"Yeah… I agree," The annoucer said calmly, before his tone snapped into madness. "It's time to end this."
He pulled something from his hand—a pulsing red orb, identical in shape to the icy relic that the Crocodile and the kidnapper once wielded. But this one radiated unbearable heat, glowing like molten rock. The veins in the announcer's arm bulged black as he raised it high.
Without hesitation, he shoved the orb into his mouth.
The sound that followed made my skin crawl. A wet crunch. A guttural roar. Then—screams, as if a thousand tortured souls clawed their way out of his throat.
I staggered back. My body trembled, but the voice within me—the one chained deep in my soul—growled like thunder.
"Don't get scared. It's time to go all out."
I took a shaky breath, fingers clenching tight around my dagger until the leather grip bit into my palms. My chest burned, mana sparking wildly through me. I lunged forward.
The announcer's transformation peaked—his back arched, flames erupting from every pore. His skin cracked, magma spilling through the lines like he had become a living volcano. His scream finally cut off, replaced by a low rumble. His eyes glowed pure red.
Then his jaw unhinged.
A torrent of fire burst from his mouth like a dragon's breath.
"MOVE!" my instincts screamed.
I rolled aside, heat licking my back, then sliced across his thigh in the opening. My blade bit deep.
"Too slow," I spat, panting.
But even as blood spilled, the wound sizzled, skin knitting back together in seconds.
The announcer chuckled. "Child's play."
He raised a clawed hand to the sky and shot a fireball in the air. The air vibrated. Mana warped. My heart dropped when he roared:
"Meteor Shower!"
The heavens split. Dozens—hundreds—of flaming boulders tore down from the sky, screaming like falling stars. The sky turned into a burning deathtrap.
I dodged left—right—barely keeping up. Each impact shook the earth, exploding into geysers of fire. One caught me off guard, smashing into my ribs. Pain flared white-hot, throwing me across the arena.
I slammed into stone, coughing blood. My shirt was gone, burned away. Half my pants were scorched, skin blistered. I staggered to my feet, vision swimming. My body refused to stop shaking.
"Pathetic," the announcer mocked. His form swelled larger, each meteor lighting his molten figure in gold and demonic.
I spat blood, raising my dagger again with trembling hands. "Not… done… yet."
I darted forward through the inferno, weaving past meteors that cratered the ground. My blade met his claws in sparks. Each swing rattled my bones. Each strike forced me back.
But I pushed on.
We clashed in a frenzy—steel against flame, will against hellfire. His claws raked my arm, tearing flesh. I countered with a slash across his shoulder. He roared, punching me so hard the wind left my lungs, bones creaking under the impact.
I tumbled, blood dripping from my lip, chest caving in with every breath. But I forced myself to stand. My legs were shaking, but I planted them like roots.
His grin widened.
I screamed, channeling every shred of mana left.Red electrity crackled across my dagger. Electricity danced around my arm. I lunged, lightning sparking in my steps.
We collided again—explosions tearing the ground apart.
The battlefield was unrecognizable now. Chasms split the arena floor. Firestorms and sparks of electricity clashed in chaos.
Neither of us relented.
Finally, we both drew back, panting, our bodies wrecked but our spirits blazing.
"This ends now!" he roared.
"You're damn right it does!" I shot back.
We charged—both pouring everything into one final clash.
The world slowed. Our attacks collided.
BOOOOM!
The impact blasted us both backward. I skidded across stone, coughing blood, my dagger nearly slipping.
No—this was it. I had to finish him now.
I forced every last drop of my strength into my blade. My body screamed. My vision blurred. But I refused to stop.
As he was catching his breath
I lunged, aiming for his core.
But then—
A voice.
Soft. Familiar.
"Jae, my baby."
My heart froze. Mother?
For a split second, my focus wavered. My dagger slipped from my grasp, falling in slow motion.
My eyes widened.
The announcer's claws extended, gleaming, ready to tear me apart.
"It's over," he hissed.
I braced for death.
But then—
I felt a familiar aura behind me.
The air froze.
I forced my body to twist mid air and then-
A blizzard of shards tore through the battlefield, glinting blue and silver. The announcer's body stiffened. His eyes widened.
Ice spikes impaled him from below, skewering his legs, his torso, his jaw. His molten body sizzled against the frost. He screamed, but the ice locked him in place.
A shadow stepped forward from the storm.
A familiar voice rang out, cool and sharp.
"Go to hell, you demon."
Jay.
Jay snapped his fingers, and the ice shattered—taking the announcer with it. His molten form exploded into a thousand shards, fragments scattering like ash in the wind.
I was laying on the ground, stunned, relief flooding through me. I tried to cheered.
But my body failed me.
The pain hit all at once—bones cracking, mana tearing through me violently. I screamed, blood spilling from my ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. My chest convulsed, as if something inside was ripping me apart.
Astrid's voice echoed faintly—"Tarek!"—as she ran toward me.
But my vision darkened. The world collapsed into nothingness.
And then—black.