After his fight, Nova returned to his seat without a word. He didn't even glance at the crowd still murmuring about the aether gun.
Anna sat beside him, her posture relaxed but her eyes scanning the arena.
"You made quite the impression. Though I think half the crowd hates you now for not putting on a 'proper' show."
She said, keeping her voice low.
Nova didn't answer right away. His gaze was on the ring.
"The gun was efficient. I'm not here to entertain."
Anna smiled faintly.
"Figured you'd say that. How's the mask holding up?"
She shifted slightly, then asked.
""It's stable. For now. But if I use more aether than needed, it'll start to disrupt the illusion."
Nova replied.
Anna nodded.
"Then we'll avoid making scenes outside the ring."
Below, the next match was already underway.
The first pair called in were the bold lizard warrior—still riding high from his bravado during the last round—and a shadow-like creature that seemed to flicker in and out of vision.
The announcer barely got through naming them before the shadow creature launched itself forward, moving like liquid smoke.
The lizardman roared, welcoming the fight, and the crowd roared with him. Steel clashed against shifting form.
Each time the lizardman struck, the shadow bent and danced around the blow. But it didn't take long for the lizard's brute force to start cutting through the creature's defenses.
Nova watched in silence.
A few well-placed blows later, the lizard slammed the shadow creature into the ground and delivered a crushing stomp to its chest, knocking it out cold.
The crowd went wild. The announcer declared the lizardman the victor and the second match ended just like that.
The third match was less notable—a grueling contest of endurance between a twin-bladed insectoid and a brutish ogre.
It dragged on longer than the others, with both sides landing hits that would've downed anyone else.
Eventually, the ogre collapsed from exhaustion and the insectoid stood panting in the middle of the ring.
Then it was time for the final match of the round.
All eyes focused on the arena again.
The announcer's voice rang out, introducing the contestants:
One, a humanoid cloaked in a ragged veil of unstable energy—none other than the one responsible for the aether explosion in the elimination round—and the other, a member of the Galatica, a race known throughout the systems as walking titans of elemental mastery.
Gasps echoed through the stands as the Galatica stepped into the ring, his body humming with a slow, steady rhythm of ice-imbued aether.
The humanoid looked half-collapsed already, as if the earlier explosion had sapped everything from him. But he straightened, fire in his eyes.
Anna leaned closer.
"Do you think he's going to win?"
Nova didn't answer immediately. His eyes were locked on the trembling humanoid.
"Something's wrong with him."
"Wrong how?"
"He's leaking aether. His body's not syncing with it. Every time he forces it out, he's shaving years off his life."
Anna turned her attention back to the match.
"Then he's desperate."
"Or something else is going on."
Nova said flatly.
The fight started with the Galatica raising his hand and letting shards of ice fly like bullets.
The humanoid twisted, barely dodging the barrage, then hurled forward, fists glowing with erratic light.
He slammed into the Galatica's icy defense, causing sparks and cracks to burst across the shield. The crowd roared.
Then the Galatica retaliated.
He sent a wave of cold so sharp that it froze part of the arena floor. The humanoid tried to resist, summoned another pulse of unstable aether—but it was weaker than before.
His body was faltering. His arms trembled. And then he did it again—pushed out an explosion of aether in a wild, uncontrolled burst.
The wave hit. Smoke and ice blew through the ring. But when it cleared, the Galatica was still standing. Unmoved. Unscathed.
The humanoid dropped to his knees.
Nova narrowed his eyes again. "He won't last the next round."
Anna didn't argue. Even the crowd seemed stunned. They'd expected more, but it was clear now—the unstable warrior was already reaching his limit.
The Galatica approached, raising his hand one final time.
But just before the finishing blow could land, the announcer jumped in, waving frantically.
"Enough! The judges have declared the match winner! Victory goes to Galatica!"
The arena rumbled with cheers. The humanoid was dragged off the field by medics. Nova watched him go, silent.
Anna glanced sideways.
"Looks like you might be facing the Galatica soon."
Nova finally looked at her.
"Hmm. That remains to be seen."
He didn't say anything else. Just returned his gaze to the arena, waiting.
Just as the announcer raised his voice to declare the Galatica the winner, a low rumble echoed from the center of the arena.
The humanoid's body twitched.
At first, it looked like a final spasm—nerves reacting after collapse—but then his shoulders snapped upright.
His head jerked, body convulsing unnaturally as black smoke began to spill out from his pores. The crowd fell silent. Even the announcer hesitated.
The medics who had been preparing to carry the body out backed away in fear.
The Galatica stepped forward, a frown forming beneath his helmet.
The smoke thickened, wrapping the humanoid's frame in shifting shadows, and the air around him began to warp from the sheer pressure of the unstable aether.
Then the humanoid moved—no longer like a man, but a beast. He darted forward, faster than before, almost teleporting with the burst of speed.
The Galatica raised an ice barrier in defense, but it shattered the moment the humanoid's clawed hands struck.
The arena gasped.
Those hands—once normal—were now extended shadows, shaped into cruel talons. He drove them forward with terrifying precision.
One claw struck the Galatica's chest, piercing through the thick armor like it was paper.
There was a crack, followed by silence. The Galatica's expression twisted in disbelief as he stumbled back, clutching at the wound in his chest.
The second claw followed—right into his heart.
Gasps spread through the crowd like wildfire as the Galatica staggered and fell.
Dead.
Smoke trailed from the humanoid's body as he stood there, unmoving. The crowd didn't know whether to cheer or run.
The announcer fumbled for words before his voice rang out, strained and uncertain.
"T-The winner… is the humanoid."
Anna turned toward Nova, eyes wide.
"What was that? He was down—how did he stand back up?"
Nova didn't respond immediately. His gaze was still locked on the arena, expression unreadable.
"That wasn't him. Something else moved his body."
He said at last.
Anna gripped her arm, unsettled.
"What if that thing shows up when you fight him?"
"It won't matter."
Nova said simply.
"No trick, no borrowed power, no parasite changes anything."
Anna looked at him, uneasy.
"You say that like it's guaranteed."
Nova didn't glance her way.
"Because it is."
Down in the arena, the humanoid was being escorted away, still wrapped in faint traces of smoke. The staff avoided touching him, their expressions tense.
Nova's eyes followed every step. That aether—unstable, invasive—wasn't from training. It was stitched onto the man like a parasite. Dangerous. But not refined.
Anna shivered.
"Whoever gave him that power… they knew he wouldn't survive long with it."