Pax walks through the halls, ready to rejoin everyone in the stands. Pax sees a large crowd gathered outside the doors to the colosseum. They cleared it out for some reason. Pax looks around for his team members, but amongst the large crowd, that will be difficult. Selene would be easy to spot, considering she is a whole different race, but she is probably getting prepared for her fight.

  [???: Hello. Are you Pax?]

  Pax gazes ahead and notices a man of diminutive height and slender build. His short black hair complements a white overcoat, and a smile lights up his face. The man also has baggy black pants with white shoes.

  [Pax: Who is asking?] Pax retorts with caution.

  [???: Ah, sorry, my name is Kai Kurogami. I will be your opponent in the third round.]

  Pax is surprised by this; he thought talking to the other team before your round was prohibited. Normally, the 15 minutes between rounds doesn't allow for the teams to interact anyway. It seems to be a different case for a one-hour time out.

  [Pax: What do you want? I don’t recommend talking too much, considering we will be fighting to the death soon.]

  [Kai: It is actually about that… Would you consider surrendering?]

  Pax looks surprised.

  [Kai: I mean, you can’t surrender after a fight has started. So, I am asking for your surrender now. You have no chance of winning against me. I don’t want to have to kill you.]

  There is an air of silence that goes through the room for a couple of seconds.

  [Pax: Is that all? I have a duty to my team. I won’t surrender.]

  Kai sighs.

  [Kai: Is that so? Well, good luck when we fight!] Kai walks away.

  The doors swing open once more. Waves of people surge into the Colosseum, anticipating a different experience this time. In addition to the arena, two more areas are lit up: two stands located on the opposite side of the Colosseum. The two illuminated areas allow for the fighting teams to get a better view of the fights.

  [Announcer: Hello everyone! Welcome back! We needed a one-hour break because Truth wanted us to construct these two stands! The teams currently competing now have official stands from which they can view the fight!]

  Pax walks up to the illuminated stand where he can see his other team members. He sits next to Blake.

  [Blake: Where did you go? You missed Azaraths victory.]

  [Pax: I had to take care of some things. Did he win? Tell him I said congrats.]

  Blake points at Azarath, who is behind Pax.

  [Azarath: The least a sewer rat like you can do is tell me that yourself.]

  [Pax: When you act like that, it makes me not want to congratulate you at all, you know?]

  [Azarath: Huh?]

  It seems like their arguing is inevitable. Just when they were going to start hurling insults, Peak jumps between them. On the other end of the Colosseum. The enemy team is just sitting in silence. Pax can recognize Kai, but everyone else is foreign to him. Zealith is still in the infirmary.

  [Peak: Guys! Guys! Selene's match is about to start!]

  Harpstein, Peak, Azarath, and Pax gaze at the arena while Blake struggles to concentrate; something is troubling him.

  *Blake: Why did they have to give us illuminating spots?!? Shifter won't stop glaring at me!*

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Back in the arena, the announcer opens the gates.

  [Announcer: First, we have a demi-human! Specifically a haly-Dryad. She is a master at using all four elements and has the ability to manipulate nature itself! Selene Rivers!]

  Selene walks into the arena. She looks around and starts preparing by summoning various vines and plant life around her.

  [Announcer: On the other end, we have an absolute savage! He can’t speak so he communicates through barks and growls. He killed various people and is known for eating their bodies! Meet “The Beast” Ragnar Vale!]

  Ragnar comes in on all fours. He has tan skin and disheveled brown hair. Ragnar has emerald green eyes. Ragnar is not wearing a shirt, but he has fur pants. He has razor-sharp teeth. He looks like a true beast. He quickly looks around the arena before his eyes land on Selene. He starts growling intensely. Selene looks over at him.

  *Selene: He really can’t talk. I can speak animal. Still can’t understand what he is saying, though.*

  [Announcer: Let the fight between Rangar Vale and Selene Rivers… Commence!]

  Selene immediately gets into position, and a punch of stone spikes appears around her.

  『Stone Cannon』

  Selene shoots the stone around her at Ranar. He is easily able to dodge and weave through the blasts. He jumps right in front of Selene, and with a grunt, he goes to take a bite.

  『Inferno』

  Just as Selene anticipated, the ground beneath Ragnar bursts into flames. He leaps back, feeling a slight burn. Before he can land, however, the chaos continues.

  『Morass』

  Ragnar's feet hit the ground. They start to sink as the ground under him turns to mud. Ragnar gives a few confused wails as his feet get stuck in the mud below his feet. Selene, seeing the opportunity, sends another attack.

  『Zephyr's Edge』

  A strong gust of wind sends blades toward Ragnar. He howls as one blade cuts into his chest. Just as the others are about to strike, an elephant emerges from the mud and lifts Ragnar into the air. Though Ragnar is safe, the elephant is ripped apart.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Peak is surprised.

  [Peak: Harpstein! Look! An elephant!!!] Peak is urging Harpstein to look at the dead elephant.

  [Azarath: She seems to be doing better than I did, at least.]

  [Blake: Well, she did use almost the entire hour to plan. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has some cards up her sleeve.]

  [Pax: We will have to wait and see.]

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Selene raises her hand to cast another ability.

  *Selene: I wanted a quick win, but it seems I will have to switch strategies.*

  Before she can cast her next ability, she falls forward. *huh?* She turns around to see a giant gash on her back. A tiger roars from behind her. She quickly vines up the tiger and goes to get up however, it is hard for her to stand. Selene looks down to see various squirrels eating at her legs.

  [Selene: Get the hell off of me!]

  Selene conjures a strong wind, scattering all the squirrels. She applies medicinal herbs to her back for healing. Meanwhile, Ragnar stands before her, poised to strike with his claws.

  『Glide』

  A cluster of water bubbles forms beneath Selene's feet, enabling her to swiftly retreat and evade the claw strike. In response, Ragnar steadies himself with one hand and kicks Selene away. She is sent flying until colliding with something soft and furry, prompting her to turn her head around.

  [Selene: A gorilla?!?]

  The gorilla grabs Selene and holds her close to his chest, not letting go. Ragnar gets into a pouncing position.

  [Selene: Let go of me, you brute!]

  Ragnar jumps at Selene with his mouth open.

  [Selene: Think I can’t use my ability without my arms. Sorry, but that’s not the case!]

  『40-day flood』

  The entire arena suddenly fills with water. The water fills the arena entirely, only being stopped by Truth's barriers. To the audience, it looks like they are now in a cube of water.

  Selene smiles confidently. She can manipulate air effortlessly, making underwater breathing easy for her. As the gorilla begins to drown, it releases its grip. Selene glances at Ragnar, who struggles and is also drowning. With a smile, Selene observes the scene.

  She feels a little pain in her side, so she looks down. Red water is emanating from a new wound on her side.

  *Selene: A small wound?*

  Selene feels a sting on her shoulder, quickly followed by another on her legs. As she scans the arena, she suddenly gets jolted. To her horror, a massive shark sinks its teeth into her torso and starts to drag her. In a swift reaction, Selene grabs an arrow and plunges it into the shark’s head, killing it instantly. However, as she surveys her surroundings, she realizes she is now surrounded.

  *Selene: Piranhas…*

  The small fish make a vortex around Selene. They all come in and take bites out of Selene at various angles. Selene is still smiling.

  *Selene: Ragnar is still drowning. I just need to hold on until he dies!*

  With that in mind, she continues to take hits. She looks up at Ragnar.

  *Selene: What.*

  Ragnar stands underwater with a smile. Selene observes gills on his neck and realizes he can breathe underwater. Without hesitation, she releases the flood. The piranhas flop onto the floor as Selene collapses to her knees. The exposure to the air causes her small wounds to sting painfully.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  [Pax: Come on, Selene! You got this!]

  Pax yells at the arena, which annoys Azarath.

  [Azarath: Where was my cheer?]

  [Pax: It took a break for 3-5 business days.]

  Azarath scoffs at the quick retort.

  [Blake: Something is not right.]

  Peak looks confused.

  [Peak: It just looks like a normal fight to me.]

  Harpstein comes into the conversation.

  [Harpstein: Haven’t you noticed? Selene has not used her bow once.]

  They all look back into the arena as Selene stands up.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  She takes a stance.

  [Selene: Hey, Ragnar. I actually don’t really rely on my powers. At heart, im a marksmen.]

  Selene pulls out a wooden bow and an arrow. In immaculate form, she pulls the arrow back.

  [Selene: Do you know what is the most important thing to learn as a marksman?]

  Ragnar gives a baffled bark. Selene can't interpret it, yet she suspects he likely said something stupid.

  [Selene: It is prediction.]

  She unleashes a barrage of three arrows. Ragnar leaps to dodge the arrow aimed at him, only to find another arrow directly in his path. He attempts to sidestep it, but it strikes his shoulder instead. As he shifts his head, yet another arrow appears. Ragnar raises his hand in front of his face, and the arrow penetrates his palm. He drops to the ground and begins to rip the arrows from his body.

  [Selene: You like that? I used the first arrow to bait you into the position for the second arrow and predicted you would move for the third arrow. It was all a prediction!]

  Ragnar lets out a deeper growl. As if he understands the danger he is in.

  [Selene: Allow me to make another prediction.]

  Selene aims the bow up to the abyss. She shoots a shot directly into the roof of the arena. The arrow disappears into the darkness. She and Ragnar wait for a second, but nothing happens.

  [Selene: Guess I was wrong.]

  Ragnar leaps towards her, slashing her chest. Selene employs her glide technique again to evade Ragnar's subsequent slashes. As Ragnar retreats, he begins to summon a legion of creatures. With a proud bark, he appears to command his army to charge, but they remain still. Ragnar looks at them.

  All of the animals have arrows in their heads. Selene had already killed them. Ragnar looks with a scared look as five arrows pierce his chest. Ragnar flies back and lies on the ground.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Shifter scoffs at the scene.

  [Shifter: I know our team was randomly put together for this. Damn, Ragnar is weak.]

  Kai smiles.

  [Kai: I don’t know, Shifter. Ragnar still has not used his trump card.]

  『Animal Synthesis』

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Selene observes a change and recoils from Ragnar. His body begins to expand, sprouting fur as he increasingly resembles a true animal. He tears the arrows from his body, which begins to heal itself.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  [Kai: The regeneration of an axolotl, the strength of a gorilla. This ability allows Ragnar to take the properties of any animal and combine them into himself.]

  On the other side of the arena.

  [Peak: Wow! That’s so cool! He resembles a beast-folk!]

  [Pax: Beast-folk?]

  [Blake: That is a rare race of animal-human hybrids. The main ability of that race is that they can transform into monster versions of the animal they have the DNA of. Think of what Ragnar is doing as an artificial version of a beast-folk transformation.]

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Ragnar quickly jumps to Selene; she shoots more arrows. However, they are not effective because of Ragnar's regeneration. She reaches into her quill.

  *Selene: One arrow left. I need to kill him in one shot before he can regenerate.*

  Selene gets into position and shoots her last arrow directly at Ragnar's head. Ragnar gets the speed of a cheetah. Allowing him to dodge it.

  *Selene: My last arrow! I hate bows! I need a weapon with a higher projectile speed!*

  Ragnar jumps at Selene. She puts up her bow to block. The bow is easily destroyed as Ragnar slices Selene everywhere. Blood pours out of Selene's entire body. Ragnar ends the flurry by slicing Selene's neck. Selene falls to the ground. Ragnar walks up, ready to rip her apart limb from limb. He bends down over her.

  Selene smiles and looks up at Ragnar. She put vines around her neck to stop the bleeding.

  [Selene: Game over! You big brute!]

  『Sky breath』

  Suddenly, an arrow comes down from above Ragnar and hits the top of his skull. The arrow has unnatural force and easily passes through his head. Killing him instantly. The arrow lodges itself into the ground. Ragnar falls to the ground. Selene slowly rises as she puts medical herbs on her wounds.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Everyone is looking on in silence.

  [Peak: What just happened?]

  Peak looks over at Blake, who has a worried smile on his face.

  [Blake: No way that worked!]

  Peak looks around, confused for a little. Pax, seeing Peaks confusion, explains.

  [Pax: Remember the arrow she shot up at the roof earlier? She acted like her prediction failed to throw Ragnar off. In reality, she kept that arrow in the sky with wind manipulation. Waiting for the most opportune moment, she used wind manipulation on the arrow to bring it down with extreme force. It is a crazy strategy. Personally, I wouldn’t pull a move like that.]

  Peak looks even more confused.

  [Peak: It was just a bait and switch, right? What is so confusing?]

  Harpstein looks at Peak.

  [Harpstein: That is because of how much of a bet she took on that arrow. She put way too much of her ability into that arrow. She put her entire chance of winning on that arrow, predicting it could get her the finishing blow. If that arrow failed or she stopped using wind magic on it during any point in the fight, she would have died. No sane person would make a bet like that. Even Blake didn’t expect that move.]

  Peak glances back at Black, who remains deep in thought. Blake commits this strategy to memory for any future encounters with enemies like Selene.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  [Announcer: The winner of round 2 is Selene Rivers via death!!! The Attackers are up 2-0!!!]

  The crowd goes wild. Some are happy about the fight, and others are sad that they lost their bets. As Selene begins to exit the arena, she feels faint. Just as she collapses, she is caught before hitting the ground. Opening her eyes, she sees... Star eyes.

  [???: You did so good out there! Allow me the honor of taking you to the infirmary!]

  Selene awakens, bandaged from head to toe. She finds herself in an infirmary within the Ascended Crucible and glances to her side to see the man nearby.

  [???: Hello! I have taken you here! Normally, they don’t allow anyone to see the fighters. I am an expectation because I brought you here! So we get some one-on-one time! Yay!]

  Seeing the man so giddy, Selene gets annoyed. She glares at the man.

  [Selene: So, are you going to introduce yourself, pervert.]

  [???: Why am I a pervert?!? Do forgive my manners, though. My name is Ran. No last name, not yet at least.]

  Ran gives Selene a wink.

  To be continued…