator playing with his prey. They couldn't overpower him physically — but they didn't need to. They only needed a single opening, a single moment of vulnerability. And Raizel's biggest weakness wasn't his strength — it was his mind. His overconfidence. Ignis acted first. He lunged toward Raizel with a flurry of fire-forged strikes, his movements sharp and reckless — but predictable. Raizel smirked as he dodged them easily, his body shifting lazily to the side. This is boring, Raizel had thought, letting Ignis swing wildly without bothering to counterattack. His hands were lowered at his sides, his smirk widening as Ignis stumbled and overextended his strike. That's when Chronos moved.
Chronos appeared behind Raizel in an instant. His fingertips grazed Raizel's wrist. Raizel's smile faltered — and then his eyes widened in sudden horror. No. His breath hitched as a wave of heatless, crushing pressure flooded his mind. His vision blurred. Blood — on his hands — on the ground — too many gods standing over a broken body — the sound of her voice — the sound of his own voice screaming — NO! Raizel's knees buckled. His hands trembled. He forced himself to breathe — but the sound of her scream wouldn't stop. Chronos' hand slipped away as Raizel staggered, his crimson eyes wide and glassy. And in that single moment — Zephyros struck. His spear shot forward like lightning, piercing toward Dante's chest. Raizel's vision snapped back into focus — too late. He was already moving, but Zephyros' spear had already plunged into Dante's side. Dante's body twisted mid-air, blood spraying through the air — and Raizel's fingers missed his shoulder by an inch.
"No..." Raizel whispered.
His hand twitched at his side, fingers curling inward as his mind struggled to process what had just happened. He had been watching — no, toying with them. Letting Dante and Orion handle the weaklings, too amused by their effort to intervene.
And now...
Dante lay broken.
Raizel's chest tightened, an unfamiliar, sickening sensation twisting his stomach. His eyes, normally cold and detached, were wide with disbelief. His ears buzzed with white noise as his heartbeat slammed painfully against his ribs.
"You let this happen."
A single thought burned through his mind like poison.
A low chuckle echoed through the arena.
Zephyros stood over Dante's motionless body, blood dripping from his spear's jagged tip. His ocean-blue eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"Pathetic," Zephyros sneered. "And here I thought he'd be stronger, considering he follows you."
Raizel's breath hitched. His gaze sharpened, his expression darkening. "What... did you say?"
Zephyros' smirk widened. He dragged the tip of his spear across the ground, the sound of metal scraping marble ringing in Raizel's ears. "I guess even your pets aren't indestructible."
A muscle twitched in Raizel's jaw. The temperature around him seemed to drop, the air thickening with something oppressive. His hair shifted as dark energy coiled around his body.
Orion stumbled toward Dante, dropping to his knees. His trembling hands hovered above Dante's body. "Dante...?" His voice cracked.
No response.
"Wake up..." Orion whispered, his golden eyes glinting with panic. He shook Dante's shoulder. "Wake up!"
Zephyros laughed. "Looks like he's not going to."
Raizel's hands lowered to his sides, his fingers flexing. A dark pressure began to bleed into the air — suffocating, heavy, choking. His head tilted downward, eyes hidden beneath his hair as his aura blackened.
"I see..." Raizel's voice was low, dangerously calm. His footsteps echoed as he began walking toward Zephyros, shadows curling at his feet. His crimson irises sharpened, cold and murderous.
Zephyros' smile faltered.
"I underestimated you," Raizel said softly. His gaze lifted — and Zephyros flinched at the deadly emptiness in his eyes. "My mistake."
Lucien's golden eyes narrowed from the stands. This...
A pressure like a storm began to spiral from Raizel's body. His smile faded into a razor-sharp smirk. His hands flexed, power trembling beneath his fingertips.
"I was careless," Raizel murmured. "I thought you were insects. You're still insects — but you have sharper claws than I expected."
Zephyros' eyes widened as Raizel vanished from sight.
CRACK!
Zephyros flew backward, crashing through the marble floor. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tumbled, his body ragdolling across the arena.
Ignis and Chronos stepped back in alarm.
Zephyros coughed blood, clutching his ribs. His expression twisted. Too fast.
Raizel stepped toward him, shadows curling around his feet like black smoke. His crimson eyes glowed beneath his dark lashes.
"You're going to regret that."
Zephyros' spear shot toward him — but Raizel caught it with two fingers. He twisted the spear until the metal groaned and shattered into shards.
Zephyros stumbled back, his face pale.
"Do you understand now?" Raizel's smile sharpened into a dangerous edge. "You shouldn't have touched my friend."
Raizel raised his hand —
"Raizel!"
Orion's voice.
Raizel froze, his gaze flicking toward the sound. Orion was crouched over Dante's body, his eyes wide.
"He's... he's breathing!" Orion shouted.
Raizel's eyes widened.
Dante's chest was rising and falling weakly, his breath ragged but steady. His eyelids fluttered, and a faint groan escaped his lips.
He wasn't dead.
Raizel's breath caught. His raised hand trembled slightly before lowering. The storm of dark energy around him flickered and dimmed. His sharp crimson gaze softened.
He took a shaky breath. Alive.
Zephyros' eyes narrowed as he pushed himself to his feet. His gaze locked onto Raizel's lowered guard —
"NOW!" Zephyros shouted.
Ignis and Chronos lunged toward Raizel.
Raizel's eyes flashed.
THOOM!
A burst of dark energy exploded outward, sending Zephyros, Ignis, and Chronos skidding backward. The entire arena trembled beneath the shockwave.
Raizel's gaze darkened. "You're trying to die today."
Chronos slowly stood, his eyes dull and distant. He glanced at his own hand, then toward the arena floor.
"I see..." Chronos murmured. His golden eyes softened. "I see how this ends."
Raizel's gaze sharpened.
Chronos took a single step back — then smiled faintly.
"I'm done," he said.
Ignis and Zephyros snapped their heads toward him. "What?"
Chronos lowered his hands and walked toward the edge of the arena. He stepped across the boundary line, his expression impassive.
"I forfeit."
Ignis' eyes widened. "What the hell are you—"
"I'm not playing a game I can't win," Chronos said softly. His gaze shifted toward Raizel, and for the briefest moment, his golden eyes darkened. "Not that anyone else is going to win either."
Raizel's gaze narrowed.
Chronos smiled faintly. "Good luck."
He turned and walked away.
Ignis' expression twisted. "You—"
"It's over," the announcer's voice boomed. "Chronos has voluntarily eliminated himself!"
The crowd roared.
Raizel's gaze remained fixed on Chronos as he disappeared from the arena floor. His crimson eyes narrowed. What did he see?
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena.
"The finalists are decided!"
The massive screen above the arena flashed with five names:
Raizel
Zephyros
Ignis
Orion
Dante
Orion slowly stood, pulling Dante to his feet. Dante's eyes fluttered open, a weak grin tugging at his lips. "Did... we win?"
Orion's expression softened. "Yeah."
Raizel's gaze lowered to Dante's bruised and bloodied face. His throat tightened.
He had almost lost him.
Raizel's smile disappeared. His jaw tightened. His gaze sharpened toward Zephyros, standing battered on the other side of the arena.
Next time...
"I'm going to destroy you."
Zephyros' eyes darkened.
Raizel turned and walked toward Orion and Dante, his hand brushing across Dante's shoulder as he passed. His crimson eyes gleamed beneath his dark lashes.
"The next round," Raizel said softly, "is mine."