THE UNDERGROUND
Deep beneath the surface, far from the prying eyes of the Xenocide High Council, the underground a place hidden from the world, and there sat Gold's palace, picture of himself on the wall ,
Valkhyre stepped into the hall. He looked every bit the monster disguised as a gentleman—his horns arching like crimson scythes, his suit tailored with a precision that bordered on the supernatural. He carried his slender spear not as a weapon, but as am walking stick for a king.
"Valkhyre the Collector. It is an honor to meet you. Coffee?"
The voice belonged to Gold, the master of the underground. He sat behind a desk of obsidian, .
"Gold," Valkhyre replied, his voice a smooth, dangerous baritone. "Nice to meet you. And yes, coffee."
The drink was served in a porcelain cup so thin it was translucent. Valkhyre took a sip and paused. The flavor was complex, bitter, and evolved. It was Different from a thousand years ago,.
Gold leaned back, his fingers interlaced. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Gold, I know you set me up," Valkhyre said, setting the cup down with a soft clink that echoed like a gunshot. "You set up the Skulls. You even had a hand in Baldwin's downfall, though I can't prove that one yet. Don't try to hide it behind that smirk."
Gold's expression didn't falter. "Looks like you found out. But Valkhyre, surely you understand... it's just business. In a world of predators, I am the one who sells the maps to the jungle."
Valkhyre leaned forward, his red horns catching the golden light. "You ruined a lot of things, Gold. But in terms of IQ, you are different from the rest. I do love a good challenge. If you can beat me in the game we are playing—I will spare your life."
Gold smirked, a genuine flash of excitement crossing his face. "Thanks for the compliment. I accept your challenge. It's been far too long since I've had so much fun."
Valkhyre turned, his long, bladed tail flicking behind him. "Enjoy the game while it lasts, Gold. Goodbye."
Match 1:
Elias (10th) vs. Lucan Bloodrix (3rd)
Back in the Coliseum, the sunlight was fading, replaced by the harsh, artificial glare of the floodlights. The Ring was stained with the remnants of previous battles, but the air felt heavier as Lucan Bloodrix stepped out.
Lucan didn't use a weapon. He slit his own palms with his fingernails. The blood didn't fall; it hovered, spinning into a high-velocity whip of crimson iron.
"Elias," Lucan whispered, his eyes filled with excitement" I'm gonna stop you no matter what",
The buzzer sounded. Lucan flicked his wrist. The blood-whip moved faster than the eye could track, slicing through the air with the sound of a falling guillotine. Elias shifted, his Obsidian Scales manifesting, but Lucan was a master of Hemodynamics. He changed the density of the blood mid-strike, turning the whip into a heavy, blunt mace that shattered Elias's guard.
Elias was sent skidding across the stone. He tried to stand, but Lucan raised a hand. "Internal Resonance."
Elias gasped. Lucan increased all the blood in Elias right arm he hand began to expand and expand and
BOOM.
The explosion was contained, focused entirely on Elias's limb. The crowd screamed as Elias's right hand and forearm were gone , exploded, his blood stained the arena even he's uniform
"Elias!" Jaxen screamed from the sidelines.
Lucan backed away, panting, his own blood returning to his skin. "It's over. You can't fight with—"
Lucan stopped. The Captains in the spire stood up as one. Drakye Void knew Elias wouldn't give up
Elias stood in the center of the Ring, his exploded arm dripping with blood.
But he wasn't in pain. He was regenerating.
The stump of his arm began to hiss. Steam erupted from the wound as muscle fibers wove themselves back together in seconds. Bone calcified, skin knit, and within the span of ten breaths, a brand-new arm—sharper, more muscular, and covered in reinforced obsidian—had fully formed.
High-Speed Regeneration.
"How?!" Lucan backed away, his face pale. "That... Impossible, how..I exploded your arm.
"Lucan....It's not that you are not good," Elias said, his voice cold. "I'm just better."
Elias moved. He wasn't running; he was phasing through the air with raw speed. He caught Lucan by the throat before the Blood-Master could even raise a defense. Elias didn't punch. He simply placed his hand on Lucan's chest and pushed him very hard .
Lucan was launched out of the Ring, his blood-manipulation failing as he hit the far wall.
WINNER: ELIAS
Match 2:
Nyx (10th) vs. Cryo (2nd)
This was the match the 10th Division didn't expect
Cryo the man who eliminated Mikasa in the last round.
He was a master of Shadow Manipulation, capable of turning any dark spot into a lethal weapon.
Nyx stepped onto the Ring, her usual playful smirk replaced by a line of grim determination.
"Teleportation is just movement, little girl," Cryo said, his body dissolving into a pool of black ink on the floor. "But shadows are everywhere."
Cryo attacked from the ground. Spikes of solidified shadow erupted beneath Nyx's feet. POP. She vanished, appearing in the air. Cryo was already there, his shadow extending like a cloak, wrapping around her mid-section.
"Caught you," Cryo hissed.
Nyx closed her eyes. . She didn't try to pull away. Instead, she teleported inside the shadows
The crowd blinked. Nyx was suddenly behind Cryo, and a chunk of Cryo's own shadow-cloak was missing—she used the light and sun to her advantage, if th lights increase the shadow reduces, The battle became a "glitch-fest." Nyx was popping in and out of existence, while Cryo was swimming through the darkness. It was a high-speed game of chess. Mikasa watched from the bench, her knuckles white. "She's doing it," Mikasa whispered. "She's not fighting his shadows... she's fighting the sources."
Nyx realized Cryo needed shadows to manifest. She teleported to the four corners of the Ring, pulled out Friction-Glow Grenades back pocket. She set them off simultaneously.
The Ring became a sun. For a split second, there were no shadows.
Cryo gasped, forced into his physical form, blinded by the light. Nyx didn't miss her chance. She appeared directly in his blind spot and delivered a high-impact kick to his chest , followed by a teleport-assisted slam that drove him into the Ring floor.
Cryo tried to dissolve, but the light was too constant. He crawled toward the edge, but Nyx appeared in front of him, her boot on his chest.
"Check mate" she said quietly. She gave him a final shove out of the Ring.
WINNER: NYX
"She actually beat him," Mikasa said, her voice shaking with relief. "She used the light to kill the dark. That's my girl."
The 10th looked at Mikasa, cause she acted out of character.
Match 3:
Rook (10th) vs. Mira Ice (5th)
Rook was the hammer of the 10th, but Mira Ice was the absolute zero.
Rook attempted to build a metallic exoskeleton, but before he could even forge the steel, Mira tapped the ground. "Absolute Stillness."
The humidity in the air turned into diamond-hard frost instantly. Rook's metal became brittle. Every time he tried to move, the ice crawled up his legs, freezing the gears of his armor.
Rook let out a roar, trying to vibrate the metal to generate heat, but Mira was too fast. She encased him in a froze him again and again and kept freezing him , cause if he broke out she would lose. Rook was frozen solid, a statue of metal and ice.
WINNER: MIRA ICE
The 10th had their first major loss of the round. The 5th Division was proving to be a nightmare.
"Bunch of clowns, I really thought you would be challenging. You're next ," she said looking at Elias
Match 4:
Jaxen (10th) vs. Kiki (5th)
Kiki was a terrifying opponent. Her power, Phase Change, allowed her to turn her body into a non-tangible state. Physical attacks, lightning, and even air passed right through her.
Jaxen launched a Lightning spare , but Kiki simply walked through it like she was strolling through a summer rain. "You can't shock what isn't solid, Jaxen," she said, her voice echoing.
Jaxen scrambled back. Kiki was a ghost. She would phase through his strikes and then solidify just long enough to land a heavy blow. Jaxen was covered in bruises, his breathing ragged.
"Think, Jaxen!" Elias shouted from the bench.
Jaxen stopped. He realized that when Kiki phased, she wasn't "gone"—she was just vibrating at a frequency higher than matter.
Jaxen didn't shoot a bolt. He concentrated all his power into his own hands, creating a High-Frequency Electromagnetic Field. He didn't try to hit her; he created a "static net" across the entire Ring.
Kiki tried to phase through the center of the Ring to reach him, but the moment her phased body touched the electromagnetic field, her particles were scrambled. The "Static Overload" forced her back into a solid state.
She screamed as the electricity finally found a "Body" to travel through. Jaxen lunged, delivering a lightning-enhanced upper-cut that sent the "Ghost of the 5th" flying into the stands.
WINNER: JAXEN
Match 5 & 6
Mikasa (10th) vs. Lyra (9th)
Lyra turned invisible, redirecting light rays to hide her position. But Mikasa didn't use her eyes. She summoned Thermal Imaging Scanners and a Heat-Seeking Drone. Lyra could hide from the light, but she couldn't hide her body heat. Mikasa ended the match with a localized sonic blast that knocked Lyra unconscious.
WINNER: MIKASA
"Well that was fast," Vela said as she drank her soda
Valerius (1st) vs. Temi Nova (5th)
This was the most brutal match . Temi used her Heavy Water to try and drown Valerius's fire. But Valerius was in a state of pure, unadulterated rage. He didn't just use fire; he used Solar Radiance. He turned the Ring into a furnace so hot the water evaporated before it could touch him. He walked through Temi's tidal waves like a god walking through a mist and ended the fight with a single, molten palm strike.
WINNER: VALERIUS