Ali snapped his fingers, and his lightsaber materialised in his right hand with a flash of red.
He raised it into a throwing stance and hurled it forward with all his might, the weapon spinning like a deadly crimson disc. His opponent, clad in heavy enchanted armour, immediately shifted into a defensive posture, lowering his stance and gripping his spear tightly.
'Not yet…' the armoured fighter thought, watching the blade streak toward him like a bolt of lightning. Every second dragged out like an eternity as the lightsaber grew larger in his vision. Just as it neared striking range, he swung his spear upward to deflect it—
FLIP.
Ali smirked. At the final moment, he controlled the trajectory of the lightsaber with the Force, making it arc upward and flip clean over the spear, bypassing the parry entirely.
The armoured man's eyes widened as the searing blade surged past his guard. In the next heartbeat, his entire world shifted sideways.
SLICE.
SPLURT.
A diagonal gash split through his upper body, slicing from shoulder to opposite hip. His torso slid off cleanly, collapsing onto the arena floor with a sickening slap. Blood sprayed in a high arc before soaking into the sand.
'That's rank 9000 on the second level?'
Ali felt a flicker of disappointment. 'And here I expected resistance…'
"Ali wins!!" Toto's voice echoed, and the crowd exploded with cheers and disbelief.
"I bet he'd last a full minute—FUCK! And he was supposed to be a tank!" one frustrated player shouted, slamming his fist on the railing while his friends burst into laughter at his expense.
Ali extended his hand, calling the lightsaber back with the Force. It returned smoothly, and he took a moment to clean the blood still clinging to its polished handle.
There was no delay this time. The gate on the opposite side of the arena opened once more, and another challenger stepped into the sunlit battleground.
A tall Indian man with confident poise walked forward, gripping a shimmering blue staff. His flowing azure robes bore the insignia of the Water Guild, and the way he moved suggested discipline and intent.
'A water mage?' Ali noted silently.
He snapped his fingers again, and the lightsaber vanished. In its place, the deadly Inverted Spear of Heaven appeared, coiled with its cursed thousand-mile chain—a bane to all mages.
"Three… two… one… FIGHT!" Toto announced with his usual flair.
The mage wasted no time.
He slammed his staff into the sand.
RUMBLE.
All around him, the ground convulsed—and then burst open as if an ocean had been hiding beneath the arena. Water surged upward in a majestic torrent, rising four meters above his head. With a dramatic motion, he gestured upward, and the swirling mass took form—shifting into four colossal, razor-fanged sharks, each forged from densely compacted magical water.
"WATER SHARKS!" he bellowed, thrusting his staff forward.
The sharks lunged forward, cutting through the air at alarming speed, jaws wide with swirling vortex teeth.
Ali began walking toward them calmly—then suddenly sprinted forward. The chain around him spun wildly, a storm of steel and power orbiting his form. The Inverted Spear whirled in flawless motion, directed by Ali's precise control.
He pulled the chain back sharply at the elbow—
SPLASH! SPLASH!
The spear head skewered two of the sharks, obliterating them instantly and causing the summoned water to collapse in a harmless wave. Ali then dodged the third shark with a smooth sidestep and twisted his body into a tight spin.
The chain followed.
CRACK—SPLASH!
The fourth shark was struck mid-air and burst apart in a heavy splash. The sheer accuracy and velocity of Ali's movements made it look effortless—like the chain was merely an extension of his will.
The mage didn't flinch.
Instead, he raised his staff again. His eyes shut. Arcane sigils began glowing along his robes, and when his eyes opened again, they blazed with a fierce aqua-blue light.
"TEN GEYSER!" he shouted.
Ali's Force Sense flared violently.
'Something's beneath me…'
BOOOOOOOM!
The sand directly under Ali erupted with staggering force. A massive geyser of scalding, high-pressure water exploded upward like a battering ram. The eruption was so intense it left a molten hiss in its wake, and the entire arena vibrated from the release.
Ali had already launched himself from the blast zone, sprinting through the steam, but his heightened senses lit up like sirens—he could feel it: danger still shifted beneath the sand.
Up in the stands, the Water Guild's section was locked in tense silence. Dozens of players leaned forward in their seats, anxiety building with each second. The young man now in the arena was one of their brightest rising stars—an exceptional mage with tactical genius beyond his years. Many believed he had the potential to lead the guild one day.
But right now, the crowd wasn't watching him.
All eyes were fixed on the massive arena screen, which displayed Ali's face as it vanished into the erupting steam clouds—his expression barely visible through the waves of white mist.
Jasmine gripped the railing in front of her. "Where did he go? Did he get hit?"
Rose squinted toward the arena. "I can't see anything… was he caught in the blast?"
Evelyn remained seated, her fan slowly drifting back and forth. "Just keep watching," she said with a knowing smile.
The water mage's heartbeat thundered in his chest. His spell was still active—seven geysers lay in wait, ready to erupt. His feet were now enveloped in floating water bubbles, a mobility spell that allowed him to glide effortlessly over the sand. He was breathing hard, staff glowing, senses sharp.
Then—
VOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A blur cut through the mist—a spear tore through the vapour like a bolt.
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
The mage unleashed five geysers in rapid succession, detonating them across the clouded area to obscure Ali's approach. At the same time, he activated his mobility spell—the bubbles at his feet popping in succession, launching him backward like a skater gliding across water.
The spear struck where he'd stood just moments before, the sand erupting in a flash of displaced energy. The mage's reaction had been perfect.
But then—
CRASH!
Ali burst out of the veil of steam like a demon unchained, sprinting with terrifying momentum. The chain of the Inverted Spear of Heaven was now a blur around him, whirling with so much speed it cut grooves into the sand with each revolution.
BOOOOOOM!
Another geyser detonated beneath Ali—but he twisted mid-air and avoided the blast by inches. The sheer fluidity of his movement sent a wave of awe rippling through the audience.
He was unstoppable.
The mage knew it. He gritted his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground once more. Water burst forth, this time forming into glowing chains that lashed toward Ali from multiple angles.
But Ali didn't stop.
He tore through them, the spinning spear-head slicing every watery tendril before it could touch him. The chains burst like fragile mist against his assault.
'He's too fast… too relentless…'
The young mage halted and activated his last escape plan. He hugged his staff tightly, and a brilliant stream of blue water coiled around him like a serpent. It swirled and condensed into a massive floating bubble, suspending him mid-air, away from Ali's reach.
From inside, the mage exhaled with a shaky smirk. "I still have one left," he said aloud, confidence returning to his eyes.
Ali slowed, now only a few steps from the hovering bubble. The Inverted Spear of Heaven remained in his hand, its wicked edge dripping with water.
And then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The final geyser detonated directly beneath them.
Steam exploded outward as water rocketed into the air with apocalyptic force. But Ali was ready.
"Force Push."
Ali directed the Force beneath him in a wide wave, slamming it into the core of the geyser's surge. The entire upward blast was neutralised, exploding out sideways in a controlled shockwave. Ali stood at the centre, untouched, the sand beneath his boots scorched but firm.
The moment the tip of his spear touched the water bubble, it popped.
HSSSSSSSSHH—
The shimmering sphere collapsed, drenching the mage in a downpour—but leaving him utterly exposed.
He was within arm's reach of Ali now. And the look on his face was pure terror.
Ali loomed above him like a tower of judgment—tall, dark, and unshaken. His black eyes met the mage's glowing blues and drowned them in fear.
"Water Spear!" the mage shouted in desperation, the collapsed bubble's water forming jagged spears around him. They fired instantly—six, no, eight of them, aimed straight at Ali's chest and head.
But they hit nothing.
Ali was gone.
'Wha—?'
The mage barely had time to process what happened before his knees buckled.
Behind him—
Ali appeared like a phantom of death. His left hand plunged forward like a blade.
SCHLK.
His hand pierced the base of the mage's spine, tearing through enchanted robes and skin like wet paper. His fingers dug deeper—until they wrapped around bone.
"AAAAAAAAGH!!"
The mage shrieked so loud the crowd flinched. His body convulsed violently in Ali's grip, blood spilling down Ali's arm as the young player twisted from the pain.
The crowd was silent. Dead silent.
No one moved.
Ali lifted him.
With just his left hand, he raised the mage into the air by his spine, holding him like a trophy. The young man's body dangled limply, spasming and screaming with agony, consciousness fading and returning in vicious waves.
Up on the big screen, the display shifted to show Ali's face.
Expressionless. Cold. Terrifying.
"Force Push."
BOOOOOOOOM
The mage's body exploded into bits and pieces that covered the sand beneath Ali.
Please donate some of your power stones, it would help my ff massively.
Five chapters ahead of webnovel on patreon.com/Rondo312