The arena no longer felt like a battlefield.
It felt like a dying world.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, glowing faintly with unstable mana. The ancient runes that once stabilized the Arena of Rivals flickered in uneven pulses, struggling to contain the sheer violence of the remaining contenders.
What was once a structured trial—
Had become chaos without restraint.
Leon stood at the center of it all.
Breathing steady.
Bloodied at the shoulder.
Eyes sharp enough to cut through stone.
In front of him—
The shadowed wild card finally revealed his full presence.
Not just a fighter.
Not just a prince.
Something else entirely.
He moved like a memory that refused to exist in one place. One moment he was there, the next he wasn't—only a distortion in the air remained where he had been.
Leon tightened his grip.
"…Alright," he muttered. "You're officially annoying."
The shadowed figure tilted his head slightly.
"…You're louder than expected."
Leon smirked.
"Yeah? I've been told worse."
The man didn't respond.
He simply vanished.
Leon's instincts screamed.
He pivoted instantly—
CLANG!
The strike came from behind.
Barely blocked.
Barely survived.
Leon skidded forward, boots scraping stone.
"…Tch."
"That's not normal speed."
The wild card reappeared—already mid-motion.
A second strike followed immediately.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
No rhythm.
No pattern.
Just death disguised as movement.
Leon's world sharpened.
Slowed.
Focused.
But even then—
He struggled to keep up.
"…Damn it," Leon muttered as he blocked another strike, the impact numbing his arms. "You're not even fighting properly—you're just appearing."
A faint voice answered from nowhere and everywhere.
"…Efficiency."
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah? It's annoying."
Another strike.
He blocked.
Barely.
Then—
Pain.
A shallow cut opened along his side.
Leon jumped back instantly.
Touching the wound.
"…Okay."
He exhaled slowly.
"…You're serious."
The wild card stood a distance away now.
Still.
Calm.
Watching.
"…You adapt quickly," he said.
Leon rolled his shoulder.
"Yeah, that's kind of my thing."
The man tilted his head.
"…Then adapt to this."
The air shifted.
Leon felt it immediately.
Not pressure.
Not speed.
Control.
The space around the wild card warped slightly—as if reality itself was bending to accommodate his movement.
Leon's eyes widened slightly.
"…Spatial distortion?"
The man didn't answer.
He moved.
And this time—
Leon saw it.
Too late.
BAM.
A strike landed directly on Leon's guard, sending him crashing into a broken pillar.
Stone shattered on impact.
Dust erupted.
Leon coughed, pushing himself up slowly.
"…Alright…"
His voice darkened slightly.
"…That's getting annoying now."
Across the arena—
Vael and the crimson-eyed woman were still locked in their own escalating duel.
But even they hesitated now.
Because this—
Was different.
Vael's eyes narrowed.
"…He's dangerous."
The woman nodded once.
"…More than the others."
But neither intervened.
Not yet.
Back to Leon—
The wild card reappeared above him.
Already striking downward.
Leon rolled aside just in time.
The impact shattered the ground where he had been standing.
Leon exhaled sharply.
"…Okay."
He stood slowly.
"…Enough testing."
His grip tightened.
Something in him shifted.
Not louder.
Not brighter.
But deeper.
The wild card paused slightly.
"…Hmm?"
Leon's presence began to rise.
Not explosively.
But steadily.
Like something being pulled from beneath the surface.
The air around him changed.
Heavier.
Denser.
More focused.
"…You're not the only one who can control space," Leon muttered.
The wild card's eyes narrowed.
For the first time—
A hint of caution.
Leon stepped forward.
"…Let's try again."
He vanished.
Not like the wild card.
Not by distortion.
But by pure acceleration.
CLANG!
Their blades met mid-air.
For the first time—
The wild card was pushed back.
A single step.
Silence.
Leon grinned faintly.
"…Got you."
The wild card exhaled slowly.
"…Interesting."
He vanished again.
But this time—
Leon followed.
Their movements collided across fractured terrain.
Stone exploded.
Air cracked.
Mana surged violently in response.
Each clash louder.
Heavier.
Faster.
But something changed.
Leon wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was reading.
Predicting.
Countering.
The wild card realized it too.
"…You are evolving mid-battle."
Leon smirked mid-strike.
"Yeah. Problem?"
Another clash.
The wild card disappeared again—
But Leon turned instantly.
Blocked.
For the first time—
The wild card was forced to stop attacking.
He stood still.
Watching.
"…You are not normal."
Leon shrugged.
"Neither are you."
A pause.
Then—
The wild card raised his hand slightly.
The air distorted again.
But this time—
More violently.
Leon felt it immediately.
The space around him tightening.
Compressing.
Restricting movement.
"…Oh," Leon muttered.
"…That's new."
High above—
Caelus Aurelion observed without a word.
But his gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Spatial authority."
Below—
Leon's body tensed.
The pressure increased.
His movement slowed.
The wild card stepped forward calmly.
"…You cannot move freely now."
Leon exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah?"
A faint grin formed.
"…Watch me."
His presence surged again.
Not outward.
But inward.
Something inside him clicked.
The compression—
Began to crack.
The wild card's eyes widened slightly.
"…Impossible."
Leon stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Then another.
Breaking through the pressure.
"…Tch," Leon muttered. "…You're good."
Then he dashed.
Faster than before.
The wild card barely reacted in time.
CLANG!
Their blades collided again—
But this time—
Leon was pushing forward.
Not equal.
Not defensive.
Dominant.
The wild card was forced back.
Another step.
Then another.
"…You are adapting faster than expected," the wild card said.
Leon grinned.
"Yeah."
"…That's kind of the theme."
He struck again.
The wild card blocked—
But his stance cracked.
Just slightly.
Leon saw it.
"…There it is."
He pressed harder.
And for the first time—
The wild card retreated.
The arena fell into stunned silence.
Even Vael stopped mid-motion.
Even the crimson-eyed woman paused.
Because the balance had shifted.
Leon stood at the center of it all.
Breathing steady.
Sword raised.
Eyes glowing faintly with intensity.
And for the first time—
He wasn't just surviving the Arena of Rivals.
He was dominating it.
High above—
Caelus Aurelion narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…So it begins."
Below—
Leon took another step forward.
And the arena—
Prepared to break even further.