"Who will remain standing?"
The announcer's voice thundered across the coliseum, trembling under the weight of silence. Dust and frost still blanketed the field, the aftermath of storm and blizzard clinging to every stone. The crowd leaned forward in unison, breaths held, waiting for the haze to clear.
And then—two silhouettes emerged.
Gasps rippled through the stands as the fog thinned, revealing both combatants still upright. Noel stood with Revenant Fang at his side, his uniform torn, one arm streaked with blood, sparks of electricity still crawling along his body. Across from him, Selene remained firm, her wand of ice in hand, frost shimmering around her frame, a thin line of crimson on her lip.
The announcer's voice cracked. "They both endure!"
The eruption from the audience shook the very walls of Tharvaldur. Thousands shouted, stomped, and chanted, the noise so loud it drowned out the lingering hiss of steam.
