Dan's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Who is this beast really?" he whispered to himself.
Steven stood calmly in the center of the arena, brushing dust off his knuckles. "Hmm… That attack should be enough to finish him off," he said.
But then, to the surprise of many, Eger began to rise, staggering to his feet. "I'm not finished yet…" he groaned.
Steven raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Fine. I'll test you out a little."
"Test me?!" Eger growled. "I'll—"
Before he could complete his sentence, Steven rushed at him, a blur of motion. He pummeled Eger with a barrage of punches and launched him into the air before slamming him back down like a ragdoll.
Dan watched with stunned eyes. "What the hell? This doesn't look like a fair fight at all."
Ash grinned beside him. "I know, right? To most people, it looks like Steven is just overpowering him with brute force. But if you look closer, he's actually sizing him up—measuring the distance in their strength, checking how far he's come. Each punch, each move… It's all deliberate."
Dan was silent for a moment, taking that in. "Wow…"
Steven continued his attack relentlessly, his strikes clean, calculated, and increasingly powerful. With each move, he seemed to analyze something.
Have my small attacks become stronger? Interesting, Steven thought. Time to end this.
He grabbed Eger by the collar and slammed him to the ground once more. Eger swayed as he stood again, beaten and exhausted.
"I can't believe I'm losing… to a kid younger than me…" he mumbled.
Steven appeared in front of him in a blink. "Don't be disappointed," he said calmly. "You were tough—but way out of my league."
He pulled his fist back, flames spiraling around it.
"Fire Fist: Omega Punch."
The force of the blow sent Eger flying into the wall. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Steven straightened his uniform and turned to the crowd.
"Game over."
The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium. "WOW! What a phenomenal start to this tournament! The ace of the Fire Nation, Steven Tanner, claims his victory!"
The scoreboard lit up:
Steven vs. Eger
Winner: Steven
Eger's Knight Rank: Private
Steven's Knight Rank: Upgraded to Vice-lieutenant
Dan could only stare. "Woah…"
Ash leaned over. "Amazing, right? That's Steven for you."
Samuel nodded. "He looks unbeatable…"
A familiar voice interrupted them.
"Shit, I missed the fight!" Agi strolled over, munching on a snack.
"Agi!" Dan said, surprised. "Which group are you in?"
"Group D, pot 2."
Dan blinked. "My group?"
"Yup. Thought you'd have noticed my name," Agi replied with a cheeky grin.
"Hehe… sorry," Dan chuckled.
Samuel crossed his arms. "You."
"Hey buddy," Agi said with a playful wink.
Dan raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you two know each other?"
Samuel sighed. "I wouldn't say buddies… more like rivals."
Agi laughed. "We fought in the forest race. I won. It was awesome."
"Next time, I won't lose," Samuel muttered.
Ash thought silently to himself. (No… you will.)
Agi patted Dan's shoulder. "Well, I'm off to catch Steven. Later!"
Once Agi was gone, Dan asked, "What's the next match?"
Ash pulled out a pamphlet. "Rand from the Spear Nation vs. Thalia, a jelly chi user."
Dan blinked. "How do you know that?"
Ash waved the pamphlet in front of him. "Are you living under a rock? It's in all the flyers they're handing out."
He pointed to the cover. "Look, this is the Ice Nation one—and who's on the front?"
Dan's eyes widened. "You?"
Ash nodded smugly. "Strongest Ice Nation participant in this tournament. The pamphlets list everyone from strongest to weakest in each nation."
Dan took a Lightning Nation pamphlet from someone nearby and scanned through it.
"Chase is at the front. No surprise there… Now let me see where I— What the—?!"
Samuel and Ash burst into laughter beside him.
"Dead last!" Samuel cackled.
"Don't blame them," Ash added with a grin.
Dan rolled his eyes. "Screw you guys."
Meanwhile, in another wing of the stadium, Alexis stood by a high window, gazing at the crowd below. Rand approached him.
"Hey Alex," Rand greeted casually.
Alexis didn't look at him. "What do you want? Don't you have a match coming up?"
Rand smirked. "Yeah, just wanted a little pep talk from the strongest."
Alexis scoffed. "Don't screw up. And don't take any opponent lightly. Now buzz off."
Rand grinned. "Boring as always. I liked it better when you wore that crazy smile."
"Whatever," Alexis muttered. "Just win. Make the Weapon Nation proud. Oh—and don't use your 'Two Agnis Marks' yet. This opponent isn't worth it."
Rand turned away. "Of course," he said with a smirk.
Back in the arena, the announcer boomed again.
"Now it's time for the second match of the day! Rand from the Spear Nation versus Thalia, the jelly chi user!"
Audience cheers erupted.
"GO RAND!!!"
"FINALLY! A Spear Nation warrior!"
Dan leaned in. "Ash, what's so special about the Weapon Nation?"
Ash explained, "They train like mad to sharpen their fighting skills to perfection."
Dan frowned. "Everyone trains though…"
The announcer shouted, "Match begin!"
Thalia prepared herself, molding jelly-like chi into barriers. I need to slow him down. Limit his movement. If he can't attack, he can't win.
Rand, calm as ever, whispered, "Agnis Mark… Ignite."
A glowing white symbol lit up on his pupil.
Alexis, watching from above, gave a rare smile. "You crazy bastard…"
Dan watched, confused. "What just happened?"
Ash explained, "When a Weapon Nation warrior activates their Agnis Mark, their strength, chi power, and range increase. Their eyes also sharpen—able to spot openings and pathways others can't see."
Dan blinked. "Huh?"
Rand took his stance and threw his spear with deadly precision.
"Spear Shot."
The weapon tore through the air and pierced Thalia's stomach.
She collapsed instantly.
Medics rushed the field.
Rand raised a hand. "She'll be fine. I missed her vitals."
The announcer roared, "Another brutal victory from the bloodthirsty Weapon Nation—Rand wins!"
Dan sat back, stunned. "That was… fast."
Ash nodded. "Incredible, wasn't it?"
Dan stood. "My match is tomorrow. I need to prepare. No opponent is easy…"
"Good luck," Samuel said as Dan walked off.
The Next Day
The arena buzzed with excitement.
"Welcome back everyone!" the announcer bellowed. "We begin today's Rank Battle with Group D, Pot 2's first match—Dan from the Lightning Nation versus…"
Dan stood tall, fists clenched.
Time to win. Time to show my worth.
"…Scroug, a disc chi user!"
The crowd cheered.
Dan stepped forward, determination in his eyes.
"Dan vs. Scroug—" the announcer called, "the battle is about to begin!"