CREATED AND WRITTEN BY MATEO WOODSON
WRITTEN AND STORYBOARDED BY JOHN FALLOUT
[Colosseum Corridor — Post-Match]
Sweat dripped down Ephraim's brow as he walked away from the roaring cheers of the crowd, his muscles aching and his breath ragged. Victory still buzzed in his veins like electricity, but fatigue weighed heavy on him. He pushed through the thick velvet curtain separating the arena from the winding stone corridors leading back to the locker rooms.
As he rounded a sharp corner, he collided hard into another figure, sending them both stumbling backward. Ephraim quickly regained his balance, his eyes snapping upward.
"My bad—I didn't see—" He halted mid-apology, staring at the stranger.
The figure wore a dark head wrap, tightly bound to conceal most of his features. Only piercing eyes, sharp and intense, stared back. Recognition flashed in Ephraim's mind.
"Wait… Eliyah?" Ephraim whispered, lowering his voice to avoid attention. "Is that you? What the hell are you doing here? You're wanted, man!"
Eliyah raised a finger swiftly to his lips. "Keep it down, Eph. I'm fully aware, trust me." He glanced warily over his shoulder, eyes scanning the corridor. "I couldn't stay away. Had some unfinished business here."
Ephraim smirked despite himself. "Always looking for trouble, aren't you?"
Eliyah chuckled quietly, relaxing a fraction. "Trouble finds me. You know how it goes." He hesitated, eyes narrowing slightly. "Just be careful out there, Eph. Not everything is what it seems. Especially here."
Before Ephraim could respond, the familiar glyph flashed beneath his feet. He cursed under his breath as the world twisted around him, pulling him away in an instant.
[Locker Room — Coliseum Interior]
Ephraim reappeared abruptly, stumbling slightly. Buddy and Rika were already waiting, Buddy quietly meditating, while Rika leaned against the wall, arms crossed and expression unreadable.
The screen flickered back to life.
Announcer: "AND NOW, THE SEMI-FINALS BEGIN! FIRST, FROM THE NOBLE BRACKET—TEAM RAPHINA VERSUS TEAM BLACKROSE!"
[Path to the Semis — Team Blackrose]
Team Blackrose had made waves in the earlier rounds. Xavier Blackrose had dismantled an entire squad using his overwhelming shadow illusions in Round 1, sowing chaos and confusion until his team picked off each foe. Lilith Crow flash-froze her opponents in a sphere of frost, immobilizing them mid-air. Ryker Bellamy rode his wind currents with perfect agility, cutting down enemies with slicing gales from above. Their win in the quarterfinals was a surgical display of precision and pressure.
[Path to the Semis — Team Raphina]
Meanwhile, Salt's Team Raphina had fought ferociously to reach this point. In their previous round, Maria's music magic put two of their enemies in a trance while Salt and Hogan double-teamed the third with a barrage of stellar and forest-born strikes. Salt's command of star constructs, honed under pressure, made her a rising favorite among the nobles.
[The Match — Team Raphina vs. Team Blackrose]
The fight erupted immediately. Salt's golden star magic collided spectacularly against Xavier's inky shadows, creating brilliant explosions of light and darkness. Hogan's forest essence surged forward, vines wrestling with Ryker's whirlwind attacks. Maria's haunting melodies sent invisible blades slicing through Lilith's ice walls.
It was fierce, breathtaking—each team pushed to their limits. Xavier cloaked the field in darkness, blinding half the arena, only for Salt to ignite a blinding nova of light from her chest, dispersing it. Hogan summoned a wall of bark and bone to block Ryker's tornado funnel, and Maria pierced Lilith's final ice spire with a sonic needle.
Finally, Salt raised her hands, forming a dazzling star construct resembling an immense celestial blade. With a shout, she brought it crashing down, overwhelming Xavier's shadow barrier.
Announcer: "TEAM RAPHINA WINS!"
The crowd thundered their approval.
Ephraim grinned, heart pounding. Salt was advancing, which meant he had to keep pace.
Announcer: "NOW, FROM THE LOW CLASS BRACKET—TEAM BOICHI VERSUS TEAM NIGHTFALL!"
[Path to the Semis — Team Nightfall]
Team Nightfall had proven themselves ruthless contenders. Orion Graves had crushed an entire team with a single gravity spike in Round 1, reducing them to the dirt. Lucius Frost walked through enemy strikes like a ghost, phasing in and out of harm. Scarlet Vega razed her foes with flame waves, her signature technique 'Infernal Lotus' turning the battlefield into molten glass. Their last match ended with their opponents literally fleeing the ring.
[The Match — Team Boichi vs. Team Nightfall]
Once more, Ephraim, Buddy, and Rika were teleported into the arena's center. Their opponents, Team Nightfall, stood intimidatingly: Orion Graves, whose eyes glowed violet, commanding gravity essence; Lucius Frost, his body partially ethereal, a wielder of ghost essence; and Scarlet Vega, whose flaming hair matched her devastating fire essence.
The battle commenced instantly.
Orion slammed his palms down, sending gravitational waves crushing toward them. Ephraim staggered, barely erecting a magnetic barrier in time. "Dammit, this guy's serious!"
Rika launched her stretchy limbs toward Scarlet, attempting to wrap around and immobilize her, but Scarlet burst into flames, scorching Rika's skin. She recoiled with a hiss of pain.
Buddy faced Lucius, spectral arms weaving a defensive web. Lucius phased in and out of reality, dodging effortlessly. "You cannot strike what you cannot touch," Lucius taunted.
Ephraim grit his teeth, launching into a fierce assault on Orion, dodging gravitational pulls and throwing rapid magnetic punches. Orion, however, smirked and countered fiercely, each blow rippling with power that rattled Ephraim's bones.
The fight dragged on, minutes feeling like eternities. Bruised and bloody, Ephraim summoned his remaining strength, shouting, "Essence Technique: Bullseye!" His fist magnetized powerfully toward Orion's armor, cracking it upon impact and sending him skidding across the dirt.
Meanwhile, Rika had adapted, stretching and bending around Scarlet's flames, finally landing a powerful blow that knocked Scarlet unconscious.
Buddy, eyes glowing intensely, slammed his spectral arms into Lucius, channeling divine energy that disrupted Lucius's ethereal form, forcing him back into solidity.
Panting heavily, Ephraim moved swiftly, magnetizing his fists again. "Let's end this!"
Together, they launched their final assault. Rika's limbs bound Lucius as Buddy's spectral fists pummeled him, and Ephraim delivered one final magnetic blow to Orion, who crumpled, defeated.
Announcer: "TEAM BOICHI WINS!"
Ephraim dropped to his knees, exhausted but elated, as the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.
From the shadows near the entrance, Eliyah watched silently, his hidden smile evident even beneath his disguise.