"Samaira, you were amazing! The way you locked him in that armbar was outrageous!" said Jack, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Heheheh, I just did it, hehe! I'll teach you if you want," Samaira said proudly, her smile beaming.
"Ahaha, sure! I'd love that," Jack laughed.
A nearby soldier called out, "All the matches are almost done. Only one match remains!"
"The next match is between Drex and Vairan!" the soldier announced loudly.
"Hey Kairoz, it's his match up next," said Darius, nudging him with his elbow.
"Yeah..." Kairoz muttered, his sharp gaze locked onto the stage.
"Crap," Darius grumbled, crossing his arms. "My opponent was so weak... I won by just hitting him once. I wanted *him* as my opponent, man... Anyway, let's see how the number one guy does."
Kairoz continued to watch the stage silently, his expression serious.
Drex confidently grabbed his wooden sword and stepped onto the stage. Vairan followed, placing his wooden sword on the ground with a loud *thud* before starting to stretch, hopping lightly and loosening up his muscles.
"Hey! You better not disappoint me, Number One!" Vairan shouted with a cocky grin.
Drex raised his hand and shouted, "Yeahhh!" with a confident grin.
Jack and Samaira quickly made their way to the front to watch the final match.
"That jerk," Jack muttered, glaring at Vairan with a sharp scowl.
Samaira tilted her head, curious. "Did something happen between you two?"
Jack huffed. "He shoved me down during the last exam."
"You should've beaten him to a pulp," Samaira said fiercely, her fists clenching.
Jack chuckled. "No worries — Duke took revenge for me. He pushed that guy down even harder."
"That's great to hear!" Samaira beamed. "All those nobles are jerks... First that bastard Kairoz—"
Before she could finish, Jack panicked. "Hey! Stop! He's right there!"
Kairoz was standing just a few steps away, arms crossed, giving them a sharp side-eye.
"Why are you scared?" Samaira teased, nudging Jack with a mischievous grin.
When she glanced toward Kairoz again, she caught him still staring coldly at them from the corner of his eye.
"Looks like you really hate him," Darius said with a sly smirk.
"No, it's not like that!" Jack stammered quickly.
Samaira crossed her arms stubbornly. "Of course I hate him. He was hitting on my bestie and beat up my friend."
"Hey, stop it," Jack said, waving his hand. "It was just an exam match. Of course he had to fight hard to get higher marks."
"Alright, alright," Samaira sighed, though her pout remained.
"They're really funny," Darius chuckled, glancing at Kairoz.
Kairoz shot him a cold side glance. "They're not funny. They're just losers," he muttered darkly.
Samaira's eyes flared with anger. "See?! I told you he's a jerk!" she growled.
"Calm down," Jack said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get our chance."
"Silence!" barked a soldier loudly, his voice echoing through the area.
"Hey, start the match already!" Vairan shouted from the stage, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Begin!" shouted the soldier, his voice sharp and commanding.
Vairan immediately sprang forward, charging straight at Drex with his wooden sword raised high.
Drex reacted quickly, meeting the attack with a firm block, the loud crack of wood echoing through the arena.
"Heheheh, you blocked it!" Vairan laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Drex's expression hardened, his muscles tensing. The way he moves... Drex thought, his mind sharpening like a blade.
With a powerful grunt, Drex shoved Vairan backward, forcing him to stumble a few steps.
"Good, good!" Vairan shouted, grinning wildly. "That was monstrous strength! Pushing someone like me back — impressive!"
Without wasting a second, Drex charged again, roaring, "Ahhhhhh!" as he swung his sword with fierce momentum.
Vairan stood there, smiling lazily, almost inviting the attack
Drex's wooden sword came dangerously close, nearly striking Vairan's neck.
At the very last second, Vairan tilted his body, dodging with a smooth, effortless movement.
"Whoops! You almost hit me! Hahahaha!" Vairan laughed, dancing a few steps back, still wearing that cocky grin.
Without hesitation, Drex charged at Vairan again, determination burning in his eyes.
But this time, Vairan smirked and spun around, delivering a sharp back kick straight into Drex's face.
Drex staggered backward, almost falling.
"Using the same move twice? You must be an idiot," Vairan taunted, shaking his head. "Man, you're so boring."
Gritting his teeth, Drex pushed himself up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"If the opponent is unable to continue... that's still a win, right?" Drex asked, glancing at the nearby soldier.
"Yeah!" the soldier called out. "If they give up or can't keep fighting, you win!"
"Alright then," Drex said with a wicked grin. He dropped his wooden sword to the ground with a loud thud and began cracking his fingers one by one, the sound echoing across the silent arena.
Before Vairan could say anything, Drex charged at him with his fists clenched tight, fury in his eyes.
As Drex's punch closed in, Vairan swiftly blocked it with his wooden sword.
What an idiot, Vairan thought, smirking.
He quickly struck Drex's hand with the sword.
"One point to Vairan!" shouted the soldier.
But before Vairan could react, Drex's other fist came flying — and smashed directly into Vairan's face.
"Wha—?!" Vairan gasped, the blow sending him crashing onto the ground.
Blood trickled from his nose, his head bouncing roughly against the arena floor.
Drex didn't waste a second. He roared and threw another brutal punch toward Vairan.
Vairan rolled out of the way just in time as Drex's fist slammed into the ground with a deafening boom.
The ground cracked under the impact, dust flying into the air.
"Look at that! That noble is biting the dust!" someone in the crowd roared.
"Beat the crap out of him, Drex!" another voice shouted.
"Yeahhh, let's gooo!" yelled Samaira, jumping up in excitement.
Jack stood frozen, stunned by Drex's overwhelming performance.
The entire crowd erupted, chanting in unison,
"Drex! Drex! Drex!"
Even Kairoz, watching from a distance, looked slightly shaken by the sight.
"This is getting interesting," Darius muttered with a smirk.
Vairan quickly pushed himself off the ground, blood dripping from his nose. Then, to everyone's shock, he started laughing — a loud, wild laugh that echoed through the arena.
"Hahahahahaha! That's what I wanted!" Vairan cackled, his eyes gleaming with a strange excitement.
The crowd, which had been roaring moments ago, suddenly fell silent, unease creeping in.
"Is he... gone crazy after getting hit in the head?" Samaira said, frowning as she watched the match.
"It must've hit him harder than we thought," Jack said quietly.
Drex narrowed his eyes, cracking his knuckles. "Must've messed up your brain. Don't worry — I'll end this quick so you won't have to suffer."
Without hesitation, Drex charged again, launching a powerful fist straight at Vairan's face.
But Vairan dodged effortlessly, his movements sharper, faster.
"Faster! Even faster!" Vairan screamed, grinning like a madman as he weaved around Drex's furious punches.
Suddenly, Vairan lunged forward and delivered a brutal kick straight into Drex's gut.
"Ughh!" Drex grunted, staggering backward from the impact.
But Vairan didn't stop there — instead of striking with his sword, he balled his fist and slammed a vicious punch right into Drex's face, mimicking exactly what Drex had done to him earlier.
"An eye for an eye!" Vairan roared, laughing maniacally.
Drex was knocked off his feet, crashing hard onto the ground. Blood began to drip from his nose, staining the dirt below him.
The crowd gasped, stunned by the sudden turnaround.
Drex struggled to rise, blood dripping from his nose. But before he could fully stand, Vairan spun and delivered a devastating bicycle kick right to his face.
Crack!
Drex collapsed again, his body hitting the ground hard. Without hesitation, Vairan began stomping and kicking him in the face, over and over, laughing like a maniac.
"Hahahahaha! Get up already! I'm not done yet!" Vairan screamed, his voice wild and unhinged.
He didn't stop. He kept striking Drex, even as the boy lay helpless and bloodied.
"Get up, I said!" Vairan shouted again, slamming his foot down.
Drex's face was soaked in blood, cuts and bruises forming across his cheeks and forehead. The crowd was frozen in horror, completely silent.
"Hey! Stop!" a soldier finally yelled, rushing toward them. "He's knocked out, if you keep going—"
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Vairan roared, shoving the soldier aside.
"He'll die if you keep going!" another soldier shouted, pulling Vairan back.
"Let him die!" Vairan snarled.
The soldiers finally dragged him to the corner, trying to restrain him. One of them, breathing hard, said, "Calm down, just calm down already!"
"Check on Drex! Fast!" another barked, kneeling beside the unconscious fighter.
Vairan suddenly grabbed one soldier by the collar and growled, "I told you... match me with the strongest!"
"H-He was the number one!" the soldier stammered in panic.
"I'm not DONE yet! Why was I paired with a weakling like him?!" Vairan shouted, eyes wild.
"Calm down!" the soldier snapped back.
The crowd remained dead silent, stunned by what they'd witnessed.
"I WANT MORE!" Vairan screamed, his voice echoing across the arena. "MORE!!"
Suddenly, he leapt off the stage, launching himself directly toward Kairoz.
Kairoz's eyes widened. He barely dodged in time as Vairan's feet slammed into the ground beside him.
"He's lost it!" Darius shouted. "You've seriously gone crazy, Vairan!"
"Crazy?" Vairan growled, turning toward him with a grin. His bloody nose and crooked smile made him look like a demon. "Hahaha… I was born crazy!"
Kairoz stepped forward, glaring. "So... you wanna fight me now?"
Vairan grinned, a low chuckle escaping his throat. "Is that even a question, bastard?"
The tension was thick. Two monsters stood face-to-face — the air around them buzzing with rage.