Once he reached the center of the arena, another man stepped forward.
Silence gradually settled over the bleachers.
Tailored suit.
Thin-framed glasses.
Measured stride.
The head of the HMA.
His gaze swept across the assembly before stopping on the two fighters.
“This duel serves two purposes.”
His voice echoed clearly throughout the hall.
“The first is to determine which agency will obtain the right to conquer the high-rank hole that recently appeared in Liverpool.”
A few murmurs ran through the bleachers.
A hole estimated at rank nine.
A discovery capable of overturning the national rankings.
“The second objective is to determine which agency will retain or obtain the third national spot.”
His gaze passed over the representatives of both camps.
“Mr.
Mckennie.”
He looked at Logan.
“Do you agree to these conditions?”
“Yes.”
Logan nodded calmly.
“You may proceed.”
The HMA director then turned his attention to a massive man sitting a few rows back.
A monstrous build.
A thin beard, an almost palpable animalistic aura.
Clark Leonheart.
Head of the Wild Beasts.
The latter crossed his arms.
“It changes nothing.”
His deep voice resonated in the arena.
“We are going to win.”
He gestured toward the arena with a nod of his head.
“That hole should have been ours from the start.”
His gaze settled on Logan.
“We were ranked higher.”
“But you insisted on wasting our time.”
Logan smiled.
A smile that usually heralded a diplomatic disaster.
“Thanks to your ranking, you indeed had priority.”
He shrugged.
“But the civilians who discovered the hole requested Stormshield.”
A few muffled laughs rang out.
“If we had simply launched the exploration immediately, we wouldn’t even have needed this duel.”
Clark’s jaw clenched.
“Rules are rules.”
“In that case.”
Logan’s smile widened.
“Why didn’t they call you first?”
Silence.
“Maybe you should work on your visibility.”
A few bursts of laughter rose from the bleachers.
Clark stood up abruptly.
His Astra pulsed.
A bestial pressure instantly flooded the room.
“You’re talking about visibility?”
His eyes shone with annoyance.
“You just recruited an agency full of effeminate pretty boys.”
A few members of the Wild Beasts burst out laughing.
“No wonder the civilians choose you.
Bunch of sissies.”
Logan sneered.
“What do you want me to do about it?”
He spread his hands.
“I’m not responsible if the Wild Beasts lack finesse and elegance.”
Clark’s aura exploded.
“Say that again, let’s see.”
The animalistic Astra invaded the arena.
Several observers instinctively stepped back.
Logan didn’t move.
Not a single centimeter.
“Whenever you want.”
The HMA director let out a sigh.
“Gentlemen.”
His voice immediately cut the tension.
“Some decorum, please.”
Silence fell again.
He adjusted his glasses.
“Mr.
Leonheart.”
Liam calmly looked up.
“Do you accept the conditions of the duel?”
“Yes.”
His tone remained perfectly calm.
“I accept them.”
“Perfect.”
The director raised his hand.
“In that case…”
His gaze passed over the two fighters.
“Begin.”
…
Silence fell.
Then Mason burst out laughing.
A heavy laugh, confident.
“So it’s you.”
His gaze swept over Liam.
“I expected someone a bit more impressive.”
Liam stopped a few meters away from him.
“I could say the same about you.”
Mason’s smile vanished.
A few muffled laughs rang out in the bleachers.
“I hope you’re funnier than you are strong.”
“I hope those muscles are not just for show.”
Their eyes met.
Astra began to circulate.
Angel immediately felt his neck cover with sweat.
Even from a distance.
Even after his Ascension.
The gap was terrifying. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The containment runes carved around the arena lit up.
The director lowered his arm.
“Begin the duel.”
The ground shattered beneath Mason’s feet.
Stone fragments were projected in all directions, the shockwave rippling across the arena floor.
Angel blinked.
The vice-captain of the Wild Beasts had disappeared.
Then he reappeared in front of Liam.
His fist came down.
A thunderous impact shook the hall.
A thick cloud of debris and dust swallowed the center of the arena.
The bleachers vibrated.
Cracks ran across the reinforced surface like spiderwebs.
Several spectators stood up.
“Did it land?”
“Impossible to see.”
The haze thinned.
Liam was still standing, almost motionless.
A simple silver dagger rested in his hand.
Mason’s fist had been dodged.
A few inches from the right of his face.
The giant’s eyes narrowed.
“Not bad.”
His Astra abruptly increased.
Thick veins appeared on his arms.
A dark red tint covered his body.
Then the strikes began.
Each impact made the arena tremble.
The air cracked under the pressure.
Chunks of stone flew in every direction.
The spectators struggled to keep up.
Liam occasionally took a step back.
Blocked an attack.
Dodged the next.
Always with surgical precision.
No wasted movement.
One minute.
Then two.
Then three.
Mason started breathing more heavily.
Liam as well.
Finally, the giant leapt backward.
“Enough warming up.”
A wild smile appeared on his face.
“Time to show you what the Wild Beasts really are.”
“I was just about to say the same thing.”
A twitch ran across Mason’s cheek.
His body began to swell.
His muscles bulged.
Hair grew on his skin.
His eyes turned yellow.
Fangs emerged from his jaw.
Then claws appeared at the tips of his fingers.
Murmurs invaded the bleachers.
“The Werewolf.”
“Now it gets real.”
Mason’s Astra exploded.
A bestial aura invaded the arena.
The ground gave way.
His speed doubled.
Then tripled.
He appeared in front of Liam.
His claws came down.
A gigantic gash tore through the stone.
But Liam had disappeared.
A leap backward.
A mere scratch on his shoulder.
But it wasn’t the last.
As the exchanges continued, the blows grew heavier.
A claw grazed his ribs, tearing through his shirt and leaving a warm trail of blood down his side.
Another strike grazed his temple, making his vision blur for a fraction of a second.
Liam’s breathing grew ragged.
His legs felt heavier with each dodge.
The werewolf’s raw power was chipping away at him, piece by piece.
“Keeping your distance is useless.”
Mason’s voice had become hoarse.
He focused his Astra into his claws.
Then struck at the empty air.
Red energy blades crossed the arena.
The ground erupted.
A suffocating veil of pulverized stone covered everything.
When it settled, Mason found himself alone.
He scanned the arena with his eyes.
“Where are you?”
Quiet.
Then
A blade of silver cut across his flank.
Blood spurted.
Mason roared.
“Bastard!”
His claws swept the air.
Nothing.
A second attack aimed at his opposite side.
This time, he blocked it with his claws.
Liam briefly reappeared in a distortion of light.
“You can turn invisible.”
Mason bared his fangs.
“But your smell remains the same.”
Liam smiled.
“You’re smarter than you look.”
Then he raised his dagger.
“Mirage Guardians.”
The light twisted.
Five other Liams appeared.
The entire arena froze.
The six figures charged simultaneously.
Mason attacked.
His claws tore through the doubles.
Holographic illusions.
‘How could they look so real?’
Then he spotted a figure further back.
“You.”
He lunged.
His claw pierced the target.
The illusion vanished.
“Wrong again?!”
Pain exploded in his shoulder.
The real Liam had just struck him.
“Graaaah!”
‘Damn it the real one was still invisible.’
Mason spun around.
The six Liams retreated in perfect synchronization.
The red aura exploded further.
“I’ve had enough of your tricks!”
Both his fists struck the arena.
The entire surface blew to pieces.
Tons of rubble and dust were thrown into the air.
The arena held its breath.
When the cloud finally dissipated, the doubles had vanished.
Only Liam remained standing.
In a corner, out of breath.
“Huff…”
“Huff…”
Mason smiled.
Finally.
“There you are.”
He saw victory.
He bent his legs.
Then charged.
Red Astra gathered in his claws.
All his power concentrated into a single attack.
Three steps.
Two steps.
Then suddenly he stumbled.
His body tipped forward.
The world seemed to stop.
At that exact instant, all of Liam’s fatigue vanished as if he was never tired.
The dagger came to rest under Mason’s throat.
“You lost.”
Silence invaded the arena.
Under Mason’s feet, a massive chunk of stone had just appeared in a flash of light.
Angel blinked several times.
‘What just happened?’
Mason looked at the debris.
Then at Liam.
Then at the debris again.
Understanding came slowly.
During the entire destruction of the arena, Liam had made several pieces of stone invisible with a simple touch of his hand.
He had turned the terrain itself into a trap.
“Well?”
The dagger remained motionless.
“Do you yield?”
The silence lasted several seconds.
“You think it’s over with your cowardly tactics?
I haven’t lost yet.” He tried to push himself up.
Liam’s dagger pressed closer to his throat, drawing a drop of blood.
His voice was cold.
“Move even an inch, and I’ll slit your throat.”
Fury flared inside Mason.
“Who the hell do you think you’re dealing with?”
Liam’s wrist twitched, the dagger threatening to slice into him.
“Enough, Mason.
You lost.” Clark’s voice cut through the room.
“But boss, this coward…”
Clark’s eyes darkened, turning deadly serious.
Mason felt his blood run cold.
Suddenly, he lowered his head, regaining his composure.
“I see.”
His transformation dissipated.
“I lost.”
The HMA director raised his hand.
“Victory for Liam Heartwood.”
…
Angel finished his story with a smile.
“And there you have it.”
Noah remained silent.
Then he blinked.
“Wait.”
“So everyone gathered to witness a historic duel…”
He pointed at Angel.
“…and it ended because the other guy tripped?”
“Yes.”
Silence.
“I see.”
Noah slowly shook his head.
“In a way…”
“…it’s definitely absurd.”
Angel burst out laughing.
“Exactly.”
But Noah was already no longer laughing.
His mind was analyzing.
Breaking down and understanding.
Liam hadn’t won thanks to overwhelming power.
He had won thanks to information.
To preparation.
To environmental manipulation.
Like a scientist solving an equation.
‘I understand better.’
Stormshield hadn’t become the third agency in the country by chance.
And if Liam was already capable of such things, then Logan had to be even more terrifying.
The wind made the park’s trees rustle.
Noah looked up at the sky.
A thought slowly crossed his mind.
‘How far can an Ascendant really go?’
For the first time since his Ascension, this question no longer seemed theoretical to him.
It felt somewhat attainable.