The atmosphere in the VIP Spire had shifted from skeptical amusement to a heavy, focused tension. The 10th Division was no longer a punchline.
Liora, the Captain of the 2nd , leaned back, her eyes fixed on the empty Reign where Mikasa had recently fallen. A slight, dangerous smile played on her lips. "The 10th are really something. If it was a real battle—a war where the lines of a ring didn't exist—that girl Mikasa would have won."
Kaizen Flux, the 3rd Division Captain, nodded slowly, his arms crossed over his chest. "Yeah, I agree. Drakye, looks like you've got eyes for talent after all. You didn't just pick up trash; you picked up unpolished diamonds."
Drakye Void didn't turn to look at them. He stood at the edge of the balcony, his obsidian cloak fluttering in the artificial wind of the stadium. "Of course," he said, his voice a low, steady rumble. "I chose my team wisely.
Rook (10th) vs. Gray (1st)
The ground groaned as Gray, the 1st Division's earth-shaper, stepped onto the ring . He was a mountain of a man, his skin already beginning to take on the rough, jagged texture of granite. Across from him, Rook cracked his neck, his skin shimmering with a dull, metallic hue.
"Earth beats metal, kid," Gray grunted. He slammed his palms into the stone floor, and the Reign rippled like water. Massive pillars of rock erupted, seeking to crush Rook like an insect.
Rook didn't dodge. He stood his ground, his arms transforming into heavy, reinforced iron. He slammed his fist into an oncoming pillar, the sound of metal hitting stone echoing like a cannon blast.
Gray lunched another attack, rook reinforced his hand with metal and punch through the pillars,
The battle became a brutal grind. Gray summoned a localized sandstorm, the abrasive grains intended to blind Rook and grind his armor down to dust. But Rook responded by liquefying the trace minerals in the arena floor. He created a swirling vortex of mercury-like liquid metal that acted as both a shield and a whip, snapping through the air to shatter Gray's stone constructs.
Gray attempted his ultimate move: The Gaia Crusher. Two massive slabs of the Reign rose up like a giant mouth to swallow Rook whole. Just as the slabs slammed shut, a blinding silver light erupted from the cracks. Rook had expanded his form, turning himself into a reinforced steel pillar that forced the earth apart through sheer density.
With Gray exhausted, Rook surged forward. He turned his arm into a massive, high-density iron hammer and delivered a single, thunderous blow to the ground. The vibration shattered Gray's connection to the earth. Before Gray could stabilize, Rook "zipped" forward, his body magnetized to the minerals in Gray's stone armor, delivering a shoulder tackle that launched the earth-shaper off the platform.
WINNER: ROOK
ON TO THE NEXT MATCH
"Yo Jaxen don't lose I place a bet on you" Vela shouted from the bench, Jaxen smiled "I'm so excited"
Jaxen (10th) vs. Arix Calder (6th)
This was a match of pure frustration. Jaxen's blue lightning was legendary for its speed, but against Arix Calder, speed seemed irrelevant.
Jaxen launched a Lightning Spear, but it passed right through Arix's chest as if he were made of smoke. Arix smirked, his body shimmering with a purple, translucent hue. "You're fighting a shadow, Jaxen. I'm a shadow. You can't touch me ,
It's impossible"
Jaxen smiled "a friend of mine once said the word impossible,It's just a lie told by people who gave up.". Jaxen ran toward Arix to attack,
For twenty minutes, Jaxen was a blur of blue electricity. He struck from the front, the back, and the air. Every bolt, every punch, and every kick passed through Arix harmlessly. Meanwhile, Arix would occasionally "solidify" just long enough to deliver a stinging blow to Jaxen's ribs before vanishing back into his phased state.
Jaxen was breathing hard, his blue sparks flickering. He stopped attacking and stood perfectly still, his eyes narrowed. He was no longer looking at Arix; he was looking at the timing.
"He's giving up?" Valerius sneered from the 1st Division bench.
"No," Nyx whispered, her eyes sharp. "He's solving the puzzle."
Jaxen noticed it. Every time Arix landed a hit, the purple shimmer around his fist disappeared for exactly a fraction of a second. He thought "he's almost similar to NYX ability, no he's body he's actually body is in a pocket dimension this is just a reflection,or a shadow."
To exert force on this world, Arix had to bring his body back from the pocket dimension. He was jumping between realities, but he couldn't be in both at once.
Arix lunged again, his hand becoming solid to strike Jaxen's throat. This time, Jaxen didn't move away. He moved in. He let the blow hit his shoulder, but the moment Arix made contact, Jaxen unleashed The Static Cage. He didn't shoot lightning outward; he turned his own skin into a high-frequency electromagnet.
Arix tried to phase back into his pocket dimension, but the magnetic field Jaxen generated "anchored" Arix's molecules to this reality.
"What?! I can't phase!" Arix panicked, his body stuck halfway between worlds, flickering violently.
"Because you're caught in the circuit now," Jaxen growled. He grabbed Arix's collar and channeled every drop of his Evo-energy into a point-blank Thunderclap. The explosion of blue light was so bright the Captains had to shield their eyes. When the light faded, Arix was slumped on the floor, his nervous system completely fried.
WINNER: JAXEN
In the Spire, Zarek Myron the 6th Division Captain, sat back in shock. "He figured out the Phase-Displacement timing in the middle of a high-speed bout? The kid is a combat genius. He didn't just overpower Arix; he out-thought him."
The first round drew to a close after hours of grueling combat. Different powers were showcased—wind, water, shadow, and sound—and many fell. The "weaker" xenocides were decimated, leaving only the elite and the lucky.
As the smoke cleared, the screens updated the roster for the Round of 25. But before the matches were announced, the Head Judge—a shadowed figure from VIP seat —stepped forward.
"Because we have an odd number of twenty-five," the Judge announced, "the Captains have exercised their right to the Wildcard Redemption. To ensure the next round is balanced and the highest level of combat is maintained, one fallen warrior has been reinstated."
The screen flickered, showing Mikasa of the 10th.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"This is the rule, let the battle continue".
The Round of 25: Official Matchups
The tension reached a breaking point as the holographic board shifted, revealing the pairings for the next stage. The 10th Division had their work cut out for them.
Match Fighter A vs Fighter B
Match 1 Elias (10th) vs Vex (2nd)
Match 2 Nyx (10th) vs Leo Rho (3rd)
Match 3 Rook (10th) vs Draken Malcor (6th)
Match 4 Jaxen (10th) vs Kross (9th)
Match 5 Mikasa (10th) vs Seraphina (1st)
Match 6 Valerius Flare (1st) vs Zorin Lyx (4th)
Match 7 Vance (1st) vs Mira Ice (5th)
Match 8 Cryo (2nd) vs Sora (9th)
Match 9 Tessa Sol (3rd) vs Temi Nova (5th)
Match 10 Jinn (4th) vs Lyra (9th)
Match 11 Lucan Bloodrix (3rd) vs Oryx Valtor (8th)
Match 12 Elena Voss (1st) vs Malakor Thorne (7th)
Match 13 Sera (2nd) vs Kiki (5th)