Roja swung his sword with precision, cutting down every blue liquid monster that dared cross his path. His blade carved through their fluid bodies, causing them to dissolve on contact—but for every one he struck down, two more rose from the floor.
They were endless.
Before long, Roja found himself surrounded, outnumbered, and cornered. The tide had turned.
Without warning, one of the liquid creatures slammed a heavy punch into his ribs. Roja stumbled—and then another struck him from the other side. The monsters began circling, landing blow after blow as Roja struggled to defend himself.
In the chaos, a ripple ran through the floor behind them.
Wei emerged, rising silently from the ground like a phantom.
Using the distraction to his advantage, he launched himself into the air. The blue liquid monsters cleared a path for him as he came down hard, sword in hand, slashing directly at Roja from above. Although Roja was struggling to fend off the relentless barrage, his reflexes hadn't dulled. Just as Wei's blade came crashing down from above, Roja raised his arm in a desperate move.
Clang!
The strike landed squarely on the reinforced gauntlet wrapped around Roja's left forearm, sparks flashing at the moment of impact. The force sent a tremor through his arm—but he didn't hesitate.
Roja instantly retaliated, pivoting and swinging his sword with deadly precision toward Wei's exposed ribs.
But the moment the blade connected—something impossible happened.
It melted.
The steel didn't cut. It didn't pierce. Instead, the blade disintegrated, vanishing into droplets as if it had struck the surface of water. The metal dissolved into mist, evaporating like snow against a flame.
Roja's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the—?!" he gasped, staring at the hilt in his hand—now nothing more than a grip without a blade.
Wei let out a mocking laugh.
"Haha!" His eyes gleamed with chaotic energy as he raised his sword high.
"Tsunami Slash!" he shouted.
A glowing arc of boiling blue water surged from Wei's blade as he brought it down with force. The sheer power behind the strike was overwhelming—even the blue liquid monsters around Roja evaporated instantly, swept away by the blast.
The wave exploded outward, crashing into Roja like a tidal force. He was hurled backward, his boots scraping violently across the stone floor as he struggled to keep his balance.
Steam hissed from the scorched arena tiles where the water struck, curling upward in thick, ghostly plumes. The ground trembled, and the entire coliseum rumbled beneath the force of the impact.
Gasps rippled through the arena.
For a moment, the crowd fell into stunned silence—then it erupted. Shouts of disbelief and awe echoed from every direction.
"What kind of magic was that?!"
"Did you see that wave?! He melted Roja's sword!"
"Who is this guy?
Half of the spectators were on their feet, leaning over the rails for a better view. The other half stood frozen, eyes wide, barely able to process what they'd just witnessed.
Down on the stage, the steam slowly cleared… and there, Roja knelt, one hand dug into the ground for support. His cloak was soaked, his armor scorched and steaming. Still, Roja ,manages to stand up confidently as if nothing happens.
"That strike could have severely damaged me, if you were only on my level." Roja was smiling, and entertained the way the fight was going on.
**************************************
-Roja-
LEVEL:75
LIFE POINTS: 6000/7500
MANA: 1000/1500
**************************************
"You forgot your friend right there." Wei muttered in a low tone pointing at Ryo. Ryo, who was struggling to stand while a green light was hurling around him. Was actually preparing to attack.
Holding the scabbard of his katana with his left hand, he quickly drew his katana using his right hand and swung it." "Dark Scar!" Ryo shouted. As Ryo swung his blade, the air around the arena twisted into a dark, violent gust that surged toward Roja—unleashing a myriad of slashes that struck him all at once. The shadows screamed as they moved, each slash slicing with unrelenting force, battering Roja from every angle. Roja dropped to one knee, his hand digging into the stone floor to keep himself upright.
His breath came in heavy bursts, steam rising from his soaked, slashed cloak. Blood trickled from a cut on his cheek, trailing down to his jaw.
But then—
He laughed
A low, guttural sound that built into a full-throated cackle.
"Hahaha... now that—" he coughed, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, "—that was a good hit. I felt that one."
Slowly, he stood, straightening his back with a grimace—but also with pride.
The crowd gasped at his resilience. He looked like a warrior pulled from the wreckage of a battlefield—battered, but burning with defiance.
Roja's Status Screen flashed again:
*************************************
-Roja-
LEVEL: 75
LIFE POINTS: 4100 / 7500
MANA: 1000 / 1500
**************************************
He tilted his head, cracking his neck with a pop. "Impressive... for someone who should be dead." He pointed his finger at Ryo, then flicked his eyes toward Wei.
"But I'm not done yet." Roja extended his hand, flames burst to life in his palm—not wild or chaotic, but focused, elegant, and angrily alive. The fire spiraled upward, shaping into a gleaming blade of pure flame, its edge humming with heat and wrath. It crackled like a living thing, casting sharp flickers of orange and red across his bloodied face..
And although Roja had taken heavy damage from both warriors, his regenerative ability began to show. Each second, a soft golden glow pulsed across his wounds as +80 life points ticked up steadily. His body, though bruised and bloodied, was healing before their very eyes.
Roja's status flickered again:
**************************************
-Roja-
LEVEL: 75
LIFE POINTS: 4480 / 7500
MANA: 1000 / 1500
*Passive Ability: Battleborn Regeneration*
*************************************
From across the stage, Wei called out with a cocky grin.
"Hey yo! Samurai dude!" he shouted.
"I don't know you, but I just wanna help you kick this elf's ass. I'm human too—so let's beat him up together."
Wei flashed a confident smile. Despite the chaos, his spirit was burning bright.
Ryo gave a firm nod. No words—just action. He tightened his grip on his katana and launched forward, sprinting straight at Roja with fierce determination.
Wei followed right behind, his own blade shimmering with faint blue energy. The crowd roared in excitement, the energy of the arena reaching a fever pitch.
From the royal balcony, Princess Jewel gasped, her hands clenched to her chest. She was totally confused. She wanted her bodyguard, Roja, and Ryo—the swordsman who once saved him—to survive. But now that Wei had joined the battle, her confusion and anxiety only grew. She desperately wanted to know who would survive."
Behind her, King Elarion remained silent, his gaze unmoving, studying the chaos below like a general watching pieces on a warboard.
Ryo and Wei swung their swords at Roja, but he successfully parried both attacks with his flame sword.
"Hey, you said you were going to let me escape Lenor City. Why not do it now?" Ryo said to Roja as he pushed his blade against him.
"I could have done it. I just needed more time beating you before I could cast a spell that would teleport you to another location. And then this clown showed up, acting like a hero and trying to save you," Roja replied.
"What?!" Wei was surprised by what he heard.
"Can you just do it now? Send us both to another location," Ryo asked.
"Sure," Roja said. He swung his flame sword, pushing both of them back a few steps.
"Hey, samurai dude, what are you talking about? I thought this elf was trying to kill you?" Wei asked, clearly confused.
"He was supposed to... but he changed his mind," Ryo answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Wei asked, still bewildered.
Roja raised his burning right hand, about to cast a spell—when suddenly, General Moonveil leapt from the royal balcony and landed in the arena.
Moonveil—half Elf, half Rock Golem—stood tall in a white cloak draped over his slender frame. He was about 5'9", with gray skin that made his Golem heritage unmistakable. The left side of his face was partially covered in stone, and he had the ability to encase any part of his body in rock for protection.
"You seem confident... and strong," Moonveil said, his voice calm but laced with menace. "You, who summon giant slimes. Because of that, I'll give you the honor of dying by my hand."
Wei smiled. "Thank you. And I hope you're really as strong as you look."
He swiped the air, and a glowing screen appeared in front of him. Wei saw Moonveil's main ability and read it.
**********************************
Moonveil
LEVEL: 75
LIFE POINTS: 7500 / 7500
MANA: 1500 / 1500
Special Ability: Telekinesis – the ability to move or manipulate objects with the mind, without any physical interaction.
Wei grinned after reading Moonveil's ability.
"Hahahaha! So what are you going to do? Throw things at me? Hahahaha! You're like a child having a tantrum!"
But before Wei could laugh any further, massive stone hands erupted from the arena floor—one on his left, one on his right. In an instant, they crashed together, aiming to crush Wei between them like a sandwich.
BOOM!
The collision of the massive stone hands shook the arena, sending dust and debris into the air. For a brief moment, the crowd gasped—some in horror, others in satisfaction.
Princess Jewel stood up from her seat, eyes wide. "Did he just… get crushed?"
Moonveil smirked, lowering his hand. "Too easy."
But as the dust began to settle, Moonveil noticed something strange—between the massive thumbs and index fingers of the stone hands... the rock was melting.
His eyes narrowed. "What...?"
A faint hiss echoed through the arena. Steam rose from the dissolving stone as the solid mass softened into glowing, bubbling sludge.
From within the melting stone, Wei emerged—completely unscathed.
He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and chuckled.
"That was a good massage. Got any more tricks?" he said casually, gripping his sword as he walked toward Moonveil.
The crowd erupted—half in disbelief, half in awe.
From the royal balcony, King Elarion leaned forward in his seat, his gaze sharpened.
"This... hybrid. He's no ordinary warrior."
Princess Jewel clutched her chest, her voice barely a whisper.
"He survived..."
Moonveil's smug expression faltered, replaced by a grim scowl. The arrogance drained from his face.
"You're more than you appear to be," he muttered.
Wei pointed his blade at him, eyes gleaming.
"And you're less than I expected."