The Frost Beetle shrieked, its mandibles splitting wider. A burst of scarlet frost erupted from its maw across the arena. Phaser vanished as an afterimage stood frozen in place. The blast struck it, shattering the image like glass. Gasps rippled through the Amphitheatre.
"He's using the Mirage Step again! It's the iconic Lone Nomad's signature evasion technique! How many afterimages is that, three? Four?"
But Phaser wasn't satisfied. He knew this thing wasn't fighting on instinct anymore. It was learning. Every swing, every faint misstep, it adapted. He slid under a sweeping frost-covered leg. Sparks scattered as his blade scraped against the Beetle's icy armor, thrusting deep but not through. The metal rang like a bell.
'Too dense. That crimson Xana is reinforcing the shell.'
The Beetle reared up. Icicles erupted from the sand, each as tall as a man. Phaser kicked off one, flipped in midair, and deflected another with the flat of his sword. He landed, crouched low, and dashed again. He struck three times in one heartbeat. One at the joint, another beneath the mandibles, the last at the leg gap. Only the third connected, slicing through a tendon. Frost blood splattered the ground. The crowd erupted again, their fear replaced by hope.
"He's wounded it!"
But Phaser wasn't celebrating. His heartbeat stayed steady. He watched the Beetle recover faster than it should, its wound sealing with a hiss of red frost. The 8th Ecliptarch was reinforcing it from the inside. If it could regenerate, then it meant she was seeing him right now and she has to be close to it, meaning she was a spectator.
"You're here somewhere, aren't you?"
The Beetle charged.
Phaser ducked but this time the sand froze under the beast's weight. Shards of frozen sand flew everywhere. It slashed with its serrated forelegs, each swing powerful enough to split stone. Phaser deflected one, sidestepped the second but the third caught him in the shoulder, sending him spinning through the air. His boots dug furrows when he landed. His sword plunged into the sand to stop his momentum.
"Nomad's bleeding! The Lone Nomad... he's actually been struck!"
The crowd roared in mixed panic and awe. Phaser barely heard them. His vision narrowed to the glowing creature ahead. Every step it took shook the arena. He felt the pressure through the sand. She was testing him. The 8th Ecliptarch wasn't trying to kill him fast. She was analyzing him.
The Beetle lunged again, spewing red frost. Phaser's instincts screamed. He leapt aside, the place where he'd stood crystallizing instantly. He countered, his sword shearing through the frost mist, each aimed at a weak joint.
The Frost Beetle howled but its tail (which he never expected an insect to have) struck from behind. Phaser twisted, catching it mid-swing with his blade. The impact caused a sonic boom in the amphitheatre. The shockwave flung sand in all directions, coating spectators behind the barriers in dust.
When it cleared, Phaser stood, half-crouched, his sword buried into the Beetle's tail, stopping it cold. His arm trembled slightly but he smirked beneath the mask.
"Not bad... for a puppet."
The Beetle convulsed again. Its wings opened. Phaser dodged through them like a ghost. He used the wind pressure from his swings to redirect smaller shards, using them as distractions. He closed the gap and slashed at its head, missed by a fraction and rolled under another claw. His blade was swung through the air, carving a glowing line across its chest.
The Frost Beetle screeched and reared again, slamming its front legs down. The shockwave flung Phaser backward. He landed, knees skidding through the dirt, his sword dragging behind. He could feel his limits in this form. Since he couldn't reveal himself as an Argemenes or as Phaser, he couldn't go all out. Every ounce of victory had to come from skill. Even though his Xana signature was completely different, he didn't want to bring rumors to his House.
He tilted his head up toward the night sky. He saw stars gleaming above the Roman colosseum's open roof. Then his gaze dropped back to the creature, glowing red and cold blue at once.
"If this is what you wanted, Ecliptarch, then let's dance."
He dashed forward again, faster than before. The sand exploded beneath his feet.
This time, he wasn't evading. He was dictating the rhythm. His movements grew unpredictable. He spun around the Beetle's strikes. Afterimages layered—five or six of them now—confusing the creature's corrupted eyes. And yet, even with his perfect timing, the Beetle's ferocity was unmatched. It countered, adapting to his feints. Each missed strike from Phaser came closer to disaster..
He could feel the edge of exhaustion creeping in but he refused to back down. From the stands, someone screamed.
"Don't give up, Nomad!"
Then another and hundreds, then thousands. Their voices filled the arena.
Phaser exhaled once. The tension in his shoulders melted into focus. His sword lowered slightly. The world around him slowed.
He sidestepped a frost beam, then parried a crushing leg strike that would have flattened a boulder. He spun, sliding between the Beetle's claws, slicing through its chest joint with the perfect upward stroke. The crimson glow dimmed for a heartbeat then reignited, even angrier.
"Persistent bug."
He knew he couldn't kill it without revealing himself. He slashed at the creature's eyes again, forcing it back, cutting sparks and frost with each impact. The Beetle staggered, roaring so loud the Amphitheatre trembled.