The air in the Seoul Command Center was thick with anticipation as Jane, Velora, and the remaining Council members descended into the heart of the facility. They arrived at the Arena—a colossal, subterranean amphitheater carved from reinforced obsidian and titanium. The ground was etched with glowing runes, infused with demonic energy to stabilize the structure. It was designed for one purpose: to withstand the world-shaking power of Commanders in combat.
High above the circular battleground, the Council of Commanders took their seats behind reinforced glass. Lyla sat at the edge of her chair, her knuckles white as she gripped the armrest. Beside her, the 2nd Commander—a man with eyes as sharp as flint—leaned back with a knowing smirk.
"You look nervous, Lyla," he remarked, his voice smooth. "But you should be. You're about to see why Velora is the Council's pride. She was the first human to ever survive a direct injection of pure spiritual energy. In terms of raw output, she's already surpassed the 1st Commander."
Lyla turned to him, her eyes wide. "She's stronger than the 1st?"
"By a significant margin," he replied, turning his gaze back to the arena floor.
***
In the center of the arena, Jane stood perfectly still. She wore her sleeveless black top and short shorts, her thigh-high stockings standing out against the dark floor. She looked small in the vast space, but the aura around her told a different story.
Velora walked toward her, her own blade still sheathed at her side. "Don't just stand there, Jane," Velora said, a playful but dangerous glint in her eyes. "Make sure you entertain me."
Jane's lips curled into a faint, confident smile. "I intend to."
They moved to opposite ends of the arena, the distance between them crackling with invisible tension. Then, Jane drew her sword. She wasn't radiating energy yet, but the blade itself was a marvel—it pulsed with a fierce, crackling blue glow. The energy was so dense it felt like a 6th Harbinger was standing in the room. As the power bled into Jane's hands, her hair took on a soft, ethereal blue tint. She was the picture of calm, but she felt like a loaded spring.
"I won't hold back," Velora warned, her smirk widening. "Show me everything."
Jane didn't wait for a second invitation. She vanished.
She was a blur of black and blue, reappearing instantly in front of Velora. Her blue-glowing blade whistled through the air, aimed directly at Velora's neck. With a lightning-fast motion, Velora blocked the strike with her sheathed sword. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena, cracking the reinforced floor.
Velora shoved Jane back, the force of the parry sending Jane skidding across the obsidian. Before Jane could reset, Velora swung her sheathed weapon, releasing a massive wave of spiritual energy that tore through the air. Jane twisted mid-air, dodging the blast by a hair's breadth.
*So fast,* Velora thought, her pulse quickening. *Nice.*
Sensing a presence behind her, Velora didn't even turn. "Ethereal Aura!" she whispered. A translucent force field of compressed spiritual energy erupted around her, catching Jane's follow-up strike in a shower of sparks.
Jane retreated, flipping backward to gain distance.
"I'll give you this," Velora said, her voice echoing in the vast chamber. "You move as if you're deleting the space between us. But it's time to get serious." She took a deep breath, her voice dropping to a low, rhythmic chant. "Origin Pulse."
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. An ocean of spiritual energy surged into Velora, her aura expanding until it filled the arena. Two short, obsidian-colored horns erupted from her forehead—terrifying symbols of her ascended state. She unsheathed her sword, and her power tripled instantly. The entire Seoul base began to shake, the tremors felt by every soldier in the building.
Strange, Lyla thought, watching from above. *She looks powerful... but compared to what I've seen Jane do, she still feels reachable.*
Jane smiled, unfazed by the display. "Thank you for showing me your true power." She looked down at the sword in her hand, then simply dropped it. The blade clattered to the floor. "Releasing energy is one thing, but let's end this with a real attack."
Jane reached into the air, and as if tearing through a veil, she pulled a new sword from thin air. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have been using my practice blade."
Velora froze. The pressure coming from Jane's new weapon was unlike anything she had ever felt. *Finally,* she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. *A true rival.*
The arena began to groan, the walls cracking as their two energies collided.
"STOP!" the 1st Commander roared from the stands, standing up in a panic. "This entire facility will collapse!"
In that split second, Velora saw a flicker of movement to her side. She looked, but Jane was still standing right in front of her, smiling. Then, a searing pain shot through Velora's arm. A clean, deep cut appeared on her shoulder.
She gasped, realizing too late—the Jane in front of her was nothing but an after-image, a ghost left behind by speed so great it defied the eyes. The real Jane had already passed her.
Velora's wound closed instantly as she tapped into her regeneration, her horns receding as she calmed her energy. She looked up and saw Jane already sitting in the audience seats, casually leaning against the railing as if she had been there for hours.
The Council was silent. The shock was absolute.
"You're lucky you didn't let me finish my spell," Velora called out from the arena floor, her voice steady despite the sweat on her brow. "Let's do a rematch outside sometime. We can't fight properly in a cage like this."
"I hope I entertained you," Jane replied, walking over to Lyla.
"Wow, Jane," Lyla breathed, her eyes wide. "You were... incredible."
A shadow fell over them as a figure stepped forward from the crowd of bodyguards. It was a man with a cold, regal presence. "Good work, Jane," the 2nd Harbinger said, his voice a low hum. "By the way... tell Akira I said hi."
Lyla stiffened, but before she could react, Velora's voice boomed through the speakers. "Base 105 is officially recognized as a free territory! However... the Council will be keeping a very close eye on Nova and the demon girl, Rin."
Lyla let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you. You're free to visit as well."
The 1st Commander stood up, adjusting his coat. "Then this meeting is adjourned—"
***CRACK.***
The sound was like a thunderclap inside a small room. The reinforced floor of the arena didn't just crack—it shattered. A massive female figure landed in the center of the battleground, the impact sending a cloud of obsidian dust into the air.
Velora instantly retreated to the audience seats, her hand on her sword. As the dust settled, a woman stood in the crater, her eyes scanning the room with a terrifying, predatory hunger. She pointed a finger directly at Jane.
"You," the woman said, her voice chillingly sweet. "You defeated my sister. I'm impressed."
Lyla stood up, her heart hammering. She tried to sense the woman's energy, but there was nothing. No spiritual pressure, no demonic aura. It was as if she didn't exist at all. But the lack of energy was more terrifying than a massive aura—it meant her power was perfectly contained.
"Fight me," the woman said, a wide, jagged smile spreading across her face. "I want to see if you're worth the hype."
Velora's skin crawled. *Is this a beast? No... she looks human, but she feels like a void. She's dangerous. More dangerous than anything we've ever faced.*
"You!" the 1st Commander shouted, his face red with fury. "You weakling! You dare walk into your own grave? Guards! Seize—"
He never finished the sentence.
With a movement so fast it was invisible, the woman appeared in front of him. A single blow landed on his chest. The 1st Commander didn't just fall—he flew. He smashed through the reinforced glass, sailed across the arena, and slammed into the far wall with such force that he left a deep, massive crater in the obsidian.
The woman stood where he had been, dusting off her hands. "Watch your words, human," she said, her voice cold as ice. "None of you leave this room until I tell you to."
The 1st Commander groaned, coughing up blood as he struggled to stand in the crater. The woman tilted her head, looking surprised. "Hmm. You survived? Nice."
She smiled then, as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Xyne. The 3rd Harbinger."
To be continued...