The Battle: Blaise Dean vs Siwa Loma
The referee's hand cut through the air.
"Begin!"
At once, the world exploded.
A pulse of magic rippled through the arena, and Siwa Loma vanished. Her body became transluscent as she took in both light energy and wind energy into her body.
The air where she stood shimmered faintly — then Blaise's instincts screamed. He turned just in time to see a pale blur rushing toward him from his blind side. The impact came like a battering ram — her heel smashing into his ribs. His vision flashed white as he was hurled backward, rolling across the battle ground.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
He rolled on the ground with a light pain to his ribs. He then managed to get up and he held his rod once more as he coughed.
He looked defiantly at the smirking Siwa Loma, he wasn't going to be broken, he had been through too much to care about this small taunt.
"Too slow!" Siwa's voice rang like a bell, sharp and mocking. Her form twisted — her legs lengthened, arms rippled with serpentine flexibility. In the next blink, she slithered forward like a human whip.
"Transmute: Serpent's Lash!"
Her arm elongated unnaturally, bones and flesh reshaping mid-motion. It cracked through the air, wrapping around Blaise's wrist. He barely had time to raise his rod before she yanked — hard.
His feet left the ground. He was flung like a toy across the arena. He smashed into the caged wall of the fighting stage and slammed face down on the ground.
"Get up, orphan!" someone yelled.
"Stay down, boy, before she breaks you in half!"
The crowd's laughter cut deep — cruel, echoing, and merciless. Every sound of mockery felt heavier than the pain searing through his ribs.
Blaise coughed, dragging himself up to one knee. His fingers trembled as they tightened around the silver rod. The weapon hummed faintly, as though sharing his defiance. His chest burned with every breath, and the taste of iron filled his mouth.
Siwa sauntered toward him — her movements predatory, smooth, confident. The faint shimmer of magic crawled along her skin. Her eyes gleamed with pride and disdain.
"You really thought you could stand against me?" she said, voice dripping with arrogance. "I've reshaped my bones to diamond strength. I can crush you with one strike."
Blaise ignored her. His gaze hardened as he rose to his feet, steady but silent. The crowd's laughter blurred into a dull roar in the background. He twirled the rod once in his palm, the motion calming him — centering him. A dozen training memories flickered in his mind, half-formed techniques he'd failed to perfect. Now or never, he thought. If I fall, I'll fall swinging.
"Transmute: Gorilla Burly Slam!"
Siwa's roar tore through the arena once more as her body convulsed and expanded. Muscles bulged, skin thickened, and her form grew monstrous — the shape of a gorilla with arms like living tree trunks. The ground quaked under her weight as she slammed both fists down with a savage crash.
Blaise moved — a blur of instinct. He leapt backward just in time, the impact shaking the tiles beneath him. Dust billowed. When he landed, it was behind her — silent as wind. He pivoted sharply and swung his rod with both hands.
The strike connected squarely across her back.
A metallic crack! echoed.
Siwa staggered forward, her massive shoulders twisting as she snarled in fury. She turned slowly, baring sharp, human-like teeth, eyes glowing molten.
"You'll pay for that," she hissed, voice guttural and distorted.
She raised her arm again, veins pulsing with magic. The very air seemed to warp around her as she roared,
"Phase one — Beast Form!"
The words ripped from Siwa's mouth like a war cry. Her skin shimmered, split, and reformed — muscle cords thickened, claws burst from her fingers, and a mane of coarse silver fur erupted down her back. Her face distorted, half-girl, half-beast — eyes burning like molten gold. The air itself trembled with her transformation.
Gasps tore through the coliseum.
"By the Emperor's name…"
"She's merging human and beast traits—how's that even stable?"
"She's going to tear him apart!"
The ground cracked beneath her as she crouched, her monstrous silhouette framed by the crimson banners flapping overhead. The crowd went silent for half a heartbeat—then she lunged.
Blaise barely saw her move.
One second she was twenty feet away, the next she was a blur of claws and fury. Her first swing came at his head — he ducked, feeling the wind shear past his ear. The second came for his ribs — he blocked, the impact jarring through his entire arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder.
He staggered back, panting, as dust swirled around them like a storm.
"She's faster in this form…" he thought, blood dripping from his lip.
Siwa grinned, her voice curling into a guttural growl.
"Run, little orphan. Maybe if you're fast enough, I'll let you keep both legs."
She leapt.
Her claws came down like a hammer, splintering the tiles where Blaise had stood a heartbeat before. He rolled aside, shards slicing his cheek as he sprang up, spinning his silver rod in one hand to steady his balance.
His mind raced —At this rate, she would turn me to rucksack. Wait a minute, her joints… her balance… the transformation isn't perfect.
He exhaled, tightening his grip on the silver ranked low level rod of his.
"Let's see how diamond bones handle motion."
This time, he charged.
The crowd gasped.
"What's he doing?"
"He's insane—he's running toward her!"
Blaise twisted midair, using his momentum to drive the rod square into her torso. The impact cracked through the arena. Siwa's body flew backward, crashing into the iron bars of the cage like a sack of stones.
Silence rippled through the stands.
This was no game — it was combat stripped to its rawest form.
A fight that ended only when one could no longer stand. Brutal… yet this was the forge where warriors were made.
Siwa Loma was breathing heavily, rage evident in her every orifice as she got up animatedly.
Nose flaring...
Teeth baring...
"Phase two: Beast Form" Siwa Loma Screamed!
The moment she screamed "Beast Form!" the air itself seemed to tear apart.
A shockwave rippled from her body, scattering loose stones and sending the front rows of spectators stumbling back. The ground darkened beneath her feet as lines of glowing crimson veined outwards like molten cracks in the earth.
Her gorilla frame twisted further — grotesque, unnatural. Fur turned to scales; claws erupted where fingers had been. Two horn-like bones pierced through her forehead with a sickening crack, and her roar became a blend of human fury and animal pain. Her eyes—no longer red, but a pulsing yellow—fixed on Blaise.
"Gorilla Monta… Phase Two upgrade: Chimera State," whispered one of the judges, barely audible over the noise.
Gasps filled the arena. No one had expected a student to reach that stage.
Blaise's grip on his silver rod tightened until his knuckles went white. The energy radiating from her was suffocating—dense, hot, predatory. His mind screamed to run, but his body refused.
He bent his knees slightly, lowering his stance. He could feel his heartbeat syncing with the vibration of the rod. It wasn't just metal—it was alive, forged to resonate with his pulse.
She's faster now. Stronger. And scarier....
The dust exploded beneath Siwa's feet as she charged. She moved like a thunderbolt—each step leaving cracks where she'd landed. Her clawed arm swung forward, slicing through air so violently it left a vacuum trail.
Blaise ducked, the wind from the swipe grazing his hair. He slid across the arena floor, his rod spinning in a circular motion to gather momentum. The silver gleam grew brighter with each turn.
"Too slow!" she bellowed.
Another strike came—vertical this time.
Blaise leapt sideways, feeling the ground shatter beside him. A shard of broken tile scraped across his cheek, drawing blood. He winced but didn't stop moving.
He planted his left foot, spun mid-air, and aimed for her temple. The silver rod came down with a sharp 'clang' as he spun!
The impact made her flinch. Just for a second. But that second was all Blaise needed.
With the impact force, he threw her back as she slammed against the caged wall of the stage. The momentum pushed her forward and she landed with a sickening crunch.
He landed behind her, panting, sweat dripping down his brow. The silver rod vibrated in his hand, a faint hum coursing through his arm.