Zek vs Verda
Verda raised her hand, the air thickening around her. Boom! The ground cracked as a massive golem emerged beside her.
"Tsk, a summoner," Zek muttered, pulling out both swords and dashing straight for her, ignoring the creature completely.
But before he could reach her, the golem's huge hand snatched him mid-air and slammed him into the ground. Crash! He coughed blood — the first time his calm broke.
He split into clones instantly and charged again, faster, this time cutting through the dust — but two shadowy wolves appeared from both sides, claws sparking as they blocked his path.
Zek backed off, landing on one knee, when the golem's arm came swinging again. He flipped aside, rolled, and shot forward. Still, he couldn't reach her. That wall of summoned beasts wouldn't let him.
He jumped back, taking distance. Suddenly, an armored knight appeared before him — spear first — and boom! the strike sent him skidding across the ground.
Now holding three blades — one in each hand and one in his mouth — Zek's aura changed. His body spun at impossible speed, a thousand rotations in a heartbeat, tearing through both wolves and the armored knight in one sweeping storm of steel.
He landed, knees bent, and slashed upward, cutting the golem clean in half. The ground shook.
Before Verda could react, an orc charged from behind her summon circle and smashed him with its club, sending a cloud of dust.
When it cleared, Zek was already gone.
Verda blinked — and he was right behind her. In one motion, he sliced the orc to ribbons and struck her lightly on the back of the head with his sword's hilt.
Thud. She fell unconscious.
"Fight over!" the announcer shouted. "Winner — Zek!"
The crowd roared as Verda hit the ground. Dust still hung in the air, but the result was clear.
And with that —
we had our three semi-finalists.
Rex.
Zek.
Roy.
The announcer's voice echoed across the arena."Now it's time for Group B! All contestants will face off — and by the end of the day, we'll have our six winners advancing to the next round!"
The crowd cheered wildly once again as the gates on the other side of the arena opened, releasing the next wave of fighters into the light.
The arena quieted as the next two contestants stepped forward.
One of them wore a long wizard-like robe that draped over his entire body, though his face remained uncovered. A pair of thin spectacles rested neatly on his nose, giving him an oddly composed look even amidst the roaring crowd, name - Vyn.
Across from him stood his opponent — a much younger fighter, his movements quick and restless. A katana hung at his side, and his long, flowing clothes looked almost ceremonial, far from ideal for combat, name- Kairen
The announcer raised his hand. "Begin!"
Kairen took his stance, one hand resting on his katana's hilt. In a single breath, he vanished — a crack of thunder split the air as he slashed past Vyn and struck the far wall.
He turned, eyes narrowing. "No… that can't be right. I locked onto him. Time was stopped — he shouldn't have moved."
He gritted his teeth and stopped time again. The world fell silent, frozen in grey. Yet even in that stillness, something moved.
A faint pull tugged at his chest. Then stronger. His body was being dragged — no, swallowed — by an invisible force from Vyn's outstretched hand.
"This can't be happening—"
The world snapped back into motion.
Vyn pulled him midair, eyes calm behind his glasses. "You move faster than lightning," he said quietly, "but not faster than me."
A swirl of black distortion gathered around his fist — not energy, not shadow, but something deeper, something that devoured light itself.
One strike.
Boom.
Kairen hit the ground hard, the arena trembling as silence followed.
On one side stood a figure completely shrouded in a dark robe, his face hidden beneath a deep hood. Not a single part of his body was visible — only a faint, smoky haze leaked from beneath his sleeves, crawling across the arena floor. His name was Noir.
Across from him stood Lyra, a calm but sharp-eyed archer, her long blond hair tied in a neat braid. She wore light leather armor and carried a sleek black bow, its string glowing faintly with green runes.
The announcer's voice echoed, "Next match — Noir vs Lyra!"
Lyra brings her bow, and out of air, a crystal arrow forms, covered in fire. She aims at him and releases it. Boom! A huge explosion occurs.
From behind her, he emerged — rising out of her own shadow, a dark hand reaching to drag her into the abyss of his shadow realm.
She barely broke free, but the shadowy hand still clawed for her. Unable to grasp it directly, she drew an arrow and fired straight at her own shadow.
Boom! The explosion shook the ground, smoke swirling around her. She dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, exhaustion written across her face. "Tsk… it's hard to even touch him."
In the blink of an eye, objects scattered across the arena — his doing. Countless shadows now covered the ground. He began slipping between them, striking her from one after another, each time vanishing back into the darkness before she could react.
"You didn't leave me any other option," she said, raising her arms. She fired an arrow into the sky — and in a burst of light, it split into dozens more. Each one found its mark across the scattered objects. Boom! Explosions erupted all over the arena.
Smoke filled the air as the announcer's voice echoed, "We've got our winner for this round — Lyra!"
Next match — Ira vs Gu.
Ira stepped forward, tall and slender, her calm eyes sharp with focus. She wore a white karate uniform tied with a black belt, her stance firm and disciplined.
Across from her stood Gu — his body wrapped in partial armor that gleamed under the arena lights, a heavy aura radiating from him like pressure itself.
"Match start!"
Ira took her stance — one step, two — closing the distance in a blur. Her fist connected with a thunderous boom, the shock echoing through the arena.
Gu barely flinched. His cold stare said it all — is that all you've got? He caught her arm and, without hesitation, snapped it with a brutal crack before hurling her across the arena with a single punch.
She twisted midair, landing on her feet, and leapt again — spinning for a heel kick aimed at his head. But Gu caught her leg mid-swing and slammed her into the ground.
Before she could even recover, he was already there — closing the distance, grabbing her other arm, and breaking it just as mercilessly. Still, she tried to headbutt him, but it didn't even make him flinch.
"Women can never beat men," he said coldly. "You should've stayed home."
With that, his final blow knocked her unconscious.
Vel vs Hrkus
On one side stood Vel, a man with a strip covering his eyes, dressed in tight clothes of red and black that wrapped firmly around his lean frame. On the other side was Hrkus, tall and muscular, his face sharp and serious as he held a large spear resting on his shoulder.
Vel stood calmly, barely moving his feet, as Hrkus lunged forward with a flurry of piercing spear strikes. Each stab was precise and powerful — but Vel dodged them effortlessly, shifting his body just enough for the attacks to miss, his expression still calm and unreadable.
Hrkus leaped back, creating distance, then inhaled deeply and hurled his spear in a curved path — right as he charged forward behind it. The spear sliced through the air, meant to trap Vel between both its path and Hrkus's rush. But in that instant, Vel vanished. The spear came whipping back, and Hrkus barely caught it, the edge grazing past his face. He exhaled sharply, forcing a tense smile.
Vel suddenly appeared right in front of Hrkus's face — so close that Hrkus barely had time to react before Vel shattered his spear into pieces with a sharp strike. Vel followed up with a swift kick, but Hrkus caught his leg midair and threw him aside. Vel flipped and landed, but Hrkus was already charging at him again. Vel swung another kick, missing by just an inch — yet the sheer vibration from that strike sent a jolt through Hrkus's head, making him stagger as his vision blurred for a moment.
Hrkus tried to grab Vel again, forcing all his strength into it, but Vel moved like flowing water — smooth and effortless. He slipped out of Hrkus's hold, circled behind him in a blink, and locked his arm around Hrkus's neck. Within seconds, Hrkus struggled to breathe, his body losing strength. Vel tightened the choke just enough, and Hrkus collapsed — match over.
Nina, with long sharp nails and a sly grin, faced Ashly, who stood firm with a short sword, small shield, and light armor.
Ashly slashed the air hard, sending a sound barrier slash toward Nina with high intensity. But Nina calmly walked forward, her nails slicing through the air — forming quick square-shaped cuts that shattered the attack into pieces.
Ashly dropped her shield. "Let's fight brawl to cut down," she said.
Both charged at each other, their movements so fast the audience could barely follow. Ashly leapt high and slashed down, but Nina dodged back just in time. Boom! The impact cracked the arena floor.
Nina landed but stumbled for a moment — Ashly appeared behind her and slashed, but Nina blocked it with her nails, which shattered on impact. Ashly threw her sword aside and punched Nina hard, a sharp cracking sound echoing.
Then, Ashly suddenly froze, her body refusing to move. Nina smiled, spitting blood. "Ha ha, got you — you can't move now." She opened her mouth and pulled out a huge hammer, stopping it just an inch from Ashly's head.
"I… give up," Ashly said weakly, her voice trembling through the paralysis.
Rin, a simple boy dressed like any villager, stood calmly in the arena — no armor, no weapon, nothing special. Across from him was Hiikai, a tall man in heavy royal armor, carrying a flag marked with the kingdom's crest.
The host shouted excitedly, "Looks like this one's gonna end quick! Or… maybe we shouldn't judge a book by its cover?"
As the match began, Hiikai swung his blade forward — but before he could even blink, his view suddenly flipped.
"What—?" he gasped, staring at the sky above.
In the next instant, a palm came crashing toward his face. Boom!
The ground shook as dust rose, and the host shouted, "V–Victory! Rin wins in one move?!"
Second Round – First Match: Vyn vs Lyra
As the match began, Lyra fired a volley of explosive arrows straight at Vyn — boom, boom, boom! — but he stood there untouched, the smoke clearing around him.
She gritted her teeth, sprinted forward, and tried to land a punch — but before she could even reach him, a heavy, invisible force started pulling her toward his body.
Vyn calmly raised his hand, forming that same black fist as before.
Lyra's eyes widened. She stopped struggling, raised her voice, "I give up!"
Gu Vs Vel.
Second Round – Second Match: Gu vs Vel
Vel took his stance — one arm drawn back, the other raised vertically — his voice calm but cold, "You shouldn't have broken Ira's arm. You've got no honour as a warrior. I'll teach you what that means, Gu."
A chilling aura spread from him as he dashed forward, palm-striking Gu's chest. Gu ducked just in time — a loud crack echoed behind him as the wall split open from the force.
Vel didn't stop. He leapt forward again, fists flying, each strike met by Gu's counterpunches. Their blows collided with explosive thuds, shockwaves rippling through the arena.
Gu caught Vel mid-air, slammed him hard onto the ground, then raised his fist to finish it. But Vel twisted free — his movements so fast that afterimages trailed behind him.
Before Gu could react, Vel appeared above, diving down with several mirrored afterimages. Gu smirked, punching through them — but his eyes widened as the images struck back. Each was real for a split second, empowered by Vel's ki.
The barrage forced Gu back, his armour torn from the flurry. Vel landed, panting, trying to regain his strength — but Gu was already there.
With a grin, Gu drove his fist into Vel's chest, grabbed him mid-fall, and slammed him into the ground — the impact shaking the arena.
Vel lay still. The crowd roared.
Winner — Gu.
Second Round – Third Match: Nina vs Rin
Nina smirked, tilting her head playfully. "Looks like you won't attack a lady, right, pretty boy?"
A sharp trrrr sound tore through the air — and before anyone could even blink, Rin had already passed through her.
Nina's eyes widened in shock. Her body froze for a split second before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Winner — Rin.
A Group winners.
Rex.
Zek.
Roy.
B Group winners.
Vyn.
Gu.
Rin.