Kyle didn’t flinch.
He dropped to both hands and roared:
“FLORA—GRANDROOT!”
The ground exploded.
A colossal tree tore upward from beneath his feet, its trunk splitting the castle floor and shattering the ceiling as it rose. Dust and stone rained down.
Thea’s trident thrust—aimed at Kyle’s heart—was suddenly caught by something massive.
An elephant’s trunk, formed entirely from woven roots and bark, wrapped around the weapon, stopping her dead in her tracks.
Then the forest awakened.
From the spreading roots burst four titanic beasts of living wood and vines:
- a towering elephant, tusks of hardened oak
- a hulking gorilla, chest glowing with emerald energy
- a sleek tiger, body lined with razor-thorns
- and a vast eagle, wings made of interlocking leaves and branches
And then, from the heart of the great tree itself, the ground trembled.
Something bigger emerged.
A giant wolf, twice the size of the others, its body a fusion of ancient bark and glowing green veins, eyes burning with primal spirit energy.
Kyle leapt up and landed effortlessly on the giant wolf’s back, gripping its wooden fur.
“Go,” he commanded, voice steady.
The four beasts charged Thea all at once, shaking the castle ruins as they advanced.
Thea gritted her teeth, thrust her trident into the ground, and shouted:
“HEATWAVE!”
A scorching shockwave blasted outward—a rolling surge of fire so intense it twisted the air itself. The wooden beasts were thrown back, scorched and smoldering, roots cracking under the heat.
But they stood again.
Still burning, still damaged—
they charged anyway.
Thea’s eyes widened behind her helmet as she fought to keep up, blocking attacks from every direction, flames colliding with living wood.
Her Spirit Overdrive power was immense…
but Kyle was forcing her to burn through it faster and faster.
Kyle placed both hands gently on the giant wolf’s wooden fur.
The wolf lowered its stance, muscles of bark and vines tightening as it began to draw in spirit energy.
Meanwhile, the four other beasts continued their relentless assault on Thea.
She didn’t notice the wolf charging power.
She couldn’t—she was too occupied deflecting the tiger’s pouncing strikes, dodging the gorilla’s crushing blows, parrying the eagle’s swooping talons, and bracing against the elephant’s stomps. She was fighting for her life.
Root shards flew. Flames burst. Metal clashed with living wood.
All while the giant wolf’s body glowed brighter… and brighter… and brighter.
When the wolf finally reached its peak, Kyle’s eyes sharpened.
He shouted:
“NOW!”
Instantly, the four beasts disengaged and leapt back to safety.
The elephant, retreating the fastest, slammed its trunk into the ground.
Vines shot upward from beneath Thea, exploding from the floor and wrapping around her legs, torso, and arms, tightening like living chains. She struggled—flames erupted from her armor—but the roots kept tightening, dragging her down.
Kyle rose on the wolf’s back and yelled with full force:
“CALL OF THE WILD!”
The giant wolf opened its maw.
A colossal beam of consecrated green spirit energy erupted outward—pure, primal, roaring power. The sound wasn’t just noise; it was a chorus. The battlefield shook with the voices of a hundred spectral beasts—howls, roars, screeches, trumpets—echoing through the entire stadium.
Thea, trapped in the vines and roots, had no way to dodge.
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Her eyes widened. Her armor flared.
And the beam hit her dead-on.
The entire castle interior lit up green, the shockwave rattling the stadium seats. Spectators gasped, some shielding their faces from the radiance.
In the VIP balcony, the Five Families watched in stunned silence.
Hank Goetia’s eyes widened.
He knew exactly how devastating that attack was.
Beside him, Gehlee slowly lowered her teacup, her expression shifting from shock to something else—interest.
A small smile crept onto her lips.
“Well now…” she murmured, amused and impressed.
“What an amazing man he is.”
As the blast finally faded, the green radiance dissolving into drifting motes of light, Thea lay motionless on the castle floor. Her armor shattered into fading particles, her Spirit Overdrive forcefully canceled. Smoke curled from the scorched ground around her.
Kyle’s wristband Synchro beeped sharply, flashing bright as Thea’s points transferred to him in a single surge.
+75 Points – Victory Secured
Kyle exhaled, relief washing over him.
The giant wolf lowered itself, allowing him to jump down. As his feet touched the floor, the entire stadium erupted into thunderous cheers—waves of sound crashing over the arena walls.
Kyle walked toward the central pedestal.
Towards the flag worth fifty points.
Each step felt heavy with adrenaline.
Each cheer grew louder.
He reached out, grasped the flag… and then raised it high above his head.
The crowd exploded.
His summoned beasts let out a synchronized, triumphant howl—echoing through the stadium like a victorious choir—before their bodies dissolved into swirling green leaves.
Medical personnel rushed in, lifting Thea onto a stretcher, treating her burns and stabilizing her spirit pressure. Even as she was carried away, the audience continued roaring Kyle’s name.
Up above, Jean zoomed across the air on his hoverboard, voice booming through the stadium speakers:
“WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, FOLKS!”
“THE FIRST PERSON TO DEFEAT A MEMBER OF THE GOETIA FAMILY—AND NOT JUST ANY MEMBER, BUT ONE WHO USED SPIRIT OVERDRIVE—IS THIS YOUNG MAN RIGHT HERE!”
He pointed down dramatically.
“THE WINNER OF THIS EVENT—KYLE DELOS REYES!”
The crowd surged into a frenzy, chanting Kyle’s name as he swung the flag back and forth, victory shining in his eyes.
In the viewing booth, Kael and the others jumped to their feet in pure excitement.
As Kyle stepped out of the arena tunnel, the roar of the crowd still echoing behind him, he was immediately surrounded by his friends.
Kael was the first to reach him, grinning.
Takeshi clapped him on the back.
Anya threw her hands up in celebration.
Natalia let out a relieved sigh.
Serafina smiled wide, eyes sparkling.
Everyone began congratulating him at once.
Kyle managed a tired grin—then his knees buckled.
“Woah—Kyle!” Kael caught him just before he hit the ground.
Kyle exhaled shakily, sweat dripping down his face.
“Damn… that last move really took a lot out of me,” he muttered weakly. “Good thing I fired it when I did. My spirit energy couldn’t keep up with hers… and I couldn’t risk waiting for her to burn out first. So, I forced her to hit zero instead.”
His armor dispersed in a flash of green particles, leaving him pale and trembling.
Serafina instantly activated her Spirit Drive, soft scarlet light blooming behind her. She knelt beside him, placing glowing hands on his chest and back.
“You, big oaf,” she scolded gently, though her voice trembled with worry.
“But… I’m really glad nothing bad happened to you.”
Warm healing energy flowed from her palms, stabilizing Kyle’s spirit flow and repairing the strain on his body. His breathing steadied. Color returned to his face.
But before she could finish, the medical personnel rushed in with stretchers and diagnostic tools.
“We’ll take it from here,” one medic said firmly.
Serafina nodded and released her Spirit Drive, letting the professionals do their work. The medics lifted Kyle carefully onto a stretcher.
As they carried him toward the medical bay, Kyle turned his head toward his friends and gave a weak thumb-up.
“I’ll be fine,” he whispered.
“Save me a seat… for the next match.”
Kyle had won, spectacularly, but the cost of victory was written all over his exhausted body.
Kael and the rest of the squad returned to the viewing booth while Serafina remained at Kyle’s bedside. From afar, they could see the med-bay hologram displaying updates on Kyle’s vitals. Every few minutes, someone would glance at it, making sure he was still stable.
As time passed, noon approached. The stadium lights dimmed slightly, signaling the break. Jean hovered down toward the arena floor, his voice booming cheerfully through the speakers:
“Alright, folks! We’ll be taking a short lunch break. Competition resumes in one hour! Enjoy your meals, enjoy the festivities—don’t go too far!”
His hover platform lowered to the ground, and he exited through the announcer’s booth.
Kael and the others made their way to the mess hall—only to be met with a wall of crowded bodies. Competitors, soldiers, nobles, spectators—everyone was packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Great,” Natalia sighed. “We’ll starve before we even get to the table.”
Then, like an apparition appearing from thin air, Cain stepped up beside them carrying a stack of lunch boxes.
“You really should’ve come earlier if you wanted to eat,” he said dryly, handing out the boxes one by one.
Kael blinked. “When did you even get here—?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Cain smirked. “I already brought lunch to Kyle and Serafina at the med bay. Told Kyle that if he recovers by tomorrow, he’ll fight in the next round.”
“Seriously?” Kael said, surprised. “Good. He’d hate missing it.”
Everyone bowed their heads in gratitude.
Takeshi opened his lunch, then looked up. “Cain… when’s my match?”
Cain lifted his wrist, tapping his Synchro. A holographic schedule flickered to life—rows of names, events, brackets.
“Let’s see…” Cain scrolled through. “There. You’re up right after lunch. Your opponent is Alex Crusso from Sector 2815. The event is ‘High Rise.’ You’ll be fighting on elevated pillars. Don’t fall—simple as that.”
Kael whistled. “Sounds fun.”
Cain continued, his tone shifting into something more serious.
“Just a heads-up: Sector 2815 is famous for hunting Aberrants. Their fighters specialize in heavy-impact combat. Expect someone who hits like a runaway truck.”
Takeshi nodded, expression calm but eyes sharpened. “Understood. Thank you.”
Cain stepped back. “Finish eating. Head to the prep quarters when you're done. Good luck.”
With that, he disappeared into the crowd.
Kael and the others looked at each other, then at the overwhelming chaos of the mess hall.
“Prep quarters?” Natalia suggested.
“Prep quarters,” they all agreed at once.
The group turned as one and headed back down the corridor, eating their boxed lunches as they walked—Takeshi silently reviewing footwork in his head, Kael watching him carefully, and Anya chattering just enough to lighten the mood.
The break was ending soon.
And Takeshi’s fight was next.