The floating coliseum trembled as the ocean beneath it churned violently, responding to the bloodlust in the air. The crowd's roar was deafening, a living beast hungry for violence. Waves crashed against the arena's foundation, sending sprays of saltwater mist over the front rows of spectators. The scent of brine and sweat mixed in the humid air as anticipation thickened like storm clouds.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the announcer's voice boomed across the enchanted speakers, vibrating through the bones of every spectator. "THE SEMIFINALS BEGIN NOW!"
Battle One: Kaito Sensaki vs. Deepcurrent Durga
Durga stepped forward, cracking his neck with a sickening pop. His massive frame, covered in glowing tribal tattoos, pulsed with cursed energy. The markings snaked across his arms like living things, their crimson light intensifying as he clenched his fists. Water droplets hovered around his knuckles, vibrating with pent-up power.
"No fancy tricks, boy," Durga growled, his voice like grinding stones. "Just fists and pain."
Kyota adjusted his skeletal mask, the hollow eye sockets giving nothing away. His navy tunic fluttered in the sea breeze as he settled into a loose stance. "Then come."
The gong struck.
Durga exploded forward with terrifying speed, his first punch cratering the ground where Kyota had stood a millisecond before. The shockwave sent water geysers bursting from cracks in the arena's edge, drenching the first three rows of spectators.
Kyota retaliated without hesitation. A whip of pressurized water lashed out from his fingertips, slicing through the air with a high-pitched shriek. It connected with Durga's shoulder, drawing first blood. The crimson droplets hung suspended in the air for a breathless moment before splattering across the stone.
The crowd howled in approval.
Durga grinned, licking his own blood from his lips. "Good."
Then he vanished.
A sonic boom cracked the air as Durga reappeared behind Kyota, his elbow smashing into the boy's spine with brutal force. Kyota's mask splintered under the impact, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as he was launched across the arena. He skidded on all fours, his fingers digging grooves into the stone.
"FIRST BLOOD TO DURGA!" the announcer crowed.
Kyota rose slowly, his breathing steady despite the vicious blow. One eye was now visible through the broken mask - pale blue and burning with quiet intensity.
Durga charged again, his massive form a blur of muscle and glowing tattoos. But this time, Kyota moved faster.
A geyser erupted beneath Durga's feet, swallowing him whole in a column of churning water. The warrior roared, his muscles bulging as he fought against the crushing pressure. Just as he tore through the watery prison, Kyota was already there - his knee connecting with Durga's jaw with a sickening CRACK.
Teeth flew through the air, glinting in the sunlight before disappearing into the sea below.
Durga staggered back, spitting blood. Then he laughed, the sound guttural and unhinged. "MORE!"
The Breaking Point
Kyota's hands blurred through a series of intricate signs too fast for the eye to follow. The ocean itself answered his call.
A monstrous pillar of water impaled Durga from below, lifting him high into the air. Before gravity could take hold, Kyota spun with perfect precision - his heel smashing into Durga's ribs with enough force to send the massive warrior crashing through a stone pillar. The structure crumbled like dry sand, burying Durga in rubble.
Silence fell over the coliseum.
Then, with terrifying determination, Durga stood. His left arm hung limp and broken, bones visibly protruding through the skin. Blood streamed from multiple wounds, painting his body crimson. "Not... enough," he gasped.
Kyota exhaled slowly. "Fine."
With deliberate slowness, he reached up and removed his shattered mask completely - revealing his face to the world for the first time.
The crowd screamed.
Durga's eyes widened in shock. "You—"
Kyota's fist met his chest.
BOOM.
A shockwave of pure force blasted outward, sending Durga flying through the arena wall and into the sea beyond. The impact sent waves crashing against the coliseum's foundation, rocking the entire structure.
"WINNER... KAITO SENSAKI!"
Battle Two: Princess Saya vs. Sea Monk
The princess floated serenely above the battlefield, her silver hair catching the sunlight like liquid moonlight. Her opponent, Sea Monk, cracked his knuckles, his body covered in glowing tidal scripture that pulsed with each breath.
"I'll break you gently," he growled, his voice like the rumble of distant thunder.
Saya smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Try."
Sea Monk exploded into motion, his fists becoming whirlpools of crushing force. Each punch sent shockwaves through the air, distorting the very space around them. Saya danced between the attacks with inhuman grace, her every step leaving afterimages of water that confused and disoriented.
Then she struck.
"Lunar Spiral."
A serpent of liquid moonlight materialized from the air itself, coiling around Sea Monk with terrifying speed. The construct squeezed mercilessly, the pressure making his bones creak audibly. With a final scream of effort, Saya slammed him into the ground with enough force to crack the enchanted arena floor.
"WINNER... PRINCESS SAYA!"
Evening Tide: The Wandering Savior
As twilight painted the sky in hues of violet and gold, Kyota walked the cliffside alone. The sea roared below, its rhythm matching the storm in his chest. His mask, hastily repaired with strands of cursed energy, hid his face once more.
A child's scream shattered the peaceful evening.
Kyota's head snapped toward the sound. A group of bandits had cornered a fisherman's family against the rocky shore, their crude weapons glinting in the fading light. The fisherman stood protectively in front of his wife and daughter, his hands raised in desperate supplication.
Kyota moved before conscious thought could catch up.
"Hey, freak!" the lead bandit spat as Kyota approached. "Mind your—"
Kyota's palm struck his chest with surgical precision. A concentrated burst of water launched the man backward with terrifying force, sending him sailing into the harbor waters thirty feet away. The remaining bandits barely had time to blink before realizing their danger - they fled into the gathering darkness without looking back.
The fisherman wept openly as he clutched his family. "Thank you... thank you..."
Kyota said nothing. He simply turned and continued his solitary walk.
Later that night, he encountered a squad of knights ambushed by rogue mages. The magical attackers had the royal guards pinned down, their spells carving smoking craters in the earth. Without hesitation, Kyota raised a hand - the very air seemed to freeze as he crushed their spells mid-cast, encasing the attackers in cages of living ice that pulsed with eerie blue light.
The lead knight stared at their mysterious savior, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Why help us?"
Kyota gazed at the moon, its silver light reflecting in his uncovered eye. "Because I can."
Tomorrow's Storm
By midnight, whispers had spread through every tavern and alleyway - tales of a masked demon who walked among them, saving the weak and punishing the wicked. Some called him a guardian spirit; others, a harbinger of doom.
Kyota stood once more at the cliff's edge, the waves howling beneath him like living things. The salt-laden wind tugged at his cloak, threatening to reveal his face once more.
"Tomorrow," he murmured to the restless sea, "I end this."
The ocean roared back its approval, sending a massive wave crashing against the rocks far below. The spray rose high into the air, catching the moonlight like a shower of diamonds before disappearing into the night.