"Then so be it."
Asterion stomped one of his hooves against the ground as though giving a signal.
One of Tiago's brows rose.
Then a small forest spirit came flying into the arena, appearing in the form of a child while carrying something above its head.
Not the bow from before, but a gigantic axe whose blade gleamed beneath the arena's light.
The spirit seemed to carry the weapon effortlessly, even though the axe was twice the size of its own body. Whether it was magic, or the golden dust fluttering around it like glowing forest insects, no one could tell.
The axe was handed to Asterion with solemn reverence, as though it were a sacred relic rarely used carelessly.
The little forest spirit bowed briefly before drifting away from Asterion's side.
Tiago swallowed hard as the blade shimmered beneath the sunlight pouring over the arena.
His foot tapped restlessly against the floor, more to hide the furious pounding of his own heartbeat.
With the strength of four legs supporting his massive body, Asterion carried the gate-sized axe effortlessly in one hand.
"Hey, hey! Didn't you say you wouldn't use a weapon? Then what the hell is that?" Tiago mocked, trying to provoke him, though cold sweat was already rolling down his cheek.
"This is because you have insulted the honor of the forest," Asterion replied, his voice echoing like a whistle through ancient woods.
Tiago refused to back down.
"Oii, Referee! This is cheating! Aren't you gonna stop him?"
Tiago turned toward Libra.
But the celestial being with flowing purple hair merely stared at him calmly, as though she already knew something no one else did.
Libra remained silent while Asterion began to charge forward.
His growl thundered through the arena, and every hoofstep shook the floor of the Sky Colosseum.
"Shit!"
Tiago clenched his teeth tightly as the giant body rushed toward him like a speeding bus.
He reacted instantly, rolling sideways to narrowly avoid the first strike.
The marble floor split open with a long scar from the axe swing. Even the gust from the weapon alone was enough to whip Tiago's clothes violently.
The axe—twice the size of Tiago's body—sliced through the air again.
The tattooed man ducked immediately.
The swing passing over his head sent chills racing down his spine. It felt like a single hit could split his body clean in half.
Asterion attacked again, even more brutally this time. The marble cracked like dry crackers beneath a giant's feet. There was no doubting the centaur's overwhelming strength.
Tiago jumped back so fast he nearly slipped in panic.
His breathing turned ragged. His eyes darted up and down, desperately analyzing his opponent's weaknesses.
Tiago exhaled sharply and charged forward toward Asterion.
He threw a punch. Bone and flesh collided directly against the steel blade of the axe.
A deafening impact rang out.
Bare fists against metal. Tiny sparks burst outward, and blood immediately seeped through the bandages on his arms. The bones beneath his knuckles throbbed violently, as though he had punched a steel pillar.
"You are recklessly brave, Human!"
Asterion swung the axe upward.
Tiago instantly flipped backward to evade the insane strike.
Both feet landed perfectly.
"Hey! Referee! This breaks the rules! Stop the match!" Tiago shouted, his eyes still sharp with caution.
"That's right, Lady Libra!" Johan yelled from the stands. "Tiago isn't carrying any weapon at all! That's completely unfair. Where's the justice in this?"
"Hey! He himself confidently declared that his hands were his weapons. You cannot deny it now, Human!" The Ancient One interrupted quickly, clearly trying to silence the president's silver-tongued assistant.
Libra answered calmly, her soft voice echoing sharply across the arena.
"You are mistaken. I do not consider this unfair because, in my eyes, that human does carry a weapon. In his arms."
Johan immediately protested again.
"But human arms cannot be compared to steel, Lady Libra!" Johan said anxiously, his face tense. "Hands are merely bones wrapped in flesh. And besides... that..."
The Ancient One chuckled from his solar throne.
"Hahaha! Do not blame the rules for being unfair, Human. Blame your representative's foolish courage for entering the arena empty-handed!"
But the laughter instantly faded when Libra looked at him coldly. A gaze chilling enough to make even a god tremble.
She then turned back toward the arena.
"I know you are carrying a weapon, Child of Humanity. Bring it out from your arm."
Johan froze. His gaze snapped toward Tiago.
"A weapon? In his arm? What does she mean?"
"Ahh, so I got caught, huh?" Tiago grinned.
"Watch your opponent, Human!"
Asterion charged again, the axe roaring like a storm.
But Tiago leapt backward nimbly. His body spun through the air before landing lightly several meters away.
His breathing was heavy, but that cocky grin suddenly returned.
"Well, what can you do," he said casually while patting his left arm. "If it's already exposed, I might as well use it."
The human crowd began whispering.
A weapon in his arm? What did that mean?
A metal prosthetic? Some hidden device?
Slowly, Tiago began unwrapping the bandages around his arm. From inside, several dark red capsules tumbled onto the ground.
"Aw, damn! They all fell out," Tiago complained while picking them up one by one.
Asterion narrowed his eyes at the capsules.
"Stamina enhancers?" he wondered silently.
In the human stands, several fighters widened their eyes immediately.
"Medicine? What kind of medicine is that?" asked a young white-belt fighter.
A Japanese man beside him stared seriously. "That's not medicine. That's... doping."
"Doping? Those chemical drugs that boost stamina and adrenaline?" several people exclaimed almost at once.
The human side erupted into cheers. They finally understood what Tiago meant earlier when he tapped his arm and called it a weapon.
That weapon was not steel. Not magic.
But drugs that turned his body into a machine of resistance.
"That man is completely insane," muttered a bodybuilder, eyes gleaming with excitement at the madness unfolding before him.
Tiago swallowed three capsules at once.
The next second—
His body trembled violently. Veins bulged beneath his skin. His breathing grew heavy, but his eyes changed.
His pupils narrowed like a predator's. Heat radiated from his body, as though the air itself refused to come near him.
"The drugs are taking effect," a bodybuilder murmured in awe while unconsciously gripping the shoulder of the man beside him.
Asterion stared at him in disbelief.
"So it really is a strength-enhancing dr—"
Before he could finish speaking, Tiago burst through the dust like a bullet.
"So fast?!"
Asterion flinched. Instinctively, he raised the axe before his chest as defense.
Tiago leapt high before him and slammed a crushing punch into Asterion's chest.
The impact was immense. Like being struck by dozens of boulders at once.
BAAAM!
The giant body was pushed backward several steps, his hooves scraping deep marks into the marble floor.
From the Technology Throne, the President gripped the armrests so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"That... is exactly why international health organizations forbid those drugs from being sold freely," he muttered tensely.
Tiago's shoulders rose and fell violently. His breathing came in ragged bursts.
But to those with sharp eyes, it was clear that every breath escaping Tiago's nostrils now carried visible steam.
What they did not know... was that Tiago was desperately struggling to stop his fingers from trembling.