The energetic hum of the grand arena on the planet Anipla had reached a fever pitch. Holographic banners shimmered high above the spectator stands, displaying the next bout in brilliant, golden runes that pulsed in rhythm with the roar of the massive crowd.
**GROUP 10 — MATCH 10**
The stone tiles of the central ring, reinforced with dense mineral weaves to endure devastating Urja impacts, glistened under the bright arena spotlights. Down in the waiting tunnels, the heavy iron gates began to lift with a low, metallic groan, signaling the start of the next clash.
From the eastern gateway, Krodh stepped out onto the stage. He moved with a cold, deliberate pace, his footsteps light yet carrying an unmistakable gravity. His eyes were stoic and unblinking, fixed entirely on the center ring. There was no theatricality in his movement, no acknowledging the tens of thousands of cheering fans in the tiers above. His face was entirely devoid of emotion—stark, unyielding, and blank, resembling a hyper-advanced automaton built solely for tactical efficiency. Krodh was fully serious, his entire body radiating a quiet, dangerous pressure that made the temperature in the eastern half of the ring drop.
Simultaneously, the western gate swung open. Stepping into the light was Melody. At eighteen years old, she carried herself with a fluid, performative grace that contrasted sharply with Krodh's rigid presence. Slung comfortably across her shoulder was her primary weapon—a specialized -x tier Staff. The weapon was forged from a resonant silver alloy, capped on both ends with hollow, ringed tuning forks that hummed with a faint, musical vibration at the slightest movement. Known throughout her bracket for her absolute mastery over Sound Type Urja, Melody commanded high-frequency acoustics and kinetic soundwaves to disorient and overwhelm her opponents.
As the two fighters closed the distance and met at the center ring, Melody leaned slightly on her -x tier staff, taking a moment to look down at her opponent.
"Wow! What a handsome," Melody appreciated, a light chuckle escaping her lips as she surveyed Krodh's stoic expression.
Krodh's gaze didn't soften. His eyes remained locked on hers, completely cold and unbothered by the compliment.
"You're a girl, but don't be happy. I don't hesitate to attack on girls," Krodh warned, his voice deadpan and devoid of any fluctuation.
Before the referee's lowered hand could even hit his side, Krodh initiated the exchange without a second of hesitation. Tapping directly into his core Urja, he channeled a dense stream of fiery energy into his right palm.
**"Flameblast!"** Krodh declared.
A concentrated sphere of volatile, bright crimson Thermal Type fire erupted from his hand, tearing across the stone tiles with explosive speed. The thermal air currents swirled around the projectile, scorching the ground along its trajectory.
Melody reacted instantly. Raising her -x tier staff with both hands, she brought the base of the silver shaft down against the stone floor. The ringed tuning forks at the tip vibrated violently, unleashing a dense, visible shockwave of acoustic force that expanded outward in sweeping ripples.
**"Melody of Harmony!"** Melody shouted.
The concentrated sonic wave slammed directly into the incoming sphere of Thermal energy right at the midpoint of the arena.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The thermal pressure and high-frequency soundwaves detonated upon impact, triggering a massive, blinding blast that rocked the central ring. A thick cloud of black smoke, fiery embers, and acoustic distortion expanded outward, obscuring both fighters from view.
Standing on his side of the ring, Krodh's eyes narrowed slightly through the haze as he observed the burning residue of the collision.
"Bingo... an explosion," Krodh muttered calmly.
Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Krodh raised his right hand straight up into the air. Tapping into his spatial control over the active energy in the ring, he manipulated the lingering thermal smoke and volatile fire particles left behind by the blast. The floating embers and compressed air currents suddenly snapped inward, condensing rapidly into his palm until they solidified into a gleaming longsword forged entirely out of dense, compressed heat and explosive Urja.
With a swift flick of his wrist, Krodh aimed the fiery blade squarely at Melody's chest and thrust his hand forward. The blade tore through the sky like a red missile, cutting straight through the smoke toward her.
Melody, tracking the high-speed thermal signature through the vibration of her staff, swiveled her body and spun the silver shaft in a rapid, continuous circle in front of her.
**"Reflection!"** Melody called out.
A shimmering, parabolic barrier of ultra-compressed soundwaves formed instantly before her. As Krodh's explosive sword slammed into the acoustic barrier, the compressed soundwaves didn't absorb the impact—they inverted the kinetic vectors of the projectile entirely. With a sharp acoustic resonance, the sword snapped backward, reversing its direction at twice its original speed and hurtling straight back toward Krodh!
*KABOOM!*
The reflected sword struck Krodh dead-center, exploding in a brilliant shower of kinetic force and fire that completely engulfed his frame in a second blast.
Melody winced slightly as the smoke settled around Krodh's position, lowering her staff. "Oh, sorry about that..." she said, offering an apologetic wince toward where the blast had detonated.
However, as the fiery dust dissolved into the air, the entire stadium gasped.
Krodh stood in the exact same spot, completely unmoved. His clothes were completely unmarred, his posture untouched, and there was not a single scratch, burn mark, or mark of impact anywhere on his body. The explosive thermal energy had simply washed over him and vanished into nothingness.
Krodh looked down at his unblemished hands, then raised his impassive gaze back to Melody.
"I am the G. O. D of Destruction. These explosions can't do anything to me," Krodh stated plainly, his tone completely flat.
Before Melody could fully process his words, Krodh lowered his stance. The cold air around him shifted violently as a dark, oppressive aura began to pour from his frame. Tapping into his secondary power, he channeled raw Demon Type Urja into his right arm. Crimson and pitch-black energy coiled around his fist like squirming, shadowy tendrils, radiating a dense pressure that crackled against the stone floor.
Krodh lunged forward, closing the distance between them in a fraction of a second.
**"Demonic Fist!"** Krodh roared, thrusting the dark red-and-black energy-infused punch straight toward Melody.
The sheer pressure of the approaching attack forced a sudden, instinctual reaction out of Melody.
"Wah!" Melody screamed, her voice hitting an unnaturally high, exaggerated pitch as she flinched backward.
The high-pitched, strange sound cut through the air. Mid-strike, Krodh's fist abruptly stopped just inches from her face, the dark energy swirling around his knuckles hovering motionless. His emotionless facade cracked slightly into a look of absolute confusion.
Melody, still caught up in her panicked flinch, stumbled backward off-balance. "Guah!" she screamed again, doubling over slightly as she tried to regain her footing.
Krodh slowly pulled his fist back, staring at her with genuine bewilderment. His brow furrowed as he looked at the 18-year-old girl standing before him.
"What kind of sound was that you just made?" Krodh asked, his deadpan tone mixed with sheer distaste.
Embarrassed by her own awkward reaction, Melody's cheeks flushed red. She gripped her -x tier staff tightly with both hands, channeling her Sound Type Urja to its maximum capacity to wipe the confusion off his face. She swept the staff forward, unleashing a massive, visible wall of concentrated acoustic force that tore up the stone tiles of the ring.
**"Sonic Boom!"** Melody bellowed.
The acoustic wave surged forward with crushing kinetic pressure. Krodh, caught off guard by the sheer width of the incoming sound wave, was blown backward across the ring floor, his boots skidding across the reinforced stone as he worked to stabilize his momentum.
Stopping near the edge of the boundary, Krodh brushed a small trace of dust off his collar, his stoic expression darkening slightly.
"Ah, you bastard girl," Krodh muttered under his breath.
Not giving her another moment to react, Krodh raised both hands, palm-forward. The surrounding atmospheric Urja churned violently as he pooled his pure Destruction Type energy into twin spheres of volatile power.
**"Destruction Blast!"** Krodh yelled.
A massive, deep-crimson beam of pure destructive force erupted from his palms, roaring across the arena floor like a tearing tempest.
Melody gritted her teeth and slammed her staff down once more, firing another high-powered wave of acoustic energy straight into the path of the beam. **"Sonic Boom!"**
The two attacks met in mid-air, but the result was instant. The pure, unyielding pressure of Krodh's *Destruction Blast* completely obliterated the soundwaves upon contact, crushing through Melody's defense without slowing down for even a fraction of a second.
The crimson beam struck her full force.
"Ahhhhhh!" Melody screamed as the kinetic blast threw her off her feet, tumbling through the air before slamming hard onto the arena floor.
Krodh stepped forward through the clearing dust, his expression returning to its cold, robot-like state as he looked down at her writhing on the ground.
"Stop making those kinds of sounds," Krodh said flatly.
Raising his right hand one final time, Krodh gathered a condensed orb of pure, high-density energy above his index finger, aiming directly at her defensive stance.
**"Destructo Blast!"** Krodh declared.
The high-speed beam shot down from his finger, slamming directly into Melody's central frame with precise, absolute force. The kinetic impact shattered her remaining Urja barriers, sending her skidding completely out of the central ring and crashing against the outer boundary wall.
Her -x tier staff clattered to the ground beside her as her energy reserves emptied completely.
The referee dropped his hand instantly, signaling the end of the match: **"MELODY IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER OF GROUP 10, MATCH 10 IS KRODH!"**
The stadium erupted into cheers as the official display updated with Krodh's victory.
As the medical droids hovered over to assist her, Melody slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position against the boundary wall, clutching her bruised shoulder. She looked across the ring at the stoic boy who was already turning to walk toward the exit gate.
"Wait!" Melody called out, wincing slightly as she caught her breath. "What... what is your age?"
Krodh stopped at the threshold of the eastern gate, turning his head slightly to glance at her over his shoulder.
"10. Why?" Krodh answered emotionlessly.
Melody's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, her jaw dropping as she stared at him. "What?! You're just 10?! I thought you were equal to me!"
Krodh looked at her for a silent second, his expression unchanged. "Oh, really?"
Melody rubbed the back of her neck, offering a small, embarrassed smile as she looked down at the floor. "Sorry for those sounds..."
"Ok," Krodh said simply.
Without another word, he turned back around and walked into the dark hallway of the eastern tunnel, the heavy iron gate sliding down behind him.
***
Far away from the planet Anipla, floating casually upon the roaring, 54,110,025 degree Celsius liquid-fire surface of the cosmic Red Star Colex-5411025...
The Five-Armed Man lay resting against the boiling stellar plasma. His five eyes and sharp ears were tuned directly into the cosmic vibrations of the universe, observing the match on Anipla with total clarity. His lower two hands rested atop his Plunger Cameraman spiked plungers, while his upper hands casually held his five-headed red trident and the ten-orb red drum.
A wide, amused grin spread across his face as he watched Melody's reaction to Krodh's attacks.
"Lol, she is a real pervert," the Five-Armed Man laughed aloud, his deep voice reverberating across the stellar winds.
Suddenly, his playful expression vanished. His first two visible eyes—the dark purple ripple-patterned eye and the pitch-black crimson-veined eye—narrowed sharply as he locked his gaze onto the fading silhouette of the boy entering the eastern tunnel. His entire mood shifted, replacing his casual demeanor with a cold, serious focus.
"But Krodh..." the Five-Armed Man rumbled softly into the cosmos, "...he is truly merciless in battles."