Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Fwoosh!

  The detonations echoed throughout the Arena. Mystic sparks exploded as immense blazing flames scorched the concrete platforms rising and falling erratically.

  Nova ran across the battlefield, escaping the flames that licked at his ankles. His single eye shone intensely, accompanied by his ghostly aura, which spread across his body and enhanced every one of his skills.

  Several dozen meters away, a strange being with wrinkled green skin and a black beak raised his wooden staff high. His large pointed hat and purple robe made him look like an old-fashioned wizard.

  “Pyro Arcana!” he shouted, striking the air with his staff.

  Massive fireballs appeared above the alien mage, who wasted no time launching them toward his opponent.

  Nova, however, had different plans. With pistol and sword in hand, he charged straight toward the fireballs speeding toward him. He pressed the button that activated Air Slash and swung downward, triggering the ranged attack.

  The plasma blade shot forward and struck the first fireball, splitting it into two fragments that blasted off in opposite directions.

  Boom! The spectator shield trembled.

  ‘Still not enough,’ Nova thought, bracing himself for the remaining four fireballs.

  As a defensive measure, he switched back to Plasma Blade mode and collided with the incoming attacks.

  Boom! The massive explosion spread in all directions—fragments of Arcane magic struck the concrete. Smoke rose like a toxic cloud, drawing a smile from the mage.

  “Akitu’s Sephiroth control is flawless!” Mófar announced to the crowd. “Will Nova Asmodai survive that?!”

  As if summoned by Mófar’s words, Nova emerged from the smoke like a phoenix. His clothes were on fire, but his gaze was so cold and terrifying that Akitu’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by fear and panic.

  “Cryo Arcana!”

  Desperate, Akitu raised his staff and conjured hundreds of icy icicles in the air, firing them like bullets.

  “You already used that one before, rock-head!” Nova shot back.

  He swung his sword with the ferocity of a true warrior, shattering every icicle that struck the Arena with frozen explosions. Cold mist filled the battlefield in seconds, obscuring all visibility.

  The audience complained, but Mófar snapped his fingers and switched the cameras to thermal view.

  “Even if you hide, I can still feel where you are,” Nova whispered. His eye glowed through the mist, making him look like a winter predator.

  Akitu was a mage who used Sephiroth to create magic, so it was only a matter of time before Nova realized he could sense the distance between himself and the alien mage. With complete confidence, he advanced blindly toward his target—but stopped when he felt energy rumbling through the air.

  The ground lit up with a crimson glow. Nova frowned in confusion and looked up.

  What he saw rooted him in place.

  The mist cleared, revealing what loomed above—what illuminated the entire Arena—was a massive meteor plummeting downward.

  “Meteor Arcana!” the alien mage exclaimed.

  With no time to dodge, Nova tried to sprint toward Akitu to kill him—but he was too slow.

  Boom!

  The rock crashed down. The ground shook violently, and a massive cloud of smoke and dust rose into the air. Akitu raised his staff and conjured a purple energy shield, glowing with semi-transparent symbols.

  The audience fell silent. No one could believe the champion of the past few weeks had just died.

  From the stands, Mina crossed her arms. Her bright monochromatic blue eyes focused like a digital lens, revealing a complex expression beneath her hood.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Akitu sighed in relief. He dropped to his knees, exhausted, sweat dripping from his wrinkled forehead.

  “I did it. I beat him…”

  Crunch…

  The sound echoed from within the smoke. Akitu’s eyes widened in horror.

  From the darkness of dust and debris, a brilliant golden eye stared at him. Nova’s flaming aura had not faded—but blood streamed down his body like multiple small waterfalls.

  He emerged from the destruction just as he had before, wearing the same terrifying gaze countless creatures had seen before their lives ended.

  Broken, Nova took a heavy step forward.

  ‘Two months have passed… Two months and I still haven’t escaped…’

  He took another step—his clothes were in tatters.

  ‘No matter how hard I try to grow stronger, I can’t find a way out of this absurd bloody circus.’

  He raised his sword, sending Akitu into full panic.

  ‘Nothing I do works. I’m tired of it.’

  He released a long, boiling sigh that turned into vapor the moment it left his mouth.

  “Wait! Wait! I surrender!” the mage screamed, crawling pathetically through the rubble. “I don’t want this! Don’t kill me! Please forgive me!”

  Despite the noise, Nova paid no attention. He kept walking forward, a dangerous light shining in his solitary eye.

  “Please! Someone help m—!”

  Akitu’s words ended as Nova’s sword pierced the back of his neck, emerging through his throat as it tore through flesh and bone.

  The mage wept as life left his body. In his final moments, he saw a mysterious figure that no one else could see.

  “Seriously… I’m tired of this…”

  Nova pulled the sword free and flicked off Akitu’s blood. Then he looked at Mófar, his eyes lost in frustration and the discomfort born from this visceral monotony.

  Mófar returned the stare with a mocking smile.

  After that, Nova collapsed unconscious and, seconds later, was transported to the operating room by Kaulai.

  ***

  He woke up days after the battle. His body was wrapped in blood-stained bandages, though no open wounds remained—only red scars stretching across his skin.

  Bored and exhausted, he sat up in bed and stared down the hallway beyond the door.

  “Kaulai isn’t here. I guess I’m alone this time.”

  He lay back down with his hands behind his head.

  ‘Personal Information.’

  [

  ? Name: ____

  ? Age: ____

  ? Rank: ____

  ? Spectrums: Serenity, Anticipation.

  ? Spectrum Skills:

  —Attenuate

  —Spectrum Enhancement.

  —Serenity Fluctuation.

  —Future Vision.

  —Fatal Omen.

  —Enhanced Senses.

  —Reaction Acceleration.

  ? Energy Control:

  —Low control of Calem Energy.

  —Medium manipulation of the Plantae Realm.

  —Low resistance to Status Effects.

  —Low resistance to Corruption.

  —Charged Fusion.

  ? Personal Skills:

  —Intent Transmission (Basic)

  —Martial Arts (Advanced)

  —Knowledge of Botany (Advanced)

  —Survivor (Advanced)

  —Desperate Strength (Intermediate)

  —Asmodai Fencing (Basic)

  —Accurate Marksmanship (Intermediate)

  —Persistence (Basic)

  ]

  ‘I knew it. It still hasn’t changed,’ he thought, clenching his fist tightly. ‘During these weeks I’ve faced all kinds of monsters, but the result is almost always the same. Even though I polished many of my skills, I still can’t learn new ones.’

  He closed his eye, exasperated.

  ‘Is losing control of my Spectrum the only way to grow stronger and unlock better skills? Because since that day, I haven’t learned anything new regarding Anticipation.’

  He had grown stronger—but that strength was reaching the limit of the ability.

  ‘I don’t even know what to do anymore. I don’t feel like myself. I’m just an animal in a circus…’

  Everything he had been fighting for was slowly losing meaning as the days passed. The faces he once considered familiar were beginning to blur in his mind.

  ‘I wanted to go home… Is my will really that fragile—to give up now? Because this doesn’t seem like it has an end…’

  He thought deeply about it, but in the end, he realized he had woken up only to feel the despair of being unable to escape these walls. He tried to sleep to quiet those thoughts—something he managed with some difficulty.

  That same night, the wall above his bed warped.

  A brilliant blue eye stared down at him.