Adrian was just losing his mind down there. Couldn’t take the embarrassment so he just bites down hard and lunges like a rabid dog.

Snikt. Three long ass daggers pop right out his knuckles. The man didn’t even care about technique anymore; he just charged straight in trying to stab Lucian. Lucian barely even moves, just shifts his weight and steps out the way. Blades hit nothing but air. Next second Lucian grabs him by the collar with one hand and just clamps his other hand right over that Titan-Grip gauntlet.

Zero effort — Crack!

He tore the whole metal gauntlet right off Adrian’s arm and tossed it aside like trash.

Yanking Adrian close to his face he whispered in his ear. "You wanted to know what father gave me on my fourteenth birthday? He gave me an environment that drove me to lead me to this point where I can give you a good beating. And listen carefully, this is only the starting, I don’t give a shit about your sister and mother. I am not standing in this ring for this family, get that through your head."

Saying that he shoved him hard, slamming back down onto the floor.

The crowd went crazy. "Look at him dragging his own brother so cold!"

"Yeah, what kind of brother acts like this?!"

Up in the stands, Sera, who was now standing in the crowd beside Aria, murmured in shock, "He really isn’t holding back at all..."

Aria let out a soft smile. "he is only showing them the reality that he doesn’t need them anymore."

Elira, on the other hand, just crossed her legs propped her chin on her knuckles, rocking a proud, smug look. Zero words spoken, but her attitude screamed it.

Down on the ground, there was no real fight left. Lucian didn’t even need to use any skills or magic.

He stepped forward and— Smack!

Delivered a hard, ringing slap right across his face. Adrian stumbled back yet before he could react even more Lucian buried a punch deep into his gut. Guy folded instantly. Blood and spit dripped from his mouth still he stubbornly glared up with a broken growl. Lucian wasted zero time and launched a clean kick straight into the side of that cracked helmet.

Crash.

Adrian’s eyes rolled back, and he hit the ground, out cold as Lumen’s voice blasted. "The winner is Lucian Valemont!" and the entire stadium erupted.

Up in the VIP box, it was a completely different scene.

King Oberon was sprawled out on his throne, an incredibly arrogant and smug grin plastered on his face as He glanced over at King Darian of the Silver-peak kingdom, from the Zandar Empire, who was sitting nearby.

"See that, Darian?" Oberon gloated. "That is Astraviel’s strength. Even our wild cards can crush your so-called prodigies without breaking a sweat."

King Darian was secretly getting pissed off looking at Oberon’s doughy -like face, though he kept his composure perfectly.

Maintaining a calm demeanor, Darian shot back with a teasing tone. "Impressive, I’ll give you that. Though I genuinely can’t wrap my head around it — how such a deadly prodigy was born in a kingdom full of greedy, fat people? I’m sure if Emperor Virdhan meets this kid just once, he will definitely lean toward a better choice... rather than staying in a kingdom like this."

Oberon’s smug face vanished instantly, his skin turning bright red with anger. "Y-You brat! How dare you—"

Darian just gave a casual shrug. "Hey, I wasn’t specifically pointing fingers at you. I was just stating a general fact."

Oberon clenched his jaw and was right on the verge of exploding, before Princess Aurelia, sitting just behind him, placed her hand on her father’s bicep. her gesture was a clear signal for him to calm down.

Just then, Gideon leaned in from the side and whispered into Oberon’s ear. "Your Majesty, politically speaking, it is in our best interest to stay friendly with them right now. Keep your composure. Let him boast; we still hold the high ground here "

Hearing that, Oberon choked down his rage and forced a tight, ugly smile while turning his attention back to the roaring arena.

Down in the arena, two medics rushed in with a stretcher. They quickly loaded Adrian’s battered, unconscious body and carried him away.

Lucian didn’t even spare him a second glance. He adjusted his blazer sleeves and walked out of the ring.

Before the tension could settle, Lumen’s voice rang out from the sounding stones, instantly waking the crowd.

"Alright, folks! After that one-sided beatdown, it’s time to keep the blood pumping! Next up, we have a clash of completely opposite vibes! the gentle yet fierce Beast Tamer... Isla Fenrir! And facing her, the creepy master of shadows... Nyx Verya!"

The crowd immediately erupted into cheers.

Nyx stepped out.

She looked like she had just crawled straight out of a coffin. Her black hair was a messy nest, dark bags hung heavily under her half-open eyes, and she was literally dragging her feet across the dirt, looking completely drained of life.

Up in the stands, the Black Mire prodigies immediately started their usual chaotic banter.

Cain leaned far over the railing, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Boss! Try not to fall asleep in the middle of the match!"

Next to him, Vesper rolled her eyes and slapped the back of Cain’s head. "Shut up, idiot, you are ruining her dark aesthetic."

Beside them, the others — Riven, Lysin, and Morven— simply shook their heads, keeping a quiet watch over the arena.

Down in the arena, Nyx didn’t even bother turning around.

On the other side of the arena, Isla walked out.

The contrast was like day and night.

From isla’s side her teammates in the stands also were going wild.

"You got this, Isla!" "Show that walking corpse what BLOOD-OAK beasts can do! Crush her!"

Isla just gave her friends a warm smile and a small wave before turning her attention back to her opponent. However, Isla’s gentle smile faltered the moment she caught Nyx staring back with an unblinking, tilted gaze and a faint, eerie giggle.

Isla swallowed hard, her grip tightening. What is wrong with this girl? She feels like a literal ghost.

Lumen’s voice echoed one last time. "Fighters, take your stances... MATCH START!"

Isla didn’t waste a single second. Her instincts screamed that the girl standing across from her was a walking disaster. She slammed both hands into the ground.

"Manifest: Gale Panther!"

A bright green magic circle flared, emerging a sleek, massive panther made of wind mana roared and bolted at Nyx, its razor-sharp claws aimed right at her neck.

Nyx didn’t dodge. As the terrifying beast lunged at her face, her heavy eyelids widened with an unsettling smile crept onto her pale face. Her messy black hair began to float in the air as her thick, dark purple aura began to leak from her body.

She was getting genuinely thrilled.

Squelch!

Two giant shadow hands erupted from the ground, catching the panther mid-air. Nyx let out an eerie giggle and clenched her fist. Crack! The shadow hands ruthlessly crushed the wind beast into sparks of mana.

Isla didn’t freeze. Seeing her summon destroyed so effortlessly, she bit her lip, stepped back, and pushed her mana to the absolute limit.

"Manifest: Twin Iron-hide Grizzlies!"

Two massive, heavily armored bears materialized, shaking the ground as they charged at Nyx from both sides. At the exact same time, Isla summoned a glowing ’Storm Falcon’ that dived from the sky, shooting sharp, compressed wind-blades straight down at Nyx.

Nyx’s eyes literally sparkled with twisted excitement. "Oh... so many big boys!"

She stomped her foot as her shadow rapidly expanded across the arena floor like a massive pool of black tar.

SHING! SHING!

Dozens of razor-sharp shadow spikes shot out of the ground, completely ignoring the bears’ tough iron-like hide. The spikes pierced right through their massive bodies, pinning them to the dirt. The bears roared in agony before dissolving.

Nyx didn’t even look up at the diving falcon.

A massive shadow tendril whipped upward, swatting the bird out of the sky like a fly. Bam!

Isla was panting heavily, her mana draining fast. Before she could cast another spell, Nyx’s shadow slithered across the ground at lightning speed and connected with Isla’s shadow.

Isla’s body locked up. "N-No...!"

Thick shadow chains burst from the ground, binding Isla’s wrists and ankles, forcefully pulling her to her knees.

Nyx casually walked through the dissolving mana of the destroyed beasts while Her dark aura was completely suffocating the arena. She stopped right in front of the paralyzed Isla and leaned in close.

Nyx’s eyes were wide, taking in Isla’s terror. She reached out with pale fingers gently tracing Isla’s cheek.

"Your beasts scream so beautifully..." Nyx whispered as the shadow chains started tightening around Isla’s neck. "Let’s see what sound you make when I pull your shadows inside out."

The crushing physical pressure around her throat, combined with the pure, unfiltered horror of Nyx’s unblinking stare, was completely overwhelming. Isla’s breathing turned into frantic gasps as Her eyes rolled back, and her body just gave up.

She went completely limp, passing out from the pure trauma.

The moment Isla fainted, the dark purple aura around Nyx vanished instantly. Her floating hair fell flat. The twisted thrill wiped completely off her face, replaced by her usual deadpan look.

"Ah... she broke already?" Nyx scratches her messy head. "Boring."

Looking totally drained, she turned around and started dragging her feet back to her gate.

The entire Colosseum was completely speechless. No one cheered. They were just deeply disturbed.

Up in his booth, Lumen nervously wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead and grabbed his mic.

"I-Isla is unable to continue! The winner of the third match is... Nyx Verya of Black Mire!"