[The Origin's Realm - Battle Arena]
Nova stood in the center of the vast, desolate arena, her small frame dwarfed by the sheer scale of the combat grounds. Opposite her stood the Angel Origin. For the first time, he spoke. His voice was a paradoxical blend of absolute calm and underlying terror, vibrating through the very air.
"Nova," he began, his gaze steady. "You can still retreat. It is not a requirement that you ascend to the rank of Origin so soon after your birth."
Nova didn't blink. "I am going to be one," she replied, her voice echoing his calm. "I will be the first Spiritual Being to ever claim the rank of Origin the moment I am born."
The Angel, Kaelvyr, offered only a heavy sigh in response.
"By the way," Nova added, tilting her head. "What is your name?"
"Kaelvyr," he answered simply.
A resonant, low-frequency hum vibrated through the arena—the signal that the trial had begun.
Nova was acutely aware that she lacked formal combat training, but she possessed a raw, untapped reservoir of energy that defied all known logic. Kaelvyr drew his sword, the blade igniting with a brilliant, blinding white light that cast long shadows across the arena.
In response, Nova manifested her own weapon—a blade of such alien design and terrifying aura that a collective gasp rose from the distant observers. To wield it, she focused her will, turning her hands into solid, physical matter to grip the hilt.
"What's wrong?" Nova asked, a small, cold smile touching her lips. "Is this your first time seeing a blade?"
Kaelvyr remained stoic. With a fluid motion, he slashed his sword through the air. A massive, crescent-shaped wave of white energy surged toward Nova.
*Don't they know physical attacks don't work on Spiritual Beings?* Nova thought, her mind racing. *Fine. I'll just block it.*
Suddenly, an immense, suffocating aura erupted from Nova. The energy she released in that split second was staggering—far surpassing the force of Xyloria's final explosion. High above, the Celestial Eyes pulsed with a frantic rhythm, struggling to maintain the planet's equilibrium against the sheer pressure of her presence.
Elarion, Xyne, and even Rhyzok, miles away at the Rankspire, felt the tremor in the air—a dangerous, primordial energy that made their very essences shiver.
In the blink of an eye, the energy Nova had released was pulled back, channeled entirely into her sword. She lunged forward, her speed blurring reality. She shattered Kaelvyr's energy slash with a single strike and bore down on him.
Kaelvyr's eyes widened. The speed was incredible. He realized in that moment that he could no longer afford to hold back; if that sword touched him, it would be the end.
He shifted his blade into a vertical block, meeting Nova's strike with a thunderous clash. But he didn't just defend. He poured his own energy into his weapon, causing the sword to grow, its form becoming more solid and elongated. Six wings of pure, incandescent light erupted from his back, and his eyes turned a blinding, featureless white.
"No more holding back," Kaelvyr declared.
He dashed at Nova. The resulting shockwave from their collision didn't just ripple through the arena; it tore through the planet's crust and vibrated into the very fabric of the universe. Nova blocked his strike, her form trembling under the weight of his power as their blades locked, sparks of pure spirit and angel energy flying between them.
"Energy Blast!" Nova shouted, her voice strained.
She was admittedly terrible at naming her techniques, but the execution was flawless. She channeled every ounce of stored energy into her sword and unleashed it in a devastating beam. The King, watching from his distant throne, was forced to leap into the air to avoid the peripheral heat of the blast.
Kaelvyr didn't move. Instead, he wrapped his wings around himself. They glowed with a fierce, protective light, his pure Angel energy manifesting as a secondary, overlapping shield of wings. Nova's blast hammered against the shield, the energy cracking and splintering against the divine defense.
But Kaelvyr was no longer there. He had left behind a perfect energy copy, a decoy that shattered under Nova's continued assault. He reappeared behind her, his voice a whisper in her ear.
"Wow. You're even stronger than I imagined."
He reached out, his hand glowing with a soft, dangerous light. He intended to touch Nova, to reach into the very core of her being to see if she even possessed a soul—and if so, to crush it.
The moment his fingers made contact, Nova exploded.
*****
[The Rankspire - The Battle Arena]
At the base of the great tower, Elarion and Xyne stood before the heavy obsidian doors of their respective arenas.
"Good luck," Xyne said, her voice unusually soft. "Please... stay alive."
Elarion looked at her, his expression resolute. "Thank you. I will."
The doors groaned open. At first, they saw only a small, cramped chamber that appeared to be a dead end. But as soon as they stepped inside, the doors slammed shut and the floor began to descend like a massive elevator. Through the walls, they could hear the muffled sounds of combat—the clashing of steel and the guttural roars of different species.
The elevator came to a halt, and a door behind them slid open. They stepped out into a staging area filled with combatants awaiting their turn. Among them were the two 10th Harbingers, Draven and Xyke, along with a scattering of low-rank Wisps, Phantoms, and Specters.
Xyke spotted them immediately. "Xyne? What are you doing here?"
"Fighting, obviously," Xyne replied, her tone sharp. "What else would I be here for?"
Xyke blinked. "Wait... are you fighting both of us?"
"Yeah," she said, her answer short and final.
Xyke sighed, shaking his head. "Skye has been saying the same thing. She wants to be a Harbinger, but she talks like she wants to rank up straight to the 1st."
Xyne offered a small shrug. "It's her choice. I can't stop her."
Xyke turned his attention to the Spiritual Being standing beside his sister. "And who are you fighting?"
Elarion looked around to ensure Xyke was speaking to him. "Just some Wisps, Phantoms, and Specters. Or more, if they'll let me."
"Be careful out there," Xyke warned. "You're starting against a Beast Wisp. I'm Xyke, by the way."
Elarion nodded. "Elarion."
Draven approached them then, his presence cold and imposing. "Which one of you is Elarion?"
Elarion met his gaze.
"You're next," Draven said, pointing to a door at the far end of the room. "That leads to the arena."
As Elarion started toward the entrance, Xyne called out one last time. "Be careful, Elarion."
***
Elarion stepped onto the arena floor. The ground was unnervingly hard, made of spiritual energy that had been compressed into solid matter. Above him, the stands were packed with spectators from every species, their voices rising in a cacophony of derision.
"Boooooooooo!" the crowd roared.
Elarion felt a flash of irritation. He hated that sound.
The announcer's voice boomed over the noise, amplified by energy. "Let us welcome the dangerous beast... THE WALKER!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. "YES! DESTROY HIM!"
Elarion frowned, his mind racing. *I thought this was a Wisp-rank fight. This feels... different.*
The Walker, a hulking beast with jagged, predatory teeth, lunged at him. Elarion turned and ran, circling the arena as the beast snapped at his heels. What terrified him most was the sound of the solid floor shattering behind him; the beast was tearing through the compressed energy with every stride.
"Stop running and fight!" the Walker roared.
The beast leaped high into the air, his shadow looming over Elarion. He missed by a mere inch, but the impact of his landing shattered the ground, sending a shockwave that threw Elarion into the air.
The Walker didn't give him a moment to breathe. He lunged again, claws extended.
*Wait,* Elarion thought, a sudden realization hitting him. *Physical attacks don't affect us... damn, I'm so stupid!*
As the beast closed in, Elarion thrust his fist forward. He focused his will, transforming his hand into solid matter and infusing it with just enough energy to strike without draining his life force.
He punched the Walker squarely in the stomach. A brilliant beam of blue light erupted from the point of impact, tearing through the beast's abdomen.
The arena went silent.
The Walker collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a heavy thud. He didn't move.
After a long, breathless pause, the crowd erupted—not in boos, but in a deafening roar of approval.
"ELARION! ELARION!"
To be continued...