The arena was silent.
Not from fear—
But anticipation.
Thousands of eyes locked on the two figures standing on the cracked obsidian floor. The ruins of the last match still smoked, the air humming with residual mana. Above, the sky was darkened by hovering drones projecting the live feed across Aetherys.
Two Apostles. Two gods' chosen.
Only one would leave standing.
> [FINAL ROUND — APOSTLE OF VOID vs APOSTLE OF FLAME]
Begin.
The system's voice echoed like the sound of fate announcing itself.
Kairis Ash exhaled slowly. His black hair fluttered in the hot wind. The tattered coat he wore rippled behind him, the edges scorched from his earlier battles.
Across from him, Zephyrion stood — tall, broad-shouldered, eyes burning molten gold beneath his hood. His presence warped the air, the ground beneath his boots sizzling with embers.
When their gazes met—
The world seemed to narrow to just them.
"Kairis Ash…" Zephyrion's voice rumbled, deep and rough, like magma shifting underground. "The one who walks with gravity and void. I've wanted to fight you since the first time I saw you in the rankings."
Kairis cracked his neck, expression unreadable. "And I've wanted to see what kind of clown Ragnis sends to represent his little fire cult."
The crowd gasped. Even the announcers stuttered mid-breath.
Zephyrion grinned. Flames coiled around his arms like serpents.
"Then let's burn away your arrogance."
"Try me."
BOOM!
The ground erupted beneath them.
Zephyrion moved first—an explosion of flame and heat leaving a crater where he stood. His fist blazed through the air, wrapped in pure combustion.
Kairis sidestepped—barely.
The air pressure alone threw him back five meters, boots skidding across molten stone.
He raised a hand, eyes narrowing. Gravity rippled outward.
Zephyrion's next attack—an arc of fire like a blade—slowed midair.
"Gyro–Telekinesis."
His fingers twitched. The flame curved, reversed direction, and slammed into the ground beside Zephyrion.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the stadium.
Spectators screamed. Dust and heat washed over everything.
Kairis vanished.
He reappeared above Zephyrion, twisting midair, fist descending like a meteor.
"Graviton Pulse!"
The impact shattered the ground, forming a crater that spiderwebbed outward.
Zephyrion's body blurred—a flicker of orange and gold.
He appeared behind Kairis mid-strike, his hand pressed against Kairis's back.
"Cauterize."
A flash of white heat tore through Kairis's body. He was blasted forward, slamming through a broken wall, tumbling across the arena floor.
The smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
Kairis coughed, smoke rising from his back.
His breathing was ragged but steady. "Tch. That all you got?"
Zephyrion tilted his head. "No. That was just me greeting you properly."
Kairis smirked—blood running from his lip.
He lifted his hand. The rubble around him began to float, rotating slowly, pulled by invisible threads.
"Then let's dance for real."
The stones shot forward like bullets. Zephyrion raised his arm and the air ignited.
Each rock turned to slag before reaching him.
But the attack was a distraction.
Kairis appeared in front of him mid-flame, spinning on one leg, his heel slicing through the air.
CRACK!
A direct hit to Zephyrion's jaw.
The Apostle of Flame staggered back, grinning even as blood spilled from his mouth.
"Good…" Zephyrion's eyes glowed brighter. "Very good."
Their fists met.
A black shockwave of gravity clashed with a roaring blaze.
The two forces tore at each other—
Darkness vs Fire.
The audience could barely see them now. Only streaks of shadow and gold weaving across the arena, each collision ringing like thunder.
Kairis ducked under a flaming kick, grabbed Zephyrion's leg mid-swing, and hurled him upward.
"Let's see if your fire still burns without oxygen."
He clenched his fist.
Gravity inverted.
Zephyrion shot upward like a launched meteor—straight into a dome of compressed gravitational energy. The flames around him flickered, strangled by the immense pressure.
But then—
"Solar Flare!"
Zephyrion detonated.
A miniature sun erupted above the arena, incinerating everything within a hundred meters.
Kairis shielded himself, spinning layers of gravity around him. The heat was unbearable; his coat caught fire, skin blistering.
When the light faded, the world was a wasteland of smoke and fire.
Both men still stood.
Barely.
Zephyrion panted, steam rising off his body. "You're still standing? Even gods would kneel to that blast."
Kairis spat blood. His grin was faint, almost mocking. "Then I guess I'm not a god… just better."
He lifted his hand again—palm open toward the ground.
The rubble trembled, then rose.
"Gyro–Telekinesis: Gravity Well."
The ground itself twisted, pulled toward a single point beneath Zephyrion.
The Apostle of Flame roared, fire surging around him to resist the pull.
"Do you think your gravity can consume fire!?"
"Let's find out."
Kairis clenched his fist.
The arena imploded—
Everything collapsed toward the black sphere forming between them.
The sound vanished. The crowd couldn't even breathe.
For a moment, there was only the hum of the void.
Zephyrion's fire flickered violently as he fought the pull.
But gravity is merciless.
He was dragged down, knees digging into the floor.
Kairis's body shook. Blood dripped from his nose, his mouth.
The technique devoured his stamina like a starving beast.
He pushed harder.
Veins bulged across his neck. His vision blurred.
And then—he released it.
The miniature black hole detonated with a silent flash.
A ring of crushed debris rippled outward.
When the dust cleared—Zephyrion was on one knee. His flames gone.
His armor cracked. His breathing shallow.
Kairis stumbled forward, barely standing, but still… standing.
"Guess…" he muttered, coughing blood, "that's one for gravity."
Zephyrion looked up, a faint grin tugging at his burned lips. "Not bad… Apostle of Void. Not bad at all."
Then he collapsed.
The system's chime echoed through the arena.
> [FINAL ROUND WINNER: KAIRIS ASH — APOSTLE OF VOID]
[REWARD: ??? Pending divine evaluation.]
The crowd erupted. Cheers. Shock. Awe.
Kairis didn't react.
He was too tired. Too broken. Too alive.
He stood amid the shattered battlefield, body trembling, blood running down his arms.
And as the sun rose above the horizon, its light fell directly behind him—
casting his shadow long and dark across the ruined arena.
The black aura around him shimmered faintly, like a living thing.
He smirked.
"Guess I Won"
And the void inside him whispered, almost pleased.
> "Good. You've earned my silence… for now."