The roar of the crowd hit me like a wave the moment I stepped into the arena.
The cheers. The screams. The raw energy. It was overwhelming — like being thrown into the center of a storm made of pure noise. The stands trembled beneath the weight of thousands of fans, all thirsty for blood and spectacle.
"So this is it..."
"My first official fight. My probable death sentence."
The ground beneath my feet was cracked and scarred, bearing the weight of countless past battles. Magic lights floated above us, casting a holy — or maybe hellish — glow over the combat zone.
And then, he appeared.
The announcer.
He burst into the center of the arena like a summoned demon, spinning a crystal amplifier rod in his hand like a baton, his voice booming louder than thunder:
— HELLOOOOOO, BEAUUUUTIFUL CROWWWWWD! HOW ARE WE FEEEELING TONIGHT?!
The arena erupted in madness.
Screaming fans, enchanted banners flying through the air, people losing their minds — one woman even fainted from sheer excitement.
"This is insane."
The announcer twirled and pointed straight at me like a magician unveiling his next trick.
— AND TODAY, WE HAVE A NEWCOMER... JOOOOOOOOOOOOOHN!!!
The crowd fell quiet.
Well, almost.
One lone voice shattered the silence.
— YOU GOT THIS, YOU SEXY BEEEAAAST!!!
I froze.
I knew that voice. I dared to look up.
Yep. Ciny. Standing on her seat, waving both arms, grinning like a devil.
"...Cringe. So much cringe."
The announcer didn't even flinch.
— AND ON THE OTHER SIDE... THE DOLL COLLECTOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!
The reaction was instant.
The crowd went ballistic.
They screamed his name, held up handmade dolls in his honor, and someone literally proposed marriage on a levitating sign.
Out of the mist, he walked in.
Tall. Shirtless. Covered in scars. A huge one ran across his left eye. He looked like a serial killer who'd gone to the gym religiously.
"...Oh god. He really is Jason with magic."
The announcer grinned with twisted glee.
— For those who don't know, the Doll Collector used to hunt down victims, dismember them, and coat their body parts in wax to preserve them as dolls! Cute, right?
"Why. Why am I here. I should've been a baker."
— Fighters to your corners... FIGHT!!
The word "fight" had barely left his mouth before the arena trembled.
The Doll Collector charged at me with no hesitation.
Rocks rose from the ground — he was already casting Earth Magic! Massive boulders flew at me.
— "Earth Magic?! I don't even know how to fight Fire Magic yet!"
I panicked.
The ground beneath my feet shifted, crumbled, and before I could react, I was falling into a pit.
Two huge slabs of stone came crashing down toward me.
Instinct kicked in.
My mana flared to life, wrapping me in a glowing shield of light. The rocks shattered on impact. I fired back two bursts of pure mana — but he blocked them effortlessly with a wall of stone.
The crowd lost its mind.
— THAT'S WHAT THE AUDIENCE CAAAAME TO SEEEE!!!
The exchange of blows intensified. Rock against mana. Blast against boulder. It was like a fireworks show choreographed by war gods.
And then... I had an idea.
"A smaller beam. More focused mana... If I can pierce through his stone..."
I launched two big blasts to mask my move — feints.
While he braced for impact, I channeled all my mana into a thin, concentrated beam. It tore through his stone shield and nailed him in the shoulder.
Blood splattered.
"Yes! I did it!"
He froze, staring at his blood in disbelief.
— NO! I CAN'T DIE HERE! I STILL HAVE SO MANY DOLLS LEFT TO MAKE!!
He roared.
Suddenly, the arena's floor lifted — all of it. He raised us both high into the air, far from the ground. A floating battlefield.
Stones flew from all directions.
I tried dodging, but I wasn't fast enough.
I was falling.
"No... No, if I fall from this height, I'm dead. Think, John! THINK!"
Then... a crazy idea.
I poured mana into my feet — shaping it beneath me.
I made a temporary platform in the sky.
It held.
Then exploded.
Using the blast's momentum, I created a second platform. Then another.
I was walking through the air.
"...I'm... flying?!"
The entire arena gasped.
— UNBELIEVABLE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! HE'S FLYINGGGGGG!!!
I could barely maintain control, let alone attack.
I landed — shaky but alive. I fired my strongest blast, but the Doll Collector was too far away.
"Damn it... How do I hit him from here?"
While dodging, another idea struck me.
If my mana destroys what it touches... then what if I triggered it before contact?
I focused on the air molecules — creating force before my mana even reached the rocks.
The rocks veered away.
It worked.
The Doll Collector didn't like that.
— I'VE HAD ENOUGH! THIS IS MY FINAL ATTACK — COLLAPSE!!!
He summoned dozens of stones at once, raining them down like meteors.
"I don't know if this will work... but it's my only shot!"
I gathered every ounce of energy I had left.
Just as the rocks were about to hit me, I unleashed a massive mana burst — an explosion that sent the falling boulders back up into the sky.
They struck him midair.
He screamed.
He fell.
CRASH.
The impact left a crater in the arena. Rubble everywhere.
Before the dust could even settle, I raised my hand.
— BLUE BEAM!
A brilliant surge of blue light vaporized every remaining stone.
Silence.
Then, the crowd erupted like a volcano.
— IN-CREDIBLE! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! JOHN ADVAAAAANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!!!
And of course...
— YEEEEES!! — Ciny screamed again, waving her arms like she'd won the lottery.
"I might've survived a murder mage..."
"...but I'm not surviving this woman's cheering."