Tiny pieces of paper started forming from the sand on the ground. One piece ,then two,then ten, then hundreds they appeared out of nowhere, materializing from nothing and everything,Each piece floated upward slowly, like they were being lifted by invisible hands. They moved toward the pile of rubble where Kai was buried.
The papers began to work. They slipped under the bricks under the stones and they lifted them up one by one, piece by piece, the rubble floated into the air.The crowd watched in stunned silence. No one spoke and no one moved.
And then, as the last brick was lifted away, Kai was revealed.He was standing completely upright like he had been waiting the entire time.
He began walking forward, His footsteps were steady and dangerously calm,As he stepped out of the debris and into the light, everyone in the stadium could finally see him clearly.
His face was damaged. There was a hole in his cheek where Cassian's kick had landed. But there was no blood no torn flesh no muscle or bone,Just an empty space like someone had carved a hole into a wooden mask.It was clear now, kai wasn't entirely human or if he was, he wasn't anymore.
The crowd gasped,Some people covered their mouths others leaned back in their seats.Kai kept walking until he stood in the center of the arena. Then he stopped and he looked at Cassian.
His Chrono Gauge beeped.The large screen above the arena flickered. Kai's information appeared for everyone to see.
[Chrono Gauge: Battle Statistics Kai]
[Name: Kai]
[Health Point: 100]
[Damage Taken: -40]
[Remaining HP: 60]
[Library Type: Rare/Forbidden]
[Library Name: Library of The Grim Reaper]
The crowd gasped again. He had taken damage,Kai wasn't invincible after all.But that didn't make anyone feel better. If anything, it made things worse. Because if Kai could lose forty health points and still look this calm, this unbothered, then what would happen when he got serious?
Kai spoke,His voice was cold and fully emotionless, it was truly that of a kid.
"So this power isn't absolute," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Or I can't use it to its full potential?"
He paused. The hole in his cheek didn't move. Didn't bleed It just stayed there.
"Well," Kai continued, "it doesn't matter."
He looked directly at Cassian. Even though his eyes were covered by bandages, Cassian felt like Kai was staring straight into his soul.
"You're the first to injure me," Kai said. "So I must give you credit for that, Cassian."
Cassian's heart sank. The way Kai said his name made his blood run cold. There was something final about it.
"But," Kai continued, his voice dropping even lower, "I cannot live in shame, and that means you must die for me to feel better about this situation."
The moment those words left Kai's mouth, everything changed.His eyes began to glow. Even through the bandages, a faint white light started to shine. Then, in the eye sockets where his eyes should be, a fractured halo ring appeared. It was white, pure shining with divine light.
Kai raised both hands in front of him gently, He placed his palms together, fingers interlocking, like he was praying.And then he spoke. His voice echoed through the entire arena, even though he wasn't shouting.
[Library Art: Archive 111 - Eyes of Seraphim: God's Will, Requiem of Folded Heavens.]
The moment those words left his mouth, the world changed.Papers began appearing, but not just a few and not a dozens not even hundreds,Thousands. Millions and extended to billions.
They erupted from everywhere,from the walls,from the ground,from the sand and from Kai's own body. They flooded the arena like a tidal wave, covering everything in sight.But something was strange. The crowd could see the papers appearing. But they didn't seem affected by them. The papers passed through the stands like ghosts. Like they weren't really there.
Only Cassian was seeing the truth.To him, the world had completely changed. He wasn't in the arena anymore. He was somewhere else, Somewhere white with endless Infinite.He found himself standing in another dimension. A completely white space made entirely of billions upon billions of pieces of paper. They surrounded him on all sides. Above him, below him, to his left and to his right everywhere, he couldn't move his body was interlocked from the very moment he saw Kai's eyes whiten.
There was no ground. No skys no walls just paper, rndless paper stretching out forever some floating as well and in the center of it all, standing calmly with his hands still pressed together, was Kai.
Cassian's breathing quickened. His heart raced,His hands trembled.
"What… what is this?" he whispered,His voice sounded small. Kai didn't respond, He just stood there. And then, without warning, Kai snapped his fingers.The sound echoed through the entire dimension like a gunshot, And then it happened,all the papers ignited at once.
Every single one of them. Billions of pieces of paper all bursting into flames simultaneously. The explosion was beyond catastrophic. Beyond comprehension, it was apocalyptic, fire consumed everything. The heat was so intense it felt like the sun itself had exploded. The light around was blinding. All consuming, there was no escape no shelter.
Cassian didn't even have time to scream.The flames tore through his body. Through his soul. Through his essence. Through everything that made him who he was. It burned him from the inside out. It erased and destroyed him.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.The field faded. The white space disappeared and Cassian was back in the arena.
But he was still standing.His body was upright. His feet were planted on the ground. His arms hung at his sides,But he was dead.
Smoke poured from his body. His skin was charred black. His clothes were burnt away, reduced to ash. His eyes were empty, lifeless staring at nothing.
He had been killed instantly. While standing a corpse propped up by nothing but momentum.His Chrono Gauge beeped one final time.
[Chrono Gauge: Fatal Alert –Cassian]
[Name: Cassian]
[Health Point: 49]
[Damage Taken: -1000]
[Remaining HP: 00]
[Status: DECEASED]
[Cause of Death: Soul Incineration]
The arena fell into complete silence. Not a single person made a sound. Not a single breath was heard. Everyone just stared. Unable to process what they had just witnessed.
Even the commentator was speechless. He held the microphone in his hand, but no words came out. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing. He couldn't find the words,There were no words.
Kai lowered his hands and the glowing halo rings in his eyes faded. The papers around him dissolved into nothing.And then, without looking back, without checking on Cassian, without saying another word, Kai turned and began walking toward the tunnel. His footsteps were slow, and calm like he had just finished a casual stroll.
Finally, the commentator found his voice. It was shaky, barely audible.
"The… the winner…" he stammered. "Kai."
He paused,Swallowed hard and then continued, his voice growing stronger.
"I… I don't even know what we just witnessed. That power. That technique. It was… it was beyond anything I've ever seen."
He took a breath.
"Cassian fought bravely. He found an opening. He landed a hit. He did everything right. But in the end… in the end, Kai was on another level entirely. A forbidden library. A power that shouldn't exist. A power that kills not just the body, but the soul itself."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the reality of the Tournament Realm. This is the reality of the trial phase. Not everyone survives. Not everyone makes it out alive. Some powers are too great. Some fighters are too strong. And some deaths… some deaths are absolute."
The crowd was silent for a moment longer. Then, slowly, hesitantly, someone began to clap. Then another person. Then another.
Soon, the entire arena was clapping. The applause grew louder and louder until it became a roar. People were on their feet. Cherring and screaming Kai's name.
They weren't cheering for Cassian. They weren't mourning his death. They were cheering for Kai. For the spectacle,For the violence,For the entertainment.This was what they came to see, This was what they paid for,death, Power and domination.
Meanwhile, back in the block where the other participants were watching, Aldrich stood frozen. His eyes were wide. His mouth was slightly open. His hands were clenched into fists so tight,He had just witnessed something incredible and terrifying.
He realized something in that moment. A truth he couldn't ignore.There were strong fighters here. Really strong. Fighters with powers beyond normal comprehension. Fighters with forbidden libraries. Fighters who could kill with a snap of their fingers and he was going to have to fight them.But instead of fear, Aldrich felt something else something unexpected. It was Excitement,His heart raced. His blood pumped. A grin slowly spread across his face.
He couldn't wait to fight. He couldn't wait to test himself. He couldn't wait to see how far he could go.Up in the royal stand, King Augustus leaned back in his throne. A wide, genuine smile spread across his face. His golden earrings sparked in the light.
"I love him already," King Augustus said, his voice filled with satisfaction. "If he makes it to the Royal Kingdom, I want him assembled to my Royal Guard. He's ruthless. He's powerful. He's exactly what I need."
He turned to Lucian Makaveli, who sat to his right. "What do you think?"
Lucian nodded slowly. "He has potential. But he's still unrefined. Still learning. If he survives long enough, he could become something truly terrifying."
King Augustus chuckled. "Good. That's what I like to hear."
Then, suddenly, King Augustus paused. His smile faded slightly. His expression changed. He breathed in deeply through his nose. His eyes narrowed.
"What is that familiar scent?" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.
Lucian turned to him. "My King, what do you mean?"
King Augustus shook his head. "Never mind. I must be imagining things."
But deep down, he wasn't so sure.Below, the crowd began to shout. They were restless and hungry for more.
"NEXT MATCH NEXT MATCH NEXT MATCH"
The commentator raised his hands, trying to calm them down. "Alright, alright, I hear you,The next match is about to begin"
The large screen above the arena flickered. The names appeared.
EZRA VS KIRA
Down in the block, Kira cracked her knuckles. Her expression was calm. Focused. Her bow and arrows were strapped across her back.She was ready for her battle.