As the tournament raged on, battle after battle shook the colossal arena. Some warriors struggled with every ounce of strength they possessed, while others carved through their opponents as though the fights were nothing more than child's play. For a rare few, victory came so easily that it hardly felt like a competition at all.
Now, the twelfth match was about to begin.
Arcos versus Phoenix.
The two fighters emerged from opposite ends of the arena, stepping into the center beneath the deafening roar of the crowd. The sunlight poured down upon the battlefield, casting long shadows behind them.
Phoenix walked with confidence radiating from every step. A grin rested on her face, sharp and fearless, as though she had already seen the outcome of the match long before it began. Excitement burned in her golden eyes, and there was an almost playful energy in the way she rolled her shoulders and clenched her fists. To her, this was not merely combat—it was thrilling.
Arcos, however, felt entirely different.
Unease churned deep within him as he stared at his opponent. His hands tightened into fists at his sides, the metal gauntlets wrapped around his arms and feet glinting beneath the arena lights. They were the only real weapons he possessed, the only chance he had of standing against her.
But that was not what troubled him most.
Phoenix was his friend.
Every instinct within him screamed against fighting her seriously, yet he knew holding back in this tournament could mean defeat—or worse, humiliation before thousands of watching eyes. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as doubt clawed at his thoughts.
I can't beat her…
The Head Master rose from his throne high above the arena, his towering voice booming across the stadium like thunder.
"LET THE TWELFTH FIGHT OF THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"
The crowd exploded into cheers.
The instant the words left his mouth, Phoenix launched forward like a blazing comet. Dust burst beneath her feet as she accelerated across the arena floor with terrifying speed.
Yet she was smiling.
Not a cruel smile.
Not one filled with hatred.
It was the smile of someone genuinely excited to fight.
Phoenix pulled her fist back, flames flickering around her knuckles as she closed the distance between them in mere seconds. Her fiery hair whipped wildly behind her like a living inferno.
"Try not to get hit, Arcos!" she shouted playfully, laughing as she swung her fist straight toward his jaw..
"So fast…" Arcos muttered beneath his breath, his eyes widening as Phoenix surged toward him like a blazing comet.
His instincts screamed at him. At the very last second, his body twisted to the side just as her fist tore through the air where his face had been moments before. The force behind the strike alone sent a violent gust across the arena floor.
"Don't go all out on me," Arcos said with a nervous grin, though a bead of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead. For the first time in a long while, he could feel genuine danger pressing against him.
Phoenix let out a soft chuckle, the flames dancing in her amber eyes. "As if you're worthy enough for me to go all out," she teased, her voice dripping with playful arrogance.
She stepped back slightly, her fiery hair swaying behind her like living flames. The heat around her body intensified, causing the air itself to distort.
"I don't think we've ever truly fought seriously before," she continued, raising one elegant hand into the air. "Even when we sparred… I always held back."
Suddenly, six blazing fireballs erupted into existence around her arm, each one radiating intense heat. They spun around her like miniature suns, illuminating the arena in brilliant orange light. The crowd gasped as the temperature around the battlefield skyrocketed.
"But this time…" Phoenix said softly, a dangerous smile spreading across her lips, "I'll show you my true power."
The fireballs began spinning faster and faster until they became streaks of burning light circling her body. Flames crackled wildly beneath her feet, scorching the stone floor black.
"Try to dodge."
With a playful wink, Phoenix blew him a kiss.
Arcos froze for half a second, completely caught off guard.
"W-what?" he muttered, blinking rapidly as his face flushed slightly.
The crowd burst into laughter and cheers, but Arcos barely heard them. His eyes remained locked on Phoenix. He had always known she wielded flames, but seeing her like this—standing in the center of the arena like a goddess of fire—was breathtaking.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
This was exciting.
No… this was exhilarating.
"Bring it on, Phoenix," Arcos declared, lowering himself into a fighting stance. His gauntlets gleamed beneath the arena lights as energy surged through them. "I won't hold back either."
The moment the words left his mouth, he exploded forward.
Phoenix's eyes widened slightly as she watched him charge directly at her without hesitation. Instead of fear, she felt a thrill rush through her chest. Her heartbeat quickened with excitement.
"Interesting…" she whispered.
With a flick of her fingers, she launched the first fireball.
It screamed through the air like a meteor.
Then the second.
Then the third.
One after another, the blazing projectiles hurtled toward Arcos with devastating speed, each capable of reducing stone to ash.
Yet Arcos kept running.
The crowd stared in disbelief.
"Is he insane?!"
"He's running straight into them!"
But Arcos only smirked.
Phoenix noticed it immediately.
That confidence.
That grin.
It made her narrow her eyes. He has something planned.
The first fireball closed in rapidly, now only a foot away from Arcos's face. The scorching heat distorted his vision, and the arena floor beneath him cracked from the pressure.
Then—
CLANG!!
Arcos swung his arm.
The fireball exploded against his gauntlet in a shower of sparks and flames, scattering across the arena like fireworks.
For a moment, silence consumed the stadium.
Phoenix's eyes widened.
The crowd froze in absolute shock.
"He… deflected it?" someone whispered from the stands.
Arcos slid across the ground from the impact, smoke rising from his gauntlets, but his grin only widened further.
Phoenix's smile widened, her golden eyes gleaming with excitement like flames dancing in the dark. "You really know how to keep someone entertained, Arcos," she said with a grin that bordered on madness.
With a sweep of her hand, every fireball hanging in the air launched toward him at once, streaking across the battlefield like falling stars. The heat alone scorched the stone beneath them.
Arcos narrowed his eyes and stood his ground.
One by one, he deflected them.
The first shattered against his palm.
The second burst apart beneath a kick.
The third spun away from him with a wave of force.
Each explosion lit up the arena in flashes of crimson and gold, and with every successful deflection, Phoenix's grin only grew wider. Her laughter echoed across the battlefield, filled with thrill and anticipation, as though she was enjoying every second of the chaos.
Then came the final fireball.
Arcos smirked confidently and raised his hand to deflect it like the others—
—but the instant his fingers touched it, the fireball exploded directly in his face.
A violent burst of flame swallowed him whole.
"AGH—!"
Arcos staggered backward, clutching his face as smoke rose from his skin. His vision vanished beneath blinding light and burning pain.
"I-I can't see!" he shouted, panic creeping into his voice for the first time.
The crowd gasped.
For a brief moment, everything around him became darkness and ringing noise.
Then his vision slowly returned.
Blurred shapes sharpened into focus—
—and Phoenix was already standing right in front of him.
His eyes widened.
Before he could react, her fist slammed into his stomach with devastating force.
The impact bent his body forward as the air exploded from his lungs. Pain shot through his entire body, and he stumbled backward, coughing violently as he tried to steady himself.
Phoenix watched him struggle, her fiery aura crackling around her body. There was excitement in her expression, but also something colder now—confidence.
"Arcos," she said softly, almost mockingly, "you may have deflected my attacks…"
Her smile deepened.
"…but they were still active."
Arcos froze.
Suddenly, behind him, the scattered fireballs reignited.
One after another, the flames roared back to life.
His eyes widened in horror as he turned and saw them hurtling toward him again—faster than before, blazing through the air with murderous speed.
"I guess you're not as smart as you think," Phoenix whispered.
Fear gripped Arcos's chest.
He twisted his body, trying desperately to turn around fully, trying to escape—
—but he was too late.
The fireballs crashed into him all at once.
BOOM!!!
Five explosions erupted across his body in a storm of fire and destruction. Flames engulfed him as shockwaves blasted through the arena, shaking the very ground beneath the spectators' feet.
Arcos's scream was drowned out by the roaring inferno as his body was launched across the battlefield like a broken doll, smoke trailing behind him.
The crowd sat frozen in disbelief, staring at the flames consuming the arena.
And through the smoke, Phoenix stood smiling.
As the smoke slowly faded from the battlefield, a dreadful silence consumed the arena.
There, lying motionless in the center of the scorched platform, was Arcos.
His clothes had been burned to blackened rags, barely clinging to his body. His skin was horribly scorched, patches of flesh charred and cracked from the overwhelming heat of the fireballs. The sight was so horrific that gasps rippled throughout the crowd like a wave. Some students covered their mouths in horror, while others looked away entirely, unable to bear the sight.
Phoenix stood frozen.
Her eyes widened in absolute terror as she stared at the broken body of her friend.
"W-what have I done…?" she whispered weakly, her voice trembling apart.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
To her… Arcos was dead.
The realization struck her harder than any attack ever could. Her breathing became uneven as guilt crushed her chest. She had only wanted to win. She never wanted this. Never wanted to hurt him like this.
The headmaster himself stood in stunned silence. Even he had not expected Phoenix's flames to unleash such catastrophic damage. His expression darkened immediately as he rose from his seat, prepared to disqualify Phoenix for killing her opponent.
But just as he stepped forward—
Arcos moved.
The entire arena froze.
Slowly… painfully… Arcos began pushing himself off the ground.
His body trembled violently. His posture was crooked and weak, his arms hanging lifelessly at his sides as though his body no longer belonged to him. Every movement looked agonizing.
Then—
A strange light began to spread across his body.
It crawled over him like living energy, pale and unnatural.
An eerie sensation washed across the arena.
Not fear.
Not nervousness.
Dread.
Pure, suffocating dread.
The air itself suddenly felt heavier. Students and teachers alike felt their hearts tighten without understanding why. Some instinctively stepped backward. Others couldn't move at all.
Before the fireballs had struck him, Arcos had felt something he had never experienced so deeply before.
Fear.
True fear.
He had realized he had no way to stop the attack. The gauntlets could only be used five times before becoming useless, and he had already exhausted nearly all their power. For the first time in his life, he had stood helpless before death itself.
That fear kept growing.
Deeper.
Darker.
Until it completely consumed him.
And in response…
Aetherium answered.
Phoenix's entire body locked in place.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
The figure standing before her no longer felt like Arcos.
The light surrounding him twisted unnaturally around his burned body, his presence becoming cold and monstrous. Even the air around him seemed to decay beneath his feet.
"A-Arcos… is that yo—"
She couldn't even finish the sentence.
Arcos vanished.
Phoenix's eyes widened as panic overtook her. She looked around frantically, trying to find him—
Then suddenly—
He appeared directly behind her.
Before she could react, Arcos grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air effortlessly.
Phoenix choked as his hand tightened around her neck. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately clawed at his arm.
"A-Arcos… stop… please…!" she cried weakly.
But there was no response.
No emotion.
No recognition in his eyes.
It was as though the person she knew had disappeared completely.
The teachers immediately moved to intervene, and even the headmaster prepared himself to step in personally—
But suddenly—
A massive pressure descended from above.
Everyone stopped.
The sky itself seemed to darken as a figure slowly descended from the heavens.
The moment he landed, dust exploded outward across the arena floor.
And when the dust finally settled…
A man dressed entirely in black stood there silently.
His hand was wrapped tightly around Arcos's throat.
Phoenix collapsed several feet away, coughing violently as she struggled to breathe.
Arcos clawed weakly at the man's arm, gasping desperately for air. But the mysterious figure didn't budge an inch.
Within moments, Arcos's struggling weakened.
His vision blurred.
And finally—
Everything went black.
…
...
Cold.
That was the first thing Arcos felt.
Then suddenly—
SPLASH!
Freezing water crashed over his body.
Arcos gasped sharply as he jolted awake, coughing violently while water dripped from his hair and beard.
Laughter echoed around him.
"He finally woke up," one man mocked.
"Took him long enough," another said before laughing again.
Arcos blinked repeatedly, trying to focus his vision. His head pounded violently, and his body felt unbearably heavy.
He looked around.
The room was unfamiliar.
Dark stone walls surrounded him, dimly lit by flickering torches. The air smelled damp, rusty… almost rotten.
Then he noticed the chains.
Heavy iron restraints wrapped tightly around his arms, chest, and legs, binding him to a chair.
Panic immediately surged through him.
"W-what…?"
His breathing quickened as he looked down at himself.
Then his eyes landed on a shard of broken glass lying nearby.
Blood stained its surface.
And reflected within it…
Was someone he barely recognized.
His face looked far older.
His hair was longer.
A rough beard covered his jawline.
His eyes looked tired… broken.
Arcos stared at his reflection in horror.
"W-what's going on…?" he muttered weakly, his voice shaking with confusion and fear.