The colosseum buzzed with excitement as the next match was announced. The audience, still riding the high from the previous fight, leaned forward, eager to see what kind of battle would unfold next.
"Nara of the Blazing Fangs versus Seraphina Duskwhisper!"
The moment the names were called, reactions rippled through the stands.
Nara had already carved out a name for herself as a relentless combatant, a force of raw destruction, while Seraphina was a different kind of beast—one who fought with cunning rather than brute strength.
A battle of overwhelming power against insidious trickery.
Nara strode forward, stretching her shoulders, her every movement exuding the confidence of someone who had never backed down from a fight.
Her bronze skin gleamed under the afternoon sun, her toned arms and legs scarred from past battles. She wore a sleeveless tunic reinforced with flame-resistant enchantments, leather straps securing her form-fitting armor, allowing complete freedom of movement. Her wild auburn hair was loosely tied back, stray strands falling over her piercing golden eyes, which burned with anticipation.
Her knuckles were wrapped in thick leather, charred black from years of fighting with fire in her fists.
She grinned.
"A sneaky little mage, huh? Let's see if she can handle the heat."
On the other side of the arena, Seraphina Duskwhisper moved with graceful poise, her violet robes flowing like water. She wasn't physically imposing like Nara, but there was something about the way she carried herself—calm, collected, as if she had already calculated a dozen ways to win before the fight had even started.
Her emerald-green eyes flickered with amusement as she examined her opponent.
Her robes concealed a dozen vials, powders, and enchanted tools—her true weapons. If Nara was fire, then Seraphina was smoke, elusive and suffocating.
"She's all rage. Uncontrolled. Predictable."
Seraphina's lips curled into a smirk.
"This will be easy."
"BEGIN!"
Nara exploded forward the second the word left the announcer's mouth.
There was no hesitation, no testing the waters—she closed the distance in a blink, fire surging around her fist as she swung straight for Seraphina's head.
But Seraphina was already moving.
A small glass vial slipped from her sleeve, shattering against the ground just as Nara's fist should have connected.
BOOM!
A thick violet cloud erupted, engulfing the battlefield in an instant.
Nara skidded to a halt inside the mist, coughing as the acrid scent invaded her lungs. Her vision blurred, the shapes around her twisting unnaturally.
"Tch—hallucinogen."
Seraphina's laughter drifted through the haze.
"You really thought I'd let you fight me on your terms?"
Nara ground her teeth, frustration mounting. She had fallen for this trick before, back when another competitor had used a similar substance. But this time?
She was prepared.
A deep inhale. Mana surged through her bloodstream, flames roaring to life around her body.
And then—
WHOOSH!
With a single controlled burst, fire surged outward in all directions, incinerating the mist in an instant.
The audience erupted in cheers as Nara emerged from the dissipating haze, eyes locked on her opponent.
Seraphina, unfazed, raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's inconvenient."
But she wasn't done.
With a flick of her fingers, six darts of glowing green energy formed around her, each one coated in a paralyzing toxin.
Nara saw them coming.
She moved.
The first dart grazed her shoulder—burned to cinders before it could pierce her skin.
The second, she twisted past, the wind from its passing brushing against her cheek.
The third and fourth she swatted aside with a sweep of her flaming arm, their poison igniting in the air.
The last two, she let hit her.
Directly into her palm.
Seraphina's smirk faded.
Nara crushed the darts in her fist, the fire licking up her fingers devouring the poison before it could take effect.
She exhaled slowly.
"Is that it?"
Seraphina clicked her tongue. "Tch."
Seraphina reached into her robes, withdrawing a small glass sphere filled with swirling red liquid.
A rare alchemical concoction.
She hurled it at the ground between them.
The second it shattered—
BOOM!
A bright flash of crimson light blinded the entire arena.
The sound of the explosion echoed through the colosseum.
Nara staggered. The heat wave from the blast rolled over her, not from fire but from some other force.
For the first time, Seraphina went on the offensive.
She dashed forward, twin daggers appearing in her hands. The moment she reached Nara, she slashed in a deadly arc.
A thin, gleaming cut traced across Nara's ribs.
And then—
A second wound bloomed, despite Seraphina's blades never having touched the spot.
A phantom wound.
Seraphina's weapon had been enchanted.
Nara growled, staggering back as the pain lanced through her body.
She could feel her blood boiling, but not from her magic—from whatever had been on that damn dagger.
Seraphina smirked, stepping back as she flicked the blade clean. "That one's special," she mused. "A slow-working toxin. It won't kill you, but it will make moving a lot harder in about—"
Nara lunged.
Seraphina's eyes widened—
A fist smashed into her gut with enough force to lift her off the ground.
She barely had time to gasp before Nara grabbed her by the collar and slammed her into the ground with bone-rattling force.
The crowd gasped.
Seraphina choked, trying to move, but Nara's grip was unyielding.
"You talk too much," Nara muttered.
Seraphina thrashed, trying to reach for another vial, but Nara saw it—
She crushed Seraphina's wrist under her grip, forcing her to drop it.
"You fight dirty," Nara admitted. "I can respect that."
Her other fist ignited, raised high.
"But you messed up."
Seraphina's eyes widened as she realized—
She had run out of tricks.
BAM!
Nara's flaming fist crashed into the ground next to Seraphina's head, close enough that the heat singeed her hair.
Seraphina froze.
Nara leaned in close, her voice low.
"Next time, try fighting like a warrior. Not a rat."
She stood up, stepping back as the referee rushed forward.
"Seraphina is unable to continue! Winner—Nara!"
The arena erupted in deafening cheers.
Seraphina lay there for a long moment before gritting her teeth, her pride more wounded than her body.
Nara cracked her knuckles, already eager for her next match.
The tournament continued.
Match 2: Winner – Nara!