The swamp battlefield was a graveyard of steam and shards. I watched as Biscuit and Whirlkool lay broken in the muck, their bodies dragged upright by arena medics, neither capable of standing without aid. Mina and Loa stood victorious, battered but still towering, their silhouettes haloed by the roaring crowd.

  A streak of rainbow light split the sky. Bellatrixa the Blazing Bloom spiraled downward, pirouetting above the carnage with a flourish of wings and pyrotechnic glitter. Her amplified voice rose over the sea of cheers.

  "MONSTERS AND MARTYRS OF GLADIA—WHAT. A. DEBUT!" She winked, striking a pose that sent half the colosseum into a frenzy. "Our first blood has been spilled! Our first titans have clashed! And we have our FIRST VICTORS!"

  The spotlights exploded into color around Mina and Loa. Illusions of their finishing strike replayed above the dome in slow motion. The storm of talismans and feathers tearing through Biscuit's doubles, the spiked shrapnel detonating against Whirlkool. The images repeated from every angle, exaggerated by Bellatrixa's narration.

  "Give it up for the Chimera Crew's savage steel: Mina the Oni-Minotaur!” She jabbed a finger toward Mina, who instinctively raised her kanabo high, particles still dripping from the spikes. The audience's roar nearly shook the foundation.

  "And her deadly dance-partner in the skies: Loa, the Tengu Tactician!" Loa only inclined her head with a sharp, measured bow—but her control, her command, made the crowd chant her name like a drumline.

  The fairy paused midair, smile sly, as her magic spotlight shifted toward the broken forms of Biscuit and Whirlkool. The crowd's cheer twisted into jeers, laughter, some sympathetic cries though few.

  "And let us not forget our valiant first victims," Bellatrixa purred, voice dripping sweet mockery. "Biscuit, the feral kitty, cracked and scattered like her layers… Whirlkool, the gunning kappa, whose cannons found themselves drowned in their own tide!" The arena howled with cruel joy. Biscuit hissed weakly from the mud, but she was too shattered to rise. Whirlkool glared up at the fairy, shell smoldering, but her weapons sparked uselessly.

  And then the lights dimmed again. Every head tilted upward.

  Crueltal, Shuten Dōji, had risen.

  The Sovereign's presence silenced even Bellatrixa's glittering theatrics. She did not need booming magic. Her voice, resonant and decadent, poured over the stadium like a heated haze.

  "Strength is proved not in survival, but in dominance." She let the words hang, eyes glowing from the shadowed balcony. "The Chimera Crew has given us a taste worthy of recollection. They strike with instinct, yet obey command. They bleed, yet do not fall. They do not entertain…" Her lips curved into a cruel smirk. "…they conquer."

  The crowd bellowed, echoing her verdict. Mina's chest swelled despite herself; Loa's eyes stayed sharp, but her feathers bristled with a pride she couldn't mask.

  Crueltal's gaze flicked to the broken fighters below. "As for you…" Her tone shifted, crueler, dripping disdain. "To be the first to fall is no shame unless you fall without forcing memory. Biscuit. Whirlkool. You fought with teeth and guns, but in the end, you are nothing but the ink blot beneath the names of your betters."

  The crowd roared, half in scorn, half in approval of her cruelty.

  "Remember this well, children of Gladia," Crueltal finished, her voice tightening into a command. "There are no losers here! Only offerings. Their screams will feed the fire that carries this cycle forward. And our victors? Their flame rises higher, for now. Let us see if it will last."

  She raised her cup of sake in an effortless toast, then sat down again, as though the judgment of the gods had been passed and the world could resume. "We will proceed with Match 3. Of course, Match 2 will still take place. But I'd rather savor a better spectacle."

  "What—" At her declaration, Nex nearly snapped, but he withheld his tongue.

  Bellatrixa clapped wildly, spinning in midair as rainbow dust exploded like fireworks. "Ooooh, did you hear that, darlings?! 'They conquer!' The Sovereigns themselves are watching! The stage has been set, the feast has begun! By Crueltal's decree, Match 3 will be a true spectacle of might and ingenuity, but as our victors bask in their glory, we must also prepare for the next clash!"

  The drums boomed again, summoning the next wave of combatants into the wings. Mina and Loa were led from the swamp-dome, triumphant but already under the weight of what Crueltal's gaze meant.

  The cycle of battle had only just begun.

  ??? ???

  "Alright Roxie! Let's do this!" I overheard Skadicritt shouting just before the match announcement bloomed high in the sky.

  Betting Results:

  [9% on Skadi and Rox's Win]

  [91% on Vice and Vicious's Win]

  I watched Skadi skip toward the Combat Zone, followed by Rox right behind her. She was super delighted to begin the fight. However, Rox seemed a bit flustered as she stepped tentatively into the ring. I knew that anxious ripple festering from the shroud of her aura. She wasn't vibing well with the opponents they were soon to face.

  I already warned them both about forfeiting if they wanted. But both were adamant about pursuing the fight.

  The crowd above us were uproarious, jeering, doting, or shouting for them to yield from the match.

  "Really? You're sending those two into the viper's den?!"

  "Those adorable fur-babies— I can't watch!"

  "Those cuties don't belong here! Get 'em out!"

  "We paid for a fight, not a massacre!"

  "Who even bet on them? Nine percent of you are idiots!"

  "Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!"

  "Get them out! Get them out! Get them out!"

  The crowd thumped and howled when Skadi and Rox resumed their path toward the Combat Zone. They did not know them like I did. I trusted in their capabilities after the hard work they put in toward their training.

  ??? [Combat Status] ???

  ??? [Combat Status] ???

  Bellatrixa hovered into view, dashing back and forth as her voice hollored above the crowd.

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  "Let the third match begin! Between the Chimera Crew's Skadi and Rox!

  Versus Vile Horde's horrid Venolisk duo, Vice and Vicious!"

  The mentioned prowlers slithered from the shadows: a bully duo far larger than any titanoboa. The Venolisks, Vice and Vicious, had their forked tongues flicking out in eagerness, their gazes intent on Skadi and Rox. They likely believed they were up against easy foes… or prey.

  ??? [Combat Status] ???

  ??? [Combat Status] ???

  The crowd responded thunderously as they booed the Venolisks. They even threw whatever they held in their hands at them, despite how futile their efforts were against the barrier that shielded the beasts.

  "Hah! Look at them, Vice! They love us!"

  "Don't let it get to your head, Vicious. We'll give them a nice little show." Vice's gaze locked onto Rox for a moment. "It'll disappoint them if this ends too soon."

  Skadi bounced and then bounded until she landed with a dust-cloud plop in front of them.

  "Hi! Hi! We meet again! Skaditty is super excited about this match! Let's have so much fun!"

  Vice and Vicious shared a glance, both smiling back in their snake-like visages. Vicious leaned downward first.

  "Eager are we? Don't worry, we won't bite too hard."

  "He's right. We'll swallow in one gulp. Unfortunately, Merecritts rank only third on our list of favorites to eat. But you seem tastier than most, Sparkles."

  Skadi grinned at Vice. "Aw! Thanks! I try to make my fur smell sweet like this cotton candy stuff… but you might not know what that is! It's from Ki's world, but it has a delicious scent!"

  Vicious proceeded to give her a nostril-flaring sniff, while Rox moved forward with an awkward, anxious step. "Oh, that smells freakin' great. Maybe you would taste fantastic indeed!"

  "Skadi, I think you should back—"

  "Time to change the battlefield for our great participants!" Bellatrixa cried. She almost completed her gesture, only to be interrupted by Vice's blasphemous howl.

  "Nah! Nah! We'll fight in this generic arena. We don't need any hand-holding or gimmicks to give y'all a grand performance!"

  Bellatrixa gripped her wand tightly, ready for a retort, but the fairy fell silent as Crueltal's presence crashed down like a tidal wave. She stood from her seat higher above as I paid heed to her.

  "Approved. Let the blood match of venom and exuberance commence!" The Shuten Doji threw her arms up, and the cheers from the crowd erupted into an explosive dissonance.

  Both Vice and Vicious wasted no time as they coiled and snapped toward Skadi with a cruel ambition to devour her. Skadi remained steadfast in her position; Rox screamed for her but didn't dare to move. The crowd cried out for blood.

  Suddenly, a powerful sound erupted from the field, drawing the attention of the onlookers. The crowd fell silent.