The chains tightened around Kael's arm and the arena trembled in response, not from the clash of Awakened power, but from something far older stirring beneath the stone. The runes etched into the platform began to glow a violent crimson, pulsing like a heartbeat. The crowd's roar faltered, confusion rippling outward as the suppression field warped unevenly. Loki froze mid-air, eyes wide. "That's not part of the championship system." Ylva felt it too, a primal pressure crawling up her spine. "Kael… the arena is waking up."
The announcer's voice cut off mid-sentence.
Then laughter echoed through the stadium.
Deep. Hungry. Amused.
The ground split open at the center of the platform, stone folding inward as if bowing, revealing a massive sigil carved far below—Dajin script, ancient and forbidden. A figure rose from the pit, body wrapped in crimson markings, muscles corded and monstrous, eyes glowing with savage delight. The crowd erupted into panic as wards flared desperately to contain the presence. Loki snarled. "Rogue Dajin detected. Bloodthirsty class. He's hijacking the trial system." The Dajin spread his arms wide, savoring the fear. "Awakened," he boomed, voice shaking the air. "Your games bored me. I want to see who is strongest."
The arena reshaped itself.
Walls rose, runes locking into place, forming an enclosed combat cage like a massive ring. No weapons. No escape. Just bodies and power. The Dajin grinned, fangs bared. "Three fights. One champion. First—Storm Dragon versus the chained dog." Loki muttered darkly, "He's turning this into a Dajin Trial. UFC-style. No killing… unless he forgets." Kael rolled his shoulder, chains snapping loose as lightning surged against the binding. "Then I'll remind him."
The bell rang.
Rath attacked instantly, chains exploding forward in a storm of devouring runes. Kael met him head-on, abandoning finesse, slipping fully into human form to maximize speed, weaving inside the chain arcs and driving lightning-charged blows into Rath's ribs. The suppression field screamed under the strain as Kael partially shifted mid-combo, scales forming along his spine, claws ripping through armor. Rath roared, trying to lock him down again, but Kael baited the grab, twisted, and slammed a thunder-infused knee into Rath's chest. The impact shattered the runes anchoring the chains. Rath collapsed unconscious, power ripped away by the arena's extraction system. The Dajin laughed in approval. "Good! Strong prey!"
The cage shifted again.
A second Awakened entered—lean, sharp-eyed, aura vibrating violently. Loki scanned fast. "Speed-type. Overclocked nervous system. He'll try to end it instantly." Kael exhaled slowly, grounding himself. When the bell rang, the Awakened vanished, reappearing in a blur behind Kael, blades of compressed air forming—but Kael was already moving. Partial Demidrake legs launched him upward, lightning detonating beneath his feet as he twisted mid-air, claws flashing. The fight became a storm of motion, Kael switching forms fluidly, adapting faster with every exchange. One misstep was all it took. Kael caught him mid-dash, slammed him into the cage wall, and discharged lightning point-blank. The Awakened dropped, power siphoned away as the crowd screamed.
The Dajin descended into the ring himself.
"Now," he said, eyes burning, "me."
The suppression field buckled as the Dajin unleashed his full presence, bloodlust rolling off him in waves. Kael felt it—the weight, the hunger, the demand to submit. Loki shouted, "This is a dominance trial! He's forcing growth through combat!" Kael roared back, lightning surging violently, Demidrake form pushing further than ever before, wings tearing partially free from his back. He charged, claws and thunder colliding with raw Dajin brutality, each blow shaking the arena. The Dajin struck him mid-air, sending him crashing down—but Kael refused to fall.
Something snapped into place.
The storm answered completely.
Lightning wrapped around his wings, solidifying them, lifting him—not jumping, not levitating, but flying. Kael rose above the arena, eyes blazing, power finally unshackled. Loki screamed in triumph. "Flight unlocked! Full aerial control!" The Dajin laughed madly. "YES! SHOW ME!" Kael dove, thunder screaming, the storm incarnate.
The impact blinded the stadium.
When the light faded, the cage was cracked, the Dajin kneeling, laughing even as his power was consumed. "Fly well, Storm Dragon," he rasped as he dissolved into lightning and blood-red sigils.
Silence followed.
Then the arena erupted.
High above the shattered ring, Kael Stormheart hovered, wings spread wide, lightning calm and absolute—unaware that the city's greatest powers had just taken notice, and that Sayo would never look at him the same way again.